Pseudolycoriella plicitegmenta, Köhler, 2019

Köhler, Arne, 2019, The genus Pseudolycoriella Menzel & Mohrig, 1998 (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Zealand, Zootaxa 4707 (1), pp. 1-69 : 49-50

Pseudolycoriella plicitegmenta sp. n.

( Fig. 49 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:NomenclaturalActs/ 256F08AF-B9EB-40A7-8D03-E59A5DF412F0

Material studied. Holotype male. New Zealand: South Island , Clutha , Catlins, Purakaunui Scenic Reserve, mixed podocarp/broadleaf/ Nothofagus forest, Malaise trap, 27.01– 05.03.2002, leg. M. & C. Jaschhof ( NZAC, SDEI-Dipt- 0001158) . Paratypes. 4♂♂ same locality and same date as holotype (2x NZAC, SDEI-Dipt-0000560 & SDEI-Dipt- 0001155; 2x SDEI, SDEI-Dipt-0001130 & SDEI-Dipt-0001153) . 1♂ South Island , Clutha , Catlins Coastal Rain Forest Park , Catlins River Valley, silver beech forest, Malaise trap, 27.01– 05.03.2002, leg. M. & C. Jaschhof ( SDEI, SDEI-Dipt-0000799) .

Description. Male. Head brown; eye bridge three facets wide, two at margin. Flagellomeres brown, concolourous with scape and pedicel; fourth flagellomere 2.3–2.9 times as long as wide; necks of flagellomeres differentiated; surface of flagellomeres rough with deep pits; sensilla of two different lengths present; setae sparsely scattered, approximately as long as flagellomere width, bases of setae slightly raised. Prefrons and clypeus moderately bulging. Maxillary palp three-segmented; first palpomere longest, third longer than second; first palpomere with three to four bristles and an inconspicuous patch of sensilla. Thorax brown, paler than head; laterally brighter. Posterior pronotum bare. Anterior pronotum with seven to eleven bristles. Episternum 1 with five to nine bristles. Mesonotum with five to six longer bristles among the lateral bristles; row of dorsocentral bristles well developed. Scutellum with two robust and some shorter bristles. Katepisternum bicoloured, basal part pale brown, apically brown; as long as high. Wing. Length 2.1–2.3 mm; width/length ratio 0.36–0.40. Membrane transparent and without macrotrichia, anal area present; all posterior veins distinct, all without macrotrichia; apical fourth of R 5 with additional macrotrichia on ventral side; bM bare; r-m with one macrotrichium or without macrotrichia; R 1 short, 0.46–0.54 times as long as R; M-fork longer than M stem; c/w ratio 0.67–0.74; r-m/bM ratio 1.0–1.3. Haltere pale brown. Legs pale brown; coxal bristles dark. Fore tibia with one to four bristles among vestiture; tibial organ comprising half of tibial apex, consisting of a transverse patch of bristles surrounded by a robust circular border. Mid tibia with seven to nine robust bristles among vestiture, located anterio- and posterioventrally. Hind tibia with twelve to twenty robust bristles at anterioventral, posterior and posterioventral sides and a longitudinal row of robust bristles, which comprises three-fifths of tibial length. Basal tarsomere of all legs with conspicuous robust bristles. All tibial spurs equal in length. Claws with one robust tooth and several minor teeth. Abdomen. Pale brown, with dark bristles. Hypopygium ( Fig. 49 ) brown. Gonocoxites wider than long, ventrally u-shaped and not fused, without a basal lobe of bristles. Gonostylus elongate, slightly curved inwards, 3.1–3.4 times longer than wide, inner base with a protruding angle (ba in Fig. 49 ); apically with dense setae and a group of approximately five to six spines; subapically with two or three medium-sized whip-lash hairs; dorsal side of apex of gonostylus slightly constricted. Tegmen wider than long, base very strongly sclerotized with short, robust parameral apodeme; lateral margin of tegmen with a sclerotized edge, scattered with several small teeth, apically not fused; dorsal structures on tegmen well developed, as long as two-thirds of tegmen length. Area of teeth with 17 to 28 conspicuous teeth. Ejaculatory apodeme short, broad, and very dark, with a broad, u-shaped base. Posterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme broad and brown. Anterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme small.

Body size: 2.1–2.3 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Genetic distances. The maximum p-distance between all five available COI sequences is 0.15%. Some COI sequences are identical with Psl. gonotegmenta and Psl. subtilitegmenta . Both available 28S sequence are identical and do not show any differences to those of Psl. frederickedwardsi, Psl. gonotegmenta, Psl. huttoni, Psl. jaschhofi, Psl. macrotegmenta, Psl. robustotegmenta, Psl. subtilitegmenta, Psl. tonnoiri , and Psl. wernermohrigi .

Etymology. The epithet of the new species is composed of the two Latin words plica (crease) and tegmen (cover; technical term for a part of the sciarid hypopygium).

Distribution. New Zealand.

Discussion. Pseudolycoriella plicitegmenta belongs to those species of the Psl. macrotegmenta complex that bear several teeth on the lateral tegmen margin. This sclerotized margin is apically interrupted. This combination can be also found in Psl. macrotegmenta, Psl. robustotegmenta , and Psl. subtilitegmenta and some specimens of Psl. gonotegmenta . Pseudolycoriella plicitegmenta can be distinguished from Psl. macrotegmenta by the different shape of the gonostylus and the presence of the dorsal structure on the tegmen. Pseudolycoriella gonotegmenta and Psl. robustotegmenta have a R 1 /R ratio greater than 0.6 while the R 1 /R ratio of Psl. plicitegmenta is less than 0.6. Pseudolycoriella robustotegmenta differs significantly because it has a massive tegmen margin, long dorsal structures on the tegmen, and a long ejaculatory apodeme.

Figures

FIGURES 48–53. Pseudolycoriella macrotegmenta complex, hypopygia. 48. Pseudolycoriella macrotegmenta Mohrig 49. Pseudolycoriella plicitegmenta sp. n. 50. Pseudolycoriella wernermohrigi sp. n. 51. Pseudolycoriella huttoni sp. n. 52. Pseudolycoriella gonotegmenta sp. n. 53. Pseudolycoriella subtilitegmenta sp. n. Abbreviations: ba = basal angle; ds = dorsal structure on the tegmen; lt = teeth on lateral side of the tegmen.