Platycephala brevifemura, An & Yang, 2009

An, Shuwen & Yang, Ding, 2009, Four new species of Platycephala with a key to the Chinese species (Diptera, Chloropidae), Journal of Natural History 43 (7 - 8), pp. 399-409 : 403-405

Platycephala brevifemura sp. nov.

( Figure 2 )

Type material

Holotype: male, China: Guangdong: Dabu, Fengxi , 20 July 2003, Shuwen An. Diagnosis

Legs uniformly brown. Hind femur distinctly thickened, about three times longer than wide.

Description

Body length 4.9 mm (male), wing length 3.1 mm (male).

Head ( Figure 2A–B ) brown, triangular in profile, about 1.4 times longer than high; frons not strongly produced beyond anterior level of eye, in profile about 0.25 times as long as long axis of eye; gena prominently broadened posterad, anteriorly strongly narrowed below eye; parafacial about 0.05 times as long as long axis of eye. Frontal triangle trapezoid, occupying most area of frons, reaching its anterior margin and semicircular anteriorly; ocellar triangle and surrounding area black; area between eye and frontal triangle depressed and brown-yellow. Setulae and setae on head dark brown. Antenna ( Figure 2C ) brown; pedicel blackish 0.7 times as long as third antennal segment; third antennal segment nearly rectangular, 1.3 times longer than wide, rounded apically, with black dorsal margin; arista pale yellow with brown basal segment, pale short pubescent. Proboscis and palpus pale yellow with pale setulae.

Thorax black, slightly narrower than head; anterior portion of humerus brown, propleuron and upper portion of anepimeron yellow; mesonotum 1.1 times longer than wide, with prominent setigerous punctures; scutellum two times wider than long, with yellow margin. Setulae and setae on thorax pale; katepisternum with some long thin setulae. Legs brown; hind femur ( Figure 2D ) short and distinctly thickened, about three times longer than wide and 2.4 times thicker than fore femur; hind tibia somewhat curved. Setulae on legs pale; hind femur with some long setulae. Wing hyaline; veins mostly brown. Relative lengths of costal sections second:third:- fourth54.5:5.8:4. Squama yellow with pale setulae. Halter blackish.

Abdomen blackish, light microtrichose; dorsum rugose lightly; venter brown. Setulae and setae black, venter with some pale setulae. Genitalia („) ( Figure 2E–F ): epandrium dark brown, longer than wide, with some long setae; surstylus dark brown with many short setulae, its apex narrow, short and directed inward; cercus black with some setulae; hypandrium pale, in dorsal view higher than wide; gonites separated by a distinct suture; pregonites convergent and rounded apically; both distal ends of postgonites acute.

Distribution

China (Guangdong).

Etymology

The Latin prefix brevi - means short and the Latin femura means femur. The epithet of the species refers to the short and distinctly thickened hind femur.

Remarks

The new species is very similar to Platycephala giganta Cherian from India in the lateral shape of head and distinctly thickened hind femur, but can be easily separated

from the latter by the entirely brown hind femur. In P. giganta , the hind femur is yellow, but partly brown-black ( Cherian 1978).

Figures

Figure 2. Platycephala brevifemura sp. nov. (male): (A) head, dorsal view; (B) head, lateral view; (C) antenna, lateral view; (D) hind femur and tibia, anterior view; (E) epandrium, posterior view; (F) hypandrium and phallic complex, ventral view. Scale bar 0.25 mm.