Helina edita, Pont, Adrian C., 2012

Pont, Adrian C., 2012, Distribution records of Helina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Muscidae) from the Caucasus Mountains, with the descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 3409, pp. 30-46 : 32-34

Helina edita sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 4–7 )

Holotype. Male, GEORGIA: Caucasus Mts, Kazbegi area, Mt Koltesh, meadow/heath, 2300 m, 8.vii. 1983 (A.C. Pont), in BMNH.

Paratypes, 115 3 112Ƥ. GEORGIA: Caucasus Mts, Kazbegi area, forest SE of Kazbegi, c 1950 m, 5.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 23 2Ƥ; Mt Sameba, forest, 2100–2200 m, 7.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 13; near Sno, forest, 1810 m, 3.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 13; Mt Kuro, heath, 2120–2300 m, 83 30Ƥ, heath, 2330 m, 143 16Ƥ, heath, 2450–2500 m, 83 4Ƥ, all 29.vi.1983 (A.C. Pont); Mt Koltesh, meadows, 2000–2100 m, 8.vii.1983, 13 7Ƥ, & 2100 m, 30.vi.1983, 93 8Ƥ (A.C. Pont); Mt Koltesh, meadow/heath, 2300 m, 30.vi.1983, 123 2Ƥ, & 8.vii.1983, 133 10Ƥ (A.C. Pont); Mt Koltesh, heath, 2500 m, 30.vi.1983 (A.C. Pont), 183 11Ƥ; Mt Bash, heath, 2240 m, 2.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 6Ƥ; Devdoraki, meadows, c 2100 m, 10.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 73 1Ƥ; Gergeti, upper heaths, 2300–3000 m, 11.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 9Ƥ 10Ƥ; Gergeti, upper heaths, 3000 m, 14.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 53 2Ƥ; Gergeti, river, 2950 m, 14.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 23; Gergeti, scree, 2950–3000 m, 14.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 23 1Ƥ. Kazbegi, pass on the road, 2400 m, 22.vii.1967 ( ZMUC), 23 ( ZMUC); Bakuriani, top of Mt Kochta, pasture, 2160 m, 16.vii.1967 ( ZMUC), 23 1Ƥ ( ZMUC); ca 100 km N of Tbilisi, 2395 m, 22.vii.1967 (stud.–exc. 1967), 13 2Ƥ ( ZMUC); Bakuriani, ca 90 km SE of Kutaisi, house ca 1700 m, 16.vii.1967 (stud.–exc. 1967), 13 ( ZMUC); Bakuriani, ca 90 km SE of Kutaisi, 2160 m, 16.vii.1967 (stud.–exc. 1967), 5Ƥ ( ZMUC). TURKEY: Gümüşane prov., Soğlanı Geçidi, 1800 m, 26.vii.1960 (Guichard & Harvey), 1Ƥ ( BMNH). RUSSIA: Caucasus Reserve, Plateau Lagonaki, 11–12.vii.2008 (O.E. Kosterin), 23 ( ZMUM).

All the above paratypes from Georgia collected by the author are located in the BMNH except for 3 pairs deposited in each of the following: OUMNH, SZNM, ZIN, ZMHU, ZMUC, ZMUM.

Description. A very dark species ( Fig. 1 ).

Male. Length of body, 5.5–7.0 mm. Length of wing, 4.5–6.0 mm.

Head. Holoptic. Ground-colour black. Eye virtually bare, with a few tiny scattered hairs. Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, face, gena and lower part of occiput silvery-white pruinose, occiput otherwise grey. Frons at narrowest point separated by a distance equal to the greatest width of ocellar tubercle, and fronto-orbital plates separated throughout by a broad frontal vittta which, at narrowest point of frons, is 3 times as wide as a fronto-orbital plate. Ocellar setae strong. 5–7 pairs of frontal setae with several fine interstitials, occupying all but upper quarter or fifth of frons. Antenna black; postpedicel short, 1.4 times as long as broad. Arista short-plumose, the longest combined plumosity as long as width of postpedicel. Parafacial broad, broader throughout than width of postpedicel. In lateral view, facial edge projecting forward beyond level of profrons. Gena broad, depth below lowest eye-margin almost equal to length of postpedicel. Palpus black, slender. Proboscis elongated and slender, mentum dusted.

