Chelipoda puhihiroa, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, The Hemerodromiinae (Diptera: Empididae) of New Zealand II. Chelipoda Macquart, Zootaxa 1537 (1), pp. 1-88 : 39-40

23. Chelipoda puhihiroa sp. n.

[ Figs. 54 , 106, 107 ]

Type material. Holotype ♂: New Zealand, South Is. , NC, Glen Wye Station , Hope River Val., 42 o 37’S, 172 o 21’E, site code ‘ Front Dismal’, FIT in forest canopy, 17–31/xii/2000, RKD, dried from alcohol on card point [ NZAC] . Paratypes: 1♀, MB , Glen Hope Station , 42 o 32’S, 172 o 24’E, site code ‘ Meat Safe’, FIT in forest canopy, 26/i–9/ii/2001, RKD, dried from alcohol on card point [ NZAC] ; 1♀, MB , Nina Valley , west of Boyle River, 42 o 28’S, 172 o 21’E, site code ‘ Nina Control’, FIT in forest canopy, 16/xii/200– 2/i/2001, RKD, in alcohol [ NMWC] ; 1♀, SI, Stewart Is , Christmas Village Hut, 46.7449 o N, 167.9745 o E, NZMG 5373190 N 212584E, 18/i/2000, RKD, in alcohol [ NMWC] .

Etymology: the specific epithet is a Maori description of the long antennae of this species; puhihi, antenna; roa, long.

Description. Male: length = 3.5–5.0mm.

Head: brownish-black, greyish dusted, face whitish-yellow. Antennae brownish-black, scape paler, postpedicel very long, about 20X as long as wide at base, very little inflated basally and arista completely absent.

Thorax: rather darker than C. longicornis with pprnlb brownish; ground colour submedian, side, and dorsal prescutellar stripe of mesonotum strongly marked, blackish, and a fainter narrow black dorsal stripe anteriorly; interstices between stripes densely dusted grey; pleura similar to but with darker ground colour than C. longicornis , strongly greyish-white dusted on yellowish regions between dark ground colour stripes, appearing distinctly black and white striped in dry specimens. Chaetotaxy similar to C. longicornis but single ph without smaller setae in front.

Legs: brownish-yellow, C 1, F 1 and T 1 somewhat paler, C 1 about 1.2X length of thorax, about same length as F 1 with only fine pale pile in front and at sides and with brown bristly hairs apically; C 2 and C 3 with only short pile and a ‘fan’ of small pale bristles anteroapically, stronger on C 3; C 1 similar to C. longicornis but denticles and spines less numerous, femoral formula 4(4–4)/15.5(15–16)/11(11–11)/4(4–4), basal ventral bristle small and fine; T 2 with two fine pv bristles 0.7–0.8 from base, legs otherwise similar to longicornis.

Wing and abdomen: similar to C. longicornis . Male genitalia very similar to C. longicornis with median lobe of postgonite rather differently bristled.

Description. Female: very similar to male but postpedicel only about 10X as long as wide at base, rather gradually tapered with a minute terminal arista (<0.05X length of postpedicel). Mesonotum with anterior dorsal stripe more strongly developed, the interstices between it and the submedian stripes sometimes tending to yellowish. F 1 with basal ventral bristle well developed, femoral formula 4(4–4)/16(13–16)/14(12–14)/4(4–4).

Comments. C. puhihiroa is closely related to and easily confused with to C. longicornis and C. cornigera (see discussion under C. longicornis ). It is confined to forested regions of New Zealand’s South Island and Stewart Island with records of adults from December to February inclusive. A single very ‘bleached’ female in alcohol from North Island, TO, Whirinaki Forest, 13–14/xii/1986, ARP [NMWC] may also be this species.

Figures

FIGURES 49–55. Male genitalia of Chelipoda spp. 49. C. oblata Collin, posterior view. 50. C. oblinita Collin, posterior view. 51–53. C. otiraensis (Miller). 51. posterior view. 52. anterior view. 53. apex of postgonite. 54. C. puhihiroa sp. n. apex of postgonite. 55. C. rangopango sp. n. posterior view,

FIGURES 104–116. Antennae of Chelipoda spp. 104–105. C. monorhabdos sp. n. 104. ♀. 105. ♂. 106–107. C. puhihiroa sp. n. 106. ♀. 107. ♂. 108. C. secreta Collin ♀. 109. C. rakiuraensis sp. n. ♂. 110. C. secreta Collin, ♂. 111. C. tainuia sp. n. ♂. 112. C. trepida Collin ♂. 113. C. venatrix sp. n. ♂. 114. C. tangerina sp. n. ♂. 115–116. C. didhami sp. n. 115. ♀. 116. ♂.