Griphophanes cameroonensis Grichanov, 2022

Grichanov, I. Ya., 2022, Discovery of the genus Griphophanes Grootaert et Meuffels in Cameroon (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), Russian Entomological Journal 31 (3), pp. 293-296 : 293-295

Griphophanes cameroonensis Grichanov , sp.n.

Figs 1–9.

MATERIAL. Holotype ♂, Cameroon, Northwest Reg., Mezam , Bafut village at 6°05.026´N, 10°07.442´E, 1060 m, Malaise trap, cultivated plot and degraded forest, 17–19.VIII.2013, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs leg. ( BMSA). Holotype in good condition. Paratype: 1♂,

294 I.Ya. Grichanov same data as holotype; terminalia dissected and stored in glycerin in microvial pinned with the specimen ( BMSA) .

4 5 6 1 2 3 7 8 9

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL. 1♀, same data as holotype ( BMSA) .

DESCRIPTION. Male ( Fig. 1). Head ( Fig. 2). Frons and face with black ground colour; frons brownish pollinose; face whitish pollinose; one vertical seta at upper corner of frons; one hairlike postvertical seta positioned behind vertical seta; ocellar setae long; two short fine postocellars; postocular setae all dark, slightly increasing in length downward; eyes with short ommatrichia; face under antennae 1.5 times as wide as height of postpedicel, slightly narrowing towards clypeus; antenna black, slightly longer than head height; scape small, vase-like; pedicel larger, globular, with ring of short setulae and 1–2 elongate apicodorsal setae; postpedicel triangular, as long as high at base, densely haired; stylus middorsal, nearly 4× as long as main segments of antenna combined, pubescent, with short thick segment 1 and filiform segment 2; ratio of lengths of scape to pedicel to postpedicel to stylomere 1 to stylomere 2, 4/4/8/4/54; palpus and proboscis small, blackish-brown, palpus oval, with black seta and dark pubescence.

Thorax. Bluish-black, grey pollinose, with dark bristles; mesonotum flattened posteriorly; 6 (2+4) dorsocentrals, with 6 th seta shifted towards lateral margin and 1 st seta rather small; short acrostichals in two regular rows; scutellum with one pair of strong setae and one pair of lateral setae; upper propleuron without setae; proepisternum with 1 strong seta.

Legs. Mostly black; knees, tibiae and basitarsi blackish brown; all tarsi simple, with 5 th segment flattened dorsoventrally, with well developed pulvilli and claws; fore and mid coxae with dark anterior and apical setae; hind coxa with 1 dark bristle at middle; fore leg ( Fig. 4) without strong setae; fore femur ventrally, fore tibia dorsally and ventrally, fore tarsus dorsally and laterally with rows of elongate setulae, nearly as long as diameter of corresponding podomeres; length ratio of fore tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth), 66/32/16/11/ 8/12. Mid femur simple, bearing 1 strong but short anterior subapical bristle and 2 rows of ventral hairs, half as long as height of femur; mid tibia simple, with 1 anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal setae at basal third, 1 posterodorsal seta at distal third and 5 apical setae; no ventral setae; mid tarsus simple; segments 1–4 each with short apical spinules; segments 4–5 with elongate setulae; length ratio of mid tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth), 87/40/22/13/8/8; hind femur with 1 anterior subapical bristle, with elongate dorsal setae on basal half; hind tibia ( Fig. 5) simple, with 1 strong anterodorsal bristle at basal third, dorsal row of 6–8 short setae and with strong and long, curved subapical dorsal bristle, 3/4 as long as hind basitarsus; hind basitarsus with 1 short apicoventral seta, with very small basal tooth posteriorly; length ratio of hind tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth), 91/27/28/17/10/11.

Wing ( Fig. 6). Hyaline, with greyish tinge, veins dark brown; costa simple, with simple costal setulae; ratio of part of costa between R 2+3 and R 4+5 to that between R 4+5 and M 1+2, 5/4; R 2+3 and R 4+5 slightly diverging towards wing apex; R 4+5 and M 1+2 slightly convex anteriorly, parallel in distal half; ratio of dm–m to apical part of M 4, 21/35; anal vein distinct, not reaching wing margin; anal lobe well developed; lower calypter small, brown, with black setae; halter knob yellow.

Abdomen. Black, cylindrical, with black hairs and marginal setae; tergum 6 setose; sterna 5 and 6 weakly sclerotized. Segment 7 weakly setose, as long as tergum 6, with tergum and sternum distinct; segment 8 black, large, setose, with ventral inverted “Y” shaped sclerotized corner; hypopygium ( Figs 8–9) black, with brown cercus; epandrium ovoid, asymmetrical, longer than high, convex ventrally in middle, somewhat widening distally; foramen lateral, positioned in basal half of epandrium; hypandrium fused with epandrium at base with strongly sclerotized ring, long, cylindric, with big and broad hook distally; phallus thin and long, concealed within hypandrium; epandrial lobes asymmetrical; left lobe strongly projected distad, flat, leaflike, bearing 2 strong apicoventral setae of unequal length; right epandrial lobe divided into two strong unequal hooks directed inside, with 1 thick and long and 1 short setae at apex of distal hook; additional thin epandrial process with 1 apical seta adjacent both left and right lobes; surstyli symmetrical, adjacent to cerci, with dorsal arm twice shorter than ventral one; dorsal arm finger-like, with 1 dorsal seta and few minute hairs at apex; ventral arm of surstylus broad to apex, with 1 thick and long inner bristle at middle of ventral margin, 1 middorsal seta, few minute hairs at apex and short but thick apical seta; cercus small, elongate-triangular, much shorter than surstylus, regularly covered with long setae and microscopic hairs.

Measurements (mm). Body length 2, antenna length 0.7, wing length 2.3, wing width 0.8, hypopygium length 0.5.

Female ( Figs 3, 7). Similar to male except lacking male secondary sexual characters. Body length 1.8 mm, antenna length 0.6 mm, wing length 1.9 mm. Face wider than male face, brownish pollinose; postpedicel higher than long (11/ 7), tibiae and basitarsi yellow; ratio of part of costa between R 2+3 and R 4+5 to that between R 4+5 and M 1+2, 2/1; ratio of dm– m to apical part of M 4, 19/42.

ETYMOLOGY: The species is named for the country of origin.

DISTRIBUTION. Cameroon.

DIAGNOSIS. Griphophanes cameroonensis Grichanov sp.n. is very close to G. congoensis Grichanov , differing from the latter in morphology of male genitalia. Ventral arm of male surstylus is angular at middle, pointed apically in G. congoensis [ Grichanov, 2010: Figs 5–7], whereas ventral arm of surstylus is straight, broad to apex in the new species. Male cercus is rounded in G. congoensis , but triangular in G. cameroonensis . A female described has striking difference from males in wing vein length ratios and may belong to another species (females of the two other Afrotropical species are currently unknown).