Gondwanamyia zealandica Sinclair & Brooks

Sinclair, Bradley J., Cumming, Jeffrey M., Brooks, Scott E., Plant, Adrian R. & Saigusa, Toyohei, 2016, Gondwanamyia, a new empidoid (Diptera) genus of uncertain placement, ZooKeys 621, pp. 137-147 : 141-144

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Empididae

Gondwanamyia zealandica Sinclair & Brooks sp. n. Figs 1-3, 7, 10

Type locality.

New Zealand: Auckland: Waitakere Range, Matuku Reserve, 25 m, 36.867°S, 174.476°E.

Type-specimen.

Holotype male, pinned. Original label: "NEW ZEALAND: AK:/ Waitakere Range/ Matuku Reserve, 25 m/ 36.867°S, 174.476°E / 2-5.iv.2010; L. Masner/ YPT [yellow pan trap] #23"; "HOLOTYPE/ Gondwanamyia / zealandica / Sinclair & Brooks" (NZAC).

Recognition.

This species is distinguished from Gondwanamyia chilensis by the less stout posteroventral row of setae on the mid femur and tibia, presence of acrostichal setae, arista-like stylus slightly shorter, posterior setae on male sternite 8 longer and stouter, and phallus without an apical filament.

Description.

Male.Head: Ocellar setae stout, reclinate. Arista-like stylus approximately 0.5 mm.

Thorax: Light brown, concolourous with abdomen. Acrostichal setulae present, at least three, uniserial; five dorsocentral setae, anterior seta stouter and laterally offset; one postpronotal seta, two strong, subequal notopleural setae; one presutural and three postsutural supra-alar setae; one postalar; two pairs of scutellar setae, lateral pair slender and shorter than apical pair.

Legs: Mid femur with posteroventral row of pale setae, longer than width of tibia. Mid tibia without posteroventral row of stout setae. Apex of hind tibia slightly expanded with posteroapical comb.

Wing: Length 1.1 mm. Erect costal setae more conspicuous than in Gondwanamyia chilensis ; subapical vein streaks present, representing veins M1 and M2.

Abdomen: Four pairs of posterior setae on male sternite 8 long and stout. Male terminalia: Cercus broadly expanded at base, tapered to narrow apex; bearing fine setae. Hypandrium + epandrium with broad ventral connection; slender surstylus with pair of preapical setae; apex arched medially. Hypandrium sheath-like, with two pairs of tapered and apically pointed anterior hypandrial lobes; gonocoxal apodeme very slender, straight, arising on interior of hypandrial sheath. Phallus with hood-like apex, without apical filament; ejaculatory apodeme rod-shaped, very long and slender, running along posterior margin of hypandrium.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

The species name refers to the country of the type locality.

Remarks.

This species is known only from the type-locality, on the North Island of New Zealand (Fig. 10). The New Zealand habitat is apparently very different than that for Gondwanamyia chilensis , but collection of additional specimens and observations on the precise micro-habitat of this species in the Matuku Reserve are required.