Spilogona paradispar, Pont, 2023

Pont, Adrian C., 2023, Spilogona dispar (Fallén, 1823) and its Palaearctic relatives (Diptera: Muscidae), Zootaxa 5361 (3), pp. 409-418 : 412-415

Spilogona paradispar sp. nov. ♁ ♀

( Figs 2 , 4, 6 , 10–11 )

Diagnosis. Spilogona paradispar is very similar to S. dispar but has setulae on the notopleuron close to the second seta. The male terminalia are also different from those of S. dispar ( Figs 8–11 , and see Hennig, 1959a: fig. 231; 1959b: fig. 314; both as S. funeralis (Rondani)) ; in fact, the lateral view of S. paradispar is most like that of S. taeniata ( Hennig, 1959b: fig. 355). The male cercal plate is not like that of either S. dispar or S. taeniata .

Etymology. The name reflects the similarity between the new species and S. dispar .

Type-material: Holotype ♂, ARMENIA: Gegharkunik: Mt Armaghan , crater lake, N40.04 E45.13, 2810 m, 15.vii.2018 (A.C. Pont) ( BMNH) . Paratypes, 45♂ 37♀: data as for the holotype, 11♂ 11♀ (2♂ 2♀ each in BMNH, SZMN, ZISP, ZMUM, 3♂ 3♀ in OUMNH) . Aragatsotn: heath south of Lake Kari , 40.26N 44.13E, 2700m, 19.vii.2011 (A.C. Pont), 7♂ 4♀ ( BMNH) & 1♂ (OUMNH); originally identified as S. dispar by Pont (2013a: 4); below Spitak Pass , N40.45 E44.16, 2300 m, 31.vii.2015 (A.C. Pont), 2♂ 9♀ (1♀ in SZMN, the rest in OUMNH) ; the same, 2300–2380 m, 15.vii.2016 (A.C. Pont), 2♂ 2♀ ( OUMNH) ; Spitak Pass , N40.45 E44.16, 2380 m, 15.vii.2016 (A.C. Pont), 3♂ 2♀ ( OUMNH) ; River Kasakh between Alagyaz and Aparan , N40.37 E44.20, 1950 m, 31.vii.2015 (A.C. Pont), 1♀ ( BMNH) . Gegharkunik: Lake Sevan , montane meadow, 7.vii.1939 (Chernovskiy), 1♂ ( ZISP) . Kotayk: Tsakhkadzor, Mt Teghenis , heath, N40.32 E44.41, 2210–2470 m, 16.vii.2018 (A.C. Pont), 1♂ ( OUMNH) . Shirak: Lake Arpi National Park, Zorakert , N41.05 E43.39, 2030 m, 17.vii.2016 (A.C. Pont), 1♀ ( OUMNH) . Syunik: east slope of Mt. Kapudzhuk , 2800–3000 m, 18.viii.1959 ( V. Zaytsev), 3♂ 2♀ ( ZISP) . GEORGIA: Mtskheta-Mtianeti: meadows E of Kazbegi , 1900 m, 28.vi.1983 (A.C. Pont), 1♂ ( BMNH) ; forest E of Kazbegi , 1950–2000 m, 6.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 1♂ ( BMNH) ; Mt Koltesh , meadows, 2000–2100 m, 8.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 2♂ ( BMNH) ; Mt Koltesh , meadow-heath, 2300 m, 8.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 2♂ 1♀ ( BMNH) ; Mt Bash , heath, 2240 m, 2.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 1♂ ( BMNH) ; Truso , mineral springs, 2150 m, 9.vii.1983 (A.C. Pont), 7♂ 4♀ (1♂ each in OUMNH, ZMUM, ZISP, 1♂ 1♀ in SZMN, 3♂ 3♀ in BMNH) .

Distribution. Armenia and Georgia.

Description. ♂.

Head. Holoptic. Ground-colour black. Eye with some very short but obvious hairs, each about as long as the diameter of an eye-facet. Fronto-orbital plate and parafacial silvery-white pruinose, the former grey above; face, gena and occiput light grey pruinose. Frons at narrowest point separated by a distance equal to the greatest width of ocellar tubercle or slightly less, and each fronto-orbital plate slender and narrower than the frontal vitta that separates the two plates ( Fig. 2 ). Ocellar setae strong. 9–12 pairs of frontal setae, including interstitials, with a single reclinate orbital seta often as long as the preceding frontal seta. Antenna black, postpedicel 2 times as long as wide, falling short of facial edge by its own length. Arista long pubescent, the longest combined hairs half as long as width of postpedicel. Parafacial at level of insertion of arista as wide as width of postpedicel. In lateral view, facial edge slightly in front of level of profrons. Gena broad, depth below lowest eye-margin equal to length of postpedicel. Palpus black. Proboscis rather long and slender, prementum shining black.

