Empis shebalinensis, Shamshev, 2019

Shamshev, I. V., 2019, Six new species of the genus Empis (Diptera: Empididae) from the Altai Mountains of Russia, Zoosystematica Rossica (Zoosyst. Rossica) 28 (1), pp. 24-41 : 38-41

Empis shebalinensis sp. nov.

( Figs 16–18 )

Holotype. Male, “ RUSSIA, Altai Rep. [= Republic of Altai], / Shebalino distr., 5 km SE vill. / Topuchaya , 1325 m, / 51°06'N 85°37'E, 3– 4.07.2014, leg. I. Shamshev ”, “ Empis shebalinensis Shamshev , sp. n. [red label]” ( ZIN, INS_DIP_0000756 ).

Paratypes. Russia: 1 male, 8 females, same data as for holotype; 2 males (1 male dissected) , 5 females, Altai Terr., Krasnoshchekovskiy Distr., environs of Tigirek Vill ., 28–29.VI.2005, D. Kostrov leg. ( ZIN) .

Diagnosis. Mid-sized (body length about 4.5 mm) blackish brown species with fairly slender legs lacking strong setae, and with black halters. Male: scutum and abdomen velvet-brown, wings brownish. Female: scutum with four brownish vittae, abdomen greyish pruinose, wings faintly infuscate.

Description. Male ( Fig. 16 ). Body length 4.5– 4.6 mm (holotype, 4.6 mm), wing length 3.9–4.0 mm (holotype, 4.0 mm).

Head black. Eyes holoptic, upper ommatidia considerably enlarged. Frons reduced to small subtriangular space above antennae, blackish brown, bare. Face broad, short, much shorter than virtual frons, greyish pruinose, bare. Occiput velvet blackish brown, covered with numerous long thin black setae. Ocellar tubercle concolorous with occiput, with two long thin setae and several hair-like setulae. Antenna black; scape and pedicel subequally short, both with scattered minute setulae; postpedicel moderately long, 2.5–3 times as long as wide, with straight margins; stylus short, postpedicel nearly 2.5 times as long as stylus. Proboscis rather short; labrum brown, thin, only slightly longer than head height; palpus long, black, slender, with scattered black setulae.

Thorax black, dull, brown pruinose, with black setation; scutum (in dorsal view) dark brown, without vittae. Prosternum bare. Proepisternum and antepronotum with subequally long thin setae. Postpronotal lobe with one long thin seta and several similar shorter setae. Mesonotal setation: one hardly differentiated presutural supra-alar (sometimes indistinguishable from numerous surrounding shorter setae), 3–4 notopleurals, one postsutural supra-alar (with several setulae anteriorly), one postalar and four scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate; lateral pair only slightly shorter); in addition, notopleuron with numerous setulae anteriorly; acrostichals 1–2-serial, scattered, short, thin, lacking on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals multiserial and similar to acrostichals on presutural part, becoming less numerous and longer behind suture. Laterotergite with numerous setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles black.

Legs fairly slender, entirely black, with black setation. Coxae and trochanters with simple setae. Fore femur with anteroventral and posteroventral setae mostly minute, somewhat longer toward base of femur; fore femur clothed in moderately long setae posteriorly, without spinules anteriorly. Fore tibia without strong setae (besides circlet of short subapicals), pubescent ventrally. Fore basitarsus slender, with a short anterior seta closer to base; tarsomeres 1–4 pubescent ventrally, with circlet of short subapicals. Mid femur covered only with short setulae. Mid tibia with a short anteroventral seta near middle. Hind femur fairly slender in basal half, somewhat broader in apical half, with some short thin anterodorsal and dorsal setae toward base and minute anteroventral setae (except several somewhat longer subapicals). Hind tibia slightly evenly thickened toward apex, with some short to moderately long (closer to apex) thin anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae; posteroapical comb with one very short seta. Hind basitarsus somewhat thickened but slightly narrower than hind tibia at apex, covered with short setulae (except as noted); tarsomeres 1–4 with anteroventral and posteroventral spinule-like setae. Claws long.

Wing membrane almost uniformly brownish, somewhat paler near base; veins brownish. Pterostigma brownish, broad. Basal costal seta short, black. Veins R 5 and M 1 parallel near wing margin; radial fork acute; anal vein complete, well-sclerotised throughout. Cell dm short, with elongate apex. Anal angle almost right, subsequently anal lobe well-developed. Calypter brown, brownish fringed. Halter brown.

Abdomen with tergites blackish brown, sternites somewhat greyer, with black hair-like setation. Tergites covered with very short setae dorsally and longer setae laterally (setae on tergites 1–3 the longest); sternites with numerous long setae. Sclerites of segment 8 separated; tergite 8 narrow, entire, with scattered setulae; sternite 8 narrow ( Fig. 17 ). Terminalia ( Fig. 18 ) small, black. Cerci separated from each other and from epandrium; cercus rather large, at base nearly as broad as epandrial lamella, with deep excision posteriorly, covered with scattered moderately long brownish setae along upper margin; upper lobe digitiform, pointed, spine-like at tip; lower lobe subtriangular, narrow, slightly extending beyond apex of epandrial lamella. Epandrial lamella subrectangular (in lateral view), with moderately long setae scattered over subapical part. Hypandrium entirely sclerotised, rather subtriangular (in ventral view), with two short setae. Phallus almost entirely hidden, thin, evenly arcuate.

Female. Body length 4.8–5.2 mm; wing length 4.1–4.3 mm. Similar to male but thorax and abdomen more greyish. Frons moderately broad, in upper part nearly as broad as distance between inner margins of posterior ocelli, almost parallel-sided, slightly widened just above antennae, densely brownish grey pruinose, with marginal setulae. Thorax with somewhat stronger setae; scutum (in dorsal view) with four indistinct brownish vittae. Fore femur with shorter setae posteriorly; fore tibia and fore tarsomeres 1–4 covered with simple setulae ventrally. Mid tibia with two anterodorsal, two posterodorsal, 1–2 anteroventral, and 1–2 posteroventral setae (besides circlet of subapicals). Hind femur usually with a moderately long strong anteroventral seta in about apical fourth; hind tibia with stronger setae; hind basitarsus slender. Wing membrane only faintly infuscate. Abdomen with shorter setation; cercus long, slender, with scattered minute setulae.

Comparison. The new species resembles Empis bazini Collin, 1926 (known from Czech Republic, the French Alps and southern Germany), which is a single species of the subgenus Rhadinempis Collin, 1926 . However, E. bazini differs from the new species primarily in the absence of acrostichal setae, very short postpedicel (scarcely twice as long as broad) and very long stylus (three times as long as postpedicel). At the same time, these characters are used currently to distinguish Rhadinempis from other subgenera of Empis . Thus, the new species cannot be included in Rhadinempis or the current concept of this group requires a revision. Additionally, E. bazini and E. shebalinensis sp. nov. are very similar to species of the subgenus Holoclera Schiner, 1860 of the genus Rhamphomyia Meigen, 1822 ( Barták & Kubík, 2012).

Etymology. The epithet refers to the type locality of the new species.

Distribution. Palaearctic: Russia (Republic of Altai and Altai Territory).

Habitat and seasonal occurrence. The species was collected by sweeping on a montane meadow (1325 m); collecting dates refer to June.

Figures

Figs16–18. Empis shebalinensis sp.nov., male. 16, habitus, lateral view (holotype); 17, postabdomen, lateral view; 18, terminalia, lateral view. Abbreviations: cerc, cercus; ej apod, ejaculatory apodeme; epand, epandrium; hypd, hypandrium; ph, phallus. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.