Empis (Polyblepharis) hirsutitarsis Shamshev, 2023

Shamshev, I. V., 2023, Dance flies (Diptera: Empididae) in A. P. Fedtschenko’s Collection from Turkestan: Empis subgenus Polyblepharis, Russian Entomological Journal 32 (2), pp. 221-233 : 226-228

Empis (Polyblepharis) hirsutitarsis Shamshev , sp.n.

Figs 10–12 .

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype, ♂, labels as in Fig. 12 , [ Kyrgyzstan] small bluish green label with red line and number 25. [= 25.vi.1871] [A. Fedtschenko] // [printed in Cyrillic, Russian, pre- 1918 orthography] Jiptyk [alternative spelling Jiptik, ~ 39°36´N, 70°34´E, Pamir-Alay mountain system] ( ZMMU).

Paratype. Same data as holotype (♂, dissected, ZISP) .

DIAGNOSIS. Mid-sized (body length about 5.5 mm) species; male eyes holoptic; postpedicel 4X as long as basal width; labrum 1.5X longer than eye height, palpus brownish on apical 1/3; mesoscutum indistinctly vittate, acrostichal setae biserial, dorsocentrals uniserial, laterotergite with pale setae; femora extensively brownish to brownish yellow, basitarsus of all legs with long setae dorsally; abdomen pale setose, abdominal tergites 2–5 shiny, cerci yellow.

DESCRIPTION. Body length 5.4 mm, wing 6.1 mm (holotype). Male ( Fig. 10 ). Head capsule regions black, mostly densely greyish pruinose, face along lower margin and clypeus shiny.Holoptic, upper ommatidia enlarged.Frons represented by very small subtriangular space just below ocellar triangle and somewhat larger space above antennae, bare. Face broad, bare. Ocellar setae black, long, fine. Postocular setae black, long and strong on upper portion and short on lower portion; occiput with almost regular transverse row of long, strong mostly black setae (some lateral setae brownish yellow to pale); postgena with pale, mostly fine setae. Antenna with scape and pedicel brownish, postpedicel and stylus black; scape nearly 1.5X longer than subglobular pedicel, both with short setulae; postpedicel 4X as long as basal width; stylus nearly 2X longer than postpedicel basal width. Proboscis with labrum brownish, paler apically; nearly 1.5X longer than eye height; palpus short, yellowish brown on about basal 2/3, brown on apical 1/3; bearing sparse, long, mostly pale, fine setae (1 dark subapical seta).

Thorax almost entirely brown in ground-colour, postalar tubercle somewhat yellowish brown translucent; mostly densely greyish pruinose and black setose (except noted); mesoscutum with 4 brownish, very indistinct vittae ( Fig. 11 ). Prosternum bare. Proepisternum with tuft of pale, fine setae on lower part, bare on upper part. Antepronotum with 2–3 black, short, strong and 2–3 pale finer setae. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long, black seta and several pale and dark setulae anteriorly. Mesonotal setae: acrostichals irregularly biserial, short, fine, absent on prescutellar depression; dorsocentral setae uniserial, presuturals slightly longer than acrostichals, postsuturals becoming longer towards scutellum, 2 pairs of long, strong prescutellars; 1 long presutural supra-alar; 3 notopleurals, 1 postsutural supra-alar (with 1 short, fine seta anteriorly), 1 long and 1 minute postalars, 4 scutellars (setae of lateral pair slightly shorter); in addition, some pale setulae present on anterior half of notopleuron. Laterotergite with numerous pale to pale yellow setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles pale.

Legs with coxae densely greyish pruinose, remaining podomeres subshiny; mostly black setose, coxae with fine pale and stronger black setae. Legs colour: coxae and trochanters brownish; fore femur entirely brownish, mid femur mostly brownish (narrowly brownish yellow near base), hind femur yellowish on about basal 1/3 and rather brownish yellow on apical 2/3; fore and mid tibiae yellowish near base and becoming gradually darker towards brownish apex, hind tibia mostly yellowish (brownish at apex); tarsi brown. Coxae and trochanters with simple setae. All femora whitish pubescent ventrally (more distinct on mid and hind femora). Fore femur with rows of minute, fine anteroventral and similar, somewhat longer posteroventral setae. Fore tibia with rows of anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae, which are short on about basal 1/3 and moderately long on about apical 2/3 (longest setae lightly longer than tibia width). Fore basitarsus slender; with moderately long setae dorsally (as fore tibia), scattered anteroventral and posteroventral spine-like, short setae; tarsomere 2 with slightly longer setulae dorsally, bearing anteroventral and posteroventral spinules. Mid femur with rows of minute anteroventral and posteroventral setulae, only 3–4 short posteroventral setae near extreme apex, row of short anterodorsal setae (more distinct closer to apex). Mid tibia with numerous long, strong anterodorsal and slightly finer posterodorsal setae (at least 1.5X longer than tibia width); simple setulae ventrally. Mid tarsus as fore tarsus but basitarsus with more numerous and somewhat longer anteroventral and posteroventral spine-like setae. Hind femur slightly broader on about apical 2/3 (anterior view), on middle slightly broader than mid femur (nearly 1.3X); with row of 5–6 anterodorsal setae on about apical 1/3; anteroventral setae stronger than posteroventrals, of different lengths, short closer to base and apex, moderately long on middle part (longest setae shorter than femur maximal width); spinules on ventral face; long fine setae posteroventrally (except subapical portion). Hind tibia simple; bearing numerous long anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae; simple setulae ventrally; no seta in posteroapical comb. Hind tarsus with similar setation to mid tarsus; basitarsus slightly thickened.

