Aphaniosoma captiosum, 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 : 33-37

Aphaniosoma captiosum sp. nov

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D7BE057B-89DC-45C5-8875-8160239DE986

Figs 12–14

Diagnosis

A very dark, almost black species with greyish microtomentum ( Fig. 12A–B ); basal flagellomere yellow in male and brown in female; femora and usually tibiae brown; 3 distinct but not strong fronto-orbital setae. Male with large shining black hypopygium and a thick set postgonite ending in a white seta-like tip. Females usually with dark transverse band across middle of frons and apical 2–3 tarsomeres also dark. Aphaniosoma brunnipes from Oman and the Moroccan A. nigripes Ebejer, 2016 are very similar to the new species externally and in the in situ appearance of the hypopygium, but differ in details of the hypopygium and the pregenital sternites (see note under A. brunnipes above).

Etymology

The species epithet is derived from the Latin ‘ captiosus ’ meaning ‘deceptive’, and refers to the great similarity of this species to A. brunnipes Ebejer, 1996 described from Oman.

Material examined

Holotype

ISRAEL • ♂; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU 405820 .

Paratypes

ISRAEL • 7 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 25 Jul. 1995; I.Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 3 Mar. 1999; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix jordanis ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 22 Apr. 1998; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 12 Apr. 2000; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; Nahal Neqarot ; 17 Oct. 1999; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; ‘ En Zin ; 13 Nov. 1999; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix negevensis ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 19 Oct. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; Nahal Zin ; 5 May 1998; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂; Sappir pond ; 9 Jul. 1996; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; 19 Mar. 1995; B. Merz leg.; MHNG • 1 ♀; N. Arava valley ; 30°46ʹ N, 35°14ʹ E; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix and chenopods; MJE • 3 ♂♂; Dead Sea , ‘ Enot Zuqim; 31°43ʹ N, 35°27ʹ E; alt. - 400 m; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; MJE • 1 ♂; Dead Sea , Zomet Zohar; 31°08ʹ N, 35°21ʹ E; alt. - 338 m; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; MJE .

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Body length: male 1.2 mm, female 1.3 mm. Wing length: male 1.4 mm, female 1.5 mm.

Male (holotype)

HEAD. Yellow on frons and anterior part of gena, otherwise, ocellar triangle, occiput and posterior ⅓ of gena black; gena about ⅓ height of eye at middle and with scattered pale yellow setulae; 2 vibrissal setae on each side not much longer than other setae along buccal margin; frons narrow at anterior margin, about 0.7 × as wide as at level of anterior ocellus; ocellar setae weaker than posterior fronto-orbital, 3 distinct but not especially strong fronto-orbital setae and 2 short setulae anterior to these; about 16 pale short setulae on frons without a distinctly longer pair in front of the anterior ocellus; 1 inner and 1 outer vertical well-developed; paravertical setae short and convergent; postocular setae short and in one row; face short, poorly sclerotized and depressed; median carina distinct to clypeus; antenna yellow, pedicel a little paler than basal flagellomere and with distinct short seta dorsally; basal flagellomere with fine pubescence along anterior margin; basal 1 / 5 of arista yellow contrasting with black distal portion.

THORAX ( Fig. 12A–B ). Black and almost uniformly greyish micotomentose; postpronotal lobe with yellow spot and notopleuron yellow, scutellum black; pleura black with very narrow yellow margins to sclerites; chaetotaxy: 1 postpronotal, 1 presutural, 1 very short and indistinct incurved intra-postpronotal, 2 notopleurals, 0+3 intra-alars, 1 postalar, 1+6 dorsocentrals with only the posterior one strong, 1+3 acrostichals with no prescutellars, 4 scutellars, 1 anepisternal, 1 katepisternal at upper posterior corner.

WING. Veins all brown; distance on costa between R 2+3 and R 4+5 about 0.6 × that between R 4+5 and M 1; distance between crossveins about 1.2 × as long posterior crossvein, which is about 0.5 × as long as apical section of M 4. Haltere pale yellow.

LEGS. Femora dark greyish brown over most of their length, tibiae variably darkened at middle; fore femur with long setulae on posterior aspect; numerous pale setulae scattered on all legs; apico-ventral seta on mid tibia present; claws black, pulvilli normal; tarsomeres yellow; hind trochanter not modified.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 12A ). Tergites black with narrow yellow hind margins, bearing very short pale setulae almost exclusively on the hind margins; sternites 5 and 6 modified.

HYPOPYGIUM ( Figs 13 , 14A–B ). Epandrium rather trapezoidal in shape (seen laterally), bearing a large multilobed surstylus; pregonite small, dark and curved dorsally; postgonite black with a white tip; aedeagus difficult to define; cercus pale yellow, fused with the opposite side.

Female

Similar to male, but generally more extensively dark on legs, including the apical 2 to 3 tarsomeres, and across the middle of the frons; basal flagellomere dark brown to black ( Fig. 12C ).

Variation

There is some chromatic variation in this species particularly on the frons and tibiae with regard to the extent of darkening. Also, the pale hind margins of the abdominal tergites vary a little in width.

Distribution

Israel.

Figures

Fig. 12. Aphaniosoma captiosum sp. nov. A. ♂, holotype (SMNHTAU 405820), habitus, lateral view. B–C. ♀, paratype (SMNHTAU). B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Head, frontal view.

Fig. 13. Aphaniosoma captiosum sp. nov., hypopygium in situ. A. ♂, holotype (SMNHTAU 405820), lateral view. B. ♂, paratype (MJE), extended in alcohol, lateral view.

Fig. 14. Aphaniosoma captiosum sp. nov., ♂, paratype (SMNHTAU). A. Hypopygium in situ, posterior view. B. Hypopygium, lateral view. C. Pregenital sternites, ventral view. Abbreviations: See Material and methods. Scale bar: B–C = 0.15 mm.