Elaphropeza shufenae, Grootaert & Shamshev, 2012

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor V., 2012, The fast-running flies (Diptera, Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae) of Singapore and adjacent regions, European Journal of Taxonomy 5, pp. 1-162 : 85-87

Elaphropeza shufenae sp. nov.

Figs 128-131

Diagnosis

Thorax entirely brownish; antenna brownish, postpedicel about 4.0 times longer than wide, stylus nearly as long as postpedicel; acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated; hind tibia with 1 anterodorsal bristle; halter dark.

Description

Male LENGTH. Body 1.6-1.7 mm, wing 1.3-1.5 mm.

HEAD. Black, mostly with dark brown setation. Eye with hind margin slightly concave. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Two pairs of inclinate verticals (inner pair longer). Antenna ( Fig. 128 ) entirely brownish. Pedicel with circlet of equally minute setulae. Postpedicel nearly 4.0 times longer than wide. Stylus normally pubescent, brown, nearly as long as postpedicel and about 1.5 times shorter than scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded; with scattered setulae.

THORAX. Entirely brown, with brown bristles. Proepisternum lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 short upturned bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 equally long notopleurals, 1 shorter postsutural supra-alar, 1 similar postalar and 4 scutellars (inner pair very long, cruciate; outer pair very short). Acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated, scutum evenly covered with uniform setulae, except 2 pairs of long prescutellars (posterior pair longer and nearly as long as apical scutellars).

LEGS. Almost entirely yellow, tibiae and tarsi (especially tarsomere 5) with some brownish tinge. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur slightly thickened, with rows of short antero- and posteroventral setulae and 1 long pale bristle near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with spinule-like, short ventral setae, 1 longer seta near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 2 rows of slightly prominent ventral spinules, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur evenly thickened, with 1 row of short anteroventral and posteroventral setae (latter sitting on small tubercles in basal part) and 3-4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia somewhat thickened, bearing 1 long anterodorsal bristle near middle; apical projection small, pointed, clothed in dense brownish setulae.

WING. Normally developed, distinctly brownish infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish brown. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle rather long, brown. Costal index: 22/19/20/10. R 4+5 and M 1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, both straight. Crossvein bm-cu somewhat oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter dark.

ABDOMEN. Tergite 1 almost entirely pale yellow, only very small brownish space bearing few minute setulae present on each side. Tergites 2 and 3 represented by 2 large subtriangular brownish spaces broadly separated along midline, with unmodified setae. Tergite 4 broad, darker, with numerous squamiform setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, bearing squamiform setae. Tergites 6-7 unmodified, tergite 6 with short posteromarginal bristles, tergite 7 with several long posteromarginal bristles. Segment 8 lacking setation. Sternites unmodified, weakly sclerotised, with scattered minute setulae. Gland-like structures present between tergites 4 and 5.

TERMINALIA. Brown, moderately large, rather elongate ( Figs 129-131 ). Cerci narrowly fused; right cercus digitiform, moderately long, covered with short unmodified setae; left cercus somewhat longer and broader than right cercus, with short unmodified setae. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 129 ) conical, with numerous unmodified setae longer ventrally. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with numerous short setae apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 131 ) with upper lobe large, rather broadly oval, with scattered short submarginal setae. Hypandrium with 2 long setae. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes present.

Female

Mid tibia with unmodified ventral setation. Abdominal segment 8 elongate, very narrow, with sclerites separated; sternite 8 folded apically. Cercus elongate, brown.

Material examined

Holotype ♂

SINGAPORE: Semakau (SMK02), 27 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29116, leg. P.G.; in ZRC).

Paratypes

SINGAPORE: 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Semakau (SMK02), 13 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29065, leg. P.G.); 1 ♀, Semakau (SMK02), 27 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29116, leg. P.G.); 5 ♀♀, Semakau (SMK02), 3 June 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29141, leg. P.G.); 1 ♀, Semakau (SMK03), 3 June 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29142, leg. P.G.).

Etymology

The species is dedicated to Ms. Shufen Yang for her very enthusiastic help during fieldwork in 2009.

Distribution

Singapore.

Habitat and seasonal occurrence

This species occurs in mangroves from May to June.

Remarks

In having entirely brownish thorax, the new species could be only compared with E. limosa . However, in E. limosa the antennal stylus is longer, about 1.5 times as long as the postpedicel (vs. nearly as long as postpedicel in the new species). Additionally, E. limosa is somewhat larger, the male has entirely fused cerci and right epandrial lamella and left surstylus covered with numerous very long setae.

Figures

Figs 128-131. Elaphropeza shufenae sp. nov., ♂. 128. postpedicel and stylus of antenna, lateral view. 129. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 130. epandrium and cerci, dorsal view. 131. left surstylus, lateral view.