Elaphropeza chanae, 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 : 91-93

Elaphropeza chanae sp. nov.

Figs 136-139

Diagnosis

Antennal stylus subequal to pedicel; acrostichals 4-serial anteriorly, lacking on prescutellar depression; metanotum brownish yellow. Male: right epandrial lamella conical, with black spines; fore tibia with black subapical spine.

Description

Male LENGTH. Body 2.1, wing 2.0- 2.1 mm.

OCCIPUT. Black. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate and cruciate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer verticals somewhat shorter. Antenna ( Fig. 136 ) 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 4.0 times longer than wide. Stylus normally pubescent, brown, subequal to postpedicel and nearly 1.5 times shorter than scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded.

THORAX. Almost entirely yellow, only metanotum brownish yellow. Prothoracic episternum lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 very short seta in upper part. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 long notopleurals, 1 shorter postsutural supra-alar, 1 similar postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair very long, cruciate; lateral pair minute). Acrostichals arranged in 4 irregular rows anteriorly but 2-serial posteriorly, lacking on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals arranged in 3-4 irregular rows anteriorly, becoming 1-serial 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 lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals), with subapical, black claw-like spine anteriorly. Mid femur with rows of spinule-like, short ventral setae. Mid tibia with hardly 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: 44/22/27/13. R 4+5 and M 1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, both straight. Crossvein bmcu transverse. 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 viewed dorsally, 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 137-139 ). Cerci narrowly fused; right cercus short, digitiform, with several short setae, lacking spines; left cercus of complicated structure, as in Figure 138 , with additional lobe produced internally, covered with unmodified setae of different lengths, lacking spines. Epandrium completely divided. Right surstylus not prominent. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 137 ) conical, bearing 4 black subapical spines (3 spines closer to each other and 1 spine aside), with numerous moderately long setae longer along ventral margin. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 1 long seta apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 139 ) with upper lobe large, rather conical, broadly rounded apically, 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 except for fore and mid tibiae with unmodified ventral setation. Abdominal segments 6 and 7 with minute setulae; segment 8 unmodified, brownish, with scattered short setae. Cercus narrow, brownish.

Material examined

Holotype ♂ SINGAPORE: 1 ♂, Semakau (SMK03), 3 June 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29142, leg. P.G.; in ZRC).

Paratypes

SINGAPORE: 1 ♀, Semakau (SMK05), 27 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29119, leg. P.G.); 1 ♀, Semakau (SMK05), 13 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29068, leg. P.G.); 1 ♀, Semakau (SMK02), 20 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29088, leg. P.G.); 1 ♀, Semakau (SMK05), 20 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29091, leg. P.G.); 2 ♀♀, Semakau (SMK02), 27 May 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29116, leg. P.G.).

Etymology

The new species is dedicated to Dr. Lena Chan, Deputy Director of the National Biodiversity Centre at NParks. The Singapore Mangrove Insect Project was made possible thanks to her enthusiastic interest and help.

Distribution

Singapore.

Habitat and seasonal occurrence

This species occurs in mangroves, with collection records from May and June.

Remarks

The new species belongs to a difficult complex of species that also includes E. malayensis (see Remarks section) and E. furca . The main differences between these species are given in the key.

Figures

Figs 136-139. Elaphropeza chanae sp. nov., ♂. 136. postpedicel and stylus of antenna, lateral view. 137. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 138. epandrium with cerci, dorsal view. 139. left surstylus, lateral view.