Melanophora chia, Cerretti & Pape, 2009

Cerretti, Pierfilippo & Pape, Thomas, 2009, Phylogeny and re-definition of the genus Melanophora (Diptera: Rhinophoridae), with description of a new species from Sardinia *, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 552-565 : 555-558

Melanophora chia sp. nov.

( Figs 2–11)

Type material. Holotype ♂: I – Sardegna (Cagliari prov.) / Dòmus de Maria, Torre di Chia / spiaggia di Su Portu, 1 m / UTM-wgs 84 32S 490072 4305296 / 5.IX.2007, hand net / D. Avesani, M. Bardiani, A. Campanaro leg. [ MZUR] . Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype [ MZUR] .

Etymology. From the type locality “Torre di Chia”, a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Having retained the postangular portion of M and showing a female wing membrane with a whitish, sub-distal spot, this species belongs to the roralis -group. It differs from the widespread M. roralis by the following features: i) petiole of R 4+5 very long, 2.1–2.5 times as long as postangular section of M; ii) Cs 6 at least as long as Cs 4 (distinctly longer in female); iii) anterodistal edge of wing with a concavity at the intersection of 4 th and 6 th costal sections, very pronounced in female, just visible in male; iv) female head and thorax mainly yellow in ground colour; v) male cerci, in posterior view, very narrow; basally not enlarged ( Fig. 11).

Description.

Male (measurements in square brackets refer to the paratype):

Body length. 3.3 mm.

Colour. Head predominantly black, without microtomentum; frontal vitta brown; palpus and prementum black; antenna entirely black. Thorax and abdomen shiny black, without microtomentum. Legs black. Halter with black knob and brownish-orange stem. Upper and lower calypteres brownish infuscated. Wing membrane evenly brownish, but darker anterobasally.

Head ( Figs 2–4). Compound eye bare. Arista thickened only at base, covered with microtrichia at most as long as its maximum diameter. First and second aristomeres not elongated. Postpedicel 1.0–[1.2] times as long as pedicel. Frons at its narrowest point 1.1 times as wide as eye in dorsal view. Ocellar setae well developed, proclinate and divergent. Medial vertical seta strong, reclinate. Lateral vertical seta well developed, about 0.7 times as long as medial vertical seta. One strong reclinate upper orbital seta. Three to 5 proclinate orbital setae. Seven to 10 frontal setae descending anteroventrally to level of proximal edge of pedicel; two dorsalmost pairs of frontal setae reclinate. Parafacial with some proclinate, fine setulae on dorsal half. Parafacial, at its narrowest point, about as wide as postpedicel (lateral view). Face and lower facial margin not visible in lateral view. Vibrissa well developed. Vibrissal angle receding. Facial ridge strongly concave, with robust, decumbent setulae on ventral half. Genal dilation well developed, covered with stout setulae. Gena in profile about 0.3 times as high as eye. Postocular setae short. Occiput slightly convex, covered with black setulae. Prementum about 2.5–3.5 times as long as wide. Oral cavity oval. Palpus subcylindrical with some setulae on distal half.

Thorax ( Figs 5–8). Prosternum and proepisternal depression bare. Anteroventral proepisternal seta well developed and oriented anteroventrally. Ventral proepimeral seta oriented anteroventrally. Postpronotum with 2 strong setae. Scutum with 0–1 + 1–2 acrostichal setae, 2–3 + 3 dorsocentral, 0 + 2 intra-alar and 1 + 1 supraalar setae (first postsutural supra-alar seta absent); 1 posthumeral, 2 well developed notopleural setae. Anatergite bare. Two strong dorsal katepisternal setae sub-equal in length and thickness, plus a smaller additional one ventrally. One short anepimeral seta. Katepimeron bare. Scutellum with 3 pairs of marginal setae: basal pair very short and weak (at most 1/4 of subapicals) sometimes indistinct; subapicals long, robust and slightly divergent; apical pair crossed and horizontal, about 2/3 as long as subapical pair. One pair of short discal scutellar setae, in subapical position.

Wing ( Figs 9, 10). Costal spine not or very slightly differentiated from costal spinulae. Costal segment Cs 6 at least as long as Cs 4. Costal vein with a just visible concavity at level of R 4+5. Base of R 4+5 with 1, relatively long, setula dorsally. Section of M between dm-Cu and bend of M 3.1–[3.5] times as long as section between dm-Cu and r-m. Cell r 4+5 distinctly petiolate, petiole [2.1]–2.5 times as long as postangular portion of M.

Abdomen. Mid-dorsal depression on syntergite 1+2 confined to anterior third of that segment. Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 with 1 pair of median marginal setae and 1 pair of lateral marginals. Tergites 4 and 5 each with a row of marginal setae.

Male terminalia ( Fig. 11). Cerci, in posterior view, very narrow; basally not or very slightly enlarged.

Female differs from male as follows:

Body length. 3.5 mm.

Colour. Frontal vitta light brown; gena, lower part of parafacial and occipital region yellow; vibrissal angle, dorsal half of parafacial, fronto-orbital plate, vertex, antenna, palpus and prementum black. Pleural sclerites, notopleuron, postpronotal lobes, as well as a wide medial vitta on scutum yellow; scutum, between dorsocentral and intra-alar rows black to dark brown; scutellum entirely black. Legs with coxa and trochanter orange-yellow and tibia, femur and tarsus black. Halter with black knob and orange-yellow stem. Lower calypter only slightly infuscated and upper calypter hyaline. Wing infuscated but with a whitish spot at the tip. Abdomen entirely black, except for anterior half of syntergite 1+2 and sides of tergite 3 that are brownishorange.

Head. Arista bare.

Wing. Section of M between dm-Cu and bend of M 3.6 times as long as section between dm-Cu and r-m. Membrane largely brownish with a whitish spot posterodistally ( Fig. 10).

Abdomen. Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 without lateral marginal setae.

Distribution. Italy (Sardinia).