Thorax. Ground-colour black. Scutum densely grey dusted, with black markings as follows: a pair of paramedian vittae between the acrostichal and dorsocentral rows, running from neck to level of 3rd, or sometimes only 2nd, postsutural dorsocentral; a patch around presutural intra-alar and supra-alar; and postsuturally a vitta between dorsocentrals and intra-alars, and another between intra-alars and supra-alars; notopleuron and postpronotal lobes light grey dusted, almost white. Pleura thinly grey dusted. Acrostichals 0+1, the single (prescutellar) seta short and only twice as long as one of the adjacent ground-setulae, presutural setulae in 3–4 irregular rows, dorsocentrals 2+3, intra-alars 1+2, supra-alars 1+2, the posterior one hardly distinct from the ground-setulae; 2 postpronotals; prealar well developed, longer than 2nd notopleural. Anterior spiracle dark brown, posterior spiracle brown. Prosternum bare, notopleuron without setulae, proepisternal depression bare. Katepisternals 1+2, the lower one slightly closer to posterior upper than to anterior seta. Meron and katepimeron bare. Scutellum grey dusted, with 1 strong preapical, 1 strong lateral and 1 weak basal lateral; lateral margins and ventral surface bare.

Legs black. Fore femur with rows of posterodorsal and strong posteroventral setae. Fore tibia with 1, rarely 2 submedian posterior setae, sometimes also with a posteroventral and/or a short anterodorsal, with strong apical dorsal and posteroventral setae. Mid femur without anteroventral setae, with about 3 strong posteroventral setae in basal half and with more erect posteroventral setulae in apical half; 1 anterior and (2–)3 dorsal to posterior preapical setae. Mid tibia with 1–3 anterodorsal, 2–4 posterior and 2–3 posteroventral setae. Hind femur with a complete anterodorsal row; posteroventral surface bare except for 2–3 short setae before apex; 5–7 anteroventrals in apical half, several of which are longer than femoral depth, and a few additional short setae in basal half. Hind tibia usually with 1–2 posterodorsals in basal third; on median third with a few short semi-erect posterior setulae that are distinct from the ground-setulae; 3–4 anterodorsals, with several more erect setulae among them some of which are more anterior in position, and 3 anteroventrals; dorsal and anterodorsal preapicals strong; 1 anteroventral and 1 ventral but no posteroventral apical seta.

Wing infuscated, especially costally. Basicosta and tegula black. Vein M straight, diverging slightly from vein R4+5 towards wing-tip. Crossvein r-m slightly basad of the point where subcosta enters costa, and crossvein dm-cu oblique, very weakly sinuous. Costal spine distinct, as long as crossvein r-m. Stem-vein and vein R4+5 bare. Calypters creamy, margins yellow. Knob of haltere orange-yellow.

Abdomen. Elongate-cylindrical. Ground-colour black. Tergites densely light grey dusted, with black markings as follows: syntergite 1+2 black except for a band of dust along hind-margin, broadening laterally and with a short extension forwards medially; tergites 3 and 4 each with a pair of large paramedian oblong to subquadrate spots, occupying most of tergal length but separated by a broad vitta of dust; tergite 5 with a pair of similar but poorly defined spots. Sternites 2–5 grey dusted. Ground-setulae on tergites strong and erect. Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 with some lateral marginals; tergites 4 and 5 each with a complete row of marginal setae, and tergite 5 also with a row of discal setae. Sternite 1 bare. Sternite 5 as in Fig. 4 .

