Psacotes gigantipalpus, Jean- Paul Haenni & Dalton de Souza Amorim, 2016

Jean- Paul Haenni & Dalton de Souza Amorim, 2016, Two new Afrotropical genera of Scatopsidae (Diptera), Mitteilungen Der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 89, pp. 127-142 : 135-138

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.19262
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6060912
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/725BEB09-FFE6-D277-FE42-1177426FFCFD
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Psacotes gigantipalpus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Psacotes gigantipalpus View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs 15–23 View Fig. 15 – 16 View Figs 17 – 23 )

Material examined. Holotype: ♂,labelled: « TANZANIA / Usambara Mts. / Rt. B124 , 1300m / near Lushoto / 10–15.IX.1992 /A. FREIDBERG ». Holotype drypreserved, double-mounted on minuten, in perfect state, in coll. TAU, Tel-Aviv. Paratype: male, dissected and slide-mounted, same data as holotype, TAU.

Diagnosis.Very distinctive by the enormous development of the palpus, nearly as large as an eye ( Fig. 17 View Figs 17 – 23 ). The aedeagal plate with moderately elongate posteriorly directed process ( Figs 21, 23 View Figs 17 – 23 ) is also characteristic.

Description.Male. Head. Antennae gradually widening towards apex, about as long as head height, with flagellum 8-segmented, each flagellomere bearing one somewhat irregular whorl of setae, except last one, longer than preceding two, bearing 3whorls of setae; eyes holoptic, forming abroad eye-bridge over antennae; three ocelli; palpus dark, largely developed, broadly triangular, entirely beset on external face by rounded sensilla and dense pilosity ( Fig. 17 View Figs 17 – 23 ), nearly as large as an eye and as long as antenna; face pilose under antennae; labella yellowish, pointed apically.

Thorax. Notum blackish, dull, weakly shining, with dense and long pilosity, longer than broad; arow of about 14 strong subalar setae; pleura lighter than notum, partly shining; antepronotum with an incomplete ventral cleft ( Fig. 18 View Figs 17 – 23 ); anterior spiracular sclerite ( Fig. 18 View Figs 17 – 23 ) rounded anterodorsally, elongate, twice as long as high, spiracular opening submedian, antero-dorsal; pleural setae: about 30 anepisternals, 7subalars, 2(plus 5weak) subspiraculars; 3weak lower epimerals; arow of 10 strong marginal scutellars.

Wing ( Fig. 16 View Fig. 15 – 16 ). Membrane hyaline, densely beset with short micropilosity; anterior veins sclerotized, brown; posterior veins hyaline, devoid of macrosetae; costal vein ending clearly beyond middle of wing; R4+5 straight along most course, joining Cafter ashort, hardly marked curve; M 1+2 short, medial fork complete, M1 and M2 more than twice longer than stem, slightly diverging apically; wing fold well marked, M4 running straight along most of its extension, curved anteriorly towards wing margin apically, but not reaching margin; CuA sinuous, incurved before middle then directed obliquely in agentle curve, not reaching wing margin. Halter dark, knob elongate, stem short, bearing arow of 4setae.

Legs unremarkable, dark, except posterior femora, obscurely brownish medially, and tarsi, pale yellow, strongly contrasting with rest of legs.

Abdomen dark, dull, with sparse pilosity, that becomes denser and longer towards tip of abdomen; seven pregenital segments; tergites and sternites 1–3 unsclerotized, 4and 5narrow, 6wide; pregenital segment 7with acomplete anterior line of sclerotization, which is also developed on anterior margin of pleural membranes joining tergite and sternite; sternite 7( Fig. 19 View Figs 17 – 23 ) twice as long as wide, more heavily sclerotized along posterior margin, which is shallowly emarginated medially, with apair of acute, tooth-like sublateral projections; tergite 7( Fig. 20 View Figs 17 – 23 ) nearly as long as wide, more heavily sclerotized medially along posterior margin, with acomplex, deep median emargination; spiracles on pleural membrane, close to sternite.

Genital capsule ( Figs 21–23 View Figs 17 – 23 ) simple, epandrium consisting of asimple, broad convex setose plate, apically truncate; parameres triangular, elongate, simple, setose along inner margin; aedeagal plate strongly developed, elongate, conical, with asubbasal rounded hole through which ashort aedeagus protrudes.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.Only known from the type-locality, in Tanzania.

Etymology.The specific epithet of the species name comes from the Latin words gigas, for ‘giant’, and palpus, ’palp’, as areference to the largely developed maxillary palpus in this species; the name is used as an apposition.