Notiochyromya filigera, Ebejer, 2009

Ebejer, Martin J., 2009, A revision of Afrotropical Chyromyidae (excluding Gymnochiromyia Hendel) (Diptera: Schizophora), with the recognition of two subfamilies and the description of new genera, African Invertebrates 50 (2), pp. 321-321 : 338-341

Notiochyromya filigera sp. n.

Fig. 4

Etymology: From the Latin filum (thread) and gerere (to bear), and refers to the long, thread-like distiphallus of this species.

Diagnosis: Pale yellow species with 3 pairs of marginal setae on scut; male with only a small central shiny spot on st 2; female with paired spots laterally on tg 2–7; head higher than long, entirely pale yellow; eyes slightly oval with long axis almost vertical; pleural setae and setulae on legs yellow; distiph with long apical filaments and broad curved surs, with posteriorly-directed flagelliform setae. Similar species: N. monticola sp. n.

Description:

Male.

Head: Entirely yellow, including oc triangle; ocelli black; fr narrow and long, at level of antennae 0.5 width that at level of anterior oc and 0.4 width of one eye viewed from in front; about 10 short pale setulae scattered over middle part and, on orbital plate, one brown setula in each of the intervening spaces between orb. ocp flat, in profile, barely visible behind eye; short postocular setulae irregularly in one row; isolated lower postgenal seta short. Gena broader near anterior buccal margin, narrow below eye, where at middle, about 0.3 height of eye and anteriorly about as broad as third antennal segment, yellow and with few pale setulae. Mouthparts yellow, palp round; setulae of buccal margin short. Face poorly sclerotized and depressed; median carina barely visible between bases of antennae. Antenna yellow, segment 3 about 0.35 length of horizontal diameter of eye, second segment with dorsal seta; arista brown, becoming pale at basal one third and with fine sparse pubescence. Chaetotaxy: 3 orb, anterior inclinate and as long as distance between orbits at this level, middle and posterior orb reclinate; pvt distinct and crossed, little more than half length of divergent ocellars; 1 vti and 1 vte, strong.

Thorax: Scutum and scut yellow and without pattern except for small brown spot basally on lateral scut margin, pleura paler, mtn yellow. Chaetotaxy: 1 pprn and 2 setulae, 1 posthu, 2 ntpl, 1 pra, 1 sa and 1 long pa, 1 long dc with a short seta in front of it about one third its length or less; acrs differentiated only as one prscut pair; scutum covered with numerous very short dark setulae in 8–10 rows between dc lines at level of transverse suture; scut with 3 pairs of marginals, middle pair shortest and situated just medial to a line joining basal and subapical setae; 1 anepisternal and 1 katepisternal, that on katepisternum at upper hind corner, that on anepisternum at middle of posterior margin; each with a few setulae in front.

Wing: Hyaline, veins all pale yellow; costal setulae brown to black with many stouter almost spinose setulae among them; dorsal aspect of costa with 3–6 spinose but very short setulae; costa beyond hu crossvein narrow but not distinctly broken; R 4+5 and M 1+2 run parallel to wing margin converging only in apical 1/4; distance between R 2+3 and R 4+5 about 0.7 that between R 4+5 and M 1+2; discal cell broadest at level of anterior crossvein; distance between crossveins 1.2 length of apical section of vein Cu. Haltere pale yellow.

Legs: Not modified except for very slightly thicker femora; numerous fine setulae scattered on all pairs of legs, in addition longer setae present on fore femur; mid tibial apicoventral seta short, a little less than diameter of tibia at apex; all setae and setulae pale yellow; claws and pulvilli normal.

Abdomen: Yellow, with darker yellow and shiny transverse bands on all tergites and dark brown spot on ventrolateral aspect of tg 2; setulae brownish yellow and on tg 4–6 laterally and along hind margin with longer setae; sternites sclerotized, yellow, st 2 with small shiny spot at middle; st 5 with pair of posterior lobes broad at their apex with a fringe of fine setulae, long seta on lateral margin.

Postabdomen: cerc very small with few minute setulae; ep more or less hemispherical, surs broad, strongly curved and with 5 distinct broad setae along posterior edge at apex; prg broad with row of setae along middle of lateral surface, psg narrow, long, almost straight; ej apd large, bilobed sclerotized and of distinct shape; ph apd broad at base and distinctly curved towards hyp; distiph with sclerotized and membranous components, with very distinctive flagellate apex.

Female.

Similar to male, generally darker colouration of vestiture, and more defined and darker brown bands on abdominal tg with black or dark brown spot on lateral aspect of tg 2–7. Postabdomen: very similar to monticola ( Fig. 8 ), but st 8 with one row of setae along middle third of sclerite, inserted parallel to long axis and each curved medially; cerc small, similar in size to hypr; first section of spermathecal duct thinly sclerotized.

Length: ơ body 1.5 mm, wing 1.5 mm; ^body 1.7 mm, wing 1.6 mm.

Holotype: ơ MAURITIUS: Wolmar , 1–2 km S [20°18'S: 57°22'E], 21.v.2000, J.W. Ismay, coast roadside ( OXUM).

Paratypes: 1^same data as holotype ( OXUM) . KENYA: 1ơ Hunter’s Lodge, nr Kiboko , 02°14'S: 37°43'E, 8–9.viii.2003, A. Freidberg ( TAUI) ; 2^Rt B 8, nr Takaungu , 50 km N of Mombasa, 03°42'S: 39°49'E, 12.viii.2003, A. Freidberg ( TAUI, NMWC) ; 2ơ Simba , 02°09'S: 37°35'E, 15.ix.2005, A. Freidberg ( TAUI, NMWC) . SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: 1^Pietermaritzburg , 15.ix.1976, R.M. Miller ( NMSA) . YEMEN: 1ơ 1^Ta’izz, 5.i–2.ii.1998, A. van Harten & M. Mahyoub ( NMWC) .

Figures

Fig. 4. Notiochyromya filigera sp. n., ơ: (a) head, lateral, scale bar = 0.3 mm; (b) hypopygium, lateral, scale bar = 0.18 mm; (c) st 5, ventral, scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 8. Dorsal aspect of abdomen: (a) Notiochyromya sexspinosa (Lamb), ^, Nigeria; (b) Notiochyromya tripunctata sp. n., ơ. Scale bar = 0.6 mm.