Iteaphila cirrata Shamshev, 2012

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Shamshev, Igor V., 2012, 3561, Zootaxa 3561, pp. 1-61 : 13-14

Iteaphila cirrata Shamshev sp. nov.

( Figs. 4D, 5A, 12A)

Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ labelled: “ Lemon Creek , BC [CANADA]/ 117'16'' 40'30''/ July 18,1967/ VIRGIN/ J.H. Shepard ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Iteaphila / cirrata/ Shamshev [red label]“ ( RBCM) . PARATYPES: CANADA. British Columbia: Same as holotype, except 13.vii.1967 (1 ♂, RBCM) . RUSSIA. Khabarovsk Territory: fields Ozerpakh , estuary of Amur R [53º02'32''N, 141º14'45''E], 15.iv.1915, Chernavin (2 ♂, ZIN) ;

Magadan Prov.: Seymchan [62º55'51''N, 152º23'06''E], on window, 3.vii.1971, Gorodkov (1 ♂, ZIN) .

Recognition. This species is distinguished by the long coiled phallus, short epandrium and projecting surstylus.

Description. Wing length 3.2–3.7 mm. Male. Head subtriangular, black, with black setation; occiput greyish brown pollinose. Holoptic, with upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons represented by small triangular space just above antennae, bare, brownish pollinose. Ocellar triangle very prominent, with 2 pairs of proclinate setae; anterior ocellars moderately long, posterior ocellars minute. Postvertical and postocular setae moderately long, thin; occiput covered with numerous similar setae finer in lower part. Antenna brown; scape short, subequal to globular pedicel, both with short setae; postpedicel 3 times longer than basal width, rather broad basally, smoothly tapered; stylus very short, bristle-tipped, segment 9 shorter than wide, apical bristle somewhat longer than segment 9. Proboscis long, projected obliquely; labium about as long as head is high; palpus projected parallel to labrum, nearly as long as labrum.

Thorax black, with brown to black setation; smoothly arched, prescutellar depression very slightly prominent; scutum viewed dorsally rather subshining, viewed anteriorly velvety brown, with 2 indistinct paler vitae between acr and dc setae; pleura subshining, but not bare; otherwise finely brownish grey pollinose (sometimes entirely finely pollinose). Proepisternum with several brownish short bristly setae in lower and upper parts. Postpronotal lobe with 1–2 (usually 1) long and several short setae. Mesonotal setae prominent; acr short, biserial, close rows, separated from dc by length of acr, lacking on prescutellar depression; dc uniserial towards scutellum, with numerous lateral setulae obscuring row, mostly subequal in length to acr, 2–3 prescutellar pairs longer; 1–2 presut spal (sometimes with additional setulae), 2–3 npl (usually with additional thinner setae of different lengths), 2–3 psut spal, 1 long pal, 5 pairs of sctl.

Legs pale brown. Coxae and trochanters with numerous long bristly hairs. Fore femur with short, thin posteroventral setae longer subapically and with similar setae on dorsal and posterior faces. Mid femur with similar pattern of setation but posteroventral setae strong, spine-like on about apical half. Hind femur with moderately long, thin anteroventral and dorsal setae. Tibiae lacking prominent setae. Tarsomere 5 on all legs slightly flattened; pulvilli broad, shorter than tarsal claw.

Wing distinctly brownish infuscate, with brown veins; no bristle at wing base; stigma distinct brownish, elliptical, overlapping apex of vein R 1; anal lobe very prominent, acute. R 2+3 dipped below stigma; radial fork with base proximal to opposite apex of R 2+3; R 5 and M 1 divergent before wing-apex; cell d broad, longer than basal cells, hardly produced apically, truncate; m-m crossvein long, M branches widely separated; dm-cu crossvein slightly concave; M 4 somewhat shorter than dm-cu crossvein. Apex of cell cua slightly rounded, CuP+CuA long, ending short of wing margin. Halter brown.

Abdomen brown, shining, covered with short, black, thin setae. Terminalia concolorous with abdomen, small. Hypandrium rounded, upcurved apically and slightly prolonged dorsally; outer upper surface flutted acting as phallic guide; gonocoxal apodeme slender and short ( Fig. 4D). Postgonite posterior to phallus, extended well beyond epandrium, parallel with phallus; apex sickle-shaped, roundly curved, mostly membranous. Epandrium not greatly inflated laterally; dorsal bridge very narrow; lamella narrow, apical third tapered; extended posteriorly into dorsally projecting surstylus; surstylus half-moon shaped, lacking pubescence, not projected medially. Phallus long and slender, with membranous subdivision at mid-length; apical half rounded, sickle-shaped arching beyond apex of epandrium forming second loop; ejaculatory apodeme plate-like, rounded, shorter than gonocoxal apodeme; dorsal margin of base of phallus produced posteriorly into slender lobe, strongly arched subapically forming slender trifid apex. Cercus long and slender, longer than half length of epandrium, projecting well beyond dorsal margin of epandrium; finger-shaped, tapered to with rounded apex; hypoproct produced into pair of long, slender divergent lobes, less than half as long as length of cercus.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin cirrus, in reference to the coiled or curled phallus.

Distribution. This species is found in a single locality in southern British Columbia ( Canada) ( Fig. 5A) and in two localities in Kabarovsk Territory and Magadan Province of the Russian Far East ( Fig. 12A).

Remarks. The phallus and postgonite of I. cirrata is similar to the derived form in I. nitidula . The latter has always been considered an odd species compared to others of the I. macquarti group, characterized by its elongate epandrium and prolonged phallus. The discovery of I. cirrata with its shortened epandrium, bridges the morphological gap between I. nitidula and other species of Iteaphila .