Poecilobothrus annulitarsis Kazerani, Pollet & Khaghaninia

Kazerani, Farzaneh, Khaghaninia, Samad, Talebi, Ali Asghar, Persson, Magnus & Pollet, Marc, 2017, Eight new species of Dolichopodinae (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from northern Iran, Zootaxa 4242 (1), pp. 111-141 : 133-136

Poecilobothrus annulitarsis Kazerani, Pollet & Khaghaninia sp. nov.

( Figs 30–33 , 36 )

Poecilobothrus chrysozygos of authors, not Wiedemann, 1817: 71. Khaghaninia et al. 2013a: 76; Kazerani et al. 2014a: 271; Kazerani et al. 2015: 25; Grichanov 2016: 12.

Diagnosis. Moderate-sized, rather robust species with brilliantly green body. Uppermost postoculars black, lower yellow. Antenna yellow with 1st antennomere dark brown on apicodorsal ½; postpedicel elongate triangular with rather acute apex. Legs mainly yellow, with coxa II–III and tarsus II–III entirely dark, femur III with apical 1/7 infuscate, and tibia III brownish black on apical 1/3 to 2/5. Male. Face golden yellow, narrow. Tarsus I annulated with tarsomeres I1-2 partly white, and tarsomeres I3-5 entirely black, latter not as long as deep (MSSC). Femur II and III with ventral row of thin erect white bristles on basal 1/3, at least 0.5 x as long as femur is deep (MSSC). Hypopygium with rather small quadrate apv epandrial lobe; cercus dark brown with yellow basis, rather elongated triangular, 2.5 x as long as wide at basis.

