Thricops iliata, Pont, 2018

Pont, Adrian C., 2018, The Muscidae (Diptera) of Armenia, Zootaxa 4465 (1), pp. 1-69 : 65-67

Thricops iliata sp. nov.

( Figs 18–19 )

Diagnosis. Thricops iliata can be immediately distinguished from other species of Thricops Rondani by the yellow legs, 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae, and the presence of an apical ventral spur on hind tibia in male.

Etymology. This species is named, with her permission, for Professor Jade Savage in appreciation of her monograph of the genus Thricops Rondani (Savage 2003) . The mineral "jade” takes its name from the Spanish "piedra de ijada”, which is derived from a notional Romance " iliata ”. The name iliata is a noun in apposition and does not have to agree in gender with the masculine Thricops .

Type-material Examined. Holotype ♂. ARMENIA: Aragatsotn province, Lake Kari , N40.28 E44.11, 3190 m, 21.vii.2015, A.C. Pont ( BMNH). Paratypes 2♀ . ARMENIA: same data as the holotype, 1♀ ( BMNH) ; Tavush province, Gosh Lake , N40.43 E45.01, 1430 m, 8.vii.2016, A.C. Pont, 1♀ ( OUMNH).

Description. ♂ ( Figs 18–19 ).

Head. Ground–colour orange beneath the pruinosity. Eye with short sparse hairs. Fronto–orbital plate, parafacial and gena silvery-yellow pruinose; face and lower occiput yellowish-grey pruinose. Frons at narrowest point separated by a distance equal to just over twice diameter of anterior ocellus, the margins of each fronto-orbital plate separated throughout by a frontal vitta. Ocellar setae long and strong. 7 pairs of frontal setae, including interstitials, confined to lower 3/5 of frons. Scape and pedicel orange; postpedicel black and 2 times as long as wide. Arista long-pubescent, the longest combined pubescence half as long as width of postpedicel. Parafacial at level of insertion of arista slightly narrower than width of postpedicel, hardly narrowing below. In lateral view, facial edge below level of profrons. Gena broad, depth below lowest eye-margin almost equal to length of postpedicel, with a group of upcurved setae on anterior part of genal dilation. Palpus yellow. Proboscis with prementum dusted.

Thorax. Ground-colour black, scutellum slightly paler at tip. Scutum densely yellowish-grey dusted, with a pair of narrow dark paramedian vittae between acrostichal and dorsocentral rows and running from neck to 2nd postsutural dorsocentral; also with a dark patch between presutural dorsocentrals and intraalar, and another between postsutural dorsocentrals and intraalars. Pleura also densely yellowish-grey dusted, with a shining patch anteriorly on katepisternum and medially on meron. Spiracles yellow. Scutal ground-setulae long, dense, fine. Acrostichals 2+3, Dorsocentrals 2+3. Postsuturally with 2 intraalars (and a weak third) and 1 supraalar (and a weak second). Prealar as long as 2nd notopleural. Notopleuron bare apart from the setae. Prosternum bare. Katepisternal setae 1+2, with a stronger setula below lower posterior seta. Meron bare. Scutellum densely yellowish-grey dusted, like scutum; with setulae on sides in basal half below the strong setae but not reaching the ventral edge.

Legs. Coxae brownish-orange; fore femur darkened posterodorsally below the grey dust; tarsi black; otherwise legs yellow. Fore tibia with a submedian posteroventral seta. Fore tarsomeres 1–4 each with a short fine anteroventral and posteroventral hair at tips, and tarsomere 1 with 1 similar hair on shaft; tarsomere 4 with a posterodorsal seta near tip. Mid coxa with the upper seta long, strong, curved. Mid femur with long fine setulae on ventral surfaces among which are 3–4 fine posteroventral setae that are slightly longer than femoral depth; 2 anterodorsal and 2 posterodorsal preapical setae. Mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal, 3 posterodorsal and 2 posteroventral setae. Hind coxa with 3 short fine setae on posterior margin. Hind femur with some dense fine setulae on posterior to posteroventral surfaces in basal third and 2 short posteroventral setae just before apex; anteroventral surface with up to 7 setae in apical half, bare in basal half; anterodorsal row complete, becoming more dorsal towards apex of femur; 1 posterodorsal and

