Leptogaster madangensi s, 2020

Tomasovic, Guy, 2020, Description of a new species of Leptogaster Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae) from Papua New Guinea, Belgian Journal of Entomology 108, pp. 1-7 : 1-7

Leptogaster madangensi s sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:75B54AF1-7443-4DEC-A434-4DCE928C5434

( Figs. 1–4 )

DIAGNOSIS. Species shiny, brown and yellow, small, slender and flimsy. Wings shorter than abdomen. Legs yellow, hind femora with a large distinguishable darker ring. Empodium very fine and small.

ETYMOLOGY. The name of the species refers to the Madang province where the type has been collected in Papua New Guinea.

DESCRIPTION. Length body 1.3 cm, wings 4 mm.

Head. Frons and face narrow. Mystax with 2–4 long, very fine and white setae. Proboscis yellowish-brown, palpi small with 1 fine and white hair on tip. Antennae: scape and pedicel small, yellow with clear small fine setae, postpedicel brown slightly longer as the scape and pedicel together, style longer than 3 first segments. Vertex and occiput with grey tomentum.

Thorax. Scutum shining brown with three broad darker stripes, one long, fine and black notopleural setae (this last is weak and often away). Pleura white orange. Legs yellow, claw black, empodium very fine and small. Metafemora with a large darker ring. Wings ( Fig. 4 ) lightly brown at the tip, uniformly covered with microtrichia, costa with relatively long white and fine setae. Halter with a long, fine and clear stem, knob with a black spot.

Abdomen. Fine and long, shining brown, covered by macrosetae yellowish. Tergite I ♀♀ considerably longer than tergite II and with a central ring yellowish. All tergites with posterior margin yellowish. Male genitalia: brown-dark with fine and sparse small and black setae. Epandrium ( Fig. 2 ) triangular with inward curved and pointed apex. Hypandrium (Fig. 3) with 2 long, fine and black laterally setae. Gonopods displaced to sides of apex of Hypandrium, dististylus lightly curved and sharp to the top, sclerites lightly club-shaped, phallus no studied.

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype ♂ is labelled as follows: ‘Canopy mission P.N.G. Madang province Baiteta, FOG AR56 7.VI.1996. Leg. Olivier Missa / Holotype Leptogaster madangensis sp. nov. det. G. Tomasovic 2020. The specimen is double mounted (minute pin in block of foam), is in excellent condition, and is deposited in the RBINS.

Paratypes 12♂, 9♀: same locality as the holotype: 1♂ same data as holotype; 1♂ 1♀, FOG AR52-11, 17.V.1996. 1♂ 1♀, FOG AR42, 12.IV.1996. 3♂ 2♀, FOG AR62, 3.VII.1998. 1♂, FOG AR60, 27.VI.1996. 1♂ 1♀, FOG AR58, 18.V.1996. 2♂ 2♀, FOG AR61, 28.V.1995. 1♂, FOG AR3, 6.VII.1995. 1♀, FOG AR70, 25.VII.1996. 1♂ 1 ♀, FOG AR66, 16.VII.1996 all deposited in the RBINS.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus of Leptogaster madangensis Tomasovic sp. nov., Papua New Guinea, Madang province, Baiteta, 7.VI.1996, leg. O. Missa. © Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech.

Fig. 2. Lateral view of epandrium. Scale bar 0.5 mm. Fig. 3. Ventral view of the tip of hypandrium and structures of the gonopods.

Fig. 4. Wing of Leptogaster madangensis Tomasovic sp. nov.