Iteaphila sierrensis, Sinclair & Shamshev, 2021

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Shamshev, Igor V., 2021, World revision of Iteaphila with unbranched radial vein (Diptera: Empidoidea: Iteaphilidae), Zootaxa 4968 (1), pp. 1-89 : 55-57

Iteaphila sierrensis sp. nov.

( Figs 49 , 55 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CD4CEFC9-5454-4667-926B-1341C7534463

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ CA [California, USA]; MADERA CO./ UPPER SODA SPR./ CMPGRD [37.38105522° -119.3887498°]/ JUNE 25-26, 1985 / D.J. BURDICK; “ HOLOTYPE / Iteaphila / sierrensis/ Sinclair & Shamshev [red label]” ( CNC) . PARATYPES: USA. California: same data as holotype (5 ♂, 4 ♀, CNC); Alpine Co., West Fk Carson R., Snowshoe Springs Cpgd [38°46′31″N 119°53′50″W], 6600 ft, 20.vi.1971, PHA & M. Arnaud (3 ♂, 1 ♀, USNM); Fresno Co., Huntington Lk., Rancheria C. [37°14′49″N 119°09′45″W], 2600 m, 4 and 7.vii.1984, JFM (7 ♀, CNC); Fresno Co., Huntington Lk., Kaiser C., 2700 m, 23.vii.1984, JFM (1 ♀, CNC); Fresno Co. , Sierra NF, Badger Flat Cpgd [37.26936 ° -119.1156°], along Rancheria Ck, 2500 m, 30.vii.1979, DDW (4 ♀, CAS); Mono Co. , Tioga Pass [37°54′44″N 119°15′28″W], Hall Area site, 9.viii.1969, A. R. Moldenke, ex. Ligusticum grayi (1 ♂, 1 ♀, CAS); Mono Co., Virginia Lakes [38°02′53″N 119°15′55″W], 9750 ft, 17.vi.1963, H.B. Leech (1 ♀, CAS) .

Recognition. This species appears most similar to I. longipalpis , but with biserial acrostichal setae, phallus with long and slender apex and female scutum mostly shiny.

Description. Wing length 3.4–3.6 mm. Male. Head dark brown in ground-colour, with pale brown to black setation, occiput thinly to densely greyish pollinose. Eyes holoptic, with upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons represented by small triangular space just above antennae, bare, greyish pollinose. Ocellar triangle prominent, with 2 pairs of long hair-like setae. Postvertical setae subequal to postocular setae, thin; occiput covered with numerous similar setae in lower part, pale brown posterior to mouthparts. Antenna dark brown; scape short, slightly shorter than globular pedicel, both with short setae; postpedicel rather narrow, nearly 4 times longer than basal width, base somewhat expanded and smoothly tapered; stylus ca 3–4 times longer than wide, sensillum-tipped; segment 9 tubular, 2–3 times longer than wide, apical sensillum about as long as segment 9. Proboscis very long, projected obliquely; labium longer than head height; palpus slender, projected parallel to labrum, somewhat shorter than labrum.

Thorax dark brown in ground-colour with posterior part of postpronotal lobe and postalar tubercle paler, with brown to black setation, occasionally pale; scutum viewed dorsally entirely velvety brown, slightly matt, with 2 indistinct paler vittae between acr and dc setae; viewed anteriorly densely pruinose; mesopleuron uniformly greyish brown pollinose. Proepisternum with a few hair-like setae. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long thin and several shorter setae. Mesonotal setae distinct, thin; acr very short, biserial, arranged in 2 closely spaced irregular rows, lacking on prescutellar depression, distance between rows narrower than length of acr; dc uniserial (with some additional setulae in anterior part), offset from row anteriorly, slightly longer than acr, 2–3 distinct prescutellar dc; 1 ph, 1 presut spal (sometimes with additional setulae), 3–4 npl (with a few additional shorter setae), several psut spal setulae, 1 pal and several short setulae, 5–9 pairs of sctl.