Description. Male. Body length: 4.2–4.5 mm (n=3); wing length: 4.3–4.5 mm (n=2). Head. Face golden yellow, slightly narrowing towards clypeus, at clypeus slightly widening again, at narrowest width about 0.4 x as wide as postpedicel (length), bare. Frons metallic green, dusted. Occiput metallic green, convex. Palpus very small, 1/10 of eye, roundish, yellow, with black pubescence and 1 strong black apical bristle. Proboscis brown. Eyes mainly green (in dry state), with strong reddish reflection in frontal view, with very short, yellow pubescence. Postocular bristles robust, with uppermost 1/3 black, and lower 2/3 yellow. Two pairs of black postocellar bristles. Antenna with scape and pedicel entirely yellow; postpedicel elongate triangular with rather acute apex, yellow with about apicodorsal ½ dark brown, 1.6 x as long as deep, and 2.4 x as long as scape and pedicel combined; stylus dorsal, inserted at about middle, 1.5 x as long as first three antennal segments combined, with long pubescence. Thorax. Entirely brilliant metallic green, with large violet spot situated between sut ial, anterior sal and posterior npl bristles; pleura with silvery dusting; scutellum with 2 strong median and 2 minute lateral bristles, with sparse black pubescence on dorsum, posterior margin of scutellum with sparse black setae on upper border and with yellow setae on lower border. Thoracic bristles black, with dark insertion points. Six dc; 12 ac, biserial, reaching to level of 5th dc, 2 x as long as distance between rows; 1 strong and 3 minute ant pprn, 1 internal and 1 external bas pprn, 1 psut ial, 1 equal-sized sut ial, 2 npl, 2 spal, and 1 pal bristles. Upper proepisternum with rather long pale setae, lower proepisternum with 1 strong erect black bristle and a group of rather long mixed pale and dark setae at its basis. Wing. Distinctly and evenly infuscate, somewhat darker anteriad of vein R4+5. Vein R4+5 slightly curved, M1+2 with smooth bend, both converging towards wing apex. Proximal section of M1+2 nearly as long as apical section. Proximal section of CuA1 1.9 x as long as apical section. CuA x ratio: 2.0. Halter white, calypteral fringe black. Legs. Mainly yellow, with coxa II–III, femur III and tibia III and all tarsi at least in part infuscate. Bristles black. Coxa I yellow; coxa II and III brownish black, former with anterior face mainly and apical ¼ of lateral face yellow; coxa III with 1 strong external bristle, inserted at about centre, with some minute black setae. Trochanters yellow. Femur I–III yellow, with femur III black on apical 1/7. Femur II–III with 1 strong ad preapical bristle, femur I–III with 1 small pv preapical bristle, femur II with 2nd strong pv preapical bristle, nearly 0.5 x as long as ad preapical bristle; femur II with vt row of white erect thin bristles on less than basal 1/3, basal ones as long as femur is deep (MSSC); femur III with vt row of similar pale erect bristles at base, about 0.5 x as long as femur is deep (MSSC); basodorsal bristles on femur III indistinct. Tibia I–III yellow, with tibia III brownish black on apical 1/3 to 2/5. Tibia I with 2 ad and 2 pd bristles, with basalmost pair distinctly smaller and longest ones 3 x as long as tibia deep, and serration of short black ad bristles on apical 2/3; with 1 pv bristle at basal 2/5, 2 x as long as tibia is deep. Tibia II with 5 ad and 3 pd bristles, with basalmost pair distinctly smaller and longest bristles nearly 4 x as long as tibia is deep; with 2 equal-sized av bristles at basal 1/3 and 3/5, and 1 equal-sized pv bristle at apical 1/3. Tibia III with 5 strong ad and 5–6 strong pd (incl. 1 preapical ds) bristles, about 3.5 x as long as tibia is deep, with basalmost pair smaller, and with 3 strong ap bristles; with pd serration on apical 2/5 and dense black pubescence on posterior face on apical ½; with 3–5 vt (or av) bristles along entire length, 2 x as long as tibia is deep. Tarsus I distinctly annulated and shortened, taI1 yellow in basal ½, white and nearly bare in apical ¾ and black again in apical ¼; taI2 white and nearly bare with extreme basis and apex black; taI3-5 entirely black, flattened laterally with taI3-4 not as long as deep (MSSC). Tarsus II–III entirely black, taIII1 with dense vt pubescence with some stronger inclined bristles, nearly as long as taIII1 is deep. Length ratios of femur/tibia/tarsomeres 1–5 in leg I: 18.3/18.3/8.3/3.7/1.3/ 1/1.7, in leg II: 8.7/10.4/4.6/2.6/2.1/1.3/1, and in leg III: 7.6/10/2.9/3.3/2.3/1.5/1. Abdomen. With 5 pubescent segments, T6 short but visible. Tergites and sternites entirely metallic green, tergites with robust black bristles, and sternites with thin pale setae, rather erect on S1. Hypopygium with epandrium metallic green with brown ventral basis; hypandrium brown, short and triangular; bv epandrial lobe black, small, triangular and adjacent to hypandrium with 1 long pale seta, apv lobe yellowish brown, rather quadrate with apical margin straight (most distinct in left apv lobe), with one large seta on shaft and with 2 smaller setae on apical margin; cercus moderatesized, dark brown, elongate triangular, 2.5 x as long as wide at base, with tubercles on ventral and apical margins, bearing curved black bristles. Female. Body length: 4.8–5 mm; wing length: 4.6–5.1 mm (n=3). As male, except for following features: face at narrowest width about 0.6 x as wide as postpedicel (length). Antenna: postpedicel yellow with about apicodorsal 1/3 dark brown, 1.3 x as long as deep, and about as long as scape and pedicel combined; stylus with pubescence shorter than in males. Abdomen with T6 entirely covered by T5, sternites with short dense black pubescence. Tarsus I1 yellow, black at extreme apex, taI2-4 entirely black. Length ratios of femur/ tibia/tarsomeres 1–5 in leg I: 11.6/11/5.3/2.1/1.3/1/1.2, in leg II: 10.9/14.2/5.6/3.6/2.6/1.4/1, and in leg III: 9/11.6/ 3.1/3.2/2.3/1.4/1.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, IRAN: East Azerbaijan, Arasbaran, Makidi Valley ( Madiki Forest Park : forest), 38°50.693′N, 46°54.917′E, 1526 m, 8.vi.2012, SW, leg. Samad Khaghaninia ( ICHMM) . PARATYPES: IRAN: 1♂, 1♀, East Azerbaijan, Arasbaran, Aynali (forest), 38°53.756′ N, 46°46.765′E, 1221 m, 20.vi.2014, SW, leg. S. Khaghaninia ( ICHMM) ; 1♂, same data ( MAPC) ; 2♂, East Azerbaijan, Arasbaran, Keleybar (forest), 38°50.903′ N, 47°00.367′E, 1524 m, 12.vii.2013, SW, leg. S. Khaghaninia ( ICHMM) ; 3♂, East Azerbaijan, Arasbaran, Keleybar (forest), 38°51.548′N, 46°59.007′E, 1783 m, 1.vii.2013, SW, leg. S. Khaghaninia ( ICHMM) ; 3♂, East Azerbaijan, Arasbaran, Makidi Valley ( Madiki Forest Park : forest), 38°51.051′N, 46°54.892′E, 1406 m, 8.vi.2013, SW, leg. S. Khaghaninia ( ICHMM) ; 2♀, same data as holotype ; 7♂, 3♀, Mazandaran, Gaznasara, Nur forests Park (sampling site: Mazandaran _8), 36˚34.883′N, 52°02.763′E, - 14 m, 9–28.vi.2011, MT, leg. M. Khairandish & A. Nadimi ( TMUC) ; 2♂, 2♀, Mazandaran, Gaznasara, Nur Forest Park (sampling site: Mazandaran _8), 36˚34.883′N, 52°02.763′E, - 14 m, 3–16.viii.2011, MT, leg. M. Khairandish & A. Nadimi ( TMUC) ; 2♂, same data ( MAPC) ; 1♂, 3♀, Mazandaran, Gaznasara, Nur Forest Park (sampling site: Mazandaran _8), 36˚34.883′N, 52°02.763′E, - 14 m, 29.iv–11.v.2011, MT, leg. M. Khairandish & A. Nadimi ( TMUC) ; 2♂, Mazandaran, Tangevaz, Sisangan National Forest (sampling site: Mazandaran _3), 36˚21.917′N, 52°06.179′E, 692 m, 28.vi–13.vii.2011, MT, leg. M. Khairandish & A. Nadimi ( TMUC) ; 2♂, West Azerbaijan, Urmia (grassland), 37°20.768′N, 45°09.455′E, 1343 m, 16.v.2014, SW, leg. S. Khaghaninia ( ICHMM) .

