Empis (Planempis) tripotini Daugeron et Shamshev, 2019

Daugeron, C. & Shamshev, I. V., 2019, Empis (Planempis) tripotini sp. n. from South Korea: one of the largest empidoid flies ever discovered (Diptera: Empididae), Far Eastern Entomologist 378, pp. 1-10 : 3-8

Empis (Planempis) tripotini Daugeron et Shamshev , sp. n.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F3A86361-C666-48D9-BF17-77EB0F9BF13F

Figs 1–10

MATERIAL. Holotype: ♂, South Korea: Gangwondo , Pyeongchang, Yong-

pyeong-Myeon, Nodong-li , Nodong Valley, 37.6957°N 128.4727°E, 900 m, 1. VI

2007, leg. P. Tripotin ( NIBR). Paratypes: South Korea: Gangwondo , Gyebangsan

Unturyeong (pass), 37.7075°N 128.4448°E, 1100–1400 m, on ridge along forest path, 01.VI 2006, 4 ♂ ( ED10583 , ED10584, ED10585, ED10586), leg. P. Tripotin ;

Gangwondo, Odaesan near Dongdaesa, 37.7419°N 128.60305E, 800 m, in old

Korean fir forest by 4 malaise traps, 21.VI–2.VIII 2006, 2 ♂ ( ED10588 , ED10589) ,

leg. P. Tripotin; Gangwondo Odaesan, Pyeongchang-gun, Yeonggam-sa, 37.7276°N

128.5997°E, 800 m, 6.VI 2003, 1 ♂ ( ED10591 ), leg. P. Tripotin; Gangwondo ,

Odaesan, Pyeongchang-gun, Yeonggam-sa, 37.7276°N 128.5997°E, 800 m, in

Korean fir forest, 9.VI 2003, 2 ♂, leg. P. Tripotin ( NIBR, ZIN); Gangwondo ,

Gyebangsan Unturyeong (pass), 37.7075°N 128.4448°E, 1100–1400 m, on ridge along forest path, 01. VI 2006, 1 ♂, leg. P. Tripotin ( PCPT) .

DIAGNOSIS. One of the largest empidoid flies (wing length 11.5–12.5 mm)

ever discovered, robust with a small head compared to the size of the thorax, with yellow femora, clear wing, dusted greyish to brownish-yellowish abdomen, various parts of the body (occiput, prothorax, postpronotal lobes, notopleuron and lateral area of abdominal tergites) covered with strong, long subpennate golden yellow to brownish setae; distinct ventral and dorsal black pennation on hind femur apically.

DESCRIPTION. Male ( Figs 1 , 2 ). Head. Occiput dusted grey, covered with lateral golden yellow and a few black setae. Ocellar triangle dusted grey, with pair of strong, long setae directed forward, numerous short black setae especially in back.

Frons wide, dusted grey, with distinct short whitish to golden yellow setulae. Face bare, dusted greyish in its upper part to shiny brownish-black in lower part. Scape blackish, pedicel, base of postpedicel brownish-yellow, both with black setulae,

postpedicel, stylus black, stylus as long as scape and pedicel together. Labrum almost twice head height, brownish to blackish; labium dark brown to blackish,

labella with a few fine setae, palpus orange-brown, darker basally, with fine setae.

Eyes dichoptic, all ommatidia of equal size.

Thorax dusted greyish; postpronotal lobes shiny brownish at tip; antepronotum covered with golden yellow setae; scutum with a narrow blackish stripe on acrostichals, evanescent in the prescutellar depression, a broader stripe on dorsocentrals;

anterior and posterior spiracles whitish to yellow. Postpronotal lobe with numerous long, thick, pennate-like, and simple golden yellow setae. Proepisternum and prosternum with fan of numerous golden yellow setae; cervical sclerite and ventral part of prosternum bare. Acrostichals fine, short, 4-serial anteriorly, 2-serial posteriorly,

absent in front of and on prescutellar depression. Dorsocentrals multiserial, golden yellow and black, fine, rather short anteriorly, becoming irregularly biserial, black,

longer posteriorly especially in prescutellar depression. Presutural area of scutum covered with golden yellow fine setae mixed with a few black setae posteriorly.

Two strong, long black postsutural supra-alars. Notopleuron completely covered with long, thick, pennate-like golden yellow setae and bearing about ten black posterior setae. Postalar callus with a few golden yellow rather fine setae. Laterotergite with fan of numerous strong, long golden yellow setae mixed with a few strong, long black setae. Scutellum with 6–8 pairs of rather fine, long black setae.

Legs. Coxae, trochanters dusted grey; femora yellow to black apically; tibiae and tarsi black. Fore femur with many fine, long posterodorsal golden-yellow to black setae, many shorter black anterodorsals apically. Fore tibia short-haired. Mid femur ventrally covered with many distinct short black setae, a few short dorsal subpennate setae apically. Mid tibia densely covered ventrally with minute bristlyhairs. Hind femur with distinct rather short dorsal pennate setae at apical half, strong,

longer anteroventrals mixed with a few pennate setae at apical half. Hind tibia densely covered with bristly-hairs ventrally and dorsally (longer dorsally). All tarsi short-haired.

Wing long (length 11.5–12.5 mm), clear. Sc abbreviated, brownish, remaining veins complete, brownish basally to blackish apically. Anal lobe well developed.

