Elaphropeza laudisoitae, Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013, The flies of the family Hybotidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) collected during the Boyekoli Ebale Congo 2010 Expedition in Democratic Republic of Congo, Zootaxa 3603 (1), pp. 1-61 : 45-47

Elaphropeza laudisoitae sp. nov.

( Figs. 61–63 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: D.R. CONGO, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert, MS reference EC12); Holotype / Elaphropeza laudisoitae / Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov. ( RBINS). PARATYPE: 1 Ƥ, same data as holotype.

Diagnosis. Species of the E. ephippiata -group; recognised by scutum uniformly yellow, metanotum brownish; hind tibia with 3 anterodorsal and 1 short dorsal bristles; fore tibiae and tarsi brownish yellow.

Description. Length: body 2.7 mm, wing 2.6 mm. Male. Occiput entirely black, densely pollinose (including vertex); with black setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals hardly prominent. Anterior ocellars long proclinate and cruciate, posterior ocellars minute. Frons pollinose, narrow, above antennae nearly as broad as anterior ocellus. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow and postpedicel and stylus brownish; pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae; postpedicel subtriangular, short, 2.5 times longer than wide; stylus with short pubescence, long, nearly 4.0 times (3.8 times in holotype) longer than postpedicel, about 2.0 times (2.3 times in holotype) as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded, covered with numerous black setulae, subapical seta short, thin.

Thorax almost entirely reddish yellow, with black setation; metanotum brownish yellow, pleura and notopleural area with indistinct brownish markings. Prothoracic episterna without long upturned seta just above fore coxa. Postpronotal seta not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 long notopleurals (posterior longer), 1 moderately long postsutural supra-alar, 1 short postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate; lateral pair minute); acrostichals short, arranged in 3–4 irregular rows on anterior half of mesonotum, becoming 2-serial posteriorly, lacking on notopleural depression; dorsocentrals short, multiserial on anterior half of mesonotum, becoming uniserial toward scutellum, 1 pair of prescutellars long (nearly as long as apical scutellars).

Legs long, slender, all femora of subequal width, with black setation, largely yellow; fore and mid tibiae and tarsi, apical tarsomeres of hind legs brownish yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with rows of short anteroventral and similar posteroventral setae, 1 long seta near base, and short subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with row of anteroventral and row of similar posteroventral spinule-like setae throughout, 1 long seta near base, 1 long strong subapical seta anteriorly, and row of hardly prominent but quite distinct short anterodorsal setae. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules, lacking prominent setae (except subapicals). Hind femur with short anteroventrals and several short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia with 3 long anterodorsals, 1 moderately long dorsal and 1 short anterior subapical; apical projection small, subtriangular, brownish yellow. Fore tarsomeres 2–5 with short anteroventral and posteroventral cilia; hind basitarsus with several subbasal anteroventral spine-like setae of different length (1 longest nearly as long as basitarsus is wide basally).

Wing normally developed, finely infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins mostly yellowish brown, basal section of M1+2 (including short area beyond crossvein bm-cu), crossveins r-m and bm-cu pale; basal section of vein CuA1 thicker than basal section of vein M1+2. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Costal bristle moderately long, black. Costal index: 59/27/44. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. R1 uniform throughout. Vein R2+3 evenly bowed, uniformly sclerotised. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, almost straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 lacking. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m before middle of cell bm. Calypter brown, with black setae. Halter blackish.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 pale yellow; tergites 2–3 represented only by small subtriangular lateral patches, with unmodified setae; tergite 4 broad, brown, with numerous squamiform setae laterally; tergite 5 very narrow (especially dorsally), with sparser squamiform setae; tergites 6–7 weakly sclerotised, brownish yellow, with scattered minute setulae, sternite 7 with rather long brown, posteromarginal setae; tergite 8 unmodified. Sternites weakly sclerotised, with minute setulae more numerous on sternites 5–7. Gland-like structure present between tergites 4–5. Terminalia ( Figs. 61–63 ) small, brownish yellow. Cerci separated ( Fig. 62 ); right cercus very narrow, digitiform, considerably shorter than left cercus, with 2 long black subapical spines; left cercus unbranched, digitiform, bearing 4 black spines subapically, with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths; hypoproct not prominent. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 61 ) rather subrectangular, with deep excision apically; bearing long ventral marginal setae including several stronger subapical black setae, ventral projection with several short spine-like setae dorsally, otherwise covered with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several moderately long setae apically. Left surstylus narrow ( Fig. 63 ), with dorsal marginal spinules and some short unmodified setae. Phallus short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Similar to male but abdominal gland plate-like; cercus brownish yellow.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Dr. Anne Laudisoit, our very dynamic parasitologist on the Congo expedition.

Distribution. D.R. Congo.

Remarks. Elaphropeza laudisoitae sp. nov. is most similar to E. kona sp. nov. The main differences between these species have been noted in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 61 – 63. Elaphropeza laudisoitae sp. nov. 61. Right epandrial lamella; 62. Epandrium with cerci; 63. Left surstylus.