Thorax. Ground-colour black. Scutum greyish-brown dusted before suture, grey after suture, with a narrow black median vitta running from neck to just beyond suture and a pair of dark vittae along the dorsocentral rows, running from neck almost to scutellum where the vittae expand and converge; a pair of dark patches over the postsutural intraalars and supraalars. Postpronotal lobe grey dusted. Pleura thinly grey dusted. Acrostichals 0+1, the presutural setulae in 3 irregular rows. Dorsocentrals 2+3. Notopleuron with setulae around 2nd seta (exceptionally, in one male, these are absent). Anepisternum with a short interspatial setula in posterior row. Katepisternal setae 1+1. Scutellum black in posterior view; without downwardly-directed preapical setulae on upper border of side margin.

Legs. Black. Fore tibia without a submedian posterior seta; with 1 dorsal and 1 weak posteroventral apical seta. Mid femur with 5 strong posteroventral setae in basal half, longer than femoral depth; without anteroventrals; with 0 anterior and 2(–3) strong posterodorsal to posterior preapical setae. Mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal, 2 posterodorsals and 1 strong ventral seta. Hind femur without posteroventrals or with a few fine posteroventrals in apical half, some almost as long as femoral depth; with a row of strong anteroventrals in apical two-thirds, longer than femoral depth. Hind tibia with 2 anterodorsals, 2 anteroventrals, and 1 or more posterodorsals in basal half; dorsal and anterodorsal preapicals present.

Wing. Most of surface very dark. Basicosta and tegula black. Costa with weak setulae, without costal spine. Crossvein r-m slightly beyond the point where subcosta enters costa. Crossvein dm-cu sinuous. Calypters creamy, margin of lower one yellowish. Haltere yellow.

Abdomen. Ground-colour black, densely light grey dusted, with black markings as follows ( Fig. 4 ): syntergite 1+2 black except for a narrow dusted line along hind-margin; tergites 3 and 4 each with a very narrow dusted median vitta and each with a pair of large quadrate spots; tergite 5 with a weak brownish median vitta and a pair of weak oval brownish lateral spots. Sternite 1 bare.

Terminalia. Figs 10–11 .

Measurements. Length of body, 5.0–6.0 mm. Length of wing, 4.0–5.0 mm.

♀. Very different in appearance from the ♂, from which it differs as follows:

Head. Dichoptic. Frons at middle 0.41 of head-width at this point, and here each fronto-orbital plate 0.43 of frontal vitta, which itself is 0.56 of width of frons. Head dusting grey, that on fronto-orbital plate sometimes tinged with yellow. Frontal triangle conspicuous, reaching at least 2/3 the distance from anterior ocellus to lunula. 3–4 pairs of strong inclinate frontal setae, with few interstitials, and 2 pairs of reclinate orbital setae; fronto-orbital plate with some short setulae outside the frontal setae.

Thorax. Scutum densely yellowish-grey dusted, with enlarged dark bristle-dots but without any darker markings. Postpronotal lobe yellowish-grey dusted. Pleura thinly yellowish-grey dusted. Scutellum dusted as scutum.

Legs. Fore tibia with a posterodorsal apical seta in addition to the dorsal and posteroventral. Mid femur with 2 posterodorsal to posterior preapicals. Mid tibia with 2 strong anterodorsals and posterodorsals. Hind femur without posteroventrals; with 3 anteroventrals, in apical third. Hind tibia with 1 posterodorsal in basal half.

Wing. Clear, wing-base yellowish.

Abdomen. Densely yellowish-grey dusted, without trace of dark spots or vittae ( Fig. 6 ), but with some dark bristle-dots at bases of the setae.

Ovipositor. Cerci, epiproct and hypoproct without spines, with only fine setulae.

Measurements. Length of body, 5.5–6.0 mm. Length of wing, 4.5–5.0 mm.

Figures

FIGURES 2–3. Male head from in front: 2, Spilogona paradispar sp. nov.; and 3, Spilogona taeniata (Stein). (2, Armenia, Kotayk, Tsakhadzor, 30.vii.2015, paratype; 3, Armenia, Aragatsotn, Lake Kari, 21.vii.2015.)

FIGURES 4–7. Abdominal markings of Spilogona: 4, S. paradispar sp. nov., male; 5, S. taeniata (Stein), male; 6, S. paradispar sp. nov., female; 7, S. taeniata (Stein), female. (4,6,Armenia, Aragatsotn, below Spitak Pass, 31.vii.2015, paratypes; 5,Armenia, Lake Kari, 21.vii.2015; 7, Georgia, Kazbegi, Sameba S, 2.vii.1983.)

FIGURES 8–11. Male terminalia of Spilogona: 8, S. dispar (Fallén), hypopygium in lateral view; 9, S. dispar (Fallén), cercal plate in dorsal view; 10, S paradispar sp.nov., hypopygium in lateral view; 11, S. paradispar sp.nov., cercal plate in dorsal view. (8, 9, redrawn from Hennig (1959a, 1959b, as S. funeralis (Rondani); 10, 11, Armenia, Gegharkunik, the crater lake on Mt Armaghan, 15.vii.2018, paratypes.)