Chamaepsila massanea, Claude & Tissot, 2023

Claude, Jocelyn & Tissot, Bruno, 2023, Additional data on the fauna of Psilidae (Diptera) of France, with description of three new species of Chamaepsila and updated keys, Zootaxa 5380 (2), pp. 101-133 : 110-113

Chamaepsila massanea sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8C946E5E-4A3E-4A89-B3BB-8EDD184C7E8B

( Figs. 16–21 )

Examined material (21♂ & 57♀). HOLOTYPE: male ( Figs. 16–18 ), FRANCE, Pyrénées-Orientales, RNFM , Argelès-sur-Mer , Malaise trap “Col del Pal” ( Fig. 19 ), 3.030556°E 42.475833°N, 895 m asl, 1♂, 8.x.2009, leg. Joseph Garrigue, coll. MHNG pinned and preserved in microvial in glycerine. PARATYPES: same data as holotype but preserved in ethanol 70%: 2♂, 2♀, coll. BT; 12♂, 26♀, coll. JC; 30.ix. 2009, 3♂, 28♀, coll. RNFM ; same data but pinned: 1♂, 1♀, coll. MHNG ; 16.ix.2009, 2♂, coll. MNHN .

Description. MALE. Body length: 5 mm. Head. Ground colour yellow. Ocellar triangle brown to black.Antenna yellow, but postpedicel mostly black, 2 times as long as wide at base. Arista yellow, conspicuously thickened at base, covered with short, thin rays. Compound eye is as long as it is wide, roundish and big in profile compared to gena and parafacialia, about 1.4 times higher than height of gena. The width of the frons is 1.3 times (the length from the lunula to the posterior ocelli). Frons and fronto-orbital plates uniformly yellow. Palpi yellow with black apex. Prelabrum black. Occiput yellowish but brown between the foramen and the ocellar triangle. A faint vertical stripe is often visible in this dark area. Chaetotaxy (all setae brown): 3 vertical setae; 1 postocellar setae; 2 fronto-orbital setae. Thorax. Ground colour brown to black. Scutellum yellowish to brown. Postnotum brown to black. Anepimeron bare. Pleura black to brown except for a yellow area on the proepisternum (which extends anteriorly over the anepimeron), between the brwn postpronotal lobes and the yellow fore coxa 1 ( Fig. 17 ). Postpronotal lobes brown but always a little paler than the scutum. Anepimeron bare. Chaetotaxy (all setae yellow): 1 notopleural seta; 1 supra-alar seta; 1 postalar seta; 2 dorsocentral setae; 1 apical scutellar seta. Abdomen. Brown to black, with yellow to white pilosity. Legs: Yellow with generally yellow pilosity. Wing: Length: 4 mm, entirely hyaline, with a slight yellowish tinge. Veins yellow. Haltere yellow to white. Genitalia ( Figs. 20–21 ). Male terminalia measurement: 0.65 mm lenght in ventral view. Epandrium sclerotized at ventral margin and with two teeth. Phallus small, not extending beyond the lower part of postgonite arm. Two small chitinous processes are present on each side above the phallus. Hypandrium present but not well developed, not extending beyond the phallopodeme. Postgonite dark (black) and serrated on the dorsal side.

FEMALE. Same as the male for morphological aspects. Terminalia not studied.

Etymology. The new species is named after the new species is named after its origin: the National Nature Reserve “forêt de la Massane” in the Eastern Pyrenees. Specific epithet in genitive case.

Ecology. Adult habitat. Dry grassland with Plantago subulata L., 1753 in association with blackthorn hem ( Prunus sp. ) and near Atlantic acidophilous beech forests with Ilex sp. (Ilici-Fagenion) ( Speight et al. 2013).

Altitude. 895 m asl. Phenology. September to early October. Larval habitat. Unknown.

Currently known distribution. France (Pyrénées-Orientales).

