Platypalpus submicrophona Shamshev & Grootaert

Shamshev, Igor & Grootaert, Patrick, 2012, Proposed change in status of the Nearctic genus Charadrodromia Melander (Diptera: Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae), with description of four new species, Zootaxa 3525, pp. 35-50 : 44-45

Platypalpus submicrophona Shamshev & Grootaert sp. nov.

( Figs. 18–20 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: USA, Tanbark Flat / Los Angeles Co. / Calif., vi.23.50; Eriogonum; R. Schuster / Collector; B. Adelson / Collection; Holotype [pink]; Holotype / Platypalpus submicrophona / Shamshev et Grootaert sp. nov. ( CNC). PARATYPES: USA. California: 1 Ƥ, San Diego Co., Palomar Observatory Cphd., 1524 m, 26.vi.1968, P.H. Arnaud, Jr ( CAS); 1 3, San Bernardino Co., S Fork Santa Ana River, vic. Melander Cabin, 1950 m, 2.vii.1968, P.H. Arnaud, Jr. ( CAS); 1 3, Inyo Co., Last Chance Range, above Last Chance Sprg. 2000 m, 20.vi.1973, D. Giuliani ( CAS); 1 3, Marin Co., Inverness, 22.vi.1963, P.H. Arnaud, Jr. ( CAS). Washington: 2 3, Vancouver, 7.vii.1917, A.L. Melander; (one 3 dissected, USNM); 2 Ƥ, Bickleton, 26.vi.1917, A.L. Melander ( USNM).

Recognition. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brown; palpus yellow; acrostichals biserial; tarsomere 5 of all legs black.

Description. Body length 1.2–1.4 mm; wing length 1.3–1.4 mm. Male. Head black in ground-colour. Frons broad, densely brownish grey pollinose, widened toward ocellar tubercle. Face narrow, concolorous with frons. Ocellar tubercle with 2 long brownish yellow proclinate anterior and 2 short lateroclinate posterior bristles. Two pairs of long brownish yellow verticals. Occiput densely greyish pollinose, with numerous yellow to pale setae of different lengths. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brown; postpedicel almost conical, short, about 1.5X as long as wide; stylus nearly 2.0X as long as postpedicel. Proboscis brown. Palpus small, pale yellow, with several pale setae of different lengths.

Thorax black in ground-colour, entirely finely greyish pollinose, somewhat denser on pleurae, katepisternum without shining spot; mainly with yellowish to pale setation. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long inclinate bristle and several short setae. Mesonotum with 1 presutural supra-alar, 2 notopleurals, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar bristles (apical pair very long and cruciate, lateral pair short); additionally, notopleural depression with several minute setulae and similar setulae present behind postpronotal lobe and on postsutural supra-alar space; acrostichals arranged in 2 irregular rows, short, distinctly separated from dorsocentrals by bare space; dorsocentrals arranged in 2–3 irregular rows, short, 2 prescutellars long.

Legs almost entirely yellow, only tarsomeres 5 brown (except extreme base and deeper on fore and mid legs). Fore femur thickened, mostly covered with short setae, bearing rows of yellow anteroventral and posteroventral setae becoming longer basally. Fore tibia rather slender. Mid femur somewhat narrower than fore femur; with short black spinule-like anteroventral and longer posteroventral setae. Mid tibia without apical spur, with several stronger black setulae subapically. Hind femur with short anteroventral setae. Hind tibia unmodified, bearing 1 short anterodorsal subapical seta, otherwise covered with short setulae.

Wing hyaline, with brownish yellow to pale yellow veins. One long brown costal bristle. Veins R4+5 and M straight and parallel near wing margin; CuA2 straight; cells br and bm contiguous, bm broader than br. Squama yellow, with pale setae. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen brown in ground-colour, finely greyish pollinose, viewed dorsally rather subshining; covered with short pale setae. Terminalia ( Figs. 18–20 ) rather large, concolorous with abdomen; left cercus digitiform, rather short, nearly as long as right cercus, covered with unmodified short unmodified setae; right cercus digitiform, covered with unmodified short unmodified setae; left epandrial lamella subtriangular, rather narrow, with several very long setae on apical half ventrally; right epandrial lamella narrow, cleft apically; bearing numerous long unmodified setae on about middle part and short setae apically; right surstylus not prominent.

Female. Similar to male. Abdominal segment 8 subshining; cercus elongate, brownish, with scattered setulae.

Etymology. The name of the new species originates from its similarity to P. microphona .

Distribution. USA (California, Washington).

Remarks. Platypalpus submicrophona sp. nov. is similar to P. microphona , P. cummingi sp. nov., P. layiaphilus sp. nov. and P. tanbarkiensis sp. nov. but can be readily distinguished from these species yellow basal segments (vs. antenna entirely brown).

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 20. Platypalpus submicrophona sp. nov., male. 18. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 19. cerci and epandrium, dorsal view. 20. left epandrial lamella and left cercus, lateral view.