Sphecapatodes superciliosa, Zhang & Xu & Pape & Pei & Zhang, 2021

Zhang, Ming, Xu, Wen-Tian, Pape, Thomas, Pei, Wen-Ya & Zhang, Dong, 2021, Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) of Kalamaili Mountain Ungulate Nature Reserve (China: Xinjiang): checklist and description of four new species, Zootaxa 5063 (1), pp. 1-95 : 33-37

16. Sphecapatodes superciliosa sp. nov.

( Figs 26 , 28A, E , 29B , 30E )

Diagnosis. fore second tarsomere about 0.60× as long as fore first tarsomere; fore first tarsomere straight; fore tarsus with dense setulae basally on the ventral surface. Syntergite 1+2 all black. Wing interference pattern (WIP) with a clearly demarcated green band between an inner magenta band and an outer blue band, with a narrow yellow band along posterior wing margin and a magenta spot on apical part.

Description. Male. Body length 6.0‒ 7.3 mm.

Head. Eye bare, red. Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial plate, and postocular strip black with silvery white pollinosity. Parafacial with rows of fine black and longish setulae, denser in lower part. Fronto-orbital plate with black setulae. Frontal vitta black, with dense silvery-white pollinosity, becoming narrow in lower part, ratio between narrowest and widest 0.38; frons at vertex 0.37 × head width; frontal triangle reaching to lunule; frontal vitta with several fine setulae; frontal row of 8 to 12 setae, becoming closer in anterior part; outer vertical seta differentiated from postocular setae and about 0.80 × as long as inner vertical seta, one pair of reclinate orbital setae, two pairs of proclinate orbital setae. Ocelli red, with one pair of strong ocellar setae, ocellar setae directed laterally. Ocellar triangle with thick grayish-white pollinosity. Gena ground color brown, with sparse and short black setulae and silvery gray pollinosity, 0.15 × eye height in lateral view. Antenna dark brown. Postpedicel 0.8 × as long as pedicel. Arista black-brown, bare. Palpus yellow, slightly expanded at apex; subvibrissal setulae in one row, vibrissa developed.

Thorax ground color black. Scutum and scutellum with thick grayish-white pollinosity. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 1(2) + 2(1), dorsocentrals 2(3) + 3, intra-alars 1 + 3, supra-alars 2, prealar 1, postpronotals 2, postalars 2, notopleurals 2, scutellum with pairs of basal, lateral, apical, and discal setae. Katepisternal setae 1 + 1. Wing hyaline, with one darker apical spot ( Fig. 26E ); subcostal sclerite and basicosta bare and yellow; tegula dark yellow, with black setulae; costal spine not differentiated; third costal section approximately equal to the fifth; vein R 1 bare; 2‒3 fine black setulae at node of R 2+3 and R 4+5; cell r 4+5 open; WIP ( Fig. 30E ) with a clearly demarcated green band between an inner magenta band and an outer blue band, with a narrow yellow band along posterior wing margin, and a magenta spot on apical part. Calypter white, halter yellow. Legs dark. Claws and pulvilli small. Fore femur with numerous long setae posteriorly, one ventral row of setae. Fore tibia slightly narrowed basally, with 1 posterior seta, 1 posterodorsal seta and one row of anterodorsal setae, with dense yellow setae on ventral surface in distal half, fore tarsus with dense setulae basally on ventral surface; mid femur with 2 apical posterodorsal setae, mid tibia with 3 anterodorsal setae, 2 ventral setae and 1 row of posterodorsal setae; hind femur with 1 row of anterodorsal setae, hind tibia with 1 row of anterodorsal setae, 4‒5 anteroventral setae, and 5‒6 posterodorsal setae.

