Microphorella malaysiana, Shamshev & Grootaert, 2004

Shamshev, Igor V. & Grootaert, Patrick, 2004, Descriptions Of Four New Species Of The Genus Microphorella Becker (Diptera: Empidoidea, Microphoridae, Parathalassiini) From Southeast Asia And New Guinea, With Notes On The Relationships Within The Genus, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 52 (1), pp. 45-58 : 46-51

Microphorella malaysiana , new species

( Figs. 1-20 )

Material examined. – Holotype - male, Thailand, Ranong, mangrove, 98039, 9 May.1998, coll. P. Grootaert ( RBINS).

Paratypes – 2 males, 6 females (1 male, 1 female in coll. Chulalongkorn University, BKK), Thailand, Pak Bara (Satun prov.), beach, white pan traps, 97135, 28 Oct.1997, coll. P. Grootaert ; 1 male, 7 females, Thailand, Koh Phangan , 98055, 15 May.1998, coll. P. Grootaert ; 1 female, Thailand, Ranong prov., Som Laey , 98046, 10 May.1998, coll. P. Grootaert ; 2 males, 5 females, Thailand, Ranong, mangrove, 98039, 9 May.1998, coll. P. Grootaert ; 2 females, Thailand, Pak Bara , 97162, 15 Nov.1997, coll. P. Grootaert ; 6 females, Thailand, Prov. Chonburi, Sattahip , sandy beach, 9 Sep.2002, coll. P. Grootaert ; 1 female, Thailand, Prov. Rayong, Koh Talu , sandy beach, 22046, 27 Sep.2002, coll. P. Grootaert ; 4 males, 4 females (1 male, 1 female in Zool. Museum, Chulalongkorn Univ. BKK), Singapore, Shangi harbour, sandy beach (s. 42), 22 Apr.1993, coll. P. Grootaert ; 3 males, 17 females, Singapore, Labrador Park , sandy beach, 22055, 8 Dec.2002, coll. P. Grootaert & Tuksina Suwanamalik ; 3 males, 2 females, Singapore, Pulau Ubin, sandy beach near Jetty , 22058, 13 Dec.2002, coll. P. Grootaert & Yang Chang Man (material on pin at ZRC) ; 10 males, 12 females, Indonesia, Pulau Batam, Batu besar beach, 93035, 21 Apr.1993, coll. P. Grootaert ; 2 males, 3 females, Indonesia, P. Batam, Batu Besar beach (s. 34), 21 Apr.1994, coll. P. Grootaert. All deposited in RBINS, Brussels , except indicated otherwise .

Diagnosis. – A small species (1.5-1.8 mm long) with pale yellow palpi in male, brown in female; 6 dorsocentral bristles; fore tarsi thickened, wholly brown; abdominal sternites 5 and 6 of male with short median posteromarginal processes of subequal size; right surstylus leaf-like.

Description. – Male body length 1.5-1.7 mm, wing length 1.2-1.3 mm. Head broader than thorax in dorsal view, broad oval in lateral view, nearly 1.5 times higher than wide, dark brown in ground-colour, mostly light grey pollinose, with pale setation; clypeus brownish yellow, face (including clypeus) denser pollinose; insertion of neck high on head. Occiput moderately rounded, not far projecting beyond hind margin of eye, with upper median part moderately concave. Ocellar triangle weakly prominent. Eyes dichoptic in both sexes, entirely covered with uniform distinct ommatrichia, with inner margins not emarginate near antennae; ommatidia large, uniform. Frons broadly triangularly widening above in both sexes. Face broad below antennae, gradually narrowing below, in middle nearly as wide as distance between posterior ocelli. Clypeus rather long, produced below, convex, weaker sclerotized than upper face, rounded apically. Bristles of head mostly well-differentiated; 2 inclinate anterior frontal-orbitals, 2 lateroclinate posterior frontal-orbitals, 2 lateroclinate anterior ocellars, 2 lateroclinate outer-verticals and 2 inclinate inner-verticals; posterior ocellars undifferentiated, 7-9 minute setulae present. Postocular occipital bristles rather long, hair-like, arranged in 1 regular row in upper half, more numerous and irregularly spread in lower half; several long setae present just behind mouth-opening including postgena. Antenna ( Fig. 1 ) inserted above middle of head in profile, entirely dark brown; scape very short, cup-shaped, bare; pedicel larger than scape, subglobular, ringed with circlet of short bristles; postpedicel bulbous, nearly 2.0 times broader than long, gradually tapered, microsetulose in apical part. Style apical, arista-like, nearly 2.0 times longer than postpedicel, 1-segmented, jointed distinctly with postpedicel, whip-like in subapical portion, microsetulose, with setulae in apical part longer than width of aristal trunk, bearing sensory pit in subbasal part, lacking secondary sexual adornments. Palpus ( Fig. 2 ) moderately large, clavate, flattened, pale yellow in ground-colour, clothed in dense pale appressed setulae intermixed with scattered erect setulae (palpus silvery white in some angle of view), 1 basal sensory pit present ( Fig. 3 ). Proboscis ( Fig. 4 ) short, well visible, pointing downward, wholly brown; labellum ( Fig. 5 ) well developed, small, with spinule-like setulae along upper margin and similar spinules near apices of pseudotracheae, covered with dense ciliae in subapical portion; lacinia absent; stipes long, slender; labrum heavily sclerotized, convex basally; epipharynx serrate along lower margin; hypopharynx slender, almost straight; prementum with 2-3 short setae on each side; 6 geminate pseudotracheae present, with walls weakly sclerotized; clypeal ridge rather short, shorter than cibarium. Genae moderately broad.

