Megaselia exkaleybar, Khameneh & Khaghaninia & Disney & Maleki-Ravasan, 2019

Khameneh, Roya Namaki, Khaghaninia, Samad, Disney, R. Henry L. & Maleki-Ravasan, Naseh, 2019, Twenty one new species of Megaselia Rondani (Diptera: Phoridae) from Iran, Zootaxa 4711 (1), pp. 1-50 : 4-5

Megaselia exkaleybar n. sp.

( Figs 25–38 )

Material examined. Holotype male, East Azerbaijan province, Arasbaran forests, Kaleybar region, 38°51.548’N 46°59.007’E, 1783 m, open forest, 1.vii.2017, S. Khaghaninia (46, UCMZ—13-98) . Paratypes: 2 males, locality data as the holotype ( ICHMM) .

Description. Male. Fig. 25 , whole fly. Frons as Fig. 26 , with microtrichia not confined to edges but lacking in part ( Fig. 27 ). Postpedicels, palps and proboscis as Fig. 28 . Postpedicels as Fig. 29 and lacking SPS vesicles. Cheek with 5 bristles and jowl with 4 that are longer ( Fig. 28 ). Proboscis from below as Fig. 30 . Thorax brown, with 3 notopleural bristles, and no cleft in front of these, and mesopleuron with small hairs only ( Fig. 31 ). Scutellum with an anterior pair of small hairs and a posterior pair of bristles ( Fig. 32 ). Abdominal tergites brown with longest hairs at rear of T6 ( Fig. 33 ). Venter brown, and with hairs on segments 3–6. Hypopygium as Figs 33–35 , the right hapandrial lobe being vestigial. All legs brown. Front tarsus with posterodorsal hair palisades on segments 1–4 and 5 longer than 4 ( Fig. 36 ). Dorsal hair palisade of mid tibia extends about 0.64 times its length. Hairs below basal half of hind femur longer than those of anteroventral row of outer half and a little crowded at base ( Fig. 37 ). Hind tibia with 15–16 moderately differentiated posterodorsal hairs, without anterodorsals, and spinules of apical combs simple. Wings ( Fig. 38 ) 1.5–1.6 mm long. Costal index 0.41. Vein Sc not reaching vein 1. Costal ratios 3.5: 2.0: 1. Costal cilia (of section 3) 0.13 mm long. Hair at base of vein 3 only 0.01 mm long. With 3–4 axillary bristles, the outermost being 0.12 mm long. Haltere brown.

Recognition. In the key to the males of British species ( Disney 1989) it runs to couplet 133 where neither lead fits. In the key of Schmitz & Delage (1974) to Palaearctic species in their Abtielung V it runs to couplet 38 lead 2 to M. peyresquenensis Delage. Its hypopygium closely resembles our species. But the wings of Delage’s species are yellower and differ in small details such as the costal ratios. A clearer difference is its labium possesses 5 psuedotracheae unlike our new species. In the key to Nearctic species of Group V (Borgmeir 1964) it runs to couplet 6 lead 1 to ‘ M. monochaeta Borgmeier’, the name, however, being unavailable was later changed to M. monochaetina Borgmeier (1968) . Again the hypopygium is very similar and also the hind femur. Likewise the wings are similar but a yellower gray than our species. Perhaps the clearest difference is the length of the arista, which is only ‘one-third longer than the frontal width’ [making the arista 0.37 mm in length] but in our species the arista is at least 0.48 mm long. In addition the palps are ‘black’ in Borgmeier’s species but a pale brown in ours.

Etymology. Named after the Kaleybar region.

Comment. The microtrichia on the frons are not discernible in pinned specimens viewed at low magnification. However, Borgmeier (e.g. 1966) employs three categories:- frons glossy, frons dull or moderately shining. The situation of the microtrichia in M. exkaleybar would seem to be an example of his category moderately shining.

Figures

FIGURES 25–38. Megaselia exkaleybar n. sp. male. 25, whole fly; 26, frons; 38, part of frons enlarged; 28, antennae, palps and proboscis; 29, postpedicel; 30, proboscis from below; 31, side of thorax; 32, scutellum; 33–35, hypopygium; 36, front tarsus; 37, hind femur; 38, wing. Scale bars 20 μm.