Platycephala nanlingensis, An & Yang, 2009

An, Shuwen & Yang, Ding, 2009, Four new species of Platycephala with a key to the Chinese species (Diptera, Chloropidae), Journal of Natural History 43 (7 - 8), pp. 399-409 : 407-408

Platycephala nanlingensis sp. nov.

( Figure 4 )

Type material

Holotype: female, China: Guangdong: Ruyuan, Nanling , 23 July 2003, Shuwen An . Paratype: one female, China: Guangdong: Ruyuan, Nanling, 23 July 2003, Xingyue Liu .

Diagonisis

Body black. Parafacial not distinctly narrowed below eyes, about 0.4 times as long as long axis of eye. Hind femur brown and weakly thickened, 5.3 times longer than wide. Female cerci long with obtuse tip.

Description

Body length 5.3–5.8 mm (female), wing length 3.2–4.0 mm (female).

Head ( Figure 4A–B ) black, triangular in profile, about 1.5 times longer than high; frons not strongly produced beyond anterior level of eye, in profile about 0.4 times as long as long axis of eye; gena prominently broadened posterad, anteriorly narrowed below eye; parafacial about 0.4 times as long as long axis of eye. Frontal triangle trapezoid, occupying most area of frons, reaching its anterior margin and semicircular anteriorly with black posterior half; ocellar triangle and surrounding area black; area between eye and frontal triangle depressed and dark brown. Setulae and setae on head brown. Antenna ( Figure 4C ) black; pedicel blackish, 0.6 times as long as third antennal segment; third antennal segment nearly rectangular, 1.4 times longer than wide, rounded apically; arista pale yellow with brown basal segment, pale short pubescent. Proboscis pale, palpus blackish with pale setulae.

Thorax black, slightly narrower than head; propleuron and upper portion of anepimeron blackish; mesonotum 1.1 times longer than wide, with prominent setigerous punctures; scutellum 1.3 times wider than long. Setulae and setae on thorax black; katepisternum with some long thin setulae. Legs brownish; fore tarsomeres 2–4 and hind tarsomeres 1–3 blackish, most portion of hind tibia blackish; hind femur ( Figure 4D ) weakly thickened, about 5.3 times longer than wide and 1.5 times thicker than fore femur; hind tibia somewhat curved. Setulae on legs pale; hind femur with some long setulae. Wing hyaline, slightly tinged with brownish; veins mostly brown. Relative lengths of costal sections second:third:fourth55:7:5.6. Squama yellow with pale setulae. Halter pale.

Abdomen blackish, light microtrichose; venter brown. Setulae and setae black, venter with some pale setulae. Genitalia (♀) ( Figure 4E–F ): brown-yellow; tergite 8 broad; sternite 8 separated at middle; tergite 9 semicircular and sternite 9 nearly quadrate; cerci long and obtuse at tip. Setulae on genitalia brown; tergite 9 with one pair of long setulae; sternite 9 with one row of long setulae on apical margin.

Distribution

China (Guangdong).

Etymology

The species is named after the locality Nanling.

Remarks

The new species is similar to Platycephala josephi Cherian from India in the frontal triangle black on the posterior half and the weakly thickened hind femur, but can be separated from the latter by the weakly narrowed parafacial which is about 0.4 times as long as the long axis of the eye, the antenna is black, and the palpus is blackish. In P. josephui , the parafacial is indistinct below the eye, the antenna has the yellowish brown second antennal segment and dark brown third antennal segment with the yellowish lower half, the palpus is pale ( Cherian 1978).

Figures

Figure 4. Platycephala nanlingensis sp. nov. (female): (A) head, dorsal view; (B) head, lateral view; (C) antenna, lateral view; (D) hind femur and tibia, anterior view; (E) abdominal terminalia, dorsal view; (F) abdominal terminalia, ventral view. Scale bar 0.25 mm.