Abdomen with dense gray pollinosity. Syntergite 1+2 black; tergite 3 with three distinct black spots, a black median stripe, and one pair of median marginal setae; tergite 4 with an inconspicuous median spot and a complete row of marginal setae; marginal setae on tergite 5 weak. Terminalia: Cercus straight and sharp distally, surstylus with apex straight and with an oval rounded tip in lateral view, long. Pregonite long, tapering distally, postgonite with a long middle seta. Phallus with well-developed ventral and dorsal plates. Distiphallus distinctly Swollen, with a constriction before the membranous tip. ( Fig. 28A, F )

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype ♂ [ BFUM]: Xinjiang, Altay, Kalamaili, 29.IV.2015, MZ & CW leg . Paratypes: 13 ♂♂ [ BFUM]: Xinjiang, Altay, Kalamaili, 29.IV.2015, MZ & CW leg .

Etymology. The specific name is formed from “ super ” meaning above average or extraordinary, and “ ciliosa ” meaning hairy or setose. It refers to the most distinctive feature of this species: dense setulae on the posteroventral surface of the fore first tarsomere ( Fig. 29B ).

Distribution. China (Xinjiang).

Remarks. The new species belongs to the Sphecapatodes ornata Villeneuve group according to following characters: posterior part of frontal vitta (at vertex) three times as broad as anterior part; frontal bristles fine and not crossed; postpedicel short, about 1.20 × as long as pedicel. It closely resembles to S. kaszabi Rohdendorf & Verves, 1980 and Sphecapatodes xinjiangensis sp. nov. in the wing venation and in the presence of black abdominal spots, but it differs from it by having dense setulae curving anteriorly on the ventral surface of the fore tarsus ( Figs 26A (box), 29B), WIP with a slightly lighter and shorter magenta spot on the apical part, and surstylus with apex straight and with an oval rounded tip in lateral view ( Figs 28A , 30E ).

Figures

FIGURE 26. Sphecapatodes superciliosa sp. nov., holotype, male, Xinjiang, Altay, Kalamaili, 29.IV.2015, MZ & CW leg. A. Habitus, lateral view; in box, right fore tarsus, posterior view. B. Head, lateral view. C. Head, anterior view. D. Head, anterolateral view. E. Right wing, dorsal view. F. Abdomen, dorsal view. Scale bars: A = 2.0 mm (box = 0.5 mm), B–F = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 28. Sphecapatodes spp., terminalia (A–D) and sternite 5 (E–G). A. Sphecapatodes superciliosa sp. nov., paratype. B. Sphecapatodes xinjiangensis sp. nov., paratype. C. Sphecapatodes kaszabi Rohdendorf & Verves, 1980. D. Sphecapatodes xuei Zhang, Chu, Pape & Zhang, 2014, holotype. E. Sphecapatodes superciliosa sp. nov., sternite 5, paratype. F. Sphecapatodes xinjiangensis sp. nov., sternite 5, paratype. G. Sphecapatodes kaszabi Rohdendorf & Verves, 1980, sternite 5. Abbreviations: cerc = cercus; dp = distiphallus; ej apod = ejaculatory apodeme; epand = epandrium; hypd apod = hypandrial apodeme; phapod = phallapodeme; prgt = pregonite; sur = surstylus. Scale bars: 0.25 mm. [C, D, G adapted from Zhang et al. (2014).]

FIGURE 29. Sphecapatodes spp., right fore tarsus, posterior view, scanning electron micrograph. A. Sphecapatodes xinjiangensis sp. nov. B. Sphecapatodes superciliosa sp. nov. Scale bars: 100 μm.

FIGURE 30. Wing Interference Patterns (WIPs) of the right wing of Sphecapatodes spp., dorsal view. A. S. kaszabi Rohdendorf & Verves, 1980, male. B. S. ornata Villeneuve, 1912, male, syntype from Tunisia (in NHMD). C. S. kaszabi, female. D. S. xuei Zhang, Chu, Pape & Zhang 2014, male, holotype. E. Sphecapatodes superciliosa sp. nov., holotype. F. Sphecapatodes xinjiangensis sp. nov., holotype. Symbols show the position of features considered to provide the most obvious differences between the WIPs of the five species of the Sphecapatodes ornata group: square = green or magenta spot on posterior wing margin, star = magenta spot on apical part of wing. [A–D adapted from Zhang et al. (2014).]