Halter yellow.

dorsal view; 4 – hypopygium, lateral view. Abbreviations: cer – cercus; epn – epandrium; ej ap – ejaculatory apodeme; hyp – hypandrium; ph – phallus. Scale bars: 2 = 1 mm; 3, 4 = 0.4

mm.

Abdomen ( Fig. 2 ). Coloration variable: tergites brownish-dusted grey anteriorly to brown-yellowish at the posterior margin, or widely brownish to yellowish, or entirely dusted grey to blackish with the posterior margin yellowish; sternites 1–2

yellowish, sternites 3–4 shiny dark brown-blackish, sternite 5 shiny brownish anteriorly to yellowish posteriorly, sternites 6–7 dusted brownish anteriorly to yellowish posteriorly, sternite 8 brown, or first sternite dusted grey, sternites 2–5 shiny brownish, sternites 6–8 brownish. First three or four tergites with long, lateral golden-yellow setae, tergite 3 or 4 with long golden yellow setae anteriorly becoming blackish posteriorly, remaining tergites laterally covered with strong to subpennate blackish setae mixed with simple golden yellow setae, tergite 8 reduced,

ring-like, almost bare. Sternites with a few golden yellow setae, sternite 8 with more distinct marginal setae.

pan Frey. Scale bar: 3 mm.

Hypopygium ( Figs 3, 4 ). Dorsal surface of cercus strongly sclerotized, flattened,

polished, shiny brownish, with a tuft of golden yellow setae at tip. Lower part of cercus with a posterior rounded process bearing fine setae. Epandrium subrectangular with many brownish rather fine, long setae posteriorly, a few stronger setae dorsally.

Hypandrium of complex structure laterally, membranous ventrally. Phallus more or less parallel to epandrium in its median part, thick at middle then abruptly thin apically.

8 – Syrphus sp. ; 10 – Eristalis tenax (L.). Scale bar: 6 mm.

Female. Unknown.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. Within the subgenus Planempis , E. (P.) tripotini sp. n. belongs to a group of large species (body size 8–12 mm) with prosternum ventrally bare and males with dichoptic eyes. In addition to the new species, this group includes E. (P.) achelota Collin from Primorskiy Territory of Russia, E. (P.)

xanthomelas Saigusa and E. (P.) lucidiventris Saigusa (both from Japan). A complete description of the last two species can be found in Saigusa (1992) whereas E. (P.)

achelota was entirely re-described by Shamshev (2002). The two Japanese species can be easily distinguished from the two others by the absence of acrostichal setae on their scutum; E. (P.) tripotini sp. n. can be readily distinguished from E. (P.)

achelota by its acrostichal setae organised in several rows (versus 1–2 rows), black tibiae (versus yellowish), and the absence of a lateral brownish macula in the presutural area of scutum (see Shamshev 2002: figures 1–2). The new species is more robust than the two other species of similar size known to date, Empis (Planempis)

pan Frey ( Fig. 6 ) and E. (P.) zhuae Liu, Saigusa & Yang. We provide below an updated key to Empis (Planempis) species with dichoptic eyes in males (Shamshev,

2002).

DISTRIBUTION. Republic of Korea (Gangwondo province).

NOTES. The Empidinae particularly prefer temperate and high altitude areas

(Daugeron & Lefebvre 2014; Lefebvre et al., 2018; Chatelain et al., 2018), which is also the case of E. (P.) tripotini sp. n. occurring in the mountainous areas of the

Gangwondo province of South Korea, where the specimens were found between

800 and 1400 m.

ETYMOLOGY. The new species is dedicated to its collector, Pierre Tripotin,

who kindly gave us the material for study.

BEHAVIOUR. Many species of Empidinae are flower visitors feeding on nectar of various plants (Lefebvre et al., 2014, 2018), and predation is only conserved during the mating period (Daugeron, 1997b) where nuptial gifts, often preys, are transferred by males to females (e.g. see Tréhen, 1971). Specimens of E. tripotini

sp. n. were directly dry prepared and most of them have retained pollen grains on their body, which is interpreted as an indication of a flower visiting behaviour. Due to its large size this species is probably a good pollinator. But males of some large

Empidinae species are also known to hunt prey of equal or greater size. Three male specimens of E. tripotini sp. n. were collected with a prey item belonging to the family Syrphidae ( Figs 7–10 ): two preys belong to a species of the genus Syrphus and one is a representative of the cosmopolitan Eristalis tenax (Linnaeus, 1758) . All the preys are of similar ( Syrphus sp. ) or much larger size ( E. tenax ) than the males themselves, which shows that they are indeed fearsome predators. Syrphids and E.

(P.) tripotini sp. n. being flower visitors, they probably frequent at least partially the same habitat, so that the males of the new species find both the energy resources

(nectar) on which they depend but also the protein resources (prey) essential to the females for the maturation of their eggs and which will be offered to them by the males during the mating period.

Figures

Fig. 1. Empis (Planempis) tripotini sp. n., male habitus, lateral view. Scale bar: 3 mm.

Fig 2–4. Empis (Planempis) tripotini sp. n., male. 2 – abdomen, dorsal view; 3 – cercus,

Figs 5–6. Male habitus, lateral view. 5 – Empis (Planempis) tripotini sp. n.; 6 – E. (P.)

Figs 7–10. Males of new species with their prey, dorsal view. 7, 9 – E. (P.) tripotini sp. n.;