1 posterior preapical setae. Hind tibia with a single strong calcar at apical third; 1 fine anterodorsal at about the same level, preceded by a number of stronger erect setulae; 3 fine anteroventrals, and 1 short fine posteroventral at middle; 1 dorsal but 0 anterodorsal preapical; apex of ventral surface with a spur consisting of 3 adpressed setae, slightly longer than tibial depth.

Wing. Weakly yellowish, more so towards base. Basicosta and tegula yellow. Costa with weak spinules, without costal spine. Cross-vein r-m beyond the point where subcosta enters costa. Crossvein dm-cu oblique, almnost straight. Calypters creamy-white. Haltere wholly yellow.

Abdomen. Ground-colour black. Densely yellowish-grey dusted with a weak narrow dark median line on tergites 3– 5. Tergites 3–5 each with a row of marginal setae, tergite 4 with lateral discals, tergite 5 with a discal row. Sternite 1 bare.

Measurements: Length of body, 6.0 mm. Length of wing, 5.5 mm.

♀. Differs from the male as follows:

Head. Frons at middle 0.36 of head-width at this point, and fronto-orbital plate 0.2 of frontal vitta. Eye virtually bare. Head pruinosity yellowish-grey. Frontal triangle very short. 3 pairs of frontal setae, with 1-2 short interstitials; 3 strong orbitals, the lower one proclinate and the two upper reclinate. Frontal vitta with a pair of strong crossed setae. Parafacial broader, and with a matt patch at lunule.

Thorax. Acrostichals 2+2–3. 2 or 3 postsutural intraalars.

Legs. Fore femur yellow. Fore tarsomere without the posterodorsal seta. Mid femur without ventral setae or long setulae, with several anterior setae in basal half; 1 anterior preapical. Hind femur bare posteroventrally and ventrally except for 4 anteroventrals in apical third. Hind tibia with 1 posterodorsal, 2 anterodorsals and 2 anteroventrals; with dorsal and anterodorsal preapical setae; 1 anteroventral but 0 posteroventral apical setae.

Wing. Crossvein r-m before or after the point where subcosta enters costa.

Abdomen. The dark vitta visible on syntergite 1+2 but absent from tergite 5. Setae weaker.

Measurements. Length of body, 6.0 mm (Lake Kari) or 7.0 mm (Gosh). Length of wing, 5.5 mm (Lake Kari) or 6.5 mm (Gosh).

Relationships. The only other species of Thricops with yellow legs and an apical ventral spur on male hind tibia are T. albibasalis (Zetterstedt, 1849), T. sudeticus (Schnabl, 1888) and T. ponti Savage, 2003, which all differ from T. iliata by having 4 pairs of postsutural dorsocentrals rather than the 3 pairs in T. iliata . In addition, T. albibasalis has the prementum of proboscis shining black and undusted; T. sudeticus has black palpi; and T. ponti has hind femur with a row of strong posteroventral setae in basal half. All three have the aristal pubescence much shorter than in T. iliata , the individual hairs at most as long as basal diameter of arista.

In the key to male Thricops (Savage 2003: 11) , T. iliata runs to couplet 11 but differs from the two species included there (T. ponti and T. sudeticus ) by having 3 pairs of postsutural dorsocentrals. In the key to females (op. cit.: 17) T. iliata runs to couplet 8 and to T. sudeticus , from which it differs by having 2 pairs of postsutural acrostichals and yellow palpi.

Figures

FIGURES 18–19. Thricops iliata sp. nov. 18. Male, dorsal view (holotype). 19. Male, lateral view (holotype).