Platypalpus microphona (Melander) Melander, 2012

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 : 38-40

Platypalpus microphona (Melander) comb. nov.

( Fig. 6 )

Charadrodromia microphona Melander, 1928: 293 . Type locality: Bickleton, Washington ( USA).

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (here designated to avoid any future confusion over the identity of this type series), Ƥ labelled: Bickleton, Wn./ June 26, 1917 / A.L. Melander; Charadrodromia / microphona / Mel. [red label, hand-written]; Lectotype [pink label]; Lectotype / of Charadrodromia / microphona Melander, 1928 / des. Shamshev, Grootaert, 2012 ( USNM). PARALECTOTYPES: 1 Ƥ, Bickleton, Wn. [Washington]; June 26, 1917; A.L. Melander; AL Melander Collection 1961; TYPE, Charadrodromia microphona Mel. [red label, hand-written] ( USNM). 1 Ƥ, same data, Paratype, Charadrodromia microphona Mel. [red label, hand-written] ( USNM). 3 Ƥ, Bickleton, Wn, June 26, 1917, A.L. Melander; AL Melander Collection 1961; Charadrodromia microphona Mel. [red, hand-written]; one specimen: Charadrodromia microphona Mel. [Melander's hand-written] ( USNM).

Recognition. Small species with 2 pairs of vertical bristles; antenna brownish, with short postpedicel; palpus yellow; thorax entirely finely greyish pollinose, acrostichals arranged in 2 irregular rows; legs yellow with apical tarsomeres brownish, mid tibia without apical spur.

Re-description. Female ( Fig. 6 ). Body length 1.2–1.3 mm; wing length 1.4 mm. 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 brown proclinate anterior and 2 moderately long lateroclinate posterior bristles. Two pairs of long brown verticals. Occiput greyish pollinose, with numerous thin yellow to pale setae of different lengths. Antenna brownish; postpedicel almost conical, short, about 1.5X as long as wide; stylus nearly 2.0 times as long as postpedicel. Proboscis brown. Palpus small, 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 brownish to brownish yellow 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 row, short, separated from dorsocentrals; dorsocentrals arranged in 2–3 irregular rows, short, 2 prescutellars long.

Legs largely yellow, mid and hind coxae brownish yellow basally, femora with some brownish tinge, apical tarsomeres brownish. Fore femur thickened, mostly covered with short setae, bearing several long yellow anteroventral setae basally. Fore tibia rather slender. Mid femur somewhat narrower than fore femur; with short spinule-like anteroventral and posteroventral setae longer basally. Mid tibia without apical spur. 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 slightly diverging towards wing margin; CuA2 concave; cells br and bm almost contiguous, bm broader than br. Squama yellow, with pale setae. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen brown in ground-colour, subshining, finely greyish pollinose, segment 7 densely pollinose, tergite 8 subshining; covered with scattered short pale setae; cercus brownish, elongate, with scattered dark setulae.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. USA (Washington).

Remarks. Melander described this species from seven female specimens collected on the same day in Bickleton, Washington. The lectotype is in good condition. Platypalpus microphona remains known in the female only and is similar to P. cummingi sp. nov., P. layiaphilus sp. nov., P. submicrophona sp. nov. and P. tanbarkiensis sp. nov. The main differences between these species are given below in the key.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Platypalpus microphona (Melander), habitus, female (paralectotype), lateral view.