Bradysia seticornis, Vilkamaa, Pekka, Hippa, Heikki & Mohrig, Werner, 2012

Vilkamaa, Pekka, Hippa, Heikki & Mohrig, Werner, 2012, The genus Bradysia Winnertz (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Caledonia, with the description of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 3489, pp. 25-44 : 39-41

Bradysia seticornis sp. n.

Figs 11 A–D

Material studied. Holotype male. NEW CALEDONIA, Rivière Bleue N.P., (parc 7), rainforest, 21.vii.1992, Bonnet de Larbogne, Chazeau & Guilbert (in MNHN). Paratypes. 2 males, same data as holotype (in SMNH and PWMP); 1 male, same data as previous but parc 6, 20.i.1993 (in MNHN); 1 male, Rivière Bleue N.P., 29.vii–7.viii.1987, Bonnet de Larbogne & Tillier (in MZH).

Description. Male. Head. Brown, antenna unicolorous brown but pedicellus yellowish, apical edge of flagellomeral necks slightly darker than rest, maxillary palpus very pale brown. Eye bridge 3–4 facets wide. Face with 10–31 scattered longer and shorter setae. Clypeus with 3–4 setae. Maxillary palpus with 3 palpomeres; palpomere 3 longer than palpomere 1, palpomere 2 shortest; palpomere 1 with 2–5 setae, with a large dorsal patch of sensilla in a shallow depression; surface of antennal flagellomeres rough, body of flagellomere 4 ( Fig. 11 A) 3.0–4.4x as long as wide, the neck as long as broad, the longest setae as long as the width of flagellomere. Thorax. Pale brown, pleura with yellow areas, setae dark. Anterior pronotum with 3–5 setae. Episternum 1 with 6–12 setae. Scutum with long dorsocentrals, with some longer and shorter laterals, scutellum with 2 longer and some short setae. Wing. Hyalinous. Length 2.1–2.4 mm. Width/length 0.45–0.50. Veins distinct. R1/R 0.80–1.05. c/ w 0.65 –0.85. r-m and than bM subequal in length. M, CuA, r-m and bM non-setose. Legs. Yellow. Coxal setae dark. Apical part of front tibia ( Fig. 11 B): tibial organ with pale vestiture forming a rather long row. Front tibial spur slightly longer than the tibial width. Claws without teeth. Abdomen. Setae dark and long. Hypopygium, ( Figs 11 C, D). Brown, concolorous with abdomen. Gonocoxa narrow, longer than gonostylus, mesial margin with sparse setosity, basoventrally with mesial area of denser setosity. Gonostylus narrow, rather straight, slightly narrowed towards apex, with the mesial side weakly impressed at apical and basal thirds; with dense apical setosity, without an apical tooth, with 4–5 apical megasetae, one of which separated from the others. Tegmen truncate, with straight lateral sides, weakly sclerotized, with a large area of triangular aedeagal teeth.

Discussion. Bradysia seticornis , B. centidens and B. paucidens are similar in having at least one of their gonostylar megasetae placed more laterally, apart from the other megasetae, and they can be placed in the Bradysia hilaris group in the sense of Menzel and Mohrig (2000). Bradysia centidens differs from the other two in having seven, not four or five gonostylar megasetae. Bradysia seticornis can be distinguished from B. paucidens in having a different form of its gonostylus, five, not four gonostylar megasetae, short (not elongated) basoventral setae of the gonocoxa and very long antennal flagellomeres (body of flagellomere 4 3.0–4.4x as long as broad versus 2.65x as long as broad). In its gonostylus, Bradysia seticornis resembles the Micronesian B. boninensis Steffan, 1969 , but differs in having much longer antennal flagellomeres and a different form of the tegmen and palpomere 1 with 4 setae. Bradysia paucidens and B. centidens have a structure of the gonostylus similar to that in the widely distributed Oceanian B. radicum ( Brunetti, 1912) and the Micronesian B. kraussi Steffan, 1969 , but B. paucidens differs in having only four gonostylar megasetae and a different form of the tegmen. Bradysia centidens is very similar to B. radicum , but seems to have a less setose gonostylus and a broader tegmen. However, Steffan (1969) showed that the identity of B. radicum is not clear, and it is not completely impossible that our new species is conspecific.

Etymology. The name is derived from the the latin words seta, bristle, and cornu, horn, referring to the richly setose, antennal flagellomeres.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Bradysia seticornis sp. n. (A, B paratype, C, D holotype). A. Antennal flagellomere 4, lateral view. B. Apical part of front tibia, prolateral view. C. Part of hypopygium, ventral view. D. Gonostylus, ventral view. Scale 0.1 mm.