Elaphropeza nuda, Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013, The flies of the family Hybotidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) collected during the Boyekoli Ebale Congo 2010 Expedition in Democratic Republic of Congo, Zootaxa 3603 (1), pp. 1-61 : 51-53

Elaphropeza nuda sp. nov.

( Figs. 70–72 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: D.R. CONGO, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert, MS reference EC9); Holotype / Elaphropeza nuda / Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov. ( RBINS). PARATYPE: 1 Ƥ, Yaekela , 5 May 2010, around pools in forest (reg. 30017, leg. P. Grootaert), hind leg of this female in tray Congo at AB31516017 extracted for DNA, COI and 18s sequence available at genbank.

Diagnosis. A species of the E. ephippiata -group; recognised by yellow thorax with brown markings; hind tibia black; no squamiform setae on tergites of abdomen.

Description. Length: body 2.7 mm, wing 2.2 mm. Male. Occiput entirely black, largely shining; with yellowish setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals hardly prominent. Anterior ocellars long proclinate, posterior ocellars minute. Frons shining, very narrow, above antennae about as broad as anterior ocellus. Antenna entirely pale yellow, stylus brownish; pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae; postpedicel subtriangular, short, nearly 2.0 times longer than wide; stylus with short pubescence, very long, nearly 6.0 times longer than postpedicel, about 3.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded, silvery pubescent, bearing scattered minute setulae and 1 moderately long yellowish subapical seta.

Thorax largely yellow, shining, with yellowish setation; scutum with small brownish spot just above wing on each side, scutellum and metanotum brownish, katepisternum with yellowish brown stripe on about middle, anepisternum, anepimeron and meron yellowish brown, spiracles brownish. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned seta just above fore coxa, with minute setula on upper part. Postpronotal seta short. Mesonotum with 2 notopleurals, 1 short postsutural supra-alar, 1 similar postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate; lateral pair minute); acrostichals short, arranged in 2 broad rows, rather scattered, extending almost to base of scutellum; dorsocentrals uniserial, mostly short, 2 prescutellar pairs long.

Legs long, slender; fore and mid tibiae brownish yellow, hind tibia thickened, entirely black, tarsomere 5 of all legs slightly darkened, otherwise legs yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur slightly thickened, with hardly prominent rows of anteroventral and posteroventral setulae and long seta near base, no subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with rows of minute anteroventral and posteroventral spinules, 1 long seta near base and 1 hardly prominent subapical seta anteriorly. Mid tibia lacking ventral spinules and prominent setae (except subapicals). Hind femur with hardly prominent anteroventrals and 4–5 erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia lacking prominent setae; apical projection small, rounded, brownish. Tarsi of all legs unmodified, with unmodified setation.

Wing normally developed, hyaline, covered with uniform microtrichia. Veins mostly yellowish brown; costa from base to vein R1, vein R1, basal section of M1+2 and crossvein bm-cu paler, rather yellow; basal section of vein CuA1 thicker than basal section of vein M1+2. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Costal bristle moderately long, yellowish. Costal index: 42/23/45. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Vein R 2+3 evenly bowed. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, former slightly bowed, latter straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 lacking. Crossvein bm-cu slightly oblique. Crossvein r-m before middle of cell bm. Halter with brownish knob and yellow stem.

Abdomen. Tergites weakly sclerotised; tergite 1 entirely yellow; remaining tergites represented by small brownish lateral patches of sclerotisation, with scattered, very short, unmodified setae; tergite 8 unmodified. Sternites weakly sclerotised (except sternites 7–8), with scattered minute setulae, sternite 8 with long posteromarginal setae. Gland-like structures absent. Terminalia ( Figs. 70–72 ) rather small, brownish, left surstylus shining. Cerci separated; right cercus very narrow, digitiform, shorter than left cercus, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; left cercus unbranched, digitiform, pointed, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; hypoproct not prominent. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 70 ) narrow, rather subrectangular, convex ventrally, with narrow projection dorsally, covered with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several moderately long setae apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 72 ) large, subglobular, somewhat attenuated apically, bearing spinules along dorsal margin, otherwise with short unmodified setae. Phallus short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Fore and mid tibiae somewhat darker than in male; hind tibia with 1 hardly prominent anterodorsal seta on apical half. Segment 8 with separated tergite and sternite; tergite 10 divided. Cercus short, brownish yellow.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the absence of squamiform setae on tergites and the absence of an anterodorsal seta on hind tibia.

Distribution. D.R. Congo.

Remarks. The new species can be distinguished from all other Afrotropical species of Elaphropeza by the unique combination of a largely yellow thorax (with supra-alar scutal spot, brownish scutellum and metanotum, and spotted mesopleuron), black hind tibia, and lack of squamiform setae on abdominal tergites.

Figures

FIGURES 70 – 72. Elaphropeza nuda sp. nov. 70. Right epandrial lamella; 71. Epandrium with cerci; 72. Left surstylus.