Empis jiptykiensis Shamshev, 2023

Shamshev, I. V., 2023, Dance flies (Diptera: Empididae) in A. P. Fedtschenko’s Collection from Turkestan: Empis negrobovi species group, Russian Entomological Journal 32 (1), pp. 89-93 : 90-92

Empis jiptykiensis Shamshev , sp.n.

Figs 1–3 .

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype, ♂, [ Kyrgyzstan] Jiptyk [Pamir-Alay mountain system; “ 3270–3749 m, on mountain slopes along Shchurovsky Glacier” [ Fedtschenko, 1871]; ~ 39°36´N, 70°34´E; see additional remarks below], 24.vi.1871 ( ZMMU, terminalia dissected, pinned in a microvial with holotype).

DIAGNOSIS. Mid-sized (body about 5 mm) species with brown palpus, legs and halteres; occiput behind eyes, proepisternum, hind femur and abdomen with flattened setae; phallus gently curved, broadened on apical third.

DESCRIPTION. Male ( Fig. 1 ). Body 4.8 mm, wing 4.5 mm. Head black, with faint, greyish pruinosity on frons, face (except shiny lower margin), ocellar triangle, postgena and occiput; clypeus shiny; setation black to brown. Eyes dichoptic, ommatidia equally small. Frons broad, below ocellar triangle slightly broader than distance between outer margins of posterior ocelli, somewhat more broadened above antennae; with curiously long marginal setulae. Face very broad, bare. Ocellar setae undifferentiated; ocellar triangle with several subequally long, fine setae. Occiput somewhat convex behind eye laterally; postoculars long, fine; similar dense setae on upper part and numerous long, flattened setae on convex part of occiput; postgena with paler hair-like setae. Antenna with scape and pedicel brown, postpedicel and stylus black; scape slightly longer than pedicel, with longer setulae; postpedicel 3X longer than basal width, with straight margins; stylus 1.5X shorter than postpedicel. Proboscis long, labrum 1.4X as long as eye height; palpus rather long and somewhat thickened, brown; with numerous long, black, fine setae.

Thorax brown, faintly greyish pruinose, black setose; mesoscutum ( Fig. 2 ) with 4 narrow, indistinct, brownish vittae (dorsal view). Prosternum bare. Proepisternum with tuft of numerous, intermixed slightly flattened and simple setae on lower part, bare on upper part in front of anterior spiracle. Antepronotum with several short, strong setae dorsally and 3–4 longer fine setae laterally on each side. Postpronotal lobe with tuft of mostly long, simple setae. Mesonotal setation (somewhat variable on right and left sides): 1 weak presutural supra-alar (with 3–4 additional finer setae), 1 postsutural supra-alar (with several additional finer setae of different lengths anteriorly and posteriorly), 4–5 notopleurals, 1 very long and 1 very short postalars, about 16 scutellars of different lengths and robustness; additional short, fine setae present on notopleuron anteriorly; acrostichals arranged in 2 close irregular rows, long, fine, lacking on prescutellar depression; presutural dorsocentrals irregularly 3–4-serial, fine, nearly as long as acrostichals, flanked with several similar intra-alar setae, postsutural dorsocentrals mostly uniserial, 3 pairs of strong prescutellars longest. Laterotergite with numerous setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles brownish yellow.

Legs entirely brown; faintly greyish pruinose, including coxae; black setose. Legs structure: robust; hind femur on middle slightly broader than fore and mid femora; hind tibia not-geniculate, slightly narrower on about apical half; fore and hind basitarsi slender. Coxae and trochanters with simple setae. Fore femur with short, stronger (especially closer to apex) setae anteroventrally; very long (longer than femur width) hair-like setae posteroventrally and posteriorly. Fore tibia with moderately long, fine setae dorsally and posterodorsally. Fore tarsomeres with somewhat longer setae dorsally and posterodorsally. Mid femur with complete rows of short, strong anteroventral and similar, longer posteroventral setae, covered with dense, spinule-like setae ventrally. Mid tibia with somewhat longer setulae dorsally, bearing erect spinule-like setulae ventrally. Hind femur with similar ventral setation to mid femur; in addition, bearing anterodorsal fringe of flattened setae (except narrow subapical portion). Hind tibia with similar dorsal setation to mid tibia; covered with erect setulae ventrally; no seta in “comb” at tip behind. Fore and mid basitarsi with some minute, spinule-like setulae ventrally; hind basitarsus only whitish pubescent ventrally.

Wing membrane almost hyaline, faintly uniformly infuscate, with brownish veins; CuA+CuP (anal vein) complete but weakened on middle portion; cell dm short, with elongate apex. Pterostigma absent. Basal costal seta absent. Anal lobe well-developed; axillary incision acute. Squama brownish, brown fringed. Halter brown.

Abdomen brown, subshiny, faintly brownish grey pruinose; black setose, covered with long, dense, slightly flattened setae on tergites laterally and sternites (intermixed with some simple setae); short and sparse setae on tergites dorsally, sternite 1 bare. Pregenital segments: segment 8 with tergite and sternite separated; tergite 8 mostly membranous, represented by two weakly sclerotized, narrow lateral sclerites each bearing 5–6 setae; sternite 8 simple.

Terminalia ( Fig. 3 ) moderately large; cercus mostly yellowish to brownish yellow, brownish near base; pubescent with microtrichia, with scattered, dark, fine setulae on outer surface; erect setulae on inner surface anteriorly; epandrial lamella brown, subshiny, covered with dense, uniformly moderately long, fine setae; phallus yellowish. Epandrium divided into two lamellae (dorsal bridge absent); epandrial lamella subtriangular, narrow, with posterior margin broadly rounded (lateral view). Hypandrium mostly membranous, rim-like sclerotized along posterior margin, bare. Cerci separated from epandrium and each other; cercus large, unilobate, subrectangular in lateral view, with rounded posterior margin and straight upper margin, posterior margin reaching nearly level of epandrial lamella apex. Hypoproct inconspicuous. Phallus hidden on about basal 2/3; thick, with broader apical 1/3 extended beyond cerci, more or less gently curved, with apex directed obliquely forward; sulcate on subapical portion. Ejaculatory apodeme extended far beyond basal curvature of phallus, with small lateral wings.

