Thornburghiella salihi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: B37FA190-53E9-4F00-9937-1DCA00B54BA0

Figs 21–42

Differential diagnosis

Thornburghiella salihi sp. nov. resembles T. erinacea (Krek, 1970) comb. nov. in body size, as well as wing shape. Thornburghiella erinacea is readily distinguishable by a scapus 2.4 times as long as the postpedicel. Flagellomere 1 (postpedicel) cucumber-shaped, straight, 3.2 times as long as the following flagellomere (Krek 1970a: 89, fig. 5). Postpedicel with 8 conspicuous, strong bristles arranged in a row. Terminal flagellomere twice as long as the foregoing one, with a little prolonged digit in the axis (Krek 1970a: 89, fig. 3). Gonostyli are with a conspicuous bulbous base (Krek 1970a: 89, fig. 1, sic!) and bent. Distiphallus narrower in the middle; for details, see Krek (1970a: 89, figs 1–2).

Table 1 with a morphological comparison shows that Ulomyia erinacea and the new species suggest their belonging to Thornburghiella rather than to Ulomyia .

Etymology

This species is named in honour of Salih Krek (University of Sarajevo), a famous taxonomist and collector of Psychodidae in the area of the Balkan Peninsula.

Material examined

Holotype AZERBAIJAN • 1 ♂; Qəbələ district, Durca, Dəmiraparançay river; 41.0541119° N, 47.8868831° E; 1615 m a.s.l.; 10 May 2019; J. Oboňa et al. leg.; Loc. AZE 27; sweep netting, waterfall in canyon and steep fast brook (mega-, macrolithal) passing to a brook in a broad alluvium in a U-shaped valley; slide with a dissected specimen, Cat. No. 34954, Inv. No. 26011; NMPC.

Paratypes AZERBAIJAN • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; slides, some specimens dissected, Cat. No. 34955, 34956, Inv. No. 26012, 26013; NMPC .

GEORGIA • 1 ♂; Batsara Nature Reserve, Samkura River and Khadori waterfall on its tributary; 42.274323° N, 45.351664° E; 1250 m a.s.l.; 2 May 2019; J. Oboňa et al. leg.; Loc. GEO 33; sweep netting; Cat. No. 34957, 34958, Inv. No. 26014, 26015; NMPC • 1 ♂; Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, below Mejilaurni stream; 42.323233° N, 44.646100° E; 1210 m a.s.l., 28 Jun. 2019; J. Oboňa et al. leg.; Loc. GEO 12; sweep netting; Cat. No. 34959, Inv. No. 26016; NMPC • 1 ♂; Ukanamkhari; 42.332017° N, 44.607283° E; 1565 m a.s.l., 28 Jun. 2019; J. Oboňa et al. leg.; Loc. GEO 16; torrent; Cat. No. 34960, Inv. No. 26017; NMPC • 1 ♂; Gveleti village, Gveleti Waterfalls and Tibistskali stream; 42.704444° N, 44.620833° E; 1570 m a.s.l.; 6 Jul. 2019; P. Manko leg.; Loc. GEO 214; sweep netting; Cat. No. 34961, Inv. No. 26018; NMPC .

Description

Male

HEAD. Hardly as long as broad. Vertex conspicuously conically inflated dorsally, forming a V-inverted sclerotized hood with a cut top. The numerous setae alveoli are spaced almost regularly over the entire surface of the upper half of head, with 3–4 supraocular bristles near dorsal margins of the eyes on the extreme lateral sides, despite scar-free striped areas above C-shaped compound eyes medially and laterally. Dorsolateral margins of the eyes are undulant. Eyes separated, interocular suture broadly V-shaped, more sclerotized basally, with a tongue-shaped inconspicuous ligament (Figs 21, 35); eye bridge formed by five facet rows; inner rows of the eyes are reduced to three facets. Minimum distance between eyes corresponds approximately to 2.4 facet diameters; index of distance from tangential points of eye apices to minimum of frons 3.2. Setae alveoli of the frontoclypeus arranged in an almost semicircular, centrally placed patch near the base of the antennae, tapering to a dorsoventral irregular strip of hairs close below the frontal suture (Figs 21, 35). Antenna with 16 articles; scape club-shaped, cylindrical (Fig. 2), somewhat widened apically, 2.7 times as long as its maximum width, narrowed at base, 6.0 times as long as its minimum width. Pedicel almost globular, symmetrical. Flagellomere 1 (postpedicel) pear-shaped, as long as the two following flagellomeres together (Fig. 22), or shorter (Fig. 24, paratype Cat. No. 34955, Inv. No. 26012 from Loc. AZE 27), 1.3 times as long as the second flagellomere. Postpedicel with 3–6 conspicuous, strong bristles arranged in a row. Scape and pedicel with stiletto-shaped scales in contrast to needle-shaped macrosetae of flagellomeres. Flagellomeres 2–12 ovoid, with needle-shaped paired ascoids (Fig. 22), a little bent, shorter than the flagellomeres in which they are inserted; apical pear-shaped flagellomere a little longer than the previous one (Fig. 23), sometimes the last flagellomeres are fused with a long apiculus in the longitudinal axis (Fig. 25, paratype Cat. No. 34956, Inv. No. 26013 from Loc. AZE 27). Length ratio of maxillary palp segments 1.0:1.3:1.4:1.6; apical segment annulated (Fig. 26). Terminal labial lobes (Fig. 36) with diverging rows of spines between them, tongue distal protuberances are inconspicuous. Ratio of maximum length of cibarium (Fig. 37) to length of epipharynx approximately 1.4:1.

