Aphaniosoma flavipyga, Ebejer, 2023

Ebejer, Martin J., 2023, The genus Aphaniosoma Becker, 1903 (Diptera: Chyromyidae) in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, with descriptions of new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 872, pp. 1-161 : 65-69

Aphaniosoma flavipyga sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:15B3524C-9BDC-4E9B-A914-66DDD7DC3C6E

Figs 32–34

Diagnosis

A pale-yellow species with scutum having deeper yellow to pale brown vittae; epandrium shiny, pale yellow; aedeagus brown; 2 fronto-orbitals and a pair of longer frontal setae in front of the ocellar triangle. Similar species: A. freidbergi sp. nov. has a longer head, narrower eyes and a long and strong pair of setae in the middle of the frons. Aphaniosoma aldabrense Ebejer, 2009 , A. kirkspriggsi Ebejer, 2009 and A. micropygum Ebejer, 2009 , all from the Afrotropical Region, look similar and have the long pair of setae on the frons and a dark mediotergite.

Etymology

The species epithet is a combination of the Latin for yellow ‘ flavus ’ and for buttocks ‘ pyga ’ and refers to the large round yellow epandrial halves on each side.

Material examined

Holotype

ISRAEL • ♂; Zomet Zohar; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU 405823 .

Paratypes

ISRAEL • 16 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; MJE • 1 ♂; Holon; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU .

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Body length: male 1 mm, female 1.1 mm. Wing length: male 1 mm, female 1.1 mm.

Male

HEAD. Yellow including ocellar triangle and entire occiput, ocelli ringed black; at vertex, frons twice as broad as eye, narrowed anteriorly, at level of antennae about 0.5 × as wide as at level of anterior ocellus; gena narrow in front, deeper behind, in profile, below middle of eye, about 0.5 × as high as short oval eye, with numerous white setulae; occiput in profile not visible behind eye, with pale postocular setulae in one row; 2 vibrissal setae well differentiated from buccal row of setulae; face short and narrow, depressed and poorly sclerotized; median carina narrow and short; antenna yellow, pedicel with short seta dorsally; basal flagellomere with very fine short and dense pubescence along anterior margin shorter than diameter of basal segment of arista; basal 1 / 5 of arista pale, with fine pubescence; chaetotaxy: 2 posterior moderately developed fronto-orbitals with 2 very short setulae anterior to them; ocellars short; paraverticals short and convergent; 1 inner and 1 outer vertical; frons with about 10 scattered setae apart from longer pair in front of anterior ocellus.

THORAX. Yellow with pale golden yellow microtomentum; scutum with deeper yellow to pale brown vittae; mediotergite yellow; chaetotaxy: 1 postpronotal, 1 short inconspicuous intra-postpronotal setula, 1 presutural, 2 notopleurals, 0+3 intra-alars, 1 postalar, 2+4 dorsocentrals, only prescutellar strong, 1+4 acrostichals with prescutellars not developed, 4 scutellars, anepisternal and katepisternal setae not seen in holotype, damaged by pin (present in paratypes).

WING. Veins yellow; distance on costa between R 2+3 and R 4+5 about 0.4 × that between R 4+5 and M 1; distance between cross veins about 1.3 × as long as posterior crossvein, which lies slightly oblique and is about 0.3 × as long as apical section of M 4. Haltere creamy white.

LEGS. Yellow, with numerous pale setulae, longer setulae present on fore femur; apico-ventral seta on mid tibia present; claws black in apical half, pulvilli normal; hind trochanter not modified.

ABDOMEN. Tergites yellow with pale brown bands on basal ⅔; tergites sparsely setulose, with setulae more distinct on margins of tergites 5 and 6; tergite 6 narrow; sternite 6 with a heavily sclerotized central section directed anteriorly ( Fig. 30 C ).

HYPOPYGIUM ( Figs 33–34 ). Epandrium large, pale shiny yellow, bearing elongate, conical surstylus, cercus very pale and long setulose; pregonite narrow and pale; postgonites pale brown pigmented, curved laterally; basiphallus pale brown; epiphallus notched at apex; distiphallus large and brown pigmented apically.

Female

Similar to male but without the secondary sexual characters.

Variation

Some specimens have pale brownish vittae along the dorsocentral and intra-alar lines, the former reaching the scutellum.

Distribution

Israel.

Figures

Fig. 32. Aphaniosoma flavipyga sp. nov., ♂, holotype (SMNHTAU 405823), habitus, lateral view.

Fig. 33. Aphaniosoma flavipyga sp. nov., ♂, paratype (SMNHTAU), hypopygium in situ. A. Lateral view. B. Posterior view.

Fig. 34. Aphaniosoma flavipyga sp. nov., ♂, paratype (SMNHTAU). A. Hypopygium, lateral view. B. Hypopygium, ventral view. C. Sternite 6, ventral view. Abbreviations: See Material and methods.

Fig. 30.Aphaniosoma falciferumEbejer,1998,♂(SMNHTAU).A. Habitus, lateral view.B. Hypopygium, postero-ventral view. C. Hypopygium, lateral view.