Female. Unknown.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. Within the key to species of the Empis negrobovi group the new species would run to E. nartshukae Shamshev, 2001 described from the East Pamir of Tajikistan [ Shamshev, 2001]. These species differ from all other members of the group by a combination of brown palpus, legs and halteres. The new species can be distinguished from E. nartshukae by 3–4-serial presutural dorsocentral setae (versus irregularly biserial), longer posterodorsal setae on the fore tibia, brownish yellow spiracles and by absolutely different shape of the phallus ( Figs 3–4 ). It should be noted that the new species differs from all other species of the E. negrobovi group by gently curved phallus (versus S-like bend, with apex directed back, as in Fig. 4 ).

ETYMOLOGY. The epithet refers to the type locality of the new species, Jiptyk ( Kyrgyzstan, Osh Province) .

REMARKS. Fedtschenko indicated “Jiptyk” (alternative spelling “Jiptik”) as a basic locality of the expedition 1871 during June 22–25 [ Fedtschenko, 1871]. However, he noted in his comments a pass and a river with the same name. The new species was collected on mountain slopes along Shchurovsky Glacier, i.e., close to upper reaches of Jiptyk River (meeting point of Turkestan and Alay Ranges). Fedtschenko [1875: 78] described in details his excursion of June 24, when the new species was collected (e.g., he mentioned many insects visited flowers).

DISTRIBUTION. Kyrgyzstan (Pamir-Alay mountain system).

Empis rohdendorfi Shamshev, 2001

Figs 5–6 .

Shamshev, 2001: 221, figs 23, 24. Type locality: Uzbekistan, Tashkent .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Uzbekistan. Tashkent : 11.iv.1871 (1 ♀) [“ 426 m, Chimkent road to Bossa, steppe” [ Fedtschenko, 1871]], 22.iv.1871 (1 ♂), 23.iv.1871 (3 ♂♂, 4 ♀), 24.iv.1871 ( ZISP, 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀) , 25.iv.1871 (1 ♂), no locality label, 22.iv.1871 (1 ♀).

REMARKS. This species was described after single male collected by B.B. Rohdendorf from “Tashkent”. The collection of A.P. Fedtschenko includes 13 specimens of E. rohdendorfi taken from the same locality and one specimen without locality label. The female of E. rohdendorfi is described for the first time herein. In addition, we provide a habitus photo of the male of this species ( Fig. 5 ).

DESCRIPTION. Female ( Fig. 6 , described for the first time). Body 4.1–4.7 (in male 4.7–5.1 mm); wing 4.5–5.2 mm (in male 5–5.5 mm). Frons broader than in male, below ocellar triangle slightly broader than distance between outer margins of posterior ocelli, parallel-sided. Occiput with sparser, simple setae laterally. Mesonotum with shorter setae. Legs generally with sparser and shorter setae; mid and hind femora not pubescent ventrally, with shorter, finer and spars- er anteroventral and posteroventral setae; mid and hind tibiae with simple setulae ventrally (in male mid tibia covered with dense, minute, erect setulae ventrally; hind tibia with scattered minute setulae ventrally), 2 short anteroventral setae on middle portion. Wing slightly uniformly infuscate. Abdomen with segments 1–7 densely whitish grey pruinose, segment 8 black, subshiny; mostly covered with scattered, minute setulae; tergites 1 and 2 with short, sparse, pale, hair-like setae laterally; sternites 6 and 7 with several, rather long, fine posteromarginal setae. Cercus dark, long, slender, with simple minute setulae.

DISTRIBUTION. Uzbekistan.

Acknowledgements. I am indebted to Andrey Ozerov (ZMMU) for the loan of specimens used in this study. Boris Korotyaev and Julia Astafurova kindly helped with publications of A.P. Fedtschenko. This study was performed within the frames of the Russian State Research Project no. 122031100272-3 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Empis Linnaeus: 1–3 — E. jiptykiensis Shamshev, sp.n., male, holotype: 1 — habitus, lateral view; 2 — head and mesonotum, anterior view; 3 — hypopygium, lateral view; 4 — E. nartshukae Shamshev, 2001, male, phallus, lateral view (from Shamshev, 2001, with modificatins). Abbreviations: cerc — cercus; epand — epandrium; hypd — hypandrium; ph — phallus; tg 8 — tergite 8. Scale bar is 1 mm. Рис. 1–4. Empis Linnaeus: 1–3 — E. jiptykiensis Shamshev, sp.n., самец, голотип: 1 — габитус, вид сбоку; 2 — голова и среднеспинка, вид спереди; 3 — гипопигий, вид сбоку; 4 — E. nartshukae Shamshev, 2001, male, phallus, lateral view (иЗ Shamshev, 2001, с иЗменениЯми). СокраЩениЯ: cerc — церк; epand — Эпандрий; hypd — гипандрий; ph — фаллус; tg 8 — 8-й тергит. МасШтаб: 1 мм.

Figs 5—6. Empis rohdendorfi Shamshev, 2001: 5 — male, habitus, lateral view; 6 — female, habitus, lateral view. Scale bar is 1 mm. Рис. 5—6. Empis rohdendorfi Shamshev, 2001: 5 — самец, габитус, вид сбоку; 6 — самка, габитус, вид сбоку. МасШтаб: 1 мм.