Aphaniosoma palestinense, Ebejer, 2023

Ebejer, Martin J., 2023, The genus Aphaniosoma Becker, 1903 (Diptera: Chyromyidae) in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, with descriptions of new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 872, pp. 1-161 : 121-124

Aphaniosoma palestinense sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:599C3D8D-342F-4C8A-81BE-4BCB534EF692

Figs 69–70

Diagnosis

A species strongly marked in dark brown to black and pale yellow, giving it a variegated appearance ( Fig. 69A ); frons with a pair of long setae in front of anterior ocellus that are wide apart and parallel to each other; frons yellow in the male and with broad brown transverse band in the female; scutellum and large parts of pleura always yellow; male with large shiny black hypopygium and broad pale yellow surstylus easily visible in most specimens. The new species is close to A. acitergum sp. nov. and A. angulitergum sp. nov., but it is darker and differs in details of the hypopygium. In general habitus, it is similar also to A. daedalum sp. nov. especially in the appearance of the male hypopygium in situ.

Etymology

The species is named after the land of origin.

Material examined

Holotype

ISRAEL • ♂; ‘ Iddan ; 20 Jun. 1995; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU 405829 .

Paratypes

ISRAEL • 5 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; MJE • 1 ♂; Elot ; 18 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 4 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Elot ; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; ‘ Iddan ; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; ‘ En Iddan ; 20 Jun. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Timna’ ; 18 Mar. 1995; I Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; Sappir pond; 9 Jul. 1996; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; ‘ En Zin ; 9 Mar. 1999; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix parviflora ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 12 Apr. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 19 Jul. 1999; on Tamarix negevensis ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Elot ; 16 Mar. 1995; B. Merz leg.; MHNG • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 18 Mar. 1995; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 19 Mar. 1995; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Jericho , route 90; 31°48ʹ N, 35°29ʹ E; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on roadside vegetation; MJE • 7 ♀♀; Dead Sea , ‘ Enot Zuqim; 31°43ʹ N, 35°27ʹ E; alt. - 400 m; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; MJE .

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Body length: male 1.1 mm, female 1.2 mm. Wing length: male 1.1 mm, female 1.2 mm.

Male (holotype)

HEAD. Yellow, ocelli ringed with black and occiput black with narrow yellow postocular margin; gena about 2 / 5 × as high as eye at middle and with scattered yellowish white setulae; a pair of vibrissal setae on each side; frons narrow at anterior margin, which is about 0.6 × as wide as frons at level of anterior ocellus; ocellar setaeas strong as posterior fronto-orbital, 3 fronto-orbital setae not particularly well-developed and 2 very short setulae anterior to these; about 6 short pale setae on frons plus a distinctly longer and more widely spaced pair in front of the anterior ocellus; inner and outer vertical well-developed; paravertical setae short and convergent; postocular setae short and in one row; face short, poorly sclerotized and depressed; median carina sharp and low, reaches clypeus; antenna yellow, pedicel with distinct short seta dorsally; basal flagellomere with fine pubescence along anterior margin; basal ¼ of arista yellow contrasting with black distal ¾.

THORAX ( Fig. 69B ). Mostly dark; scutum black anteriorly with vittae appearing for a short distance at level of wing base and leaving an area anterior to scutellum completely yellow; postpronotal lobe and notopleuron yellow; scutellum yellow with black spot at base of lateral margin; scutum covered with yellow microtomentum; pleura with black sclerites broadly outlined in yellow; mediotergite black; chaetotaxy: 1 postpronotal, 1 presutural, 1 incurved intra-postpronotal, 1 presutural, 2 notopleurals, 1+3 intra-alars, 1 postalar, 2+4 dorsocentrals, 1+3 acrostichals, no prescutellars, 4 scutellars, 1 anepisternal, 1 katepisternal at upper posterior corner and two fine setae at lower middle of sclerite.

WING. Veins pale brown; distance on costa between R 2+3 and R 4+5 about 0.5 × that between R 4+5 and M 1; distance between crossveins about 1.5 × as long as posterior crossvein, which is about 0.3 × as long as apical section of M 4. Haltere pale yellow.

LEGS. Fore femur with long setulae on posterior aspect; numerous pale-yellow setulae scattered on legs; apico-ventral seta on mid tibia present; claws black, pulvilli normal; tarsomeres all yellow; hind trochanter not modified.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 69A ). Tergites black along anterior margin, fading slightly to brown on middle third and to yellow on posterior third; all with sparse yellowish grey microtomentum; all tergites with scattered short, pale setulae that become longer laterally on tergites 4–6; sternites 5 and 6 modified.

HYPOPYGIUM. ( Fig 70B, D ) Epandrium shining black, bearing a surstylus that is broad oval on basal ⅔ and its apical ⅓; pregonite narrow and pale with a pair of setulae at apex; postgonite not identified; aedeagus black with epiphallus large, completely shining black and apically pointed; distiphallus mostly black and short bilobed apically; cercus pale yellow, fused with the opposite side and with long apical setae.

Female ( Fig. 69B )

As in male, but with a broad dark band across middle of frons ( Fig. 69C ) and without secondary sexual characters.

Variation

Some specimens have an almost entirely grey scutum especially in females ( Fig. 70A ).

Distribution

Israel.

Figures

Fig. 69. Aphaniosoma palestinense sp. nov. A. ♂, holotype (SMNHTAU 405829). B–C. ♀, paratype (SMNHTAU). B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Head, antero-dorsal oblique view.

Fig. 70. Aphaniosoma palestinense sp. nov.A. ♀, paratype (MJE) head and thorax, dorsal view. B–E. ♂, paratype (SMNHTAU). B. Hypopygium in situ, postero-ventral view. C. Pregenital sternites, ventral view. D. Hypopygium, lateral view. E. Surstylus enlarged, postero-ventral view. Abbreviations: See Material and methods.