Elaphropeza flavicaput, Published, 2007

SHAMSHEV, IGOR V. & GROOTAERT, PATRICK, 2007, Revision of the genus Elaphropeza Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Oriental Region, with a special attention to the fauna of Singapore, Zootaxa 1488 (1), pp. 1-164 : 35-37

Elaphropeza flavicaput sp. nov.

( Figs. 40–43 )

Diagnosis. Occiput yellow, postpedicel nearly 2.5 times longer than wide, style about 4.5 times longer than postpedicel; thorax and legs entirely yellow; hind tibia with 1 black curved subapical anteroventral bristle.

Description. Male. Body length 2.1–2.3 mm, wing length 1.6–1.7 mm. Occiput largely yellow, with dark subrectangular (viewed dorsally) spot above neck, subshining, bearing yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones short. Frons subshining. Antenna ( Fig. 40 ) with postpedicel brownish yellow, scape and pedicel yellow. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel 2.3–2.5 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, nearly 4.5 times longer than postpedicel and about 2.5 times longer than scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded; with scattered brownish yellow setulae, bearing 1 longer and darker subapical seta.

Thorax entirely reddish yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles; spiracles brownish. Prothoracic episterna with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and with 1 short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle very short. Mesonotum with 2 long notopleural, 1 very short postsutural supra-alar, 1 similar postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial, uniform (except for 1 pair of long prescutellars), extending to base of scutellum.

Legs entirely yellow, mostly with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with rows of hardly prominent antero- and posteroventral bristles (2 bristles near base longer). Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles (becoming shorter in apical part of femur), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 1 row of black ventral spinules in apical part, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur with 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 1 black curved subapical anteroventral bristle; apical projection short, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, uniformly finely brownish infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, brownish. Costal index: 39/30/26/11/. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, vein R4+5 somewhat bowed. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter darkened.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 with very narrow brownish spaces laterally. Tergite 2 broadly concave on anterior margin; with scattered, brownish, unmodified setae. Tergite 3 broad, subrectangular, with squamiform setae. Tergite 4 in middle about 2 times narrower than tergite 3, with squamiform setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, in middle about 2 times narrower than tergite 4, with squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 ordinary; tergite 6 with moderately long, tergite 7 with long posteromarginal bristles. Tergite 8 unmodified. Sternites 1–2 yellowish, sternites 3–5 with small brownish lateral spot, sternite 6–7 subrectangular, with scattered setulae. Gland-like structures present between tergites 3–4 and 4–5.

Terminalia ( Figs. 41–43 ) large, brownish yellow. Cerci separated; left cercus unbranched, short, pointed at apex, with several moderately long bristles. Right cercus hardly prominent, very narrow, with several moderately long bristles. Epandrium completely divided. Right surstylus small, bifurcate, with short bristles. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several bristles of different lengths apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe large, subglobular, with several long, mainly marginal, bristles. Hypandrium with 2 bristles apically. Phallus very long, double spiral. One rod-shaped apodeme.

Female. Body length 1.9–2.2 mm, wing length 1.6–1.7 mm. Mid tibia lacking black ventral spinules. Segment 7 with long posteromarginal bristles. Segment 8 rather broad, short, with sclerites fused antero-laterally; sternite 8 not folded apically. Cercus brownish yellow, broad oval. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Nee Soon , 16 September 2005, swamp forest, Mal 3 (reg. 25351, leg. PG, E-12)

Paratypes: SINGAPORE: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Bukit Timah , 4 December 2002, rain forest; primary, sweeping (reg. 22050, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 5 October 2000, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 20030, leg. PG & N. Evenhuis) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 16 March 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25016, leg. PG) ; 5 ♀♀, Nee Soon , 16 March 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25015, leg. PG) ; 4 ♂♂, Nee Soon , 24 March 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25028, leg. PG) ; 2 ♀♀, Nee Soon , 24 March 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25028, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 24 March 2005, swamp forest, Mal 3 (reg. 25030, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 24 March 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25029, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 6 May 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25138, leg. PG) ; 2 ♂♂, Nee Soon , 8 July 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25205, leg. PG) ; 2 ♂♂, Nee Soon , 16 September 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25349, leg. PG) ; 2 ♀♀, Nee Soon , 14 October 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25388, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 4 January 2006, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 26004, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Seletar , 26 November 2003, swampy grassland, sweeping (reg. 23088, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sime forest , 22 July 2005, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25271, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sime forest , 5 August 2005, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25279, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sime forest , 14 October 2005, forest, Mal 3 (reg. 25386, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sime forest , 17 February 2006, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 26034, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sime forest , 17 February 2006, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 26035, leg. PG, E-12) .

Derivatio nominis. The name flavicaput refers to the yellow occiput of the species.

Distribution and bionomics. Singapore. Forest.

Singapore: Elaphropeza flavicaput is fairly common in all types of forests. It has a peak activity in March, and shows little activity for the rest of the year, unlike most yellow Elaphropeza that have a higher activity in the second half of the year. The sex ratio is 1.5/ 1 females to males.

Remarks. Elaphropeza flavicaput sp. nov. belongs to an apparent monophyletic lineage of Elaphropeza sharing curved subapical bristles on the hind tibia. Within this lineage the new species is closely related to E. spiralis sp. nov., E. yangi sp. nov., E. murphyi sp. nov., E. monacantha sp. nov. and E. luanae sp. nov. having a very long phallus coiled in a peculiar double spiral. Otherwise, the relationships of E. flavicaput sp. nov. have not been resolved. The main distinguishing features of E. flavicaput sp. nov. are indicated in the diagnosis given above and in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 40–43. Elaphropeza flavicaput sp. nov. 40. antenna. 41. epandrium with cerci. 42. right surstylus. 43. left surstylus.