Calophytus webbi, Irwin & Winterton & Metz, 2020

Irwin, Michael E., Winterton, Shaun L. & Metz, Mark A., 2020, New stiletto flies from New Caledonia (Therevidae, Agapophytinae), ZooKeys 984, pp. 83-132 : 83

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.984.53587

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D8B945AE-6209-4957-8BB1-D96DDBB5AA44

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/9CD4647C-D573-4A06-B7A2-DB2E3EED144C

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:9CD4647C-D573-4A06-B7A2-DB2E3EED144C

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Calophytus webbi
status

sp. nov.

Calophytus webbi sp. nov. Figs 5E View Figure 5 , 6D View Figure 6 , 7E View Figure 7 , 8B View Figure 8 , 19 View Figure 19 , 20 View Figure 20 , 21 View Figure 21 , 22 View Figure 22 , 31B View Figure 31

Diagnosis.

Flagellum longer than scape; single row of black postocular macrosetae dorsally; body predominantly yellow; wing mostly hyaline, dark apically; scutellum overlain with sparse silver pubescence; abdomen yellow, tergites brown posteriorly; legs yellow, tarsi brownish; male abdomen lacking silver pubescence.

Description.

Length 5.5-8.1 mm. Head. Glossy black, yellow around base of antenna. Frons glossy, smooth, slightly raised around base of antennae; eyes separated by 3 × width of median ocellus in both sexes. Occiput black with silver pubescence laterally and ventrally, admixed with pale setae laterally and onto gena; single row of black to orange postocular macrosetae in both sexes. Parafacial dark, yellowish laterally, overlain with silver pubescence along eye margin; posterior oral margin yellow, not pubescent. Scape 3/4 of head length, dark yellow, brown suffusion apically. Basal flagellomere 2.5 × length of scape, cylindrical, abruptly tapering to a blunt point apically, densely covered with brown pubescence. Second flagellomere subapical, subequal in length to third flagellomere; style small, spiculate. Palpus cylindrical, apex slightly capitate. Mouthparts yellow with pale setal pile, yellow on labium, black on labellum. Thorax. Yellow; scutum with dark dorsocentral stripes, narrow anteriorly, thickening posteriorly and merging medially into a single stripe before posterior margin, brownish suffusion sometimes posteriorly on scutum; scutellum brown dorsally; posterodorsal katepisternum, metanepisternum, metepimeron, and metakatepisternum overlain with silver pubescence; sparse silver pubescent on posterior scutum and scutellum; macrosetae black (np: 1, sa: 1, pa: 1, dc: 0, sc: 1); scutum, katatergite, lateral postpronotum, postpronotal lobe, cervical sclerite, proepisternum, and lateral prosternum with short, yellow setae. Legs. Yellow except with small black spot ventrally at union of femora and trochanters; foretarsus light brown; sparsely pubescent, dorsal part of hind coxa silver pubescent; legs with short, yellowish, setae, except foretarsus with brown setae. Forecoxa with some longer, gold, filiform setae anteriorly. Forecoxa with two macrosetae; mid- and hind coxae with three anteroventral macrosetae. Wing. Membrane mostly hyaline; costal, subcostal, pterostigma and adjacent r cells, and entire wing apex light brown infuscation; membrane with extensive areas bare of microtrichia. Venation brown with dark microtrichia along veins, m3 widely open at wing margin. Haltere stalk yellow, knob light brown. Abdomen. Yellow, posterior and lateral margins of tergites II-VII brown, terminal segments darker; glossy, not pubescent and male lacking silver pubescence; sparse fine pale setae; medial setae darker, especially on terminal segments. Genitalia. Male: tergite VIII anterior margin slightly emarginate; laterally with brown setae. Cercus relatively narrow, rounded posteriorly. Sternite VIII quadrate, wider posteriorly; posterior 1/6 with brown setae. Epandrium yellow basolaterally and at extreme posterolateral margin, otherwise brown; brown setae sparsely distributed; subepandrial sclerite narrow, 1/3 width of epandrium, partially sclerotised, lateral margins more strongly so. Gonocoxites yellow-brown, elongate dark setae sparsely distributed, except lacking setae ventromedially; outer gonocoxal process sub-triangular; aedeagus with ejaculatory apodeme sub-cylindrical; inner gonocoxal process narrow; dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath ‘T’ -shaped, ventral apodeme forked; lateral ejaculatory apodeme band-like with small outer process. Female: acanthophorite and acanthophorite spines yellow-brown. Tergite VIII wider than long, with a narrow anteromedial projection, posterior margin slightly emarginated. Sternite VIII gold; long, brown, setae sparsely distributed, bare laterally and more dense on posterior lobes. Median lobe of tergite IX reduced, very short. Sternite X quadrangular with short, brown setae. Spermathecal duct 5 × furcal length. Spermathecal sac duct 3.5 × furcal length; spermathecal sac ovoid, longer than wide; 0.5 × length of spermathecal sac duct.

Etymology.

This species is named after the late Dr Donald W. Webb, who was a member of several of the expeditions to New Caledonia and was one of the collectors of this species.

Comments.

Calophytus webbi sp. nov. is a relatively diminutive, bright yellow species with distinctive antennae that readily distinguishes it from all other Calophytus species (Figs 5E View Figure 5 , 19 View Figure 19 , 20 View Figure 20 ). This species appears endemic to the tropical dry forest of the Pindai Peninsula (Fig. 31B View Figure 31 ) on the west coast of the Northern Province (Fig. 22 View Figure 22 ); it is only known from a series of specimens collected from two localities on this peninsula. Genbank sequences for this species (see Winterton et al. 2016: table S1): KT290080 (16S rDNA), KM885002 (28S rDNA), KM879120 (EF1a); KT306930 (CAD) (not KT306928 as reported in Winterton et al. 2016).

Specimens examined.

Holotype male, New Caledonia: Province Nord: 45 m, Presqu’île de Pindaï, 2.5 km WSW Népouï, Malaise, " 21.383°S, 164.974°E " [GPS coordinates apparently erroneous; approximated instead as -21.33, 164.96], 26.XI-4.XII.2000, M.E. Irwin, E.I. Schlinger, D.W. Webb (MEI123356, MNHN).

Paratypes. New Caledonia: Province Nord: 1 female, Presqu’île de Pindaï, 2.5 km WSW Népouï, Malaise, " 21.383°S, 164.974°E " [GPS coordinates apparently erroneous; approximated instead as -21.33, 164.96], 10-17.XI.2000, M.E. Irwin, E.I. Schlinger, D.W. Webb (MEI108224, CSCA); 8 males, [ Presqu’île de Pindaï], 3 km SW Népouï, Pindai Forest, Malaise trap in costal forest [-21.35, 164.964], 13-23.XI.1992, D.W. Webb, E.I. & M. Schlinger (MEI030180-7, CSCA); 3 males, [ Presqu’île de Pindaï] 3 km SW Népouï, Pindai Forest, Malaise trap in coastal forest [-21.35, 164.964], 7-13.XI.1992, D.W. Webb, E.I. Schlinger, M. Schlinger (MEI030178-9, 030188, CSCA).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Therevidae

Family

Agapophytinae

Genus

Calophytus