Syneches apicalis, Liu, Xiaoyan, Zhang, Lili & Yang, Ding, 2012

Liu, Xiaoyan, Zhang, Lili & Yang, Ding, 2012, Two new species of Syneches belonging to S. signatus species-group from Vietnam (Diptera: Empidoidea, Hybotinae), Zootaxa 3300, pp. 55-61 : 56-58

1. Syneches apicalis sp. nov.

(Figs. 1, 2, 3–5)

Diagnosis. Thorax blackish with dark yellow scutellum. Fore and mid femora blackish with yellow apex and hind femur entirely black. Wings apically tinged grayish. Pterostigma short, dark brown, filling apical 0.2 of cell r1. R4+5 and M1 not distinctly convergent apically.

Description. Male (Fig. 1). Body length 4.3 mm, wing length 3.5 mm.

Head blackish brown with gray pollen. Eyes contiguous on frons, brown with enlarged upper facets yellow. Hairs and bristles on head black. Ocellar tubercle weak with 2 oc and 2 posterior hairs. Antenna dark yellow except first flagellomere blackish with dark yellow extreme base; first flagellomere about 2X longer than wide, with 1 dorsal bristle; arista dark brown, very long (about 3X as long as three basal antennal segments), bare. Proboscis nearly as long as head, brownish yellow; palpus brownish yellow with black hairs, 1 ventral bristle at middle and 1 ventral bristle at tip.

Thorax blackish with gray pollen except postalar calli dark brownish yellow and scutellum dark yellow. Hairs and bristles on thorax black. Hairs on mesonotum short, but mid-posterior area with some longer hairs; h absent; 6 irregularly seriated acr short and hair-like, 2 npl, 1 psa; scutellum with 10 marginal hairs and bristles. Fore and mid legs blackish except apex of femora yellow, tibiae and tarsi yellow with tarsomere 5 dark brown; hind leg black except tarsus yellow with tarsomere 5 dark brown. Hind femur distinctly thickened, 2.1X as wide as hind tibia. Hairs and bristles on legs black except several ventral bristles and apicoventral bristles on mid tibia brownish yellow; tarsi with ventral hairs and bristles mostly brownish yellow. Fore femur with row of long hair-like av and pv slightly longer than femur thickness; mid femur with row of very long av and pv distinctly longer than femur thickness. Hind femur with 2 ad located on weak tubercles of apical half, one row of 12 strong av on distinct tubercles except basal tubercles weak; apically with 3 short v on tubercles. Mid tibia with 1 very long ad and 1 very long av at base; apically with 1 long thin black ad, 1 long thin black pd and 1 very long brownish yellow pv. Hind tibia weakly curved. Wing ( Fig. 2 ) nearly hyaline, apically tinged grayish; short pterostigma dark brown, filling apical 0.2 of cell r1; veins dark brown; R4+5 and M1 not distinctly convergent apically. Halter dark brown with yellow base.

Abdomen dark brown with gray pollen except posterolateral portion of tergite 1 dark yellow, sternites 1–2 yellow. Hairs and bristles on abdomen black.

1. sp. nov. = 1 mm.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 3–5 ): Epandrium ( Fig. 4 ) distinctly longer than wide and with U-shaped mid-basal incision in dorsal view; surstylus ( Fig. 3 ) with dorsal process distinct and acute apically, ventral process very short, wide and obtuse apically in lateral view; hypandrium ( Fig. 5 ) distinctly longer than wide, slightly narrowing toward tip, with weak middle incision apically; phallus ( Fig. 5 ) apically thin and nearly acute, subapically with very short lateral process acute; postgonite closely associated with phallus, narrowly visible in ventral view. Female. Unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ɗ (in alcohol), VIETNAM, Dongnai, Tanphu, Namcattien, Cattien National Park, 11°38'12.89''N 107°27'24.99''E, 2011. VII.3, Guoquan Wang ( CAU). The specimen was collected from tropical forest.

Remarks. The species is easily separated from other members of the group by R4+5 and M1 not distinctly convergent apically. In other members of the group, R4+5 and M1 are distinctly convergent apically ( Bezzi 1912; Melander 1928; Frey 1938; Yang & Yang 2004).

Etymology. The specific name refers to the dark apex of the wing.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Syneches apicalis sp. nov. (male). Wing. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 3 – 5. Syneches apicalis sp. nov. (male). 3. Epandrium and cercus, lateral view; 4. Epandrium and cerci, dorsal view; 5. Hypandrium and phallus, ventral view. Abbreviations: cer = cercus; epn = epandrium; hyp = hypandrium; pg = postgonite; ph = phallus; sur = surstylus. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.