Chelipoda macrosceles, Plant, 2009

Plant, Adrian R., 2009, Diversity Of Chelipoda Macquart, 1823 (Diptera: Empididae: Hemerodromiinae) In Northern Thailand With Discussion Of A Biodiversity ‘ Hot Spot’ At Doi Inthanon, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 57 (2), pp. 255-277 : 265-266

Chelipoda macrosceles , new species

( Figs. 9 , 19, 20 , 26 )

Material examined. – Holotype. Male , VIETNAM, Viet Try , Sa Pa, Sin Chay, 22°20'N 103°50'E, c 1,900 m, Malaise trap, coll. R. de Vries, 21 Oct. –11 Nov.1999 ( RMNH).

Paratypes. Same data as holotype , 14 males, 21 females ( RMNH) ; 3 males, 3 females ( IRSNB) ; 4 males, 3 females ( NMWC) .

Additional material. VIETNAM, Cat Cat , 1,550 m, Malaise trap, coll. C. Van Achterberg, 2 males, 1 female, 29 Oct.1999 ( RMNH) . THAILAND, Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon National Park, Summit Marsh , 18°35.361'N 98°29.157'E, 2,500 m, Malaise trap, coll. Y. Areeluck, 1 male, 29 Apr.– 6 May.2007 ( QSBG, T1852 ) ; Kew Mae Pan Trail , 18°33.162'N 98°28.810'E, 2,200 m, 1 female, 22–29 Dec.2006 ( QSBG, T1888 ) ; 1 male, 16–23 Mar.2007 ( NMWC, T1813 ) ; 1 female, 29 Apr. –6 May 2007 ( QSBG, T1853 ) : Kew Mae Pan , 18°33.163'N 98°28.8'E, 1 female, 2–10 Nov.2006 ( NMGW, T388 ) .

Diagnosis. – Slender species with distinctive black and yellow markings on thorax and elongate front femora with only a single row of denticles beneath. The female abdomen is distinctly petiolate basally.

Description. – Male. Body length 2.5–3.0 mm. Head black, lightly dusted, subshining on frons; face bright yellowish white. Eyes clearly separated (not almost touching) below antenna. All setae yellow; ocl and vtl strong; upper upo slightly shorter than vtl, other upo and lpo becoming progressively weaker ventrally; patch of pale setae behind mouth conspicuous. Antenna yellow, stylus darker apically in some lights; poped very narrow apically, 3× long as wide; stylus 2× long as poped. Mouthparts yellow.

Thorax clear yellow, thinly dusted, subshining. Scutum ( Fig. 19 ) with somewhat variable brown markings on notopleural area, narrow median stripe widening posteriorly, scutellum, mediotergite and laterotergite (scutal stripe usually broadened at extreme anterior margin of scutum and notopleural mark often extensive). Thoracic setae yellow; anterior dc and sa strong; mid dc (in line with npl) weak and usually two fine small dc immediately behind. Sct fine and rather widely spaced; anterior postpronotal very small.

Legs yellow. C 1 as long or slightly longer than thorax, slender, 9–10× long as wide, ciliated anteriorly on distal 0.5 with minute yellowish setulae. F 1 slightly longer than C 1, conspicuously slender, slightly inflated, 8–9× long as wide; a single row of 13–15 minute av denticles (pv denticles absent) with 2–3 pv and 3 av yellow spines and usually a single basal spine ventrally. T 1 0.7× as long as F 1, the row of minute denticles ventrally rather longer and more erect than usual.

Abdomen yellow with tergites 2–5 and sternites 2–3 dark brown, all setae rather short and sparse. Genitalia with fused Hypan + Epan ( Fig. 9 ) brownish yellow, darker dorsally and with rounded blackish patch laterally; rather quadrate, bearing a few short setae; fused lobes rather widely separated dorsally, the aperture between them with greyish membrane covering in front of which is an opening through which internal organs project anterodorsally. Cercus yellow, broadly spathulate apically, bearing distinct regularly spaced setae. Subepandrial process complex, consisting of twisted yellowish structure. Phallus, pale yellow, long, projecting anteriorly.

Wing membrane clear; veins yellowish basally, blackish at level of apex of basal cells, dusky yellow distally. Squamae with pale fringes. Halter white.

Female. Antenna with poped slightly shorter than male. Thorax ( Fig. 20 ) reddish black, subshininng; postpronotal area, thoracic ‘collar’, propleuron and katepisternum anteriorly yellow

Legs similar to male, perhaps even more slender and with ventral denticles on F 1 more numerous (15–19). Abdomen petiolate basally ( Fig. 26 ); segments 2–7 subshining black, otherwise yellow; cercus very short, hardly longer than wide, yellow.

Etymology. – The specific epithet derives from the Greek, macrosceles, meaning long-legged in reference to the slender front femur of this species.

Remarks. – This species is currently known from moist montane forests between 1,550 and 1,900 m in the Hoang Lien Son Mountains in northern Vietnam and from similar biotopes at 2,200 –2,500 m on Doi Inthanon, Thailand. Adults were caught between October and November and again in March.

Figures

Figs. 7–11. Male genitalia of Chelipoda species in lateral view: 7. C. kameawuta new species; 8. C. laisoma new species; 9. C. macrosceles new species; 10. C. manggawna new species; 11. C. meenamluang new species.

Figs. 19–24. Thoracic dorsum of Chelipoda spp. showing schematic pattern of ground colour. 19–20. C. macrosceles new species: 19. male; 20. female: 21. C. flavida Brunneti, male: 22–23. C. nakropa new species, male: 22. high elevation morph; 23. mid elevation morph: 24. C. chaiamnata new species, male.

Figs. 25–28. Chelipoda species: 25. C. manggawna new species, male; 26. C. macrosceles new species, female habitus; 27. C. nakropa new species, male, front femora showing chaetotaxy; 28. C. hubeiensis Yang & Yang, female, wing. Abbreviations: bm, cell bm; br, cell br; bs, basal spines; d, denticles; dm, cell dm; dm-cu, crossvein dm-cu; s, spines.