THORAX. Anepisternum setae patch almost semicircular between spiracle and wing insertion (Fig. 27), anepimeron with a striped setae patch. Spiracles set high on the mesothorax. Patagium not developed. Wings (Fig. 38) lanceolate, 2.7 mm in holotype, 2.4–3.1 mm in paratypes, rounded distally, a little expanded at the posterior margin. Ending of R 5 is beyond the tip of the wing. Wing membrane slightly infuscated only between Sc, R 1 and C. The following veins or their parts strengthened: Sc with conspicuously marked origin and end, R 1 (not the start), R 2, R 5, basal field, CuA 1 (conspicuously basally) and CuA 2. Radial fork complete in contrast to medial one. Both forks and the ending of CuA 2 are in one line (almost central area of wing). Wing index 2.5. Bases of M 3, CuA 1 and CuA 2 are not connected. Knob of halteres hardly globular, a little cut apically, with close sensory microsetae subapically, a prolonged stem as usually developed (Fig. 28). Ratio of maximum length of halteres to their maximum width approximately 2.5:1. Ratios of lengths of femora, tibiae and first tarsal segments P 1 2.2:2.4:1.0, P 2 2.4:2.8:1.2, P 3 2.6:3.4:1.3. Paired tarsal claws of P 1 almost straight, gradually tapering, hooked only subapically (Fig. 29).

MALE GENITALIA. Basiphallus almost straight from dorsal view (Figs 31, 41), only sometimes strangulated proximally (Fig. 33), a little undulated from lateral view (Fig. 42). Spatula at the base of aedeagal complex shortly bilobed (Figs 31, 41), distiphallus keg-shaped, prolonged, with inner pipe bordered by indefinable parallel folds and a telescopic gonoporus strengthened by sclerotized, distally connected rounded folds (Figs 31, 34, 41–42). Gonocoxites almost cylindrical, without bulbose base (Figs 31–32, 40), as long as the gonostyli. Epandrium (Figs 30, 39) rectangular, with two divided areas of insertions of hairs distally). Basal paired apertures conspicuous, mostly separated with irregular margins; however, may be connected in a single oval aperture, see paratype from the site Loc. AZE 27, Cat. No. 34955, Inv. No. 26012 (only one male). Ventral epandrial plate not developed (Figs 30, 39). Hypandrium narrow without a lobulus in the middle (Figs 31, 41). Epiproct inconspicuous, triangular, covered with microsetae; hypoproct conspicuous, tongue-shaped, setose, rounded apically from dorsal view (Figs 30, 39), 1.1 times as long as the epandrium. Epandrial appendages strong, cylindrical and straight from dorsal view, enlarged a little basally in contrast to the top (Fig. 39), bent from lateral view (Fig. 30). Tenacula (numbers 9–12) restricted to a cluster near the rounded apex and gradually becoming shorter towards apex of the epandrial appendages (Figs 30, 39).

Female

Unknown.

Comments

Krek´s Sijaricia (as subgenus) must be synonymized with Thornburghiella because T. erinacea was established by him as type species (monotypy) of the genus Ulomyia .

Bionomics

Unknown; males were collected near montane waterfalls and streams or confluences of rivers, approximately 1200–1600 m a.s.l.

Distribution

Currently recorded only from Georgia and Azerbaijan.