Tomosvaryella subtransvaalensis Motamedinia & Skevington

Motamedinia, Behnam, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2021, Revision of Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) in the Middle East, with description of 19 new species, Zootaxa 5002 (1), pp. 1-103 : 69

Tomosvaryella subtransvaalensis Motamedinia & Skevington sp. nov.

Figs 38A–E , 54 , 70A–B

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the shape of surstyli in dorsal view, elongated and constricted in middle ( Fig. 38A ); wide epandrium in dorsal view ( Fig. 38A ); asymmetrical gonopod and hypandrium in ventral view ( Fig. 38B ); ejaculatory apodeme funnel-shaped ( Fig. 38C ). Based on the shape of surstyli, this species resembles T. transvaalensis De Meyer, 1993 ( Fig. 42A–E ). The shape of surstyli is slightly different in lateral view, in T. transvaalensis , straight in medial, narrowed in apical third ( Fig. 42D–E ) and T. subtransvaalensis has a hypandrial apodeme in ventral view ( Fig. 38B ).

Description: MALE: Body length (excluding antennae): 4.6 mm. Head. Scape dark, pedicel dark brown, flagellum brown; pedicel with three short upper setae; flagellum tapering (LF:WF = 3.0); arista dark. Eyes meeting for a distance of 8–9 facets. Frons silver-gray pollinose. Vertex black, lacking pollinosity. Occiput dark and gray pollinose in lower half. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe light yellow, gray pollinose with 4–6 small setae along the upper margin (up to 0.03 mm). Prescutum and scutum black, with a row of supra-alar setae. Scutellum black, silver-gray pollinose, with about 12–14 short dark setae along posterior margin (up to 0.03 mm). Subscutellum and pleura dark. Wing. Length: 4.1 mm. LW:MWW = 4.0. Wing almost entirely covered with microtrichia. Cross-vein r-m reaching cell dm at the middle. M 1 strongly undulating in middle. Halter length: 0.37 mm. Yellowish, dark brown at base. Legs. Dark but narrowly yellow at apex of femora, base of tibiae. Trochanters black, smooth. Femora partly gray pollinose. All femora bearing two rows of dark, peg-like anteroventral spines in apical half. Hind femur with one wrinkled indentation in basal quarter. Tibiae with two rows of short setae on anterior and three rows on posterior side. Hind tibia with one wrinkled indentation in the middle. Tarsi brown, gray pollinose. Pulvilli shorter than distitarsi. Claws brown with black tips. Abdomen. Ground color dark. Tergite 1 entirely gray pollinose with 8–9 short black lateral setae (up to 0.1 mm). Tergites 2–5 with scattered short dark setae. Sternites brown laterally and dark centrally, gray pollinose. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium and surstyli dark brown, gray pollinose. Epandrium wider than long (MLE:MWE = 0.3), left side more extended than right one. Surstyli rather symmetrical, elongated, constricted in middle ( Fig. 38A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods rather large and unequal in height, left slightly higher than right one; hypandrium unequal in height, left is higher than right one ( Fig. 38B ). Genital capsule in lateral view: surstyli curved towards sternite ( Fig. 38D–E ). Phallic guide short, strong, pointed apically ( Fig. 38D–E ); phallus with two long and one short ejaculatory ducts ( Fig. 38D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme funnel-shaped ( Fig. 38C ). FEMALE: unknown.

Etymology: The specific name is derived from the Latin preposition ‘sub’ meaning near, referring to this species close relation to T. transvaalensis De Meyer, 1993 .

Specimens examined: HOLOTYPE: ISRAEL: Rehovot , 31°53’N, 34°48’E, 2.i.1999, Y. Nussbaum, JSS51765 (1♂, TAU) . PARATYPE: ISRAEL: Sappir , 30°36’N, 35°11’E, 1.v.1997, A. Freidberg, JSS51690 (1♂, CNC) .

Distribution: Israel ( Fig. 54 ).

Notes: Based on DNA barcoding, this species is genetically most similar to T. inopinata , differing by 5.3% (pairwise divergence). Note that T. transvaalensis has not been sequenced.

Figures

FIGURE 38. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella subtransvaalensis sp. nov., holotype (JSS51765, TAU)A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 42. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella transvaalensis (JSS52093, CNC) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 54. Distribution of Tomosvaryella freidbergi, T. saudiensis sp. nov., T. subtransvaalensis sp. nov. in the Middle East.

FIGURE 70. Male habitus of Tomosvaryella species A–B) T. subtransvaalensis sp. nov., holotype (JSS51765, TAU) A) in dorsal view B) in lateral view, C–D) T. susa sp. nov., holotype (JSS52217, CNC) C) in dorsal view D) in lateral view, E–F) T. unicorna sp. nov., holotype (JSS51821, CNC) E) in dorsal view F) in lateral view.