Elaphropeza lowi, 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 : 95-98

Elaphropeza lowi sp. nov.

Figs 144-147

Diagnosis

Rather small species; fore tibia without black subapical spine-like seta anteriorly; stylus 1.5 times as long as postpedicel; acrostichals 4-serial anteriorly, lacking on prescutellar depression; metanotum yellow. Male: right epandrial lamella truncate, without black spines.

Description

Male LENGTH. Body 1.7-1.8, wing 1.5-1.6 mm.

HEAD. Occiput black. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate and cruciate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer verticals somewhat shorter. Antenna ( Fig. 144 ) with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brownish in apical part and yellowish basally (yellow space varying, but no more than half of postpedicel). Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel nearly 3.0 times longer than wide. Stylus normally pubescent, brown, about 1.5 (1.5-1.7) times as long as postpedicel and nearly as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded.

THORAX. Entirely yellow. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 very short seta in upper part. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleurals (anterior bristle somewhat longer), 1 postsutural supra-alar (nearly as long as posterior notopleural bristle), 1 similar postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair very long, cruciate; lateral pair minute). Acrostichals arranged in 4 irregular rows closer to anterior margin of scutum otherwise 2-serial, lacking on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals arranged in 2-3 irregular rows anteriorly, becoming uniserial toward scutellum, 2 prescutellar pairs long (posterior pair longer, nearly as long as apical scutellars).

LEGS. Almost entirely yellow, only tarsomere 5 of all legs black. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur somewhat thickened, with rows of short anteroventral and posteroventral bristles, 2 longer pale setae near base. Fore tibia with ordinary subapical yellowish seta anteriorly, otherwise lacking prominent bristles. Mid femur with rows of spinule-like, short ventral setae. Mid tibia with slightly prominent ventral spinules, bearing subapical black claw-like spine, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur with row of short anteroventral setae and about 4 short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia bearing 1 anterodorsal bristle, with slightly prominent, rounded apical projection. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

WING. Uniformly finely infuscate. Basal costal bristle moderately long, brownish yellow. Costal index:

28/23/23/11. R 4+5 and M 1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, both straight. Crossvein bm-cu slightly oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Calypter brownish yellow, with several long concolorous setae. Halter pale yellow.

ABDOMEN. Tergite 1 entirely pale yellow. Tergites 2 and 3 brownish, of subequal width in dorsal view, deeply concave anteriorly and divided along midline; with unmodified setation. Tergite 4 broadest, dark brown, subshining, with slightly flattened setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, concolorous with tergite 4, bearing squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 brownish yellow, with moderately long posteromarginal setae. Segment 8 with several short unmodified setae.

TERMINALIA. Rather large, left surstylus brownish, right epandrial lamella yellowish brown apically and yellow basally ( Figs 145-147 ). Cerci almost entirely fused; right cercus short, slightly prominent, with several short setae, lacking spines; left cercus of complicated structure, as in Figure 146 , branched and with additional lobe internally, bearing 1 strong, long, black subapical seta and several thinner setae of different lengths, lacking spines. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella rather conical but truncate apically, bearing 2 stronger subapical setae, otherwise covered with numerous moderately long setae longer along ventral margin, lacking spines. Right surstylus not prominent ( Fig. 145 ). Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several moderately long setae apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 147 ) with upper lobe large, broadly ovate, with scattered setulae on outer face but bearing some moderately long setae on inner face and several short strong setae near base dorsally. Hypandrium with 2 long setae apically. Phallus short. Two rod-shaped apodemes present.

Female

Similar to male but fore and mid tibiae with unmodified setation. Abdominal segments 6 and 7 with minute setulae; segment 8 unmodified, brownish, with 4 moderately long posteromarginal setae. Cercus brownish.

Material examined

Holotype ♂ SINGAPORE: Semakau (SMK03), 3 June 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29142, leg. P.G.; in ZRC).

Paratypes

SINGAPORE: 19 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, Semakau (SMK05), 13 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29068, leg. P.G.); 1 ♂, Semakau (SMK05), 13 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29068, leg. P.G.); 5 ♂♂, Semakau (SMK05), 27 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29119, leg. P.G.); 7 ♂♂, Semakau (SMK05), 20 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29091, leg. P.G.); 1 ♂, Semakau (SMK02), 3 June 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29141, leg. P.G.); 1 ♀, Pulau Ubin (PU02), 26 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29110, leg. P.G.).

Etymology

The species is dedicated to Mr. Jeffrey Low for his very enthusiastic help during fieldwork.

Distribution

Singapore.

Habitat and seasonal occurrence

This species is known from mangroves, with collection records from May to June.

Remarks

See comments under P. malayensis and P. gohae .

Figures

Figs 144-147. Elaphropeza lowi sp. nov., ♂. 144. postpedicel and stylus of antenna, lateral view. 145. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 146. epandrium with cerci, dorsal view. 147. left surstylus, lateral view.