Thorax dark brown in ground-colour, greyish pollinose, with pale setation. Mesoscutum moderately arched, prescutellar depression hardly prominent. Prosternum fused with proepisternum forming prothoracic precoxal bridge ( Fig. 9 ). Antepronotum with 4 setulae. Postpronotal lobe distinct, with1setula. Scutum unicolorous. Mesonotum short, rectangular (viewed dorsally), with bristles well-differentiated but reduced in number; 0 presutural supra-alar, 2 postsutural supra-alars of different length, 2 notopleurals, 1 short postalar and 2 long cruciate scutellars; upper part of vertical anterior surface of scutum with 1 pair of setulae. Dorsocentrals 1-serial, 6 per row, rather long, of subequal length (prescutellars somewhat longer), lacking accessory setulae. Acrostichals lacking. Mesopleuron bare. Thoracic spiracles pale. Halter pale.

Legs ( Figs. 6-8 ) moderately long, subshining, mostly with pale inconspicuous setation. Coxae brownish, somewhat paler apically; trochanters of fore and mid legs brownish yellow, trochanter of hind leg pale brownish; fore and mid femora largely yellow, yellowish brown dorsally (in darker specimens fore and mid femora largely yellowish brow, yellow in apical part), hind femur largely brownish yellow, yellow apically; tibiae yellow (in darker specimens somewhat brownish yellow in basal part); fore tarsus brown black; mid and hind tarsi with tarsomere 1 at apex, tarsomere 2 largely (except base) and tarsomeres 3-4 entirely yellowish brown, tarsomere 5 brown. Femora broader than corresponding tibiae, more or less gradually tapering toward apex, subequal in thickness. Tibiae slender. Fore tarsomeres thickened, tarsomere 1 nearly 2 times longer than tarsomere 2 but 1.5 times shorter than tarsomeres 2-5 combined; tarsomeres 2-4 of equal length; tarsomere 5 of all legs distinctly flattened dorsoventrally. Fore coxa with numerous, rather long hair-like setae anteriorly;

mid and hind coxae with similar but scattered setae. Trochanters of all legs with few setulae. Fore femur with 1 row of postero- and 1 row of anteroventral setae; mid femur with 1 row of anteroventral setae becoming longer toward apex; hind femur with 1 row of rather short anteroventral setae; additionally, some prominent short setae present on all femora near apex and dorsally; longest setae on femora at most as long as corresponding femur is wide; otherwise femora clothed in inconspicuous setulae. Fore tibia with anterior apical comb and 1 short spine-like ventral preapical seta; mid tibia with several setae around apex, including 1 longest ventral preapical one; hind tibia with posterior apical comb and 1 ventral apical spine; all tibiae with somewhat longer dorsal setae; otherwise tibiae clothed in inconspicuous setulae. Tarsomeres 1-4 with dark ventral spinules (longer and more numerous on mid tarsomere 1); hind tarsomere 1 with posterior apical comb and 1 short ventral apical spine. Tarsal claws, pulvilli and setiform empodium well developed on all legs; tarsal claw shorter than apical width of tarsomere 5; pulvilli short, broad; empodium slender, with ventral pubescence.

Wing ( Fig. 10 ) moderately broad, 2.5-2.7 times longer than wide; very finely infuscate, with brownish yellow to brownish veins, pale marginal fringe, yellow basicostal setae and dark costal spinules; entirely covered with minute microtrichia (including veins); with anal lobe weakly developed; alula absent. Basal section of costa with 3-4 bristles becoming longer distad; additionally, costa bearing 2 rows of short spine like setae along anterior margin and entirely ciliate along posterior margin. Pterostigma (or stigmatic sclerotization) lacking. Costa circumambient, distinct throughout. All longitudinal veins complete, distinctly reaching wing margin. Sc very close to R 1, reduced to fold in its apical section, ending in costa. Rs in basal 1/5 of wing, with 2 branches. R 1 not thickened, moderately long, extending to wing midpoint, somewhat arcuate. R 2+3 more or less straight, ending nearer to wing apex, somewhat divergent with R 4+5. R 4+5 unforked, ending near wing-tip. R 4+5 and M 1 somewhat divergent near wing-apex. M 1+2 unforked, anterior portion of crossvein mcu (base of M 2) about at midpoint of wing. Distance between apices of M 1 and M 2 longer than distance between apices of M 2 and CuA 1. CuA 2 reflexed, very thin in apical part. A 1 absent. A 2 present on posterobasal margin of wing. Crossvein h almost opposite to base of Rs. Short r-m crossvein present, in basal 1/5 of wing, perpendicular to longitudinal veins, sometimes very thin. Crossvein bm-cu incomplete, sometimes absent. Cell dm present, rather short. Cells br, bm and cup in basal 1/5 of wing. Cell br slender, longer than cells bm and cup. Cells bm and cup subequal in length and width, both somewhat broader than cell br. Cell cup closed, with proximal end acutely rounded. Squamae pale, with scattered pale ciliae. Halter white.

