Megaselia aliusalius Disney, 2020

Disney, R. Henry L. & Durska, Ewa, 2020, New Species And New Records Of Megaselia Rondani (Insecta: Diptera: Phoridae) From Wigry National Park (Poland), Annales Zoologici 70 (1), pp. 97-108 : 97-98

Megaselia aliusalius Disney , sp. nov.

( Figs 1–9 )

Description. (Male). In the key to the males of the species of Megaselia recorded from the British Isles ( Disney 1989), with constant intermediates between choices, it runs to couplets 192, 200, 242 lead 2, 211, 213 and 220 lead 1. All options are excluded, along with subsequently added species running to these couplets, by details of the hypopygium along with features such as only 2 notopleural bristles and/or all brown legs and/or a longer costal index. In Borgmeir’s (1966) key to Nearctic Group VIII it runs to couplet 11 lead 2, but is likewise excluded. It fails to key out in the rest of the world’s fauna.

Male. Note, the front legs are missing in the only specimen available. Frons as Fig. 1 , without fine microtrichia. Cheek with 4 bristles and jowl with 2 that are longer and more robust. Postpedicels, without SPS vesicles, palps and proboscis as Fig. 2 , the labella lacking short spinules below. Thorax brown, with 3 notopleural bristles, with no cleft in front of these, and mesopleuron bare ( Fig. 3 ). Scutellum with an anterior pair of small hairs and a posterior pair of bristles. Abdominal tergites and venter as Fig. 4 , the latter with small hairs on segments 3–6. Hypopygium as Figs 5–7 . Legs yellowish brown to dusky yellow. Dorsal hair palisade of mid tibia extends about 0.61 times its length. Hairs below basal half of hind femur about as long as those of anteroventral row of outer half ( Fig. 8 ). Hind tibia with at most a dozen only moderately differentiat- ed posterodorsal hairs, without anterodorsals and spinules of apical combs simple. Wings ( Fig. 9 ) 1.06 mm long. Costal index 0.39. Costal ratios with 1 clearly longer than 2+3 and 2 longer than 3. Costal cilia 0.11 m long. Vein 3 hair 0.02–0.03 mm long. 3 axillary bristles, the outermost being 0.09 mm long. Sc not reaching R1. Haltere knob pale.

Type material. Holotype male, Poland, Wigry National Park , in emergence trap in plot 5 with Impatients parviflora DC, IX. 2017, E. Durska leg. ( MIZ PAS, – 28–61).

Etymology. Named after being yet another ( alius ) new species and repeated as there is already an Australian species M. alius Disney.

Figures

Figures 1–9. Megaselia aliusalius Disney, sp. nov. male. 1 – frons; 2 – antennae palps and proboscis; 3 – side of thorax; 4 – abdomen; 5 – left face of hypopygium; 6 – left face of hypandrium and penis complex; 7 – right face of hypopygium; 8 – hind femur and tibia; 9 – basal part of wing.