Apotropina popeye Ang, 2023

Ang, Yuchen, Lumbers, James & Riccardi, Paula R., 2023, A conspectus of Australian Apotropina (Diptera, Chloropidae) with the description of two new species, ZooKeys 1187, pp. 261-299 : 261

Apotropina popeye Ang sp. nov.

Fig. 3A-H

Type locality and distribution.

Australia: Queensland (Dinden National Park).

Type material.

Holotype ♂ Label transcription: "QLD Dinden NP, 20k EbS Mareeba, 17.034°S, 145.6064°E, 9 Nov 2017, Kahlpahlim Rock trail, J A & J G Lumbers"; 710 m a.s.l.; a single male specimen was collected via sweep-netting at the edge of a forest clearing. ZRC issued specimen code ZRCENT0021052. Deposited in the QM.

GenBank barcode.

Holotype specimen (ZRCENT0021052): OR136429.

Diagnosis.

Body largely yellowish orange except for blackened ocellar tubercle, light brown arista, brown dorsal regions on tergites and light yellow legs with darkened tarsal segments 4 and 5; gena deep, arista fulvous pectinate; wings hyaline with brown veins; hind tibial spur robust but short, male distinctive with extremely large, flattened oval hind tibial organ.

Description.

Male. Body length, 4 mm. Wing length, 3.5 mm. Head (Fig. 3A-C ). Broader than long dorsally, with deep gena in profile, light yellow except for black ocellar tubercle. Head setae black. Ocellar seta strongly developed, as long as inner and outer vertical setae. Postocellars cruciate, slightly shorter than ocellars. Three fronto-orbital setae developed, ~ 1/2 of ocellars; the two anterior proclinate and the posterior lateroclinate. Inner vertical seta lateroclinate and outer vertical seta inclinate. Three pairs of interfrontal setae distinct; anterior two as long as fronto-orbitals, posterior half-length; all proclinate and slightly convergent. Frons as long as broad, lateral margins slightly convergent, front margin straight. Ocellar triangle with slight pruinosity, extending to half of frons length, posterior margin two thirds width of frons, lateral margins straight. Eye oval, long axis slightly oblique with short, very sparse pubescence. Face deeper than broad; antennae yellow except for brown base of arista, postpedicel reniform, as deep as long, arista with short pubescence, ~ 3 × as long as postpedicel; gena ~ 1/3 as deep as eye height, with ~ 2 unordered rows of setulae and two vibrissae; genal dilation distinct. One row of postocular setae. Proboscis short yellow; palpus whitish, small, equal in length to postpedicel, with black setulae; mouth edge not protruding; clypeus light brown. Thorax (Fig. 3A-C ). Entirely yellow, scutum slightly longer than broad, entirely pruinose; one row of lateroclinate acrostichal setae and one pair of parallel prescutellar acrostichal seta; five dorsocentral setae developed, the posterior one larger than the remaining four and as long as the ocellar seta; postpronotal lobe slightly lighter yellow than scutum; two long postpronotal seta, both similar length to notopleurals; prescutum with a pair of scapular seta (see Andersson 1977) on each side interior to postpronotal lobe at anterior margin; presutural intra-alar seta developed; notopleuron with 1+1 setae; one long presutural and two shorter postsutural supra-alar setae; postalar seta as long as ocellar seta. Pleuron dark brown, pruinose, katepisternum with one black seta on dorsal margin and populated with long white setulae on anterior half. Scutellum concolor, pruinose, broader than long, rounded apically with one pair of setulae on the disc; apical scutellar seta with separation greater to that of posterior ocelli and as long as half scutum; one pair of equally long lateral scutellar setae; postscutellum light brown. Halter pale yellow. Wing (Fig. 3B ). Hyaline, covered in brown microtrichia; veins brown; costal ratios measured from h: R1: R2+3: R4+5: M1 is 5: 7: 4.5: 1.5; veins R4+5 and M1 subparallel; distance between r-m and dm-m five times length of r-m. Legs (Fig. 3A, B ). Mostly light yellow except for dark brown on all tarsomeres 4 and 5, and light brown hind tibia, mid-coxal prong black. With dark pilosity organized in rows; posterior tibial organ extremely developed, occupying two-thirds of tibia basally and expanding it into a large, flattened tibial dilation; hind tibial spur subapical, as long as the width of the tibia apex. Abdomen (Fig. 3A, B ). Tergites yellow with medial region light brown in dorsal view, with dark pilosity. Sternites weakly sclerotized, with white pilosity. Male terminalia (Fig. 3E-H ). Postabdomen segments asymmetric as in generic diagnosis; sternites 5, 6 and syntergosternite 7+8 fused, spiracle 8 within sclerites on both sides. Epandrium well developed, with a laterobasal projection; surstylus conical, directed inwards; cerci fused, flattened; anal lobe membranous, short. Hypandrium with arms open; basiphallus oval; distiphallus short, cylindrical, and membranous; pregonite with three setulae; postgonite minute, elongate; phallapodeme short, not bifid basally.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific epithet popeye refers to the comically enlarged hind tibia, which in combination with the comparatively thin femur, resembles the distinctive arms and legs of the spinach-powered cartoon character "Popeye the Sailor". It is a noun in the nominative singular standing in apposition.

Figures

Figure 3. Apotropina popeye Ang, sp. nov. Holotype ♂ A habitus, left lateral view (wings truncated) B habitus, right lateral view C head & thorax, dorsal view D collection label E epandrium, terminal view F epandrium, ventral view G syntergosternite complex, hypandrium and phallic complex, ventral view H hypandrium and phallic complex, lateral view. Abbreviations: bas, basiphallus; cer, cercus; dis, distiphallus; ep, epandrium; hyp, hypandrium; phal, phallapodeme; phal s, phallapodemic sclerite; pog, postgonite; prg, pregonite; S, syntergosternite; sp, spiracle; st, sternite; sur, surstylus.