Gonitella structuralis, 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 : 390-392

Gonitella structuralis sp. n.

(Figs 50–59)

Holotype: male ( IRSNB), Malaisetraps, lowlandevergreenswampforest – D. R. CONGO: Oriental Prov., Eyolo forest , ca. 2 km E. Lieki, 0.69642, 24.24186, 25–29. v. 2010, A.H. Kirk- Spriggs – [yellow] BoyekoliEbaleCongoExpedition 2010 – BECE02373 .

Paratypes: 1 male ( BMSA, genitaliaprepared): ibid., secondaryforest – Bomanevil- lage area at: 01° 16.283’N 23° 43.994’E 20–24. v. – BECE1442 ; 1 male ( HNHM, genitalia prepared): labelssamedataasholotype, BECE02375 .

Size: bodylength 2.13 (holotype), 2.10, 2.22 (paratypes); winglength 1.71 (holotype), 1.65, 1.76 (paratypes); wingwidth 0.71 (holotype), 0.70, 0.72 (paratypes).

Description. Male. Head. Threeweakpairsof ifr setae. Nopostocellarseta, outerand inneroccipitalsminuteandveryseparatefromeachother. Anteriorfronto-orbitalslightly proclinate. Firstflagellomeretwiceashighaslong. Aristaverylong (1.00 mm), cilia 0.03– 0.04 mmlong; ciliaofsimilarlengthonslightlyconicalfirstflagellomere. Genanarrow, 0.06 mm below eye. Vibrissa 0.23 mm long. Scutum with a presutural and a medium-long prealarinclinateseta. Acrostichalsin 6–8 unarrangedrows. Anteriorkatepisternalsetainconspicuous, posteriorpair 0.20–0.21 mmlong. Wingmembranelightbrown, aswellas veins. Second costal section, 0.54 mm, third section, 0.46 mm, costal ratio 1.16. RM-MM sectionandM-Mcrossveinequal, 0.125 mm. Discalcelledged, noveinappendages. M 1+2 continuingbeyonddiscalcellhalfwaytowingmarginasacolourlessfold. Alulasmall, verynarrow (0.06 mm), withlongciliaapicallyandmedially. Legsyellow, dorsalside oftibiaeandfemoradarkerdirtyyellow. Dorsalpreapicalonforetibianotlongerthan tibialdiameteratthatpoint. Arowofstrongblacksetaepostero-ventrallyonmidfemur. Midtibialarmature: anterodorsalsat 15/45 (weak), 37/45 (strong), posterodorsalsat 16/45 (weak), 36/45 (strong), aweakersub-dorsalat 33/45, othersetaeonmidtibiacomparatively strong. Nomidventralseta, ventro-apicalshort (0.05 mm), some 2–3 longerventralsetae subapically. Hindtibiawithverystrongandlongdorsalpreapicalsetaof 0.14–0.15 mm withsomelongdorsalhairs, upto 0.10 mm. Hindbasitarsusswollen, 2ndtarsomerevery large, lengthoftarsomeres 1+2 0.26 mm, tarsomeres 3–5, 0.21 mm.

Sternite 5 (Fig. 50) with a definite, broad, with a slightly emarginated medio-cau- dalextension (contrarilyto G. inornata ). Synsternite (Figs 51–53) ofanextremelyintricate shape: sternite 8 portionnormal, sternite 7 portionnarrowwithabluntcurvedventral part, which reaches sagittal plane of the body. Sternite 6 portion with huge anterior lobes, hidden under pregenital sternites (Fig. 52), ventral part with ca. 10 very long setae (Figs 51–53). Medio-caudalpartwithasagittalprocess, directedanteriorlyandtowardsbody cavity. Epandrium with 2 pairs of thick blunt setae 0.15–0.17 mm long plus one even longer seta on the right side. Surstylus is highly structured (Figs 56–59): 3-lobed, anterior one with ananteriorpeculiarblackthorn, atapexofaventrallycurvedprocess; laterallobesimilar to a raptor-bird leg with 4 “talons” (Fig. 58); medial lobe (Fig. 56) broadened caudally, with numerousthinhairs. Bodyofsurstylusroundedcaudally (Fig. 59). Phallapodeme (Fig. 54) withaveryhighdorsalsagittallamella. Basiphallus (Fig. 54) largeandcurved, distiphallus very long. No ventral process on border of distiphallus. Postgonite (Figs 54–55) very large, caudallycurved, withashovel- shapedapexandalargecaudalprocessinitsapical 2/5.

Etymology. Thespecificepithet (Latin: ‘structuralis’ = structured) referstoitsintri-

cately‘built’malegenitalia.

Comments. There are females of two other species in the collection of the National Museum of Bloemfontein and BECE from D. R. Congo & Burundi. I amafraid, however, onecannotsuccessfullyidentifytheminpossessionof largermaterialfromCentralAfrica. Thelargeandcurvedbasiphallusisas in G. inornata , whilethedistiphallusismuchlongerthanin G. inornata , more similartothatof G. flavipes (L. PAPP, 2008 a: fig. 243). Thedisti-andbasiphallus has no ventral process on the border is as in G. flavipes . In G. structuralis , the sternite 5 hasaslightlyemarginatedmedio-caudalextension, contrarilyto G. inornata .

Itisobviousthat Gonitella and Setositibiella arerelatedgenera. Shared charactersofthegenera Gonitella and Setositibiella include:

− bodystronglysclerotised,

− postocellarsetareduced (hardlyornotatalldiscernible),

− headsetae occe and occi small,

− anterior fr-orb setaweakandpartlyproclinate,

− gena very narrow,

− firstflagellomereca. 2 timeshigherthanlong,

− aristaextremelylongwithlongcilia,

− anteriorkatepisternalsetaminuteorlacking,

− two pair of long dc, no prsc,

− no mid ventral seta on mid tibia.

Gonitella species differ, however, from Setositibiella , in having 2 additionalsetaeintheintra- alarrow: apresuturaloneandaprealarone (thislater definitely incurved). DifferencesincludedinPAPP’skey (2008 a: 188) stand, exceptforsecondcostalsectionlongerormuchlongerthanthird). Themain distinctivefeaturesareinthemalegenitalia.

Figs 50–59. Gonitellastructuralis sp. n., malepostabdomenandgenitalia. 50 = sternite 5, ventral view, 51 = synsternite, caudal view, 52 = ventral parts of synsternite, ventral view, 53 = ventralpartsofsynsternite, caudalview, 54 = phallusandphallapodemewithcontoursofpostgonite, lateralview, 55 = postgonite, inbroadest (sublateral) view, 56 = surstylus, lateralview, 57 = anteriorlobeofsurstylus, anteriorview, 58 = mediallobeofsurstylus, broadest (sublateral) view, 59 = posteriorpartofsurstyluswithcaudalpartofepandrium andleftcercus, broadest (sublateral) view. Scalebar: 0.4 mmforFig. 50, 0.2 mmforFigs

51–54, 56–59, 0.1 mm for Fig. 55