Platypalpus cummingi Shamshev & Grootaert

Shamshev, Igor & Grootaert, Patrick, 2012, Proposed change in status of the Nearctic genus Charadrodromia Melander (Diptera: Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae), with description of four new species, Zootaxa 3525, pp. 35-50 : 42-43

Platypalpus cummingi Shamshev & Grootaert sp. nov.

( Figs. 12–14 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: USA. Apple Valley, / Cal., 9.05.1955, / W.R. Richards; Charadrodromia / microphona Mel. / Det. J.M. Cumming; Holotype [pink]; Holotype / Platypalpus cummingi / Shamshev et Grootaert sp. nov. ( CNC). PARATYPES: USA. California: 2 3, 1 Ƥ, Apple Valley, 9.v.1955, W.R. Richards ( CNC); 1 3, Snow Creek, 1500', White Water, 29.iv.1955, W.R.M. Mason ( CNC). MEXICO. 1 3, Baja Calif., Norte, Catavina, 17.iv.1965, M. Irwin & D.Q. Cavagnaro ( CNC).

Recognition. Small species with 2 pairs of vertical bristles; antenna and palpus brown; postpedicel nearly as long as wide; thorax entirely finely greyish pollinose, with acrostichals arranged in 2 irregular rows; fore tarsomeres 2–5 yellowish brown, mid tibia without apical spur.

Description. Body length 1.2–1.3 mm; wing length 1.3–1.4 mm. Male. Head black in ground-colour. Frons broad, finely brownish grey pollinose, rather subshining, widened toward ocellar tubercle. Face narrow, concolorous with frons, denser pollinose. Ocellar tubercle with 2 long brownish yellow proclinate anterior and 2 short lateroclinate posterior bristles. Two pairs of long brownish yellow verticals. Occiput densely greyish pollinose, with numerous yellow to pale setae of different lengths. Antenna brown; postpedicel, short, nearly as long as wide (1.3X in holotype); stylus nearly 2.0X as long as postpedicel (1.9X in holotype). Proboscis brown. Palpus small, brown, with several fine setae of different lengths.

Thorax black in ground-colour, entirely finely greyish pollinose, somewhat denser on pleurae, katepisternum without shining spot; mainly with yellowish to pale setation. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long inclinate bristle and several short setae. Mesonotum with 1 presutural supra-alar, 2 notopleurals, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar bristles (apical pair very long and cruciate, lateral pair short); additionally, notopleural depression with several setulae and similar setulae present on supra-alar space; acrostichals arranged in 2 irregular rows, short, distinctly separated from dorsocentrals by bare space; dorsocentrals numerous, not arranged in regular rows and undifferentiated from supra-alar setulae, short, 2 prescutellars long.

Legs almost entirely yellow, only tarsomeres 2–5 yellowish brown. Fore femur thickened, mostly covered with short setae, bearing rows of yellow anteroventral and posteroventral setae becoming longer basally. Fore tibia slightly thickened. Mid femur somewhat narrower than fore femur; with short black spinule-like anteroventral and longer posteroventral setae. Mid tibia without apical spur, with several stronger black setulae subapically. Hind femur with short anteroventral setae. Hind tibia unmodified, bearing 1 short anterodorsal subapical seta, otherwise covered with short setulae.

Wing hyaline, with brownish yellow to pale yellow veins. One long brown costal bristle. Veins R4+5 and M straight and parallel near wing margin; CuA2 concave; cells br and bm contiguous, bm broader than br. Squama yellow, with pale setae. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen brown in ground-colour, finely greyish pollinose, viewed dorsally rather subshining; covered with short pale setae. Terminalia ( Figs. 12–14 ) large, concolorous with abdomen; left cercus rather digitiform, pointed apically in dorsal view, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; right cercus digitiform, somewhat longer than left cercus, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; right epandrial lamella conical, with row of long setae along ventral margin; right surstylus undifferentiated from epandrium; left epandrial lamella as in Figure 14 , with numerous long setae on ventral projection and similar setae along dorsal margin subapically.

Female. Similar to male. Abdominal segment 8 shining; cercus elongate, brownish, with scattered setulae.

Etymology. The species is named in honour of Dr. Jeffrey Cumming (Ottawa, Canada).

Distribution. Mexico, USA (California).

Remarks. Platypalpus cummingi sp. nov. is most similar to P. layiaphilus sp. nov. The main differences between these species are given below in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 14. Platypalpus cummingi sp. nov., male. 12. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 13. cerci and epandrium, dorsal view. 14. left epandrial lamella and left cercus, lateral view.