Howickia palmai Marshall

Marshall, S. A., Luk, S. P. L. & Dong, H., 2014, A revision of the New Zealand species of Howickia Richards, Zootaxa 3887 (1), pp. 1-36 : 28

Howickia palmai Marshall sp. nov.

( Figs. 62–65 )

Description. Colour: Body and most of head black with palpus, antenna (except pedicel), trochanters, knees and tarsi yellow to orange; halter brown to black on a yellow stem. Head: Eye height 2.4X genal height. Thorax: Scutellum microtrichose, 3.0X as wide as long; apical scutellar bristles as long as basal pair.

Male abdomen: Sternite 5 subequal in length to sternite 4 laterally but shallowly excised posteromedially with a pale concavity; pale area with a cluster of short, stout bristles on each half. Subanal plate broad and complete, each half subquadrate, not strongly differentiated from broadly rounded lower/outer part of cercus. Surstylus small, subquadrate, with a very large posteroventral spur on a narrow process. Postgonite uniformly broad over most of length, straight, slightly tapered apically. Basiphallus frame-like, projecting beyond distiphallus base for a distance equal to one half of width of distiphallus base.

Female terminalia: Not observed, the only available females have the ovipositor totally retracted.

Type material. Holotype male and 4 paratypes (2 females, 2 males, 1 with abdomen removed, paratypes in alcohol, NMNZ): New Zealand: Mt. Kaukau, Wellington, R27/58954, 20.Dec.2012, F.M. Climo, under divaricating shrubs.

Etymology. The species name is a patronym honoring Ricardo Palma at the NMNZ. Comments. Howickia palmai is externally very similar to H. myersi , but the postgonites differ. Furthermore, the surstyli of H. palmai are symmetrical and lack the prominent anterior lobe of the latter species.

Figures

FIGURES 62 – 65. Howickia palmai Marshall, sp. n.: 62, epandrium, posterior; 63, epandrium, left lateral; 64, male sternite 5; 65, aedeagus and associated structures.