Swammerdamella globus, Xiao & Hong & Li & Yang, 2025

Xiao, Yishen, Hong, Dawei, Li, Zhu & Yang, Ding, 2025, First report of the genus Swammerdamella Enderlein, 1912 (Diptera: Scatopsidae) in China, with descriptions of nine new species, Zootaxa 5723 (1), pp. 49-70 : 53-55

5. Swammerdamella globus sp. nov. WÞDzĸxü

( Figs. 2A–2F )

Diagnosis. M fork obviously shorter than stem.A rounded posterior lobe on male tergite 6. Male sternite 6 posteriorly truncated with a row of setae. Male tergite 7 modified, with median process elongated and posteriorly pointed. Aedeagus short.

Description. Male ( Fig. 2A ). Body length 1.6–1.8 mm, wing length 1.2–1.5 mm.

Head. Dull brown, slightly higher than long; antennae 10-segmented; flagellum 8-segmented, each flagellomere with a whorl of microtrichia; last flagellomere distinctly elongate, 3 times longer than preceding one; eyes holoptic; palpus one-segmented, brown, apically acute and pointed at apex.

Thorax. Dark brown, stout and shining; scutum short brown pilose. Anterior spiracular sclerite obvious, elongated and triangular. Halters concolorous with scutum, several setae present on stem. Legs short, and mostly concolorous with body; each tibia bicolored and tarsus yellow.

Wing ( Fig. 2B ). Membrane nearly hyaline; anterior veins sclerotized and yellowish brown, R 1 and R 4+5 short, joining costa close to each other; M fork complete and highly visible, divergence at apex of wing; CuA sigmoid, bent abruptly towards posterior margin; a row of macrotrichiae present on posterior margin of wing.

Abdomen. Strong, stout and dark brown; segments 1–6 visible; sternite 6 ( Fig. 2C ) sparsely setose, posterior margin truncated and with a row of setae; tergite 6 ( Fig. 2D ) sparsely setose, posteriorly with a rounded lobe and a row of setae on margin. Segment 7 ( Fig. 2F ) retracted into segment 6; tergite 7 curved, dorsally setose, both arms rounded apically; ventral process long, bent, and posteriorly pointed; sternite 7 rounded in general shape, inner margin smoothly curved and both arms with several setae.

Male terminalia ( Fig. 2E ). Subequal in length and width; aedeagus plate rectangular and sclerotized; aedeagus short; two apically rounded lobes present on both sides of aedeagus plate, and with another pair of similar lobes beneath.

Female. Body length 1.5–1.8 mm, wing length 1.1–1.5 mm. Similar to male in general morphological characters.

Type Material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, China, Yunnan Province, Yiliang [ ḋǝ], Haiziping Station [ DZŦ坪äaeü] [ 27°53’ N, 104°42’ E, 1109m], collected by sweep net, 2024. VI. 8, Yishen Xiao ( CAU) . PARATYPES: 83♂ 70♀, same data as holotype .

Distribution. China ( Yunnan Province).

Etymology. This specific name is derived from the Latin word “globus ”, which means “dense mass” or “crowd”, referring to the mating swarm at the time of the first discovery.

Remarks. This is a distinctive species discovered in Oriental China, which can be easily distinguished from other Swammerdamella species by the rounded posterior lobe on tergite 6 and posteriorly truncated sternite 6. This species was discovered on a privet ( Ligustrum sp. ) and a pine tree ( Taxaceae ) as a large mating swarm of about 1000 individuals.

Figures

FIGURE 2A–2B. 2A. Swammerdamella globus sp. nov., male adult. 2B. Wing. 2C. Male sternite 6. 2D. Male tergite 6. 2E. Male terminalia. 2F. Male segment 7. Scale bar 1.0 mm (2A–2B), 0.1 mm (2C–2F).