Wing membrane hyaline; entirely covered with microtrichia; veins mostly brownish, well-sclerotized (except not- ed). Veins R 5 and M 1 divergent towards wing margin; radial fork acute; R 5 meeting costa before wing apex; CuA+CuP (anal vein) complete (slightly weakened beyond middle). Cell dm moderately large, with elongate apex; apical portion of M 4 nearly 2.5X longer than its middle portion. Pterostigma brownish yellow, very narrow. Basal costal seta present, moderately long. Anal lobe well-developed; axillary incision acute but closer to 90°. Squama yellow, pale fringed. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen long cylindrical, mostly brown, covered with pale to yellow setae; sternites 1–6 somewhat paler; sternite 8 rather yellowish brown, paler closer to posterior margin. Tergite 1 entirely faintly greyish pruinose; tergites 2–5 mostly shiny, narrowly faintly greyish pruinose anterodorsally; tergites 6–7 with brownish iridescent spot dorsally, shiny literally; tergites covered with mostly fine setae longer laterally, tergites 1–3 with hardly distinguishable, slightly stronger posteromarginal lateral setae. Sternites faintly greyish pruinose; sternite 1 bare, remaining sternites with long, fine setae. Pregenital segments: segment 6 unmodified; tergite 7 broadly concave posteriorly; sternite 7 with somewhat produced posterior corners; large, isolated, convex sclerite near posterior margin of pleuron 7 (modified posterior part of pleuron?); segment 8 with separated tergite and sternite; tergite 8 represented by two subtriangular sclerites separated mid-dorsally, with several short setae posteriorly; sternite 8 scoop-shaped, somewhat constricted anteriorly, with 2 projections on each side (anterior projection close to upper margin, small; posterior projection large, subconical).

Hypopygium moderately large; epandrial lamella mostly brownish yellow, yellow along margins; cerci yellow; hypandrium brownish yellow; phallus with basal portion brownish yellow, curved apical portion yellow. Epandrium entirely broadly divided (epandrial bridge absent); epandrial lamella subtriangular (lateral view), with broadly rounded apex; bearing brownish yellow to yellow fine setae more numerous along lower margin. Hypandrium separated from epandrium; mostly membranous, undivided, narrowly sclerotized along margin, with rounded apex; bare; gonocoxal apodeme small. Cerci separated with each other and from epandrium; cercus shorter than epandrial lamella, flattened dorsally forming additional lobe, serrate on inner margin in subapical portion; with dark setulae. Phallus almost entirely hidden; zigzag bent; very thick and gently curved on basal portion, strongly constricted beyond middle; apical flexible portion semicircularly bend, thickened proximally, with its tip pointing to rear. Ejaculatory apodeme moderately large, extended far beyond basal curvature of phallus, with lateral wings.

Female. Unknown.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. The new species is most similar to E. zimini Shamshev, 2003 sharing extensively brownish legs, pale setae of the laterotergite and abdomen as well as shiny abdominal tergites 2–5 and yellow cerci. Empis hirsutitarsis sp.n. can be readily distinguished from E. zimini primarily by brownish palpi (versus pale yellow), indistinctly vittate mesoscutum (four more or less distinct dark vittae) and long setose fore and mid basitarsi.

ETYMOLOGY. The epithet refers to long setose tarsi in the new species

DISTRIBUTION. Kyrgyzstan.

Figures

Figs 10–12. Empis (Polyblepharis) hirsutitarsis Shamshev, sp.n., male, holotype: 10–11 — habitus; 10 — lateral view; 11 — dorsal view; 12 — labels. Scale bar is 1 mm. Рис. 10–12. Empis (Polyblepharis) hirsutitarsis Shamshev, sp.n., самец, голотип: 10–11 — габитус; 10 — сбоку; 11 — сверху; 12 — Этикетки. Шкала = 1 mm.