Paralimosina flavifacies, Papp, 2013

Papp, László, 2013, The first record of the genus Paralimosina L. Papp (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) in the Afrotropical Region, with descriptions of six new species, African Invertebrates 54 (2), pp. 315-315 : 317-321

Paralimosina flavifacies sp. n.

Figs 1–18

Etymology: From Latin flavus (yellow) and facies (face), in reference to the bright yellow facial plate.

Description:

Measurements in mm: body length 2.45 (holotype), 2.55 (paratype), wing length 2.23 (holotype), 2.30 (paratype), wing width 1.01 (holotype), 1.04 (paratype).

Body blackish brown with thick grey microtomentum, head mostly yellow, occiput black, fore femur dirty yellow, mid and hind femora dark brown.

Frons without M-shaped mark, sagittal interfrontal stripe bright yellow, other frontal parts reddish yellow, less shiny, orbitalia and interfrontal lines silvery, occiput dark with silvery tomentum. Facial plate bright yellow. Gena below eye 0.15 mm, longest axis of eye 0.33 mm. Four pairs of ifr (0.07–0.08 mm) plus 1 pair of shorter ifr anteriorly. Genal seta above peristomal setae, 0.09 mm long. Aristal cilia 0.045 –0.050 mm, like the apical cilia on first flagellomere.

Acrostichals dense, rather thin and short. Anterior dc pair distinct (0.15 mm). Wing light brown, veins darker brown, venation as in the related species. Wing membrane with rather long (0.015 mm) microtrichia. Second costal section 0.66 mm, third costal section 0.79 mm, costal index 0.83 (holotype). R-M–M-M distance 0.32 mm, M-M crossvein 0.14 mm long. Tibiae lighter brown, with both apical parts and a medial part ochre. Tarsi ochre. Mid tibia with ad at 18/55 (strong), 37/55 (shorter), 42/55 (strong); pd at 16/55, 40/55 (both strong); anterior seta at 39/55; va on male mid tibia comparatively thin and only 0.09 mm long, but apical half of male mid tibia ventrally with strong, but not long, thick thornlets in ca 3 rows. Female mid tibia with va, 0.16 mm long.

Male abdominal S5 ( Figs 1, 2 ) not particularly long, medio-caudally with a small thin desclerotised area, longer setae on caudal margin only. S6–8 not fused to each other, S6 large, i.e. comparatively long and broad ( Fig. 3 ), S7 comparatively small with broadened caudal lobe ( Fig. 5 ); S8 very large, particularly long. There is a well sclerotised sclerite located ventrally to S8, which cannot be interpreted as anything but a tergal part. Epandrium with long setae, particularly so ventrally. Cercal lobe ( Figs 7, 8 ) large and broad, with no thick setae or sclerotised processes ventrally on epandrial complex. Hypandrium ( Figs 4, 6 ) with robust, broad, asymmetrical medial part (‘rod’), and with short arms, which are not fused to epandrium. Medial part with an asymmetrical ventral process medially, which is serrate on anterior edge ( Fig. 6 ). Connecting sclerites of hypandrium strong ( Fig. 4 ). It is much shorter than phallapodeme, medial part with a long caudal process. Subepandrial sclerite ( Figs 7, 8 ) with long process to surstylus, its body higher than broad. Surstylus ( Figs 9, 10 ) very characteristic: anterior lobe smaller than posterior lobe, subtriangular with short setulae (pegs) only; posterior lobe large, with a short, setose caudal process and a small triangular ventral lobe; longer setae on ventral third of surstylus only. Postgonite ( Fig. 13 ) robust with strong basal part, even apical part of postgonite not thin, with curved blunt apex; anterior edge bears some short setae. Phallus short ( Figs 11, 12 ), basiphallus rather small, particularly short. Distiphallus ( Figs 11, 12 ) is an intricate structure: it has a large ventral process, which bears a digitiform ventral process; both apical process and ventral edge above the ventral process serrate. Phallapodeme ( Fig. 12 ) comparatively short and thick.

Female T 8 in 2 parts as usual ( Fig. 14 ), each with a large, medially directed process having some stronger lateral setae only. S8 very short, although broad, with a pair of widely separated setae ( Fig. 16 ). Epiproct extremely large, broad and triangular, with a pair of widely separated setae and longer but fine hairs apically and on a pair of low, slightly curved, dorsal ridges ( Fig. 15 ). Cerci short and thin, with a medium-length seta and several short pairs of setae. Spectacles-shaped sclerite, rather well-sclerotised, with a stronger, melanised cylindrical structure caudally ( Fig. 17 ). Spermathecae ( Fig. 18 ) globular, without any modifications; ducts short.

Holotype: ♂ TANZANIA: Tanga: Amani [5°06'S 38°38'E], 1–18.ii.1987, S. Mahunka & A. Zicsi ( HNHM, abdomen and genitalia prepared and preserved in glycerol in a plastic microvial).

Paratype: 1♀ same data as for holotype ( HNHM, abdomen and genitalia prepared and preserved in glycerol in a plastic microvial) .

Figures

Figs 1–6. Paralimosina flavifacies sp. n., holotype male, postabdomen and genitalia: (1) S5, ventral view; (2) caudal part of S5 at higher magnification; (3) S6, ventral view; (4) hypandrium, ventral view; (5) S7–8, ventral view; (6) hypandrium,lateral view, with ventral process at higher magnification.Scale bars: Fig. 1 = 0.4 mm, Figs 2–6 = 0.2 mm, enlarged part of Fig. 6 = 0.1 mm.

Figs 7–13. Paralimosina flavifacies sp. n., holotype male, postabdomen and genitalia: (7) cercal lobes and subepandrial sclerite, caudal view; (8) cercal lobes and subepandrial sclerite, anterior (inner) view; (9) surstylus, broadest (sublateral) view; (10) surstylus, broadest inner (medial) view; (11) contours of distiphallus, lateral view; (12) phallus and phallapodeme, lateral view; (13) postgonite, lateral view. Scales bars: Fig. 12 = 0.2 mm, Figs 7–11, 13 = 0.1 mm.

Figs 14–22. Paralimosina spp., female terminalia: (14–18) P.flavifacies sp. n., paratype: (14) T8, epiproct and cerci, dorsal view; (15) epiproct with contours of cerci, dorsal view; (16) S8, ventral view; (17) spectacles-shaped sclerite, with mid part at higher magnification; (18) unpaired spermatheca and one of the paired spermathecae with ducts; (19–22) P. australis sp. n., paratype: (19) S8, ventral view; (20) T8, lateral view; (21) epiproct and cerci, dorsal view; (22) spermathecae. Scale bars: Figs 14, 16–17, 19–21 = 0.2 mm, Figs 15, 18, 22 and enlarged part of Fig. 17 = 0.1 mm.