Phthitia incognata, Papp, László, 2017

Papp, László, 2017, Twenty New Species Of Fifteen Genera Of The Afrotropical Sphaeroceridae (Diptera), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 63 (4), pp. 377-427 : 410-413

Phthitia incognata sp. n.

(Figs 119–133)

Holotype ( HNHM): male, RSA: KwaZuluNatal, NDrakensberg, RainbowGorge , Jan 26–28, 2007, No. 39 – GPS29, S28° 57’ 36.7’’ E29° 13’ 33.6’’, 1529 m, L. Papp & M. Földvári.

Paratypes (allmalesbutoneinHNHM, onemaleinBMSA): 10 males, 6 females, ibid., along Rainbow Gorge streamlet, yellow pans – Jan 28–31, 2007, No. 41, GPS31, S28° 57’ 43.2’’ E29° 13’ 18.4’’, 1516 m, leg. M. Földvári.

Size (inmm): bodylength 3.25 (holotype), 3.15–3.45 (paratypes); winglength 3.01 (holotype), 2.95–3.19 (paratypes); wingwidth 1.21 (holotype), 1.17–1.25 (paratypes).

Description. Male. Mostfeaturesfittothoseofthenominatesubgenus. Facialplate short, mouthedgestronglyproduced, alargesub-triangularprotuberancepresentbetween scapes. Pedicellongerthanfirstflagellomere. Flagellomere 1 higherthanlong, withanarrowlyroundeddorsalend. Pedicelwithawreathoflongsubapicalsetae. Firstflagellomere withca. 0.025 mmlongcilia. Arista 0.90–0.95 mmlong. Palpwithtwolongsubapicalplus severalshorterventralsetae, 4 pairsofinterfrontalsetae, anterioroneshort; twolateroclinatefronto-orbitalpairs, plusseveralshortfronto-orbitalsetulaediscernible. Postocellar setaindistinct, ocellar, outerandinnervertical, outerandinneroccipitalpairslong, thick. Longitudinalaxisofeye 0.50–0.52 mm. Parafacialiawithshortblacksetulaemoreventral- ly, beloweyelongerandlightersetulaediscernible. Vibrissa, 0.34 mm, genalwidth (holotype) 0.17 mm, genalseta 0.24–0.25 mmlong. Onelongpostpronotalseta, medialpairnot discernible; twopairsofnotopleurals (posteriorpaironalargeprotuberance), presutural setanotlong, 2 setaeinintra- alarrow: onesupra- alarandonepostalarone. Postalarsetain the supra- alar row very long, 0.65–0.69 mm, anterior pair also long (0.29 mm). Two pairs of longdorsocentrals, betweenthem 1, anteriorly 2 additionalsetaearelongerthanadjacent setae. Noprescutellarseta. Apicalscutellarsetaextremelylong, 1.00– 1.05 mm. Onelong katepisternal 0.29 mm, anteriorpairnotdeveloped; somespecimenswith 1 or 2 shortsetae betweenapicalandlateralscutellarsetae. Wingmembranelightbrownish, veinsochre. Twocostagialsetae 0.16 mm, i.e., notparticularlylong. SectionsCs2 1.06 mm, Cs3 0.85 mm, ratio 1.25. RM-MM section 0.39 mm, M-M cross- vein 0.13 mm. M 1+2 definitely reaching wingmarginthoughfaintly. Analveinbroadlysigmoid, notreachingwingmargin. Alula ratherbroad, liguliform, 0.12–0.13 mmbroad. Halterknoblightbrown, stalkwax-yellow. Fore leg with no distinctive changes. Mid femur with two rows of antero-ventral and pos- tero-ventralshortblacksetae. Malemidtibiawithoutmidventralorventro-apicalseta; a completerowofshortblack, spiniformsetaeventrally. Antero-dorsalsetaeat 15/68,24/68, 39/68 (shorter), 48/68, 53/68 (more dorsal), 61–68 (shorter), postero-dorsals at 16/68 (thinner and shorter), 28/68, 52/68 (very long and thick), 61/68 (weak). A very thick anterior apicalsetapresent. Hindtibiawitha 0.15–0.16 mmlong, thickblack, slightlylaterallycurved, ventralspur. Bothpreabdominaltergitesandsterniteslarge, almostmeetinglaterally. Sternite 5 large (Fig. 119), U-shapedinanteriorview, lesssclerotisedmedio-caudallywithouta process, butwithlongthinsetaeonlargerdarksockets. Sternite 6+7 portionofsynsternite (Figs 121–122) fusedonlydorsally, sternite 8 portionnotfusedwithsynsternite. Shapeof sternite 6 complex ventrally (Figs 121–122), a thorn at left side and a sub-trapezoid medialblackscleritemostventrally; slightlydorsallyacup- likescleritewithapairoflateral asymmetricalprocessesandarightwardslargersclerite. Sternite 7 partsimple, sternite 8 portionstronglyconvex, nearly 0.4 mmlongdorsally. Epandriumwithnumerouslateral setae (Fig. 123). Subepandrialsclerite (Fig. 123, covered) small, onlyatransverselathbe- lowanalopening. Pseudocercienormouslylarge, withnumerousapicalsetaeandasingle thickspine. Hypandrium (Fig. 120) absolutelyasymmetricalwithoutrod (medialappend- age). Subepandrialscleriteveryshort, transverse, connectinglongdorsalappendagesof Figs 119–126. Phthitiaincognita sp. n., malepostabdomenandgenitalia. 119 = sternite 5, ventralview, 120 = hypandrium, ventralview, 121 = synsternitecaudally, 122 = synsternite ventrally, 123 = epandrium and cerci, caudal view, 124 = postgonite, in lateral view, 125 = surstylus, lateralview, 126 = surstylus, ventralview. Scalebar: 0.4 mmforFigs 119,