Differential diagnosis. Male. Externally, this species is very similar to C. confusa . It also has a black prelabrum and a black apex to the postpedicel, a yellow area on the proepisternum (between postpronotal lobes and fore coxa) and yellow legs. C. massanea on the other hand has a yellow arista (brownish in C. confusa ), the frons wider than long (1.4 times as long as wide in C. confusa ), a vertical pale stripe on the occiput, and somewhat rounded eyes (about 1.4 times as high as wide for C. confusa ). In addition, C. massanea , unlike lacks the a pair of narrow, black stripes on the occiput from vertex (between medial vertical setae) present in C. confusa . Setae of the head of C. confusa are yellow whereas they are brown in C. massanea . Finally, the two species differ in details of the male terminalia, in particular in the shape of the phallus and the epandrium. This species and C. bicolor (known from France and other parts of Europe) are the only Chamaepsila with strong teeth (2) at the at the ventral margin of the epandrium. The species differ in the position of the teeth: both are in the middle of the sclerotized area in C. bicolor , one in the middle and the other at the edge of the sclerotized area in C. massanea . In case of doubt, C. bicolor has only one pair of dorsocentral setae while C. massanea has two pairs. Female. Same as male. Terminalia not studied.

Addenda to the European identification keys compiled and arranged by Beuk (2023)

39a Thorax with black setae.............................................................................. 40*

-b Thorax with yellow setae.............................................................................. 41 40*a. Wings infuscate along veins. Pleura yellow, with black spot on anepimeron. Phallus pointed. Smaller to medium-sized species: up to 6–7 mm, rarely less............................................................................ 40**

-b Wings without infuscation. Pleura yellow, with a black spot on the katepisternum. Racket-shaped phallus. Smaller species: 4–6 mm, rarely more. Females cannot be identified............................................................ 40

40**a Thorax yellow with 2 black stripes behind transverse suture. Postnotum with black spot. Legs including tarsi yellow. Male terminalia: Figs. 5–6 . Body length: 6–7 mm. - France................................. Chamaepsila withersi sp. nov.

-b Thorax yellow with 4 black stripes (sometimes dotted). Postnotum without black spot. Legs yellow and tarsi dark. Male terminalia: Figs. 14–15 . Body length: 6–7 mm. - France........................... Chamaepsila ristolasiensis sp. nov.

53a Pleura with yellowish spot dorsal of anterior spiracle. Proepisternum yellow...................................... 54

-b Pleura entirely black. Proepisternum black................................................................ 55

54a Palpi yellow, rarely brownish infuscate. Postpedicel black but yellow ventrally at base. Prelabrum brown to yellow. Sternites rounded. Male terminalia: Figs. 1A & 1C in Wakerley (1959). Body length: 3.5–3.8 mm. - Europe........................................................................................ Chamaepsila persimilis ( Wakerley, 1959)

-b Palpi yellow with black apex. Postpedicel entirely black. Sternites quadrangular. Prelabrum black................... 55*

55*a Arista brownish. Frons 1.4 times as high as wide. Setae on head yellow. Male terminalia: Fig. 1 in Shatalkin & Merz (2010). Body length: 3.7 mm. - France, Switzerland, Austria.................... Chamaepsila confusa Shatalkin & Merz, 2010

-b Arista yellow. Frons wider than high. Setae on head brown. Male terminalia: Figs. 20–21 . Body length: 5 mm. - France.............................................................................. Chamaepsila massanea sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Malaise trap “Col del Pal” in France, RN de la forêt de la Massane (Pyrénées-Orientales), where the holotype and paratypes of Chamaepsila massanea sp. nov. were captured (Photo: Joseph Garrigue)

FIGURES 16–18. Habitus of the male of Chamaepsila massanea sp. nov., holotype, before pinning. 16: dorsal view. 17: lateral view. 18: head details. Scales bars = 0.5 mm. (Photo: Jocelyn Claude)

FIGURES 20–21. Male terminalia of Chamaepsila massanea sp. nov. paratype in ventral view. 20: in ventral view. 21: left epandrium in lateral view. Scales bars = 0.1 mm. (Drawings: Jocelyn Claude)

FIGURES 5–6. Male terminalia of Chamaepsila withersi sp. nov. paratype. 5: in ventral view. 6: left epandrium in lateral view. Scales bars = 0.1 mm. (Drawings: Jocelyn Claude)

FIGURES 14–15. Male terminalia of Chamaepsila ristolasiensis sp. nov. 14: in ventral view. Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 15: left epandrium in lateral view. Scales bars = 0.1 mm. (Drawings: Jocelyn Claude)

FIGURES 1–3. Habitus of the male of Chamaepsila withersi sp. nov., holotype, before pinning. 1: dorsal view. 2: lateral view. 3: wing details. Scales bars = 0.5 mm. (Photo: Jocelyn Claude)