Ceropterella mirifica, 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 : 383-386

Ceropterella mirifica sp. n.

( Figs 25 –33)

Holotype: male ( BMSA), Namibia, TSUMKWEDIST., 3 kmNofKanoVlei, 19° 17’

15’’ S 20° 21’ 03’’, 19.xii.1998, A.H. Kirk- Spriggs, Marais & Mann, atlightdrywoodlands - [blue] NamibianNationalInsectCollection, StateMuseum, P.O.Box 1203, WINDHOEK, Namibia .

Paratypes ( BMSA): 2 females: samedataasforholotype ; 1 male ( HNHM, abdomen andgenitaliapreparedandkeptinaplasticmicrovialwithglycerol, rightwingprepared between 2 pieces of cover glass): ibid., RUNDU DIST ., 20 km E Rundu , 17° 55’ 46’’S 19° 58’ 43’’, 17–18.x.1999, Kirk- SpriggsPapeHauwanga, Malaisetrapsample – 2 ).

Size (inmm): bodylength 3.41 (holotype), 3.3–3.8 (paratypes), winglength 3.13 (holotype), 3.48–4.05 (paratypes), wingwidth 1.40 (holotype), 1.38–1.40 (paratypes).

Description. Male. Body ratio: head 0.9 mm; thorax 1.3 mm; abdomen 1.6 mm (body lenghtparatypemale 3.8 mm). Abroadepistomapresent. Scutumflat, scutellumconcave mesally. Anepimeronlargebulging (stronglyconvex), blackandshiny. Wingmembrane verylightgreyishyellow, veinsyellowish. Secondcostalsection 1.42–1.45 mm, thirdsection 0.70–0.705 mm, costal index 2.00. Vein R 4+5 strongly upcurved, reaching C far (0.25–0.28 mm) from wing apex. Costal vein fringe about 0.3 mm. Two strong setae (0.30, 0.25 mm) on proximalCtocostalbreak. Costagialsetaeof 0.30 mm, 0.20 mm. Inter-crossveinsectionof M 1+2, 0.37 mm, M-M crossvein oblique 0.26–0.27 mm, discal cell edged, definitely larger than 90°. Vein M 1+2 reaching wing margin, vein appendage of M 3+4 visible 0.36–0.37 mm, vein al- mostreachingwingmargin. Analveindistinctonasectionofca. 0.3 mm. Alulabroad, 0.20 mm, broadlyroundedapically, cilia 0.15 mmlong, alsopresentonventralmarginofwing.

Abdominalmembranewithdensethicksetaeemergingfromdarkglobularsockets. Tergites 1+2, 3 and 4 reduced; sternites 3 and 4 short, half width of sternite 5. Width of syntergite 1+2, 0.9 mm, length, 0.60 mm. Tergite 5 with 4 pairs of long black marginal setae (0.35 mm), otherwise tergite 5 with sparse thin seta only, central part bare. Sternite 5 (Fig. 26) concave (lessbroadtherewhenpresseddown), mesiallybare, medio-caudallywith anangulatedprocess. Medio-caudaledgewithdenseshortsharpsetae (Fig. 26 outset). Sternite 8 portion dorsally 0.50 mm. Epandrium not large, cercus large, not fused along the sagittal line (Fig. 29). Subepandrial sclerite (Fig. 28) broad rounded, left and right parts Figs 26–33. Ceropterellamirifica sp. n., maleparatype, postabdomenandgenitalia. 26 = sternite 5, ventral view (outset: medial part in higher magnification), 27 = cercal part, ventral view, 28 = subepandrialsclerite, anteriorview, 29 = cercusandsurstylus, caudalview, 30 = postgonite, broadest (sublateral) view, 31 = phallusandphallapodeme, lateralview, 32 = surstylus, longest (subcaudal) view, 33 = surstylus, broadest (sublateral) view. Scalebar:

0.4 mm for Fig. 26, 0.2 mm for the rest broadlyseparated. Surstylus (Figs 32–33) dividedintwoparts (notpossibletorepresent inasingleview). Anteriorpartbroadlyroundedapically (Fig. 33), posteriorlobeslightly longer, withanapexanteriorly. Postgonite (Fig. 30) rathershort, withabroadbase, narrowing towards apex. Phallapodeme large (Fig. 31, cf. Fig. 35). Phallus not divided into disti-andbasiphallus, thelineoffusionnotdetectable (Fig. 31).

Female. Abdominaltergites 3 and 4 membranouswithstrongsetaeemergingfrom darksockets. Tergite 5 0.55 mmlong, 0.6 mmbroad, shield-shapedwith 2 pairsof 0.35 mm longlateralandsublateralmarginalsetae. Postabdomenshort, partlytelescopic. Hypoproctandepiproctshort, cercuswithonlymedium (max. 0.20 mm), palesetae.

Etymology. Inamedthisnewspeciesas‘ mirifica’ (wonderful, inLatin) foritsvivid coloursandconspicuoussetosity.

Comments. Foracomparison, themalegenitaliaof C. nitidosa (Richards) – the type species of the genus – were also studied. The phallapodeme in C. mirifica slightlylargerthanin C. nitidosa . Thedistiphallusisslightlyshorter and much higher in lateral view (Fig. 35), narrowing basally (Fig. 34). The phallusisnotdividedtodistiphallusandbasiphallus; andthisfeaturemaybe astrongapomorphyseparatingitfromother Ceroptera species.