Ramuliseta palpifera Keiser 1951

Korneyev, V. A., 2015, A New Species Of The Genus Ramuliseta (Diptera, Ctenostylidae) From Madagascar, With A Key To Species, Vestnik Zoologii 49 (6), pp. 489-496 : 494-496

Ramuliseta palpifera Keiser 1951 ( fig. 1 , 3 ; 4 )

palpifera Keiser, 1951: 120 , 121; Barraclough, 1998: 117; Rafael et al., 2009: 64; Pereira-Colavite & Mello, 2014:219. lindneri Keiser, 1952: 325 ; Hennig, 1960: 326, 327; Stuckenberg, 1963: 125; Steyskal, 1980: 556; Barraclough, 1994: 9, 1998: 122. Synonymy in Barraclough, 1998: 122; Pereira-Colavite & Mello, 2014: 219.

Material. Type. Holotype ♀ Ramuliseta palpifera Keiser : Indonesia: “ W.-Sumba / Waimanggura / 15.8.1949 / Expedition / Bühler-Sutter”, “a/Licht.” [handwitten on reverse of label], “TYPUS” [Red card]; ( NHMB) . Holotype ♀ Ramuliseta lindneri Keiser : Tanzania: “ Kware / 17–21.I.1952 / D.O.Afrika Exp. ” [according to Barraclough , 1994: 3 °22ʹ S 37°12ʹ E] (blue printed label), “ Ramuliseta / lindneri n. sp. / F.Keiser det.” (pink label); abdomen missing, four legs glued to card ( SMNS) . Non-type specimens: Tanzania: “Makoa, T.T.- O. Afrika , Lichtfang, 11, 16.i. 1959”, 3 ♀ (E. Lindner leg.) ( SMNS; BMNH) ; Congo: Bambesa, 19.v.1937, 1 ♀ (J. Vrydagh) ( MRAC) ; South Africa: Transvaal , Fanie Bota Nature Reserve near Tzaneen, 23.56° S 30.10° E, 2–6.iii.1986, 2 ♀ (B. Grobbelaar) ( SANC) ; “ ZouTpb. dist. ”, vi.1920, 1 ♀ (abdomen lost) (Natal Museum) (det. D. A. Barraclough) ; Uganda: Fort Portal , 4.xii.1934, 1 ♀; Ruwenzori Range, Bwamba Pass (west side), 5,500–7,500 ft., xii.1934 – i.1935, 1 ♀ (F. W. Edwards; B.M. E. Afr. Exp.) ( BMNH) .

Head (fig. 6–7) slightly wider than thorax, with strongly receding face; length: height: width ratio = 1: 1: 1.2. (fig. 6). Frons 1.3–1.4 times as long as wide, yellow or brownish yellow setulose in anterior four-fifths, with two, rarely one short pro-lateroclinate orbital and pair of ocellar setae. Inner vertical seta present, 1.2 times as long as ocellar seta, postocellar and outer vertical setae lacking. Parafacial with serial yellow setulae to ventral margin of eye. Eye as long as high, slightly oblique oval, 1.5–1.6 times as high as gena. Lunule narrow, bilobate, only slightly exposed, often reddish tinged. Face receding in profile, in female matt brownish yellow, with 2 large and flat antennal grooves separated by low facial carina; in male carina and antennal groowes short, and peristomal cavity membranous, microtrichose, twice as long as face height and twice as long as palp. Antenna yellow, matt, with pedicel and scape densely yellow setulose, with setulae unmodified in both sexes; flagellomere 1 in both sexes basally wide, apically produced into a finger-like lobe ( fig. 4, 4 , 5, 8, 11); arista simple an short pubescent in male, but strongly dendritic in female, with three main branches subsequently branched into long pale pubescent secondary branches. Epistome very slightly produced anteriorly, sclerotized only on margin between face and peristomal (= buccal) cavity. Gena and postgena wrinkled, bulged, often reddish tinged, short yellowish setulose. Proboscis vestigial, palp short and bare, without setae.

