Pseudolycoriella tribulosa, Vilkamaa, Pekka, Hippa, Heikki & Mohrig, Werner, 2012

Vilkamaa, Pekka, Hippa, Heikki & Mohrig, Werner, 2012, The genus Pseudolycoriella Menzel & Mohrig (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Caledonia, with the description of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 3207, pp. 1-21 : 15-16

Pseudolycoriella tribulosa sp. n.

Figs 10 A–C

Material studied. Holotype male. NEW CALEDONIA, Rivière Bleue N.P., (parc 7), rainforest, 16.vii.1992, Bonnet de Larbogne, Chazeau & Guilbert (in MNHN).

Description. Male. Head. Brown, antennal scapus and pedicellus brown, flagellomeres 1 and 2 yellow, other flagellomeres pale brown, maxillary palpus very pale brown. Eye bridge 3 facets wide. Face with 12 scattered longer and shorter setae. Clypeus with 6 setae. Maxillary palpus with 3 palpomeres; palpomere 3 longer than palpomere 1, palpomere 2 shortest; palpomere 1 with 5 setae, with a dorsal patch of sensilla; antennal flagellomeres rough, flagellomere 4 ( Fig. 10 A) 2.05x as long as wide, the neck shorter than broad, the longest setae shorter than the width of flagellomere. Thorax. Brown, setae rather dark. Anterior pronotum with 4 setae. Episternum 1 with 9 setae. Scutum with moderately longt dorsocentrals, with 2–3 stronger laterals, scutellum with 4 longer and some short setae. Wing. Hyalinous. Length 2.2 mm. Width/length 0.40. Veins indistinct. R1/R 1.15. c/ w 0.75. r-m and bM subequal in length, both r-m and bM non-setose. Halter brown. Legs. yellow, slightly paler than thorax. Coxal setae pale. Front tibial organ with pale fine vestiture forming a demarcated patch, similar to Fig. 6 B. Front tibial spur slightly longer than the tibial width. Claws with teeth. Abdomen. Brown, setae dark and strong. Hypopygium, Figs 10 B–C. Brown, concolorous with abdomen. Gonocoxa longer than gonostylus, mesial margin with short setae. Gonostylus straight, club-shaped, with the mesial side impressed; with a dense apical vestiture, with three slender hyalinous megasetae, with a long subapical whiplash seta. Tegmen apically truncate, laterally roundish, with a weakly sclerotized apical process.

Discussion. Pseudolycoriella tribulosa , P. senticosa and P. tumidior have distinctly club-shaped, toward the apex-broadened gonostylus ( Figs 6 , 10 and 13 ). Pseudolycoriella tumidior differs from the two others in having its gonostylus abruptly widened at the apical third, whereas in P. tribulosa and P. senticosa the gonostylus widens gradually. Pseudolycoriella tribulosa can be distinguished from P. senticosa in having four, not three, gonostylar megasetae, and longer antennal flagellomeres.

Of the known Australasian species of Pseudolycoriella , only P. setigera (Hardy) (Hawaii, Seychelles) and P. breviseta Mohrig ( New Zealand) have a club-shaped gonostylus, but in the former it is short and plump, and the tegmen of this species is of a different shape (see Menzel & Smith 2009, Fig. 45). The latter has, instead of three, many short gonostylar megasetae and a short whiplash seta.

Etymology. The name is Latin, tribulosa , thorny, referring to the rough setosity of the gonostylar apex.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Pseudolycoriella senticosa sp. n. (A paratype, B – D holotype). A. Antennal flagellomere 4, lateral view. B. Apical part of front tibia, prolateral view. C. Part of hypopygium, ventral view. D. Gonostylus, ventral view. Scale 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 10. Pseudolycoriella tribulosa sp. n. (holotype). A. Antennal flagellomere 4, lateral view. B. Part of hypopygium, ventral view. C. Gonostylus, ventral view. Scale 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 13. Pseudolycoriella villosa sp. n. (A – C paratypes; D, E holotype). A. Antennal flagellomere 4, lateral view. B. Apical part of front tibia, prolateral view. C. Sternite 8, ventral view. D. Part of hypopygium, ventral view. E. Gonostylus, ventral view. Scale 0.1 mm.