Abdomen rather short and broad, brown in ground-colour, finely greyish pollinose, pale setose, lacking conspicuous posteromarginal setae; preabdomen with posterior margins of tergites paler, postabdomen darker. Abdominal muscle plaques present, distinct. Segments 1-4 symmetrical with simple sternites and tergites, forming preabdomen; sternite

14

15

3 with cluster of short setae on each side posteriorly; sternite 4 with similar cluster of stronger and longer setae. Postabdomen ( Figs. 11, 12 ) spirally contorted, segments 5- 7 confined to left side forming cavity to place hypopygium, somewhat stronger sclerotized; sternite 5 greatly reduced; sternites 5 and 6 with short median posteromarginal process; tergite 5 and segment 7 lacking setation, sternite 6 with 0- 1 short lateral setae. Sternite 8 moderately large, subrectangular, lying at hind and exposed ventrolaterad, covered with numerous long setae; tergite 8 atrophied; foramen unformed. Terminalia ( Figs. 13-16 ) lateroflexed to the right, inverted and with caudal pole directed forward, asymmetrical; hypandrium brown, processes brown to pale yellow, cerci pale. Hypopygium small, somewhat shorter than apical half of abdomen. Hypandrium very large, occupying most part of hypopygium, produced at apex and with several accessory processes, bare (except microtrichia). Epandrium greatly reduced and represented only by small inconspicuous sclerites, separated from hypandrium; right surstylus very large, “leaf-like”; left surstylus smaller, with two processes more prominent. Cerci weakly sclerotized, moderately large, covered with microtrichia, bearing several setae of different length including longest one at tip. Postgonites present, rather large, well sclerotized, of complicated structure. Phallus tubular, more or less smoothly arcuate, directed forwards, with pointed tip; ejaculatory apodeme subrectangular.

Female body length 1.5-1.8 mm, wing length 1.3-1.4 mm. Similar to male except the following characters. Palpus brownish, with ordinary setulae. Legs unmodified, with more distinct colour pattern; femora largely brown, yellow in apical 1/4; fore tarsus yellowish brown, with tarsomeres becoming darker from 1st to 5th; mid and hind tarsomere 1 largely yellow, yellowish brown at apex, tarsomeres 2-5 similar in colour to those on fore tarsus. Abdomen ( Fig. 17 ) more or less gradually tapering, segments 1-6 forming preabdomen into which posterior segments are retracted and only partly visible. Postabdomen ( Fig. 18, 19 ) rather slender, brown, mostly covered with scattered setulae; sternite 8 articulated with tergite 8 posteriorly, tergite 8 paired, tergite 10 and sternite 10 articulated, hemitergites 10 small, hardly distinguished from cerci, with 3 long bristles each. Cerci rather broad, well sclerotized, bearing setae of different length (longest one at tip). Spermatheca ( Fig. 20 ) tubular, with receptacle spherical and unpigmented; middle part of spermathecal duct broadened, finely pigmented and with tracheae-like surface.

Differential diagnosis. – Microphorella malaysiana , new species, can be distinguished from all other closely related species as it is given in the key.

Etymology. – The new species is named after the whole region of its origin, Malaysia.

Distribution. – Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore.

Figures

Figs. 1-10: Microphorella malaysiana, new species, male. 1 – antenna, dorsal view, 2 – palpus, lateral view, 3 – inside structure of basal sensory pit on palpus, lateral view, 4 – mouthparts, lateral view, 5 – labella, dorsal view, 6 – fore leg, anterior view, 7 – mid leg, anterior view, 8 – hind leg, anterior view, 9 – prothoracic pleurosternal region, anterior view, 10 – wing, dorsal view. Scale: 0.1 mm.

Figs. 11-16: Microphorella malaysiana, new species, male. 11 – postabdomen, left lateral view, 12 – same, ventral view, 13 – male terminalia, right lateral view, 14 – same, left lateral view, 15 – same, dorsal view, 16 – same, ventral view. Scale: 0.1 mm.

Figs. 17-20: Microphorella malaysiana, new species, 17-20 – female. 17 – abdomen, lateral view, 18 – postabdomen, lateral view, 19 – apical part of ovipositor, dorsal view, 20 – spermatheca, dorsal view. Scale 0.1 mm.