Platypalpus kayakoyensis, Barták & Grootaert, 2024

Barták, Miroslav & Grootaert, Patrick, 2024, Description of twelve new species of Platypalpus Macquart from Europe and the Middle East (Diptera, Empidoidea, Hybotidae), Zootaxa 5443 (2), pp. 161-185 : 171-172

Platypalpus kayakoyensis sp. nov.

( Figs 8 , 9 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: TURKEY, Muğla prov., Fethyie Co., Kayaköy , 36°34.772N, 29°04.986E, 140 m, 08.04.2007 ( CULSP) . PARATYPES: TURKEY, same data as holotype (5 ♂, 1 ♀)—( CULSP) .

Diagnosis. Very small black species of P. pallidiventris —cursitans group with a single pair of verticals. Basal antennal segments yellow, postpedicel including stylus black. Acrostichals biserial. Katepisternum with small central lustrous spot. Legs yellow, tarsi with only last two segments darkened. Mid tibia with sharply pointed spur, mid femur with yellow posteroventrals. Basal abdominal sternites microtrichose.

Description. Male ( Fig. 8 ). Head black, rather light grey microtrichose, face almost silvery, clypeus microtrichose. Frons ≈ 0.04 mm broad at ventral part (about as pedicel) and ≈ 0.08 mm at level of anterior ocellus. Face very narrow (≈ 0.02 mm broad at middle). Gena very narrow, lustrous. Basal antennal segments yellow, postpedicel and stylus brownish black. Postpedicel 2.7–2.9× longer than broad, stylus 1.3–1.5× postpedicel. Palpus pale yellow, small, oval, with several setae longer than palpus. Ocellar setae dirty yellow, ≈ 0.10 mm long, ocellar triangle with two posterior pairs of setae half as long as anterior pair. One pair of vertical setae as long or slightly longer than ocellars, inserted 0.15 mm apart. Occiput with dirty yellow setae dorsally and lighter, longer setae ventrally. Proboscis brownish black, lustrous, almost half as long as head height. Thorax black, mesoscutum rather thinly light grey microtrichose, pleura more densely microtrichose leaving small rounded central lustrous spot on katepisternum. Large setae yellowish brown to yellow, small setae yellow. Chaetotaxy: one long postpronotal seta; acrostichals biserial and ≈ 0.07 mm long, about 6–8 setae in one row; dorsocentrals irregularly 1–2-serial, slightly longer than acrostichals, last two pairs long, generally with 1–2 anterior dorsocentrals about twice longer than acrostichals; notopleuron with 1 long seta and 1 slightly shorter seta; 1 postalar and 1 pair of scutellar setae (with 2 smaller pale hairs). Wing membrane clear, veins dark yellow. R 4+5 and M 1 almost parallel. Crossveins contiguous or narrowly separated. CuA slightly recurrent and nearly straight. Costal seta yellow to brownish yellow. Squama yellow with yellow fringes. Halter pale yellow. Legs golden yellow, mostly pale setose (except black ventral spines on mid legs), tarsi with penultimate segment darkened in apical half and last segment black except basal quarter. Fore femur distinctly thickened, with yellow antero- and posteroventral setae about half as long as femur is deep. Fore tibia narrow, short pale setose. Mid femur about as broad as fore femur, with two rows of ventral spines, posteroventrals yellow, about as long as femur is deep. Mid tibia with usual row of black ventral spines; apical spur darkened apically, with sharp tip and about as long or slightly longer than tibia depth. Hind femur and tibia narrow, inconspicuously short setose. Abdomen blackish brown, lustrous, tergite 1 microtrichose, remaining tergites sparsely microtrichose to subshiny on lateral parts, basal 2–3 sternites microtrichose, remaining lustrous to subshiny.All setae yellow, short, somewhat longer on sides and on last segment. Terminalia ( Fig. 9 ): relatively large (almost half as long as abdomen): Cerci nearly equal in length, both with slightly enlarged apex ( Fig. 9B ). Right border of right epandrial lamella with row of minute setulae on darkened stripe ( Fig. 9A ). Left epandrial lamella rectangular in lateral view, left border almost straight, with long, darker setae and unusually stronger setae basally, shorter yellow setae more distally ( Fig. 9C ). Female. Similar to male, with following exceptions: tarsomeres 1–3 very slightly darkened apically, tarsomere 4 brownish yellow; tarsomere 5 brown, not contrastingly black as in male. Abdomen with tergites: 1 microtrichose on sides, 2 microtrichose on anterior part, 3–6 narrowly microtrichose on lateral part, last two tergites microtrichose. Sternites microtrichose except lustrous central parts of sternites 4–5.

Length. Both sexes: body 1.5–1.8 mm, wing 1.6–1.8 mm.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the name of the type locality.

Distribution. Turkey.

Remarks. Platypalpus kayakoyensis sp. nov. shares many characters in common with P. calceatus Meigen (a single pair of verticals, basal antennal segments yellow and postpedicel including stylus black, katepisternum with lustrous spot, spur on mid tibial medium long and sharply pointed, mid femur with yellow posteroventrals, acrostichals biserial and fore legs with only last two tarsomeres darkened). However, the new species has a longer postpedicel and different genitalia. Considering the small size and relatively long postpedicel and short stylus, the species described above resembles P. velocipes Frey. However , the latter species has a blunt tipped spur on the mid tibia, pale and shorter, largely lustrous katepisternum and smaller and very different genitalia (left margin of left epandrial lamella has setose lobe).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Platypalpus kayakoyensis sp. nov., paratype male (photo Isabella Van de Velde).

FIGURE 9. Platypalpus kayakoyensis sp. nov., paratype male, terminalia. A. Right epandrial lamella; B. Epandrium with cerci, dorsal view; C. Left epandrial lamella, lateral. Scale 0.1mm (image Patrick Grootaert).