Sycorax sinuosa Curler

Curler, Gregory R. & Jacobson, Amanda J., 2012, New species of Psychodidae (Diptera) from Australasia, with a checklist of the world species of Bruchomyiinae and Sycoracinae, Zootaxa 3552, pp. 43-65 : 53-54

Sycorax sinuosa Curler sp. nov.

( Figs. 19–21 )

DIAGNOSIS. Male terminalia: parameres with posterior lobes digitiform, directed medially; dorsomedial process of paramere short, not extending close to apices of aedeagus; medial processes of parameres sinuous, bulbous apically; aedeagus with apices acuminate. Female terminalia: spermathecal ducts inflated, ovoid, lightly annulated apically; sternum 10 triangular.

DESCRIPTION. Male ( Figs. 19–21 ): Measurements (n = 2), head width 0.28 mm, head length 0.20 mm, palpus length 0.09 mm, wing length 1.34 mm, wing width 0.55 mm, R2+3 length 0.38 mm, R3 length 0.28 mm, gonocoxite length 0.12 mm, gonostylus length 0.09 mm, gonostylus spine length 0.05 mm. Head elliptical in frontal view, wider than long. Antennae: scape and pedicel sub-spherical, only flagellomere 1 present in one specimen, with ascoids. Wing: radial fork with R2+3 about 1.25 times longer than R3. Terminalia: gonostylus with subterminal seta closer to apical spine; ejaculatory apodeme laterally compressed; aedeagus with apices narrow, blade-like, acuminate; parameres with posterior lobes digitiform, directed medially; dorsomedial process of paramere slightly wider than ejaculatory apodeme, slightly longer than wide, not extending close to apices of aedeagus; medial processes of parameres sinuous, bulbous apically, extending to apices of aedeagus; epandrium with setae alveoli conspicuous.

Female: head as in male except flagellomere 1 approximately 1.5 times the length of flagellomere 2, ascoids present only on flagellomeres 1–8; mouthparts undeveloped. Terminalia: spermathecal ducts inflated, ovoid, lightly annulated apically; spermathecae spherical; genital fork about 1.5 times longer than broad, darkened with pigment; sternum 10 triangular.

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype [male]: New Caledonia. NORD PROVINCE: Réserve speciale de faune de l’Aoupinié, in alpine forest, 21°10’40”S 165°18’10”E, 700m, 30.xi–9.xii.2000, coll. E. Schlinger, M. Irwin and J. Boutin, Malaise trap; deposited MNHN. Specimen dissected, mounted on micro-slide. Paratypes [1 male, 1 female]: same data as holotype; deposited in LACM.

ETYMOLOGY. The species epithet sinuosa from Latin is in reference to the sinuous shape of the medial processes of the parameres.

BIONOMICS. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION. Collected from one location in New Caledonia.

COMMENTS. Males of Sycorax sinuosa are similar to those of S. spina , but can be separated by the shape of the dorsomedial and medial processes of the parameres. S. sinuosa is the only species of Sycorax known from New Caledonia that has a short dorsomedial process with sinuous medial processes. The single female specimen of S. sinuosa is tenuously associated with the male based on similarities of the head and wing. Ascoids are present only on some flagellomeres in the female. It is clear that ascoids are absent from the remaining flagellomeres and have not simply been broken or removed. All specimens of this species were collected in a location where there are no streams nearby.

Figures

FIGURES 16 – 21. Sycorax furca Curler sp. nov., male. 16. Parameres and aedeagus, dorsal view. 17. Aedeagus, dorsal view. 18. Left gonopod, dorsal view. Sycorax sinuosa Curler sp. nov., male. 19. Parameres and aedeagus, dorsal view. 20. Aedeagus, dorsal view. 21. Left gonopod, dorsal view. Scale bars = 0.05 mm.