121–123, 0.2 mm for Figs 120 and for 124–126

surstyli. Surstylus (Figs 125–126) witharecurvedlongandbluntcaudallobe, withabroad anteriorlobebearinganapicaltooth; bodyofsurstylusbroadenedhorizontally (visible onlyinventralview). Basiphallus ( Fig. 129) highandshort, phallapodemecomparatively small. Distiphallus ( Figs 127–128) inthreeparts: basalpartasmallpentagonalplateinhorizontalposition, anapicalpartwithabifidblackscleriteandapairofverylargeauriform, 2-layeredsub-basallobessideward. Postgonite (Fig. 124) connectedtophallusbyanarrow blacklath, basalpartbroad, apicalpartnarrowed, bifidapically.

for Figs 127–129, 131–132, 0.1 mm for Figs 130, 133

Female. Female mid tibia with a very long and thick ventro-apical seta but mid ventralsetalacking. Hindtibiaalsowiththickblack, slightlylaterallycurved, ventralspur. Postabdomenstructurallyfitstothebasicstructureseenin Phthitia species. Epiproct ( Fig. 132) comparativelyweak, subtriangular, withapairofcaudalapicalprocesseswithtwo pairsofshortsetae. Hypoproct ( Figs 131–132) broad, weaklysclerotisedmedially, al- mostbare. Femalecercus ( Figs 131–132) stronglyupcurvedapically, withtwothickapical thorns. Spermathecae ( Fig. 133) pyriform, ductssclerotisedonashortsectiondistallyto spermathecae, pairedspermathecawithasinglecommonduct, notwithindividualized ducts. Spermathecaeonitsbasal, narrowedpartwithsomeminutewarts.

Etymology. Inamedthisnewspecies (Latin‘incognitus’= notrelated), sinceonecannotfindacloserrelativespeciesamongtheAfrotropicalspecies.

Comments. IcouldnotfindanyspeciesinMArShALLandSmith’ s (1992) arevisionoftheNewWorldAtlanticandPacific Phthitia closetothisnew species. Intheirinterpretationof Kimosina Roháček, 1983 issynonymouswith Phthitia . AsstatedinPAPP (2008 a), weshouldkeep Kimosina atleastasasubgenus of Phthitia . This new species does not fit into Kimosina or to the subgen- era Collimosina Roháček (1983) , Alimosina Roháček (1983) or Rufolimosina L. Papp, 2008 .