Distribution and ecology. The species has been encountered in three provinces (East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, and Mazandaran) in Iran. It seems to be rather widespread and has nearly exclusively been found in forest habitats at altitudes between - 14 m and 1800 m between the first half of May until mid-August. It thus seems to avoid upper montane habitats. Previously, P. annulitarsis has erroneously been reported from Iran as P. chrysozygos ( Wiedemann, 1817) by Khaghaninia et al. (2013a) and Kazerani et al. (2014a, 2015).

Etymology. The name “ annulitarsis ” refers to the annulated nature of tarsus I, which features two basal tarsomeres with alternative white and black bands.

Remarks. Poecilobothrus annulitarsis is very closely related to P. chrysozygos which is expressed by a shared MSSC, the annulated fore tarsus ( Figs 31, 34 ). This MSSC separates these species from all other congeners in the Palaearctic. However, there are also sufficient differences between both species to assign P. annulitarsis species status. The two species can be differentiated as follows:

1 Fore tarsus ( Fig. 31 ) with tarsomeres I3-5 laterally flattened, tarsomeres I3-4 wider than long. Femur II with vt row of white erect thin bristles on less than basal 1/3, basal ones as long as femur is deep. Femur III with vt row of similar pale erect bristles at basis, about 0.5x as long as femur is deep. Apicoventral epandrial lobe ( Fig. 36 ) relatively large, quadrate with straight apical border. Cercus ( Fig. 33 ) dark brown with yellow basis, rather elongated triangular, 2.5x as long as wide at base...................................................................... Poecilobothrus annulitarsis sp. nov. ( Iran) ( Fig. 30 )

- Fore tarsus ( Fig. 34 ) with tarsomeres I3-5 cylindrical, tarsomeres I3-4 at most as long as wide. Femur II with irregular rows of white erect thin setae on about basal ¼, basalmost about 0.4x as long as femur is deep. Femur III with irregular rows of very short white slightly inclined setae on basal ¼. Apicoventral epandrial lobe relatively small, with rounded apex. Cercus ( Fig. 35 ) entirely dark brown, triangular, 2x as long as wide at base......................................................................... Poecilobothrus chrysozygos (Palaearctic, incl. southern and eastern Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan)

Figures

FIGURE 36. Poecilobothrus annulitarsis sp. nov., male, hypopygium. Abbreviations: apv lobe: apicoventral epandrial lobe, bv lobe: basoventral epandrial lobe, cerc: cercus, dsur: dorsal surstylar lobe, hyp: hypandrium, pgo: postgonites, vsur: ventral surstylar lobe.

FIGURES 30 – 35. Poecilobothrus annulitarsis sp. nov., male: (30) habitus; (31) fore tarsus; (32) antenna; (33) cercus. Poecilobothrus chrysozygos, male: (34) fore tarsus; (35) cercus.