Cydistomyia moresbyensis, Goodwin, 2010

Goodwin, James T., 2010, New species of Cydistomyia Taylor with notes and collection records for other Tabanidae (Diptera) from New Guinea, Insecta Mundi 2010 (117), pp. 1-22 : 7-10

Cydistomyia moresbyensis n. sp. ( Figure 4 A-4D)

Material examined. 1 female. Holotype female: Papua New Guinea, Central Province , 20 km SE Port Moresby, 6 Jan 1985, W. Ismay ( FSCA; D1461 ); what appears to be ‘bushes’ is handwritten on the primary label, and a secondary label states ‘biting man’.

Description. A small (body and wing 9 mm), brown and gray species without much pattern except for indistinct pale hind margins of abdominal segments.

Head. Frons about 0.6 mm wide basally and about 3.5 times as high as wide basally, parallel-sided, pale yellowish pollinose with black hairs except for large shiny brown callus that is not divided into basal and median parts, is distinctly separated from eyes, just over 2 times as high as wide basally and tapered from near base to pointed apex. Subcallus, parafacials and face grayish pollinose, the subcallus less densely pollinose allowing shiny yellow ground color to show through (in some areas due to wear); parafacials with short black hairs, but beard white. Antennae yellowish, scape and pedicel thinly grayish pollinose with abundant black hairs; third segment with basal plate about 2 times as long as wide, but shorter than combined length of annuli, tooth with a few black hairs. Palpi relatively long, only moderately swollen basally, tapering to a slender, acute apex; predominantly grayish white pollinose with pale hairs.

Thorax. Dorsally without evident pattern, brown in ground color, grayish pollinose, the pollinosity denser anteriorly and laterally; rather densely clothed with a mixture of pale and black hairs, the pale hairs longer and denser above wing bases and anterior to scutellum. Pleural areas grayish pollinose with white hairs. Legs with coxae grayish pollinose and long white hairs, remainder of legs yellowish-brown with mostly black hairs. Wing brown tinted, darker anteriorly, especially the costal cell; vein R 4+5 with a short appendix.

Abdomen. Dorsum brown to brown-black with grayish-yellow pollinosity and mostly black hairs except hind margins of tergites 2-6 indistinctly paler and with mostly pale hairs just at the hind margins. Venter yellowish brown on sternite 1 and basal part of 2; middle of sternite 2 dark brown, posterior

margin yellowish-brown; sternites 3-6 dark brown basally but with yellowish brown hind margins that become progressively narrower posteriorly.

Etymology. The specific epithet is based on the second part of the name of the capital of Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby) which is the location where the holotype was collected.

Discussion. This species appears be in the sylvioides group ( Mackerras 1964, 1971). In the key ( Mackerras 1964, p. 133) it runs to couplet 18 which separates C. sylvioides (Walker) and C. hollandiensis Mackerras , but it does not match either species. It differs from both in shape of callus as follows: in C. waigani the subcallus, parafacials and face are grayish pollinose, the frons is only about 4 times as high as wide, the callus is shiny brown, moderately wide basally and tapered from base to pointed apex, the palpi are pale yellowish gray, whereas the subcallus, parafacials and face are brownish in both of the other species, the frons is either narrower (5 times as high as wide in C. hollandiensis ) or the callus is yellow and of very different shape ( C. sylvioides ), and the antennae are palpi are brown in both.

Figures

Figure 4. Adult habitus and structures of Cydistomyia moresbyensis n. sp. A) Outline drawing of antenna. B) Outline drawing of palp. C) Anterior view of head. D) Dorsal habitus. Scale line 0.1mm.