Aphaniosoma yaromi, 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 : 144-151

Aphaniosoma yaromi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:ADB15AEB-E163-432E-A3F9-B4BDBD46D7FE

Figs 85–87

Diagnosis

A species very similar to A. falciferum ( Fig. 85A ). It has an orange-yellow colour with pale brown scutal vittae, sometimes absent, and dense yellowish microtomentum; 2 moderately well-developed fronto-orbital setae. Male with large tergite 5 that is long dorsally along its middle, and, viewed from the side, markedly elongated and narrowed laterally, so that each side is extended into lobes that curve under the abdomen; hypopygium yellow with contrasting long, shining black postgonite. In general appearance and in chaetotaxy, this species shares many characters with A. falciferum . It also has a characteristic long black postgonite, a structure that only subtly differs between the two species. However, the highly modified tergite 5 ( Fig. 87A ) and the shapes of sternites 5 and 6 differentiate this species from A. falciferum , which has a normal shaped tergite 5 and an almost square pregenital sternite with two short and broad posterior projections ( Ebejer 1998: 207, figs 25–27).

Etymology

The species is named in honour of Ilan Yarom who collected numerous Chyromyidae in Israel.

Material examined

Holotype

ISRAEL • ♂; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU 405830 .

Paratypes

ISRAEL • 3 ♂♂; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 20 ♂♂, 35 ♀♀; Revivim ; 1 May 1995; I. Yarom leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; Nahal Neqarot ; 3 May 1995; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; Nahal Neqarot , N Sappir ; 2 Feb. 1998; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix aphylla ; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 4 Mar. 1998; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 6 Apr. 1998; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 14 ♂♂; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 30 Mar. 1995; I. Yarom leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 3 Feb. 1998; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; Zomet Zohar ; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; ‘ En Gedi ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; ‘ Iddan ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Elot ; 18 Mar. 1996; A. Freidberg leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 19 Mar. 1995; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Deqel ; 30 Apr. 1996; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; ‘ En Mor ; 16 Mar. 1995; B. Merz leg.; MHNG • 2 ♂♂; Western Negev , Nahal Lavan; 30°58ʹ N, 34°24ʹ E; 24 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; shrubs on sand; 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 .

Other material (females of A. yaromi sp. nov. or A. falciferum )

38 ♀♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 30 Mar. 1995; I. Yarom leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 18 Mar. 1996; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 3 Mar. 1998; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 22 Apr. 1998; on Tamarix jordanis ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; Nahal Neqarot , N Sappir; 2 Feb. 1998; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix aphylla ; SMNHTAU • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 6 Apr. 1998; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; on Tamarix parviflora sodomensis ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; Nahal Neqarot ; 3 May 1995; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; Nahal Neqarot ; 10 May 1999; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix aphylla ; SMNHTAU .

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Body length: male 1.5 mm, female 1.7 mm. Wing length: male 1.4 mm, female 1.7 mm.

Male

HEAD. Yellow and slightly longer than high; gena about 0.7 × as high as eye at middle and with scattered pale yellowish white setulae; 2 vibrissal setae on each side; frons narrow at anterior margin, about 0.5 × as wide as at level of anterior ocellus; ocellar setae about as long as anterior fronto-orbital, 2 well-developed fronto-orbital setae and 3 short setulae anterior to these; about 14 subequal setae on frons; inner and outer vertical well-developed; paravertical setae short and convergent, postocular setae in one row; face short, poorly sclerotized and depressed; median carina distinct, sharp and low, not reaching clypeus; antenna yellow, pedicel paler than basal flagellomere and with short seta dorsally; basal flagellomere with fine and dense pubescence along anterior margin shorter than diameter of base of arista; arista yellow at basal ¼ and finely pilose.

THORAX ( Fig. 85B ). Scutum pale brown and covered with yellowish microtomentum; scutellum, pleura and mediotergite yellow; chaetotaxy: 1 postpronotal with weaker seta adjacent, 1 presutural, 1 incurved intra-postpronotal, 2 notopleurals, 0+5 intra-alars, 1 postalar, 3+5 dorsocentrals with only posterior seta well-developed, 0+5 acrostichals, no prescutellars, 4 scutellars, 1 anepisternal on upper posterior margin, 1 katepisternal at upper posterior corner.

WING. Veins pale brownish; distance on costa between R and R 4+5 about 0.4 × that between R 4+5 and M 1; distance between crossveins about 1.4 × as long as posterior crossvein, which is about 0.4 × as long as apical section of M 4. Haltere pale yellow.

2+3

LEGS. Numerous pale yellow setulae scattered on legs and with long setulae posteriorly on fore femur; apico-ventral seta on mid tibia present; claws black and pulvilli normal; tarsi yellow but 5 th tarsomere brownish; hind trochanter not modified.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 86A ). Tergites pale brown with narrow yellow hind margins; tergite 5 about 2.5 × as long as tergite 4 and about 3.5 × as long as tergite 6; tergite 5, laterally narrows to a long yellow apically rounded lobe ( Fig. 87A ); tergites sparsely pale setulose with longer more distinct setulae on margins of tergites 5 and 6. Pregenital sternites strongly modified ( Fig. 87B–C ).

HYPOPYGIUM ( Figs 86 , 87A, C ). Epandrium shining black dorsally; postgonite shining black, a little broadened at middle and ending in slightly curved pointed tip; epandrium small, round and pale; surstylus not identified; pregonite pale, long and sinuous, truncate and dark at apex; aedeagus pale but not clearly visible; cercus pale yellow, fused with the opposite side and setulose but without any exceptionally long setae.

Female

As in male but without secondary sexual characters. It is indistinguishable from the female of A. falciferum .

Variation

As with most species of Aphaniosoma , there is some chromatic variation, although it seems to be rather limited in this species. The length and number of the scutal setae and setulae are variable, such that there may be one or two additional setae in front of the transverse scutal suture and one or two behind, or both.

Distribution

Israel.

Figures

Fig. 85. Aphaniosoma yaromi sp. nov., ♂, holotype (SMNHTAU 405830). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head and thorax, dorsal view.

Fig. 86. Aphaniosoma yaromi sp. nov., ♂, paratype (SMNHTAU), hypopygium in situ. A. Lateral view. B. Posterior view.

Fig. 87. Aphaniosoma yaromi sp. nov., ♂, paratype, (SMNHTAU). A. Hypopygium, lateral view. B. Pregenital sternites, lateral view.C. Hypopygium and pregenital sternites, ventral view.Abbreviations: See Material and methods.