Thorax mainly yellow to brownish or reddish yellow, usually with muscle insertions darker; sparsely microtrichose, subshining; setulae yellow; postpronoral lobe yellow, with one short brown seta and 2–3 shorter setulae; pleuron often reddish; prosternum transverse, bare, yellow; proepisternum bare, at most with 1–2 fine setulae. Setae brown: 0 ac, 2 dc (anterior just posterior of transverse suture, posterior at level of wing bases) 1 ia, 1 pa; 1 npl. Anepisternum bare anterodorsally, with 2 postsutural setae and 5–6 setulae. Katepisternum wit one short yellow seta medial of fore coxa, virtually no setae or setulae posteroventrally, at midcoxa base, and with one seta and 2–5 setulae dorsally; 2, sometimes 3 scutellar setae at each side pairs and 6–10 marginal and discal setulae); basal half of scutellum bare.

Legs entirely yellow to yellow-brown, yellow setulose, femora and tibiae without outstanding setae. Hind tibia with striking curvature at about basal third, here narrowed to at least half apical width.

Wing ( fig. 4 , 2 , 6, 7, 9, 10) venation and pattern same in male and female. Base of wing and alula almost entirely yellowish brown. Costal cell with one subbasal hyaline spot, costa with outward curvature proximally of subcostal break; pterostigma strongly narrowed, apically with hyaline area extending posteriorly into cell r1 and reaching vein R 2+3; cell r1 distal of pterostigma with second hyaline triangular or trapezoid spot reaching vein R 4+5. R 2+3 apically curved, parallel to R 4+5 and M; distance along costal margin between R 2+3 and R 4+5 about 1.4–2 times distance between R 4+5 and M. Cells R 1, R 2+3, and R 4+5 entirely brown in apical part of wing. Vein M almost parallel to R 4+5; ratio of its three last sections: M2: M3: M4 = 1: 0.5–0.7: 2–2.3 and reduced in basal half of section M1: cell bm partly open anterobasally. Crossvein dm-cu oblique and usually arcuate. Posterior margin of wing greyish microtrichose or hyaline, with 2 hyaline incisions at both sides of dm-cu reaching into cell r 4+5. Cell cu p entirely brown, closed by arcuate crossvein. Anal cell with posterodistal corner receded.

Wing length: 2.8–4 mm (Ơ), 4.5–4.7 mm (♀).

Abdomen brownish yellow, yellow setulose, with moderately narrowed segments 1 and 2, syntergite 1+2 with short and wide petiole; sternite 1 elongate trapezoid, partly fused to sternite 2. Tergite 5 of both male and female laterobasally with shining black spot.

Male and female terminalia described by Barraclough (1994, 1998) and not dissected in this study, in general similar to genitalia of Nepaliseta as described by Korneyev (2001).

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Nigeria ( Barraclough, 1998), Uganda, Tanzania, Congo, South Africa; Indonesia (Lesser Sunda Islands).

I greatly appreciate kind assistance of curators of the collections for loan of material and two anonymous referees for reading the manuscript and valuable critical comments.

Figures

Fig. 1. Ramuliseta, wing: 1 — R. dolini sp.n.; 2 — R. madagascariensis; 3 — R. palpifera (arrows show key characters).

Fig. 3. Ramuliseta madagascariensis, paralectotype ♀: 1 — head dorsal, 2 — same, right; 3 — wing.

Fig. 4. Ramuliseta palpifera (1 —non-type ♀, Tanzania; 2–6 — holotype ♀ R. palpifera; 7–9 — holotype ♀ R. lindneri; 10–11 — non-type Ơ, Congo): 1 — habitus, dorso-lateral view; 2, 7, 10 — same, left; 3 — head and mesonotum, dorsal view; 4, 8, 11 — head, antero-ventral view; 5 — same, left; 6, 9 — wing.

Fig. 2. Ramuliseta dolini sp. n., holotype ♀: 1 — habitus, lateral view; 2–5 — head (2 — left, 3 — anterior, 4 — dorsal view); 6 — wing; 7 — mesonotum, dorsal view.