Legs pale yellow to yellowish brown, coxae and tarsi somewhat darker. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified hair-like setae. Fore femur with row of short anteroventral hair-like setae, especially distinct apically; and somewhat longer setae on posteroventral, dorsal and posterior faces.Tibiae without row of slightly prominent thin posterodorsal setae. Mid femur with moderately long posteroventral bristly setae along entire length, bearing some moderately long setae on dorsal and posterior faces. Hind femur with long anteroventral and dorsal setae along whole length. Tarsomere 1 of mid and hindlegs with pair of rows of stiff ventral setae; tarsomere 5 not flattened on all legs; pulvilli broad, shorter than tarsal claw.

Wing distinctly uniformly brownish infuscate; basal costal seta absent; pterostigma distinct brownish, elliptical, overlapping apex of R 1; anal lobe very prominent, acute. Sc complete; R 2+3 often slightly bowed posterior to pterostigma; R 4+5 unbranched; cell dm broad, longer than basal cells, truncate apically; base of M 2 (crossvein) more than one-third length of dm-m, M branches widely separated; dm-m crossvein slightly concave. Apex of cell cua recurved, CuA+CuP long, pale, ending short of wing margin. Halter with brown knob, base of shaft paler.

Abdomen brown, subshiny, finely brownish grey pollinose, covered with long yellowish setae. Terminalia ( Fig. 55 ) concolorous with abdomen, small. Hypandrium with several short setae, rounded basally, narrowed apically with folded apex; gonocoxal apodeme narrow and slender; inner apodeme expanded and flattened, subequal in length with gonocoxal apodeme; postgonite long, flattened plate, arched, truncate and fused to other postgonite apically. Phallic guide extended well beyond epandrium, parallel with phallus and bent nearly at right angles subapically; bent apical section paired with jagged or toothed surface apically; apex rounded. Epandrium not inflated laterally; dorsal bridge very narrow; produced distally into slender dorsally projecting surstylus; inner margin of surstylus with short tooth-like projection medially. Phallus slender, arched well beyond epandrium, bent more than right angles subapically; apical section sickle-shaped, tapered and very slender; ejaculatory apodeme plate-like, rounded, greatly expanded anteriorly, twice length of gonocoxal apodeme. Cercus short, triangular, one-quarter length of epandrium; narrow apically with apex pointed, extended free from epandrium; hypoproct produced into pair of very long, slender processes, longer than cercus.

Female. Similar to male, except as follows: Eyes dichoptic; ommatidia equally small. Frons very broad, somewhat widened toward ocellar tubercle, shiny, with marginal setulae. Scutum dorsally largely shiny, with pruinescence on postpronotal lobes and area posterior, notopleuron and prescutellar depression. Scutellum pruinose, usually with 5–6 pairs of setae. Legs similar to male. Abdomen with shorter, less prominent setae. Cercus brownish, long, slender, covered with dark setae.

Distribution. Nearctic: USA (California). This species is restricted to the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California ( Fig. 49 ).

Etymology. This species is named after the region where it is found, the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.

Remarks. This species is very similar to I. longipalpis and I. flavipilosa in terms of male terminalia, but is distinguished by the different lengths of the phallus and phallic guide.

Figures

FIGURES 49–52. Distribution of Iteaphila with unbranched R. 49, I. arnaudi sp. nov., I. bayarea sp. nov., I. grandis sp. 4+5 nov., I. sierrensis sp. nov.; 50, I. brooksi sp. nov., I. lolo sp. nov.; 51, I. flavipilosa (Coquillett); 52, I. glabricula sp. nov.

FIGURES 53–57. Male terminalia of Iteaphila with unbranched R 4+5. 53, I. luteitibia sp. nov., lateral view; 54, I. nupta (Melander), lateral view; 55, I. sierrensis sp. nov., lateral view; 56, I. spinosa sp. nov., lateral view; 57, same, left cercus, dorsal view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: cerc—cercus; hypd—hypandrium; hyprct proc—hypoproct process; ph—phallus; ph gd—phallic guide; sur—surstylus.