Paralimosina heteroneura, 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 : 327-329

Paralimosina heteroneura sp. n.

Figs 42–54

Etymology: From Greek ἑτερΟΣ (different) and ΝευρΟΝ (vein), in reference to the peculiarly short inter-crossvein section.

Description:

Measurements in mm: body length 2.06 (holotype), 2.15 (paratype), wing length 1.30 (holotype), 1.68 (paratype), wing width 0.71 (holotype), 0.81 (paratype).

Body dark blackish brown, legs black, tarsi brown.

Frons with distinct M-shaped pattern (silvery on blackish brown). Face moderately shiny. Three pairs of long ifr plus a minute anterior pair (holotype), paratype female with a 4 th posterior ifr on the left side. The posterior ifr pair is posterior to anterior frorb. Genal seta 0.11 mm long and emerges only 0.03 mm above mouth margin. Scape and pedicel dirty reddish, first flagellomere dark grey. Medial seta of scape light and thin; and 0.10 mm in length. Longest cilia on first flagellomere 0.05 mm, aristal cilia slightly more than 0.01 mm.

Mesonotum somewhat more shiny than in P. australis . Acrostichals short and dense. Anterior dc only 0.08–0.09 mm, i.e. hardly separable from dc microchaetae. Anterior katepisternal seta indistinct, posterior one 0.25 mm long. Wing light brown, veins slightly darker. Both crossveins brown-margined. Second costal section 0.440 mm, third section 0.625 mm, costal index 0.70 (holotype); 0.460: 0.670 mm, costal index 0.69 (paratype). R-M–M-M 0.13 mm (holotype and paratype), M-M 0.12 mm (holotype), 0.15 mm (paratype). Lower edge of discal cell larger than 90°, vein appendage 0.05 mm. Hairs on medial surface of male fore coxa not particularly long or dense. Mid tibia with ad at 10/37, 16/37 (moderately long), 27/37 (longest, 0.16 mm); pd (they are all long) at 8/37, 13/37, 25/37 (longest, 0.13 mm); ventroapical hair on male mid tibia only 0.07 mm.

Male S5 ( Fig. 42 ) with a quadrate medio-caudal extension, which is bare. At least 1 pair of very long, submedial, subcaudal setae and several other long setae on S5.A broad, medial, caudal, less melanised area detectable, which bears short setulae. S6–7 parts of synsternite broadly and strongly fused ( Fig. 43 ), S8 component medium-large and not fused to S7 section. Ventral portion of S6 thin, and no sclerotised ‘right side sclerites’ were found. Hypandrium ( Figs 44, 45 ) comparatively short but robust. Hypandrial arms not fused to either the epandrium or to the medial part (‘rod’), arms short with broadened caudal ends (to epandrium); medial part with a large asymmetrical ventral process. No cercal lobes on epandrial complex ( Figs 47, 48 ). Ventral part of epandrial complex with some medium-length setae and dense thin hairs. Subepandrial sclerite about as broad as high, ventral processes short ( Fig. 48 ). Surstylus with a bilobed, less sclerotised and melanised anterior part; both lobes are rounded ( Fig. 50 ). Part connecting to posterior section comparatively thin (narrow) but well-sclerotised. Posterior region of surstylus with a long, blunt ventral lobe and several long setae. Phallapodeme 0.24 mm, curved in lateral view ( Fig. 46 ). Phallus ( Fig. 46 ) short, ca 0.20 mm. Basiphallus short and not very high, distiphallus with a long, thin, ventrally and caudally curved pair of processes and having a ventrally directed digitiform medial process. Postgonite rather broad-based ( Fig. 49 ), basal 0.8 almost straight, only apical 0.2 narrowed and anteriorly curved. Apex of postgonite narrowly rounded.

Female T8 without medially directed process and with only ca 4 medium-length setae ( Fig. 53 ). S8 trapezoid ( Fig. 54 ), with a pair of sublateral setae 0.08 mm long, as well as 4 other short setae; anterior part free of short hairs. Hypoproct, as usual, broad and narrow, with a pair of short widely separated setae. Epiproct broad and semicrescentic ( Fig. 51 ), with a pair of short (ca 0.03 mm) setae (on the only female paratype, a third asymmetrically placed seta also present). Cerci short, with a long (0.10 mm), almost straight pair of setae; other cercal setae short. Spermathecae ( Fig. 52 ) slightly compressed, i.e. not globular, sclerotised ducts short and terminating in small bulbs.

Holotype: ♂ SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: Southern Drakensberg, reedy meadow along Mlambonja River , 29°45'14.1"S 29°25'05.4"E, 1497 m, 20–23.i.2007, L. Papp & M. Földvári ( HNHM, abdomen and genitalia dissected and stored in glycerol in a plastic microvial).

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: 1♀ Cathedral Peak area , 22829 CC , 5–6.ii.1983, J.G.H. Londt, Malaise trap ( NMSA) ; 2♀ Royal Natal National Park, Thendele , 28°42.378'S 28°56.083'E, 1600 m, 15–17. ii.2010, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap in Leucosedea -dominated scrub ( BMSA) .

Figures

Figs 42–46. Paralimosina heteroneura sp. n., holotype male, postabdomen and genitalia: (42) S5, ventral view; (43) synsternite, ventral view; (44) hypandrium, lateral view; (45) hypandrium, ventral view; (46) phallus and phallapodeme, lateral view. Scale bars: Figs 42–45 = 0.2 mm, Fig. 46 = 0.1 mm.

Figs47–54. Paralimosina heteroneura sp.n., male and female postabdomen andgenitalia:(47–50) holotype male: (47) ventral part of epandrium with subepandrial sclerite, anterior (inner) view; (48) ventral part of epandrium with subepandrial sclerite and contours of cerci, ventral view; (49) postgonite, lateral view; (50) surstylus, broadest (sublateral) view; (51–54) paratype female: (51) epiproct and cerci,dorsal view;(52) spermathecae;(53) left half of T8, lateral view; (54) S8 and hypoproct, ventral view. Scale bars: Figs 47, 53, 54 = 0.2 mm, Figs 48–52 = 0.1 mm.