Teuchophorus simplicissimus, Meuffels & Grootaert, 2004

Meuffels, Henk & Grootaert, Patrick, 2004, The genus Teuchophorus in South-East Asia and New Guinea, description of new species, species-groups and their phylogeny (Insecta, Diptera, Dolichopodidae), Journal of Natural History 38 (2), pp. 143-258 : 222-224

Species 51: Teuchophorus simplicissimus sp. nov. (male and female) (figures 192–197)

Etymology. Lat. simplicissimus , ‘very simple’.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized species, with a narrow face. Third antennal segment deeper than long. Costa not swollen. Femora without ventral bristles. Mid tibia with a row of short ventral spinules on apical two-fifths. Hind tibia posteriorly on basal half with a row of short, erect hairs.

Material examined. Type material: Thailand, Phang-Nga province , Tham Luk Sia, pools in cave, 12 April 1996,    male,      40 males (No. 96071, leg. P. Grootaert) .

Male

Body length 1.25–1.7 mm (average 1.5 mm); wing length 1.2–1.35 mm (average 1.3 mm).

Head. Frons shining dark metallic green. Face with blackish ground colour, at its narrowest part narrower than the distance between the ocellar bristles. Palpi small, brown, with black hairs, each with a small black bristle. Rostrum brownish yellow. Occiput shining dark metallic green. Chaetotaxy as usual; no postocellars. Postoculars very short, uniseriate, black. Antenna (figure 192): short; first and second segments brownish black; third segment dark brown, with a lighter-coloured apex. Third segment short, deeper than long, with a blunt apex. Arista less than three times as long as antenna, shortly pubescent; basal segment slightly shorter than upper margin of third antennal segment.

Thorax. Mesoscutum and scutellum shining dark metallic green. Pleurae dark brown, with a metallic green gloss on mesopleura and metapleura; the latter with a black anterior border. Acr uniseriate, rather long; five dc. No propleural bristle.

Legs. Legs, including coxae, yellow. Mid coxa exteriorly with a vague brown longitudinal streak.

Fore leg. Coxa anteriorly with short, sparse, brownish hairs; towards tip a row of four or five rather short brownish bristles. Femur with a very weak preapical pv. Tibia about as long as femur, with a short anterodorsal serration. First tarsal segment with two minute black spinules at base. Length of tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 0.4:0.2: 0.09:0.07:0.05: 0.07.

Mid leg. Coxa anteriorly with short brownish hairs. Trochanter with a small anterior bristlet. Femur with a rather long preapical av, and a slightly shorter preapical pv; usually there is a second, much smaller and weaker, preapical pv. Tibia about as long as femur; two ad, one pd; ventrally on apical two-fifths a row of four or five short spinules; apical bristles short. Length of tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 0.55:0.22:0.12: 0.1:0.08:0.07.

Hind leg. Coxa with a weak black exterior bristle. Femur (figure 193) with a rather long av preceding the preapical av. Tibia (figure 193) about as long as femur; three dorsal bristles; posteriorly on basal half a row of short, thin, erect hairs, shorter than diameter of tibia. First tarsal segment short; on posterior apical rim a short black fringe. Length of tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 0.55: 0.15:0.18:0.11: 0.07:0.08.

Wing. Wing (figure 194) hyaline. Costa very slightly thickened between tips of r1 and r2+3. r4+5 and m1+2 apically more or less parallel. Length ratio of basal and apical parts of m1+2 about 1:2. Halters yellow. Squamae yellow, broadly blackened at apex, with black cilia.

Abdomen. Abdomen dorsally dark bronze-brown, subshining. Venter yellowish; sterna brownish at middle. Hairs and marginal bristles on terga short, black. Hypopygium (figures 195–197) dark brown.

Female

Body length 1.3–1.8 mm (average 1.55 mm); wing length 1.2–1.45 mm (average 1.3 mm).

Face as wide as the distance between the ocellar bristles. Fore tibia with a weak serration. Mid tibia without ventral row of spinules. Hind tibia lacking the row of erect hairs. Oviscapt with eight black acanthae.

Discussion

Looks very like T. laingensis Mf. & Gr. , and shares with it a ventral row of spinules on mid tibia. Principal differences are found in the ornamentation of the male hind tibia.