Afrokeroplatus ashleyi, Ševčík & Mantič & Blagoderov, 2015

Ševčík, Jan, Mantič, Michal & Blagoderov, Vladimir, 2015, Two new genera of Keroplatidae (Diptera), with an updated key to the World genera of Keroplatini, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 55 (1), pp. 387-399 : 390-391

Afrokeroplatus ashleyi sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: WESTERN CAPE: Cederberg, Jamaka farm at: 32°20.506ʹS, 19°05.022ʹE, 16.–17.ix. 2013, 485 m, Malaise trap, Mountain Fynbos , in gully, A. H. Kirk-Spriggs leg., coll. NMSA, specimen No. BMSA (D) 58009 [pinned, with the abdomen, right wing and both hind legs in a microvial with glycerol].

Description. Male. Body length 9.0 mm. Wing length 6.5 mm. Length of terminalia 0.65 mm.

Head. Light brown. Three ocelli in a triangular position, placed on a dark triangle. The distance between lateral ocelli slightly more than their diameter. Lateral ocellus separated from the eye margin for a distance of about 1.5 times as its diameter. Median ocellus smaller (about half of the diameter of lateral ocellus), situated at anterior end of a distinct dark sagittal furrow between lateral ocelli. Distinct dark furrow, perpendicular to the sagittal one, connects also lateral ocellus with the eye margin. Compound eyes 1.3 times as high as broad in lateral view, shortly pubescent. Antennae ( Fig. 2 ) long, about 3 times as long as the height of head, remarkably pectinate. Scape slightly shorter than wide, yellowish brown. Pedicel darker and shorter, about 1.5 as wide as long, rounded. Flagellum blackish brown, with 14 flagellomeres, each with a distinct ventral projection. Flagellomere 1 with a simple short straight projection, about as long as the height of the flagellomere. Flagellomeres 2 to 13 each with a long, S-shaped, dorsoventrally flattened projection, 3 to 4 times as long as the height of the flagellomere ( Fig. 2 ). The last flagellomere apically bifid. Mouthparts reduced, especially labellum. Palpus with two palpomeres.

Thorax. Mostly yellowish brown. Scutum with three submedian lateral dark stripes. Scutellum dark brown, with a row of subapical setae, not longer than scutellum. Mediotergite bare, slightly protruding, brown, paler along margins, without any membranous area behind scutellum. Laterotergite bare, dark brown with the upper third paler. Antepronotum and proepisternum setose, light brown. Anterior spiracle and membranous area around it yellowish, without setae. Anepisternum all dark brown, bare. Preepisternum 2 bare, dark brown. Anepimeron reaching between preepisternum 2 and laterotergite. Haltere light brown, about as long as the first abdominal tergite.

Wing ( Fig. 3 ). Hyaline, unmarked, only slightly brownish, its membrane covered with microtrichia, without macrotrichia. Costa produced beyond R 5 to 1/3 of the distance of the tips of R 5 and M 1. Sc short, ending in C well before r-m fusion. Radio-median fusion distinct, three times as long as the stem of M-fork. Basal portion of media not distinctly developed. R 4 relatively long, oblique, ending at C. Vein M 1 distally bent posteriorly. Cu 1 strong, slightly downcurved towards the tip. A

1

strong, reaching wing margin. Alula absent.

Legs. Mostly yellowish brown, covered with dark trichia. Coxae brownish yellow, mid and hind coxa slightly darkened apically. Coxa 1 covered with setae on all of anterolateral (dorsal) side, C2 with setae at apical two thirds, C3 with posterolateral setae in distal half. Femora all yellowish brown, clothed with fine trichia, not longer than maximum width of femur. All tibiae with numerous short trichia forming distinct longitudinal rows and with several sparsely distributed setae, shorter than tibial diameter. The apex of fore tibia only slightly widened, without distinct tibial organ. Fore tibia with one apical spur, slightly shorter than maximum tibial diameter. Two spurs present on both mid and hind tibia, the internal (posteroventral) almost twice as long than the external one (anteroventral). Tarsal claws small and simple. Pulvilli absent. Empodium small, filiform.

Abdomen. Mostly yellowish brown, anterior halves of tergites dark ( Fig. 1 ).

Terminalia ( Figs 4–5 ). Dark brown. Tergite 9 subrectangular, slightly broader than long, its posterior margin slightly pointed medially. Gonocoxites partially fused, posteriorly forming a narrow V-shaped excavation reaching to about the proximal third of the gonocoxites. Gonostylus distinctly shorter than gonocoxite, laterally flattened, apically with a pair of strong black teeth.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after Ashley Kirk-Spriggs, who collected the holotype, to acknowledge his achievements in the study of the Afrotropical Diptera .

Biology. Unknown.

Figures

Figs 1–2. Afrokeroplatus ashleyi gen. & sp. nov. 1 – male habitus (scale bar 1 mm); 2 – male head, frontal view.

Fig. 3. Afrokeroplatus ashleyi gen. & sp. nov., wing.

Figs 4–5. Afrokeroplatus ashleyi gen. & sp. nov., male terminalia. 4 – dorsal view; 5 – ventral view.