Platypalpus lorcaensis, 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 : 175-176

Platypalpus lorcaensis sp. nov.

( Figs 12 , 13 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: SPAIN, Embalse de Barbate , sw [= sweeping vegetation], pasture nr. river, 36.4311 N, - 5.7439 W, 37 m, 6.–8.v.2017, M. Barták & Š. Kubík ( CULSP) ( CULSP) . PARATYPES: SPAIN, Lorca , nr. river, 820 m, SW [= sweeping vegetation], 42°01′51″N, 03°45′47″E, M. Barták, 19.viii.2006 (1 ♂, 2 ♀)—( CULSP) .

Diagnosis. Rather large black species of the P. pallidiventris —cursitans group. Abdomen partly yellow on sternites and brownish red on tergites. A single pair of verticals. Clypeus microtrichose. Antennae with two basal segments yellow and postpedicel black. Katepisternum with lustrous spot. Legs yellow including coxae and knees, tarsi distinctly black annulated. Spur on mid tibia large and sharply pointed. Mid femur strongly dilated, bearing long posteroventral setae.

Description. Male ( Fig. 12 ). Head black, light grey microtrichose, face almost silvery, clypeus microtrichose. Frons ≈ 0.05 mm at central part (about as pedicel), slightly widening ventrally and dorsally (≈ 0.09 mm at level of anterior ocellus). Face narrow (≈ 0.04 mm wide at middle). Gena narrow and lustrous. Antenna with basal segments yellow, postpedicel black, 2.6–2.8× longer than broad, stylus 1.4× postpedicel. Palpus yellow, medium large, drop-like, with several long setae. Ocellar setae whitish yellow, very short (≈ 0.10 mm —measured on females, both available males damaged), ocellar triangle with 2 posterior pairs of setae half as long as anterior pair. Single pair of short vertical setae (≈ 0.13 mm), inserted 0.15 mm apart. Occiput dorsally with yellow setae, ventrally longer and whitish setae. Proboscis brownish black, lustrous, half as long as head height. Thorax black, light grey microtrichose, katepisternum with narrow lustrous spot, leaving narrow anterior part and broad posterior part (as wide as lustrous spot) microtrichose. All setae yellow. Chaetotaxy: 1 long postpronotal seta; proepisternum with several long setae; acrostichals biserial, short (≈ 0.06 mm, about as long as pedicel), 8–12 setae in one row; dorsocentrals irregularly uniserial, as long as acrostichals, ending in 2 larger pairs; notopleuron with 2 relatively short setae and several additional small setae; 1 postalar and 1 pair of scutellar setae (with 2 smaller setae). Wing membrane clear, veins yellow to brownish yellow. M 1 S-shaped (ratio of distance between R 4+5 and M 1 at largest distance and at wing margin reaches 1.9). Crossveins widely separated. CuA slightly recurrent and nearly straight, CuA+CuP distinct. Costal seta yellow. Squama yellow with yellow fringes. Halter pale yellow. Legs yellow including knees, mid and hind coxae both pale, sometimes slightly brownish and dark setose; all tarsi distinctly blackish brown annulated. Fore femur thickened, with yellow antero- and posteroventral setae half as long as femur depth. Fore tibia slightly thickened, with brownish setae dorsally. Mid femur strongly swollen (distinctly more than fore femur), with two rows of ventral spines; 1–2 yellow anterior setae on apical part; posteroventrals yellow, slightly longer than femur depth; anteroventral setae distinct but short. Mid tibia with usual row of black ventral spines; apical spur 1.5× longer than tibia depth, pointed and black apically. Hind femur narrow, anteroventral setae half as long as femur depth, apical half dorsally with peculiar brown pruinosity ( Fig. 12 ). Hind tibia narrow, short setose. Abdomen with tergites reddish- to brownish yellow, sternites yellow (last two slightly darkened), genitalia black and lustrous; tergites 2–5 broadly microtrichose anteriorly on sides, tergites 6–7 more broadly microtrichose, sternites lustrous; abdomen with short pale setae except longer setae on sides and on last segment. Terminalia ( Fig. 13 ): both cerci equally long, club-shaped ( Fig. 13B ). Apex of left cercus indented. Right border of right epandrial lamella densely set with setulae, more densely at base ( Fig. 13A ). Left epandrial lamella somewhat triangular in lateral view ( Fig. 13C ). Right and upper half of left border set with short setulae, lower half more densely set with long setae. Female. Similar to male, except as follows: abdominal tergites 2–5 broadly microtrichose on sides, last three segments microtrichose, sternite 8 with narrow lustrous stripe. Length. Body: 4.1 mm, wing: 3.9 mm (male); body: 3.1–3.9 mm, wing 3.0– 3.9 mm (female).

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the name of the Spanish city Lorca, where this species was collected.

Distribution. Spain.

Remarks. Platypalpus lorcaensis sp. nov. and its important characters (rather large black species with a single pair of verticals, katepisternum with lustrous spot, antennae with two basal segments yellow, postpedicel black and about 2.6× longer than deep, absence of anterior notopleural seta, strongly dilated mid femur with long posteroventrals, large and sharply pointed spur on mid tibia, distinctly annulated tarsi, and microtrichose clypeus) is similar to P. vockerothi Chvála or P. kamyshanovensis Kustov, Shamshev & Grootaert. However, the newly described species differs from both (and other allied species) by the yellow palpus, entirely black postpedicel, short setae on the mesoscutum, nearly straight left (ventral) margin of left epandrial lamella with long setae only on basal half and all tarsi distinctly annulated including the first tarsomere.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Platypalpus lorcaensis sp. nov., paratype male (photo Isabella Van de Velde).

FIGURE 13. Platypalpus lorcaensis 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).