Elaphropeza darrenyeoi, 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 : 48-50

Elaphropeza darrenyeoi sp. nov.

( Figs. 67–70 )

Diagnosis. Species with entirely black thorax; postpedicel about 3.0 times longer than wide, style nearly 4.0 times longer than postpedicel; acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial; legs wholly yellow, mid and hind tibiae lacking anterodorsal bristles; wing with distinct pattern; tergites 3–5 bearing squamiform setae.

Description. Male. Body length 1.7 mm, wing length 1.3 mm. Head black, occiput subshining, with pale setation (except for brown large bristles). Eye with somewhat concave hind margin. Anterior ocellars moderately long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Two pairs of inclinate verticals. Frons shining. Antenna ( Fig. 67 ) wholly yellowish (scape and pedicel with brownish tinge). Pedicel with circlet of equally minute setulae. Postpedicel rather short, 2.4 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, black, 3.7 times longer than postpedicel and 3.4 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus pale yellow, small, rounded, with scattered pale to yellow setulae.

Thorax entirely black, shining, with yellow to brownish (large bristles) setation. Proepisternum with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and 1 short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle minute. Mesonotum with 2 moderately long notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 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 prescutellar bristles), extending to base of scutellum.

Legs wholly yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with hardly prominent rows of antero- and posteroventral bristles and 1 long bristle near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 1 row of yellow, spinule-like, ventral bristles, including 2 longer bristles in basal part, and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia lacking prominent spinules and bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia with ordinary inconspicuous setation; apical projection small, rounded, clothed in dense brown setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

70. left surstylus.

Wing normally developed, apical half finely infuscate, basal part deeper infuscate, with 2 brown spots in apical part of cell r1 and in basal part of cell r2+3, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle moderately long, yellow. Costal index: 31/17/25/11. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m beyond middle of cell bm. Halter with yellow stem and brown knob.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 very narrow but distinct, brown, lacking setation. Tergite 2 considerably broader than tergite 1, with unmodified setae. Tergite 3 broadest, in middle nearly 3 times broader than tergite 2, with squamiform setae. Tergite 4 nearly 2.0 times narrower than tergite 3, with squamiform setae. Tergite 5 nearly as broad as tergite 2, with squamiform setae laterally. Tergites 6–8 unmodified, tergite 7 with moderately long posteromarginal bristles. Sternites represented by very small sclerites (except for pregenital ones), mostly with scattered short setae, sternites 6 and 7 with longer setation. Gland-like structures present between tergites 3–4 (narrow, undivided) and 4–5 (larger, narrowly divided along midline).

Terminalia ( Figs. 68–70 ) yellow, rather large and globular. Cerci divided; left cercus large, almost divided into two lobes, covered with numerous moderately long bristles; right cercus hardly prominent, very narrow, with several bristles of different lengths. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subtriangular, covered with numerous long bristles. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 1 long and numerous short bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe small, subtriangular, with several moderately long bristles. Hypandrium with 2 long subapical bristles. Phallus long, coiled. One rod-shaped apodeme.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Nee Soon , 4 December 2002, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 22054, leg. PG, E-04).

Derivatio nominis. The present species is named after Dr. Darren Yeo from NUS.

Distribution and bionomics. Singapore. Forest species.

Singapore: This is a very rare species found only on a single occasion by sweep netting the vegetation along a shaded swampy trail in the swamp forest of Nee Soon. Although we quote the species as a forest species, it might well be a species of the forest borders and more open spaces as indicated by its black thorax.

Remarks. The relationships of E. darrenyeoi sp. nov. are unclear beyond inclusion within the E. biuncinata species group. Elaphropeza darrenyeoi appears to show some affinities to the E. ephippiata group because this is the only species of the E. biuncinata group lacking a prominent right surstylus.

Figures

FIGURES 67–70. Elaphropeza darrenyeoi sp. nov. 67. antenna. 68. epandrium with cerci. 69. right epandrial lamella.