Iteaphila californica Sinclair, 2012

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Shamshev, Igor V., 2012, 3561, Zootaxa 3561, pp. 1-61 : 11

Iteaphila californica Sinclair sp. nov.

( Figs. 4B, 5A)

Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ labelled: “ 5 miles E. of/ S. Tomas, L.C. [MEXICO]”; “at flrs of/ Prunus ”; “Timberlake/ col, Feb 21, [19]46”; “ HOLOTYPE / Iteaphila / californica/ Sinclair [red label]” ( CAS) . PARATYPES: MEXICO. Baja California: Same data as holotype (3 ♂, CAS) . USA. California: Mt. Diablo [Contra Costa Co.], Manzanita flowers, 22.ii.1937, R . L. Usinger (1 ♂, CAS) .

Recognition. This species is distinguished by its long and slender body with very small male terminalia bearing long and stout hypandrial setae, absence of the hypoproct process and strongly tapered and slender epandrium.

Description. Wing length 2.6–3.0 mm. Male. Head subcircular, black, with black setation; occiput brownish pollinose. Holoptic, with upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons represented by small triangular space just above antennae, bare, brownish grey pollinose. Ocellar triangle very prominent, with pair of long, stout, proclinate anterior ocellar setae; posterior ocellar pair half length of anterior pair. Postvertical and postocular setae rather long, thin, hair-like; occiput covered with numerous similar setae. Antenna brown; scape short, subequal to globular pedicel, both with short setae; postpedicel nearly 3 times longer than basal width, stongly tapered; stylus shorter than basal width of postpedicel, bristle-tipped, length of segment 9 about twice width, apical bristle less than half length of segment 9. Proboscis short, less than half head height, projected obliquely; labium less than half head height; palpus projected parallel to labrum, slightly shorter than length of labrum.

Thorax dark brown, with brown to black setation; smoothly arched, prescutellar depression very slightly prominent; scutum viewed dorsally largely velvety brown, slightly matt, lacking vittae. Proepisternum bare. Postpronotal lobe with several long, fine setae and 1 prominent seta. Mesonotal setae prominent, 2–3 npl, 2 presut spal, nearly as long as sctl, 1 pal, 5–8 pairs of sctl in single row; acr biserial, long, separated by slightly shorter than length of setulae ending at prescutellar depression; dc slightly longer than acr, uniserial, with prominent prescutellar dc.

Legs dark brown (knees not paler). Coxae and trochanters with several long, fine setae. Fore and mid femora with rows of long, numerous hair-like setae on anteroventral, posteroventral, posterior faces. Hind femur with row of long anteroventral and dorsