Elaphropeza pachystylus, Grootaert & Shamshev, 2014

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2014, New Tachydromiinae (Diptera: Empidoidea: Hybotidae) from different types of forests along the Congo river (D. R. of the Congo), Belgian Journal of Entomology 18, pp. 1-34 : 1-34

Elaphropeza pachystylus sp. nov.

( Figs 39–41 )

ETYMOLOGY. The specific epithet refers to the thick pubescent stylus.

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype, ♂: D. R. CONGO, Yangambi , 10 June 2012, primary mixed forest (below IFA building) (reg. 32019, leg. P. Grootaert, MS reference EC39) ( RBINS). Hind leg in tray Congo 2 at position D7 with barcode AB42405564 was extracted for DNA and a COI barcode is available at GenBank.

Paratypes: 1♀ (as EC23) Yangambi, 7 June 2012, primary mixed forest (reg. 32004, leg. P. Grootaert) ( RBINS) .

DIAGNOSIS. Small black species of E. ephippiata group; antenna with postpedicel long, 4 times as long as wide; stylus thick pubescent basally, 1.5x as long as postpedicel; legs almost completely yellow, only tarsomere 5 brown; hind tibia without prominent bristles.

DESCRIPTION.

Male. Occiput entirely black, subshining; with yellowish brown to yellow setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals short. Anterior ocellars long proclinate and cruciate, posterior ocellars short. Frons shining, narrow, above antennae narrower than anterior ocellus. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel and stylus brown; pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae; postpedicel subtriangular, long, nearly 4.0 times longer than wide; stylus with longer pubescence basally, otherwise short pubescent, nearly 1.5 times longer than postpedicel, about as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis yellowish brown. Palpus pale yellow, small, rounded, bearing scattered pale setulae.

Thorax entirely black; longer setae brownish. Postpronotal seta not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 long notopleurals, 1 short postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate; lateral pair very short); acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated, scutum entirely covered with uniform setulae, 1 pair of long prescutellars (nearly as long as notopleurals).

Legs quite robust, almost entirely yellow, only tarsomere 5 of all legs brown. Coxae and trochanters with ordinary setae. Fore femur thickened, with rows of minute anteroventral and posteroventral setae (3–4 posteroventral subapicals moderately long), 1 long seta near base, and short subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent setae (except circlet of short subapicals). Mid femur slender, somewhat concave on basal half; with rows of anteroventral and posteroventral spinule­like setulae, 3 moderately long anteroventral subapicals, and 1 long seta near base. Mid tibia covered with ordinary setulae ventrally, lacking prominent setae (except subapicals). Hind femur and tibia somewhat thickened. Hind femur with short anteroventrals, near base bearing 6 black ventral spinules and 3 short erect dorsal setae. Hind tibia without anterodorsal setae; apical projection rather small, rounded, brownish yellow. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, finely uniformly infuscate. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Costal seta moderately long, brownish. Costal index: 26/14/28. Vein Rs longer than crossvein bm­cu. R 1 of uniform thickness throughout. Vein R 2+3 rather strongly bowed. Veins R 4+5 and M 1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, both slightly bowed. Crossvein bm­cu perpendicular. Crossvein r­m near middle of cell bm. Halter yellow.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 represented by very small narrow lateral stripes; tergite 2 broadly concave anteriorly, with unmodified short setae, subtriangular viewed laterally; tergite 3 somewhat broader than tergite 2, with slightly flattened setae; tergite 4 broadest, with squamiform setae; tergite 5 very narrow, with squamiform setae; tergites 6 and 7 with unmodified short setae. Sternite 3 deeply concave posteriorly, sternites 4–5 divided medially. Gland­like structures present between tergites 4–5, plate­like. Terminalia ( Figs 39–41 ) large, dark brown. Cerci narrowly fused; right cercus digitiform, small, with ordinary setae; left cercus digitiform, pointed, considerably longer than right cercus, with ordinary setae. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella elongate ovate, with ordinary setae; right surstylus small, with ordinary setae. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several moderately long setae apically; left surstylus large, ovoid but with pointed protuberance at right side, with numerous ordinary setae on subapical part. Two rod­shaped apodemes. Length (mm). Body 1.8, wing 1.5.

Female. Mid femur slender; hind femur without ventral spinules near base; tergites 3–4 of subequal width, tergite 5 unmodified; tergite 7 stronger sclerotised, dark brown; tergite 8 dark brown, with sclerites fused anteriorly; sternites undivided; cerci small, rounded, brown. Otherwise as in male.

COMPARISON. In the key E. pachystylus sp. nov. is most likely to be confused with E. ghesquierei Collart , but the latter has fore tibiae brownish while yellow in the new species. The long postpedicel and the pubescent stylus distinguish it from most other Elaphropeza .

DISTRIBUTION. D. R. Congo.

Figures

Figs 39–41. Elaphropeza pachystylus sp. nov., 39. Right epandrial lamella, lateral view; 40. Terminalia, dorsal view; 41. Left surstylus, lateral view.