Philocoprella africana, 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 : 406-408

Philocoprella africana sp. n.

(Figs 108–118)

Holotype ( HNHM): male, R.S.A.: EasternCapeProv., ShamwariGameReserve, on elephant dung, Jan 11, GPS10, S33° 24’ 47.0’’ E26° 05’ 45.0’’, 301 m, No. 14, leg. L. Papp & M. Földvári.

Paratypes: 74 males 66 females ( HNHM) 1 male, 1 female ( BMSA) , 1 male, 1 female ( NMSA) , samedataasholotype.

Size (inmm): bodylength 1.00 (holotype), 0.95–1.15 (paratypes); winglength 0.95 (holotype), 0.875–0.98 (paratypes), wingwidth 0.425 (holotype), 0.40–0.45 (paratypes).

Description. Head. Fourpairsofmedium-longinterfrontals, twopairsoflateroclinatefronto-orbitals, plusfiveormoreshortthinfronto-orbitalpairs, twopairsofshort latero-clinateinter-ocellars, andoneinclinatepairofpostocellars. Parafacialiawithminute white hairs. Width of gena 0.05 mm, longitudinal axis of eye 0.225 mm. Genal seta 0.07 mm (holotypeandaparatypefemale), i.e. slightlylongerthanfirstperistomalseta. Ocel- lartrianglereachesmiddleoffrons. Firstflagellomereround, withlong (0.015mm) dense apicalhairs. Arista 0.36 mmlong, withshort (0.012 mm) cilia. Postpronotumwith 3 pairs ofsetae: onelowermedio-clinateshortseta, oneratherlargereclinatemedialsetaandone pairofmedio-clinatemedialsetae; onepairofposterior dc, scutellarsetae ( PAPP 1973 b: fig. 151). Acrostichalsetulaewellordered, eightrowsonsuture. Presuturalseta 0.09 (0.085) mm long, twopairsofkepst, anteriorpairlessthanhalfofposteriorpair. Otherheadandtho- racic setae as in Ph. italica . Wing very light brown, veins light brown. Costal vein both hori- zontallyanddorsallywith (5) 6–7 longsetaeof 0.06 mm, costagialsetaenotmuchlonger (0.07 mm). Second costal section 0.21 mm, third section 0.205 mm, ratio 1.03. Costal vein extending beyond tip of R 4+5 by 0.175 –0.185 mm. Inter-crossvein section ( RM-MM) of M 1+2, 0.08 mm, M-Mcross- vein 0.075 mm. Costalsetaupto 0.05 mm. Discalcelledged, visible appendagesof 0.05 mm. Alulanarrow, 0.05 mmbroad. Midtibialarmature: anterodorsals at 6/26 (medium), 13/26 (medium), 18/26 (long), posterodorsals at 9/26, 18/16 (long). No ventro-apicalsetaonmidtibia. Aratherstrongmidventralsetaat 15/26 andashortsubapicalventralseta. Hindtibiawithalongdorsalpreapicalsetaof 0.05–0.055 mmplusother (3–4 pairs) moredorsallonghair-likesetae. Bothantero-andpostero-apicalsetaeofmid tibiamedium-long (0.04 mm), i.e., definitelyshorterthanventralbasitarsalseta (0.06 mm in male, 0.07 mm in female). Tergite 5 much broader, but not much longer than sternite 5; sternite 5 subquadrate (Fig. 108), withsomescatteredlongsetae, averysmallsub-triangular medio-caudalpartwithfinehairsinca. 6 rows (Fig. 109). Synsternitepeculiar: sternite 8 occupiesitsentiredorsalpart, whilesternite 6 partnormal, sternite 7 partandventralpartof sternite 8 verysmall (Fig. 110). Epandriumshort (Figs 111, 115), epandrialcomplexclosed ventrally, cercionlyslightlylesssclerotised. Subepandrialsclerite (Fig. 112) large, much broaderthanlong, adarkerandmoresclerotisedsagittalpartandextendedlatero-ventral edges. Hypandrium (Fig. 115) peculiar, lateralpartsstronglyandbroadlyfusedtoepandrium, medialpart (“rod”) longandbroad, basallyY-shaped, proximalendconnectedto lateralparts, distalpartmoderatelyextendedhorizontally. Surstylus (Figs 113–114) short, notmuchhigherthanlong, withnumerouslongsetae, butnothickerthorns. Basiphallus elongatedventrally, butwithoutepiphallus (Fig. 117), distiphalluscompact. Phallapodeme (Figs 116–117) long, proximalendjoiningbasiphallusbroadlyextended, distalthirdformed byabroadhorizontalplate. Postgonite (Fig. 118) characteristic, withabroadbase, apical partinlateralviewgeniculate, apicalthirdslender, withbluntapex.

