Platypalpus graecoides, Bartak, Miroslav & Kubik, Stepan, 2015

Bartak, Miroslav & Kubik, Stepan, 2015, Three new species of European Platypalpus (Diptera, Hybotidae), ZooKeys 470, pp. 145-155 : 147

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Hybotidae

Platypalpus graecoides sp. n. Figs 1-3, 7

Material examined.

Holotype: male, Italy, Weisslahnbad, edge of forest, 1400 m, 46°28'40"N, 11°34'11"E, 4.vii.2011, M. Barták. Paratypes: 3 males, 7 females, same data as holotype. Holotype and paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

Diagnosis.

The species from Platypalpus pallidiventris - cursitans group, small black with 1 pair of vertical setae, black antennae with very short postpedicel and much longer stylus; clypeus lustrous; thorax microtrichose, katepisternum broadly lustrous; legs black, mid femur strongly thickened with pale posteroventrals; long and sharply pointed apical spur on mid tibia.

Description.

Male. Head black, rather dark grey microtrichose, face more silvery. Frons ≈ 0.05 mm broad just above antennae and ≈ 0.08 mm broad in the level of fore ocellus. Face ≈ 0.03 mm broad at middle. Clypeus lustrous. Gena narrow and lustrous. Antenna black, postpedicel very short, 1.5 –1.9× longer than broad, stylus 2.4 –3.0× longer than postpedicel. Palpus brown, ovoid, short (about 1/2 as long as proboscis), with several long white setae. Ocellar setae black and short (≈ 0.10 mm), posterior pair half as long. A single pair of short (about as long as ocellars) black vertical setae inserted wide apart (≈ 0.16 mm). Occiput sparsely and black setose dorsally and long white setose ventrally. Proboscis half as long as head, brownish black.

Thorax black, rather dark grey microtrichose in dorsal view, pleuron lighter grey microtrichose, katepisternum with large lustrous patch leaving only narrow posterior margin microtrichose. Large thoracic setae including acrostichals and dorsocentrals black or at least very dark brown, hairs on proepisternum, legs, squama and wing mostly white. Chaetotaxy: postpronotal seta rather short but strong; acrostichals biserial and short (≈ 0.08 mm in middle of rows), about 6-10 setae in one row; dorsocentrals similarly short and uniserial, 6-10 setae in one row, last pair strong and long; notopleuron with 2 long black setae on posterior part (upper seta usually longer than lower one) and also with several additional much smaller setae; 1 postalar and 1 pair of apical scutellar setae in addition to another much smaller lateral pair.

Wing clear with yellowish brown veins. Veins R4+5 and M1 nearly straight and almost parallel. Crossveins separated. Vein Cu almost straight, anal vein depigmented but visible along its length. Vein R1 forming large swollen area along confluence with costa. A single strong black costal seta. Squama yellow with pale fringes. Halter pale yellow.

Legs black, only knees of fore leg and base of fore tarsus (and sometimes also bases of mid and hind tarsi) paler, dark yellowish brown. Tarsi without apparent annulations. Fore femur slightly thickened, with two ventral rows of white setae, those in posteroventral row up to as long as depth of femur. Fore tibia very slightly thickened, short setose. Mid femur thickened (≈ 0.25 mm broad at broadest point), with rather short pale posteroventrals. Mid tibia with very long (twice longer than width of tibia) sharply pointed apical spur. Hind leg slender, without conspicuous setation.

Abdomen blackish brown, lustrous, including dorsum of tergite 1, sides of basal tergites with microtrichose stripes: on tergite 1 complete, on tergite 2 half width of tergite, on remaining tergites much narrower; sparsely covered with short pale setae somewhat longer on last 2-3 tergites. Genitalia (Figs 1-3) with left epandrial lamella armed with about 30 long wavy setae on small protuberance, right epandrial lamella with several setae apically, cerci small, simple and concealed within lamellae.

Female. Legs slightly paler than in male, especially basal parts of tarsi almost brownish yellow. Abdomen lustrous, microtrichosity on basal tergites as in male, last two segments entirely microtrichose

Length. body 1.8-2.4 mm, wing 2.0-2.6 mm.

Etymology.

The specific epitheton stresses similarity with Platypalpus graecus Grootaert & Chvála, 1992.

Distribution.

Italy.

Remarks.

The species described above is similar to Platypalpus graecus and it may be identified according to the key below. Differences are as follows: Platypalpus graecus is somewhat larger (wing 2.6-3.0 mm), with microtrichose clypeus, longer postpedicel and shorter arista, with a polished line between mesonotum and postpronotum, with long hairs on metatarsi, with short anterior black bristles on mid femur, without costal seta, with abdomen more lustrous (only indistinct lateral patch on first tergite), and slightly different genitalia (apical setae on right epandrial lamella arranged in two separate tufts). Moreover, Platypalpus graecus was taken at Pyrgos (Greece) lying in lowland near seashore but Platypalpus graecoides sp. n. originates from high Dolomites mountains.