Platypalpus kubiki, 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 : 173-174

Platypalpus kubiki sp. nov.

( Figs 10 , 11 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: SPAIN, 8 km NE from Alcalá de los Gazules, PT [= yellow and white pan water traps], 335 m, 36.514N, - 5.664W, 7.–8.v.2017, M. Barták, Š. Kubík ( CULSP) . PARATYPES: SPAIN, same data as holotype (47 ♂, 1 ♀)—( CULSP) .

Diagnosis. Small black species of the P. pallidiventris —cursitans group with partly yellow abdomen. A single pair of vertical setae. Antennae yellow with dark stylus, rarely postpedicel somewhat darkened. Postpedicel very small, hardly longer or broader than both basal segments taken together; stylus more than 3× longer than postpedicel. Katepisternum with lustrous spot. Palpus very short, yellow. Acrostichals biserial. Legs pale yellow, fore tarsi sharply annulated (except first tarsomere), less distinctly so in female. Mid tibia with apical spur as long as depth of tibia, blunt, trowel-like.

Description. Male ( Fig. 10 ). Head black, light grey microtrichose, face almost silvery, clypeus lustrous. Frons ≈ 0.05 mm at ventral part (about as pedicel) and ≈ 0.08 mm at level of anterior ocellus. Face narrow (≈ 0.03 mm broad at middle). Gena narrow and lustrous. Antenna yellow, stylus brown. Postpedicel very small (about as long and broad as basal two segments taken together), yellow (rarely with dorsal margin and tip darkened, reddish to brownish yellow), 1.8–2.0× longer than broad, stylus 3.0–3.6× postpedicel. Palpus pale yellow, small (half as long as labrum), oval, with several long setae. Ocellar setae yellow, short (≈ 0.12 mm), ocellar triangle with 2 posterior pairs of setae half as long as anterior pair. Single pair of vertical setae (≈ 0.15 mm), inserted 0.17 mm apart. Occiput with yellow to whitish yellow setae, ventral setae only slightly longer than dorsal ones. Proboscis brownish black, lustrous, half as long as head height. Thorax black, light grey microtrichose, mesoscutum thinly microtrichose with indistinct golden shine, pleura more densely microtrichose, katepisternum largely lustrous, only hind margin microtrichose. All setae yellow. Chaetotaxy: 1 long postpronotal seta; proepisternum with relatively long seta; acrostichals biserial, rather long (≈ 0.07 mm), 6–8 setae in one row, dorsocentrals uniserial, posteriorly somewhat longer than acrostichals, ending in 2–3 larger pairs; notopleuron with 2 setae and several additional small setae; 1 postalar and 1 pair of scutellar setae (with 2 smaller setae). Wing membrane clear or slightly yellowish, veins pale yellow. R 4+5 and M 1 almost parallel. Crossveins narrowly separated. CuA slightly recurrent and nearly straight, CuA+CuP distinct. Costal seta yellow. Squama yellow with yellow fringes. Halter pale yellow. Legs pale yellow including coxae and knees, pale setose (except black ventral spines on mid legs); fore tarsi with tarsomeres 2–4 sharply black annulated, mid and hind tarsi with last three segments more or less (variable) sharply annulated. Fore femur distinctly thickened, with yellow antero- and posteroventral setae more than half as long as femur depth. Fore tibia very slightly thickened, short pale or brownish yellow setose. Mid femur narrower than fore femur, with two rows of ventral spines (those on anteroventral row very short) and 1–2 yellow anterior setae in apical part, posteroventrals yellow, slightly longer than femur is wide. Mid tibia with usual row of black ventral spines; apical spur as long as tibia depth, blunt and darkened apically, trowel-like. Hind femur and tibia narrow, short setose, unremarkable. Abdomen yellow, tergites 4–5 (sometimes also tergite 3) brownish, rarely all tergites yellowish brown, sternites yellow (some specimens with last 1–2 sternites brownish yellow), genitalia blackish brown; abdomen lustrous or sublustrous, shortly pale setose except longer setae on sides and on last segment. Terminalia ( Fig. 11 ): cerci concealed inside epandrial lamellae ( Fig. 11B ). Right cercus with rounded apex, larger than left cercus. Apex of left cercus narrower and curved medially. Right border of right epandrial lamella densely set with short, fine setulae, longer near base ( Fig. 11A ). Left epandrial lamella with left border excavated near middle. In apical half with long interspaced setae, in basal half densely set with even longer setae ( Fig. 11C ). Inside of left epandrial lamella with densely set area of microtrichia ( Fig. 11B ). Female. Similar to male, with following exceptions: postpedicel brownish yellow in dorsal and apical part, fore tarsus less contrastingly annulated, all abdominal tergites brownish yellow, last two tergites microtrichose and rather weakly sclerotized, sternite 8 with lustrous stripe. Length. Both sexes: body 2.1–2.9 mm, wing 2.1–2.7 mm.

Etymology. The species epithet, “kubiki ”, is a Latin genitive patronym given in honour of Dr Štěpán Kubík, joint collector of the type series.

Distribution. Spain.

Remarks. There is some variation in colour of the postpedicel and abdomen as described above. Platypalpus kubiki sp. nov. is very similar to P. villeneuvei (Becker). However, the latter species (only female is known) has palpus large, spur on mid tibia pointed and stylus less than 2× longer than postpedicel. Specimens with darker postpedicel may resemble P. articulatoides (Frey) however, the latter species has a black postpedicel and differently shaped (distinctly broader than pedicel, about 2× longer than wide), and shorter stylus (about 2× longer than postpedicel), spur on mid tibia shorter than tibia depth and left epandrial lamella weakly bowed left margin with sparser, parallel running, separated long setae (see Grootaert & Chvála 1992, figs 209–211).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Platypalpus kubiki sp. nov., paratype male (photo Isabella Van de Velde).

FIGURE 11. Platypalpus kubiki 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).