Female: cercuswith 2 longsinuoushairs.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to its distribution in the Afrotropical region.

Comments. Thisisthefirstdescriptionofthegenitaliaofaspeciesinthe genus Philocoprella Richards. Thescutellarsetaein P. africana aresimilarto thatof Rachispoda .

It is out of the scope of this paper to revise Philocoprella . In the collection at the HNHM there are two additional undescribed Oriental species of the genus, as well as congeneric specimens from Nigeria and Kenya that have not beenidentifiedtospecieslevel. Theminutesizeofthespeciesmakesdifficult thestudyofthemorphology. Anadditionalproblemisthatthetypespecies ofthegenus, Ph. arvernica (Richards, 1929) , isknownonlyfromtheholotype, depositedattheLondonNHM (RohÁčeK etal. 2001). AsfarasIknow, ithas not been studied after the original description. It has only one pair of short setaeonscutellumdisc, whichisquiteunique. Ihaveseenseveralthousand Philocoprella specimens (we captured more than 1000 specimens during our 2002–2005 project on the Hortobágy; PAPP 2007), but I have not seen any specimenwithonlyonepairofsetaeonthediscofscutellum. Thediagnosticfea- turesofthenewspeciesaresummarisedinthekeybelow.

Key to the known species of Philocoprella Richards, 1929 ( Ph. arvernica (Richards) isnotconsidered)

1. R 4+5 straight. C extending tip of R 4+5 by a much longer section than mid basitarsus 2

– R4+5 stronglyupcurved ( PAPP 1973 b: fig. 23F). Calmostreachingwing apex. C extending tip of R 4+5 length of mid basitarsus 3

2. Five pairs of interfrontal setae. RM-MM to M-M section of M 1+2 1.5–2.0 times longer than cross- vein M-M. Female cercus with two very long, sinuoushairs. Mongolia. Ph. mongolica L. Papp, 1973

– Four pairs of interfrontal setae. RM-MM to M-M section of M 1+2 hardly longerthancross- veinM-M. Dorsalhairoffemalecercusconsiderably shorter then apical hair Ph. rectiradiata L. Papp, 1973 *

3. Malemidbasitarsuswithlongventralsub-apicalsetaandfemalecercus withtwolongsinuoushairs. Malegenitalia (Figs 108–118). Afrotropical Ph. africana sp. n.

– Malemidbasitarsuswithoutlongsub-basalsetaorfemalecercuswith shorthairsonly. Palaearctic 4

4. Malemidbasitarsuswithoutlongsub-basalventralseta; femalecercus with 2 longsinuoushairs Ph. quadrispina (Laurence)

– Malemidbasitarsuswithlongsub-basalventralseta; femalecercuswith shorthairsonly Ph. italica (Deeming)

Figs 108–118. Philocoprellaafricana sp. n., malepostabdomenandgenitalia. 108 = sternite 5 with contours of tergite 5, ventral view; 109 = medio-caudal part of sternite 5 in higher magnification; 110 = synsternite, ventral view; 111 = epandrium with cerci and subepandrialsclerite, caudalview; 112 = subepandrialsclerite, broadestextension, i.e. subcaudal view; 113 = surstylus, caudalview; 114 = surstylus, inbroadestextension, i.e. asubventral- subcaudal view; 115 = hypandrium and epandrium, ventral view; 116 = phallapodeme, dorsalview 117 = phallusandphallapodeme, lateralview; 118 = postgonite, lateralview (BPh: basiphallus). Scale bars: 0.2 mm for Figs 108, 110–111, 115, 0.1 mm for Figs 109, 112–

114, 116–118

* I have to note here that the holotype of Ph. rectiradiata is mysteriously missing from theHNHMcollection. The 2 maleand 3 femaleparatypesarethere; theholotypewasnot found even in loan lists, etc. In the frame of the revision of Philocoprella one must return to thisproblem.