Terminalia as in Figs. 5–7 .

Female. Length of body, 5.0–7.0 mm. Length of wing, 4.0–6.0 mm. Differs from the male as follows.

Head. Dichoptic. Frons at middle 0.4 of head-width at this point. Pruinosity on fronto-orbital plate sometimes tinged with yellow, at middle of frons each plate 0.5 of width of frontal vitta. Frontal triangle narrow, dull grey, reaching lunule. 4–5 pairs of strong inclinate frontal setae, with few interstitials, and 2 pairs of strong reclinate orbital setae; fronto-orbital plate with a few short setulae outside the setae. Postpedicel 2 times as long as wide. Gena broad, depth below lowest eye-margin slightly greater than length of postpedicel.

Thorax. Scutum densely yellowish dusted, the black markings very reduced: the pair of paramedian vittae narrow and narrower than the dusted vitta separating them, the presutural patch reduced to a triangle between intraalar and supra-alar, and the postsutural vitta between dorsocentrals and intra-alars narrow. Scutellum greyish-yellow dusted.

Legs. Fore femur with the posteroventral setae less dense and in a well-spaced row. Fore tibia with 1 posterior seta and 1 short anterodorsal seta, and also with a posterodorsal apical seta. Mid femur with 1–3 strong posteroventral setae, slightly longer than femoral depth. Mid tibia with 1 posteroventral seta. Hind femur with a sparse row of anteroventral setae. Hind tibia with 1 short posterodorsal at basal fourth and with no trace of stronger setulae on posterior surface; 3 anterodorsals, without erect setulae among them, and 2–3 anteroventrals.

Wing. Conspicuously yellowish tinged, especially basally. Crossvein r-m slightly beyond the point where subcosta enters costa.

Abdomen. Densely grey to yellowish-grey dusted, usually with small, faintly marked, oval brown spots on tergites 3 and 4, sometimes unmarked. All setae rather weak. Tergite 4 with a discal row.

There is some marked variation in the tibial chaetotaxy, especially in males and as noted in the description. The smallest female examined lacks the posteroventral seta on mid tibia.

Distribution. Known from Georgia, north-eastern Turkey and the Russian Caucasus.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latin adjective agreeing in gender with Helina , meaning “upland” or “elevated”.

Relationships. This is an abundant upland heath species in the Georgian Caucasus and, like Thricops vaderi Savage, 2003 , is one of the “Charakterarten” of this zone. The combination of an extended facial edge and 1 or more posteroventral setae on mid tibia is unique in the genus Helina . The presence of a ventral apical seta on hind tibia in addition to the anteroventral is also unique. The male runs to couplet 84 in Hennig’s (1957) key to Palaearctic species, and H. edita sp. nov. can be incorporated with the following key couplets. The female runs to couplet 71: see below under H. marisha sp. nov. for couplets incorporating H. edita sp. nov. into Hennig’s key to females.

Males

84 (87) Arista plumose, the longest individual hairs as long as width of postpedicel.

84a (84b) In lateral view, facial edge projecting beyond level of profrons. Mid tibia with 1 or more posteroventral setae.............................................................................................. H. edita sp. nov.

84b (84a) In lateral view, facial edge below or behind level of profrons. Mid tibia without posteroventral setae

85+86 As in Hennig................................. [ H. villositarsis (Pandellé, 1898) and H. latitarsis Ringdahl, 1924 ]

87 (84) Arista short haired, the longest individual hairs hardly half as long as width of postpedicel..........................

Figures

FIGURES 1. Male habitus of: Helina edita sp. nov. (holotype).

FIGURES 4 – 7. Male terminalia of Helina edita sp. nov. (3 paratype from Georgia, Devdoraki). 4. Sternite 5. 5. Hypopygium, lateral view. 6. Cercal plate, posterior view. 7. Surstylus posterior view. Scale-lines: 0.25 mm.