Hilara ragasides, Frey, 1935: 6

Shamshev, Igor V., 2020, Notes on species of Empididae (Diptera) described by R. Frey from the Swedish Kamchatka Expedition 1920 - 1922, Zootaxa 4758 (3), pp. 532-548 : 541-543

ragasides Frey, 1935: 6 (Hilara)

Current name. Hilara ragasides Frey, 1935 .

Type locality (by lectotype designation): Russia, Kamchatka.

Notes on the type series. Frey described this species from both sexes after an unspecified number of specimens. He noted the following material: “ 1 ♂, Kamtchatka (Malaise), daneben zahlreiche Exemplare im Helsing- forser Museum aus Kamtchatka: Bolscherjetsk ( Wuorentaus )” .

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (here designated in order to fix identity of the species), ♂ ( Fig. 15 ), labelled ( Fig. 16 ): “ Kamtchatka / Malaise”; “924”; “Spec. typ.”; “ Hilara / rhagasides [sic!]/ Frey [hand-written by Frey] Frey det.”; “ Hilara / ragasides Frey, 1935 / design. Shamshev, 2020” ( NHRS).

PARALECTOTYPES: RUSSIA, Kamchatskiy Territory: Ust-Bolscheretsk , 21.vii–19.viii.1917, Wuorentaus ; Paralectotypus, Hilara ragasides Frey, 1935 , design. Shamshev & Kahanpää, 2020 (3 ♂, 2 ♀, MZH) .

Diagnosis. Rather mid-sized species of the H. maura group, distinguished from other species of this group by the following combination of characters: hind femur slender, “knees” of legs yellowish, sensory pit not guarded by setulae, acrostichals biserial, wing whitish, male mid tibia with dense long setae, female hind tibia simple.

Re-description. Male ( Fig. 15 ). Lectotype body length 3.4 mm, wing length 3.6 mm [Frey notes body length 3.4–4 mm, wing length 3.5 mm]. Head ( Fig. 17 ) black. Frons uniformly velvety blackish brown, very wide; 2 up-

per frontal setae very long, strong. Face below antennae nearly as broad as frons, rather short, mostly concolourous with frons, narrowly shiny along lower margin. Ocellar triangle concolourous with frons, pair of ocellar setae nearly as long as upper frontals. Occiput uniformly velvety blackish (any view); with black stronger setae on upper part and pale hair-like setae on lower part; upper postoculars long. Antenna entirely black; postpedicel short, nearly 2X longer than wide; stylus nearly 2X shorter than postpedicel. Palpus brown; with 1 long, black, ventral seta on apical part and some numerous fine setulae ventrally. Proboscis short, labrum nearly 1.5X shorter than eye height.

Thorax ( Fig. 17 ) black, with prothoracic sclerites (except noted) and entire mesopleuron densely greyish pruinose, postpronotal lobe and mesonotum faintly greyish pruinose, subshiny; scutum with 3 narrow, indistinct, black- ish vittae along rows acrostichal and dorsocentral setae (dorsal and anterior views). Prosternum covered with pale fine setae. Proepisternum with several pale fine setae on lower part; 2–3 similar setae on upper part of proepisternum in front of anterior spiracle. Sensory pit not guarded by setulae. Antepronotum with several short pale hair-like setae on each side. Postpronotal lobe covered with short pale hair-like setae. Mesonotum with 2 moderately long strong black notopleurals, 2–3 postsutural supra-alars (2 setae longer and stronger), 1 postalar, 4–6 scutellars (4 setae of subequal lengths and stronger); in addition, numerous pale to brownish setulae on notopleuron and presutural supraalar area; acrostichals short, fine, arranged in 2 close irregular rows; dorsocentrals uniserial, somewhat longer and stronger than acrostichals. Anterior and posterior spiracles dark brown.

Wing membrane somewhat whitish; veins mostly brownish yellow; costal vein thickened on apical portion; pterostigma indistinct; 1 moderately long, black basal costal seta present. Anal vein (CuA+CuP) incomplete; radial fork rather shortened, acute, R 4 straight toward apex; cell dm with elongate apex. Axillary incision obtuse, anal lobe well-developed. Squama brownish, yellowish fringed. Halter with brown knob and reddish brown stem.

Legs almost uniformly dark brown, only “knees” yellowish; with black setation (except noted); coxae densely, remaining parts faintly greyish pruinose. Coxae with pale fine setae. Fore femur with rows of minute anteroventral and posteroventral setulae. Mid femur with complete row of several long strong anterodorsal setae; rows of mostly minute fine anteroventral and posteroventral setae which are pale near base of femur (some posteroventral setae near extreme base long). Hind femur slender, with rows of mostly fine, pale, very short anteroventral and posteroventral setae, several anteroventrals on about apical fifth black, longer. Fore tibia slightly thickened toward apex; slightly longer setulae posteriorly, without prominent setae (except circlet subapicals). Mid tibia covered with long (about 2X tibia width) fine setae posterodorsally and posteriorly, similar shorter setae anterodorsally and anteriorly. Hind tibia with some short setae dorsally. Fore basitarsus thickened, rather cylindrical, about twice as long as wide, nearly 2/3 of fore tibia length; only with usual setulae; mid and hind basitarsi slender, mid tarsomeres 1–2 with somewhat longer setae dorsally.

Abdomen dark brown, faintly greyish pruinose, subshiny; covered with mostly very short, fine, pale setae somewhat longer on tergites 1–2 laterally, only tergite 6 with some moderately long posteromarginal setae.

Terminalia (not dissected, Fig. 18 ) rather small, hypandrium concolorous with abdomen, epandrium somewhat darker and more shiny, both covered with short fine setae; hypandrium not produced posteriorly, narrowed and without projections apically; epandrial projection very narrow, long, rather hook-like apically, with very slender spine-like apex (lateral view).

Female. Similar to male, legs covered with short setae, hind tibia simple.

Distribution. Palaearctic: Russia (Kamchatskiy Territory).

Remarks. Hilara ragasides belongs to the H. maura group ( H. clypeata complex) and within the key to Hilara of Fennoscandia ( Chvála 2005) this species runs to H. discoidalis Lundbeck. The male of H. ragasides differs from the male of H. discoidalis primarily by long setose mid tibia and whitish wings. The female of H. discoidalis differs from the female of H. ragasides by distinctly evenly dilated tip of the hind tibiae.

Figures

FIGURES 15–18. Hilara ragasides Frey. 15. male habitus, lectotype, lateral view; 16. lectotype labels; 17. male head and thorax, anterodorsal view; 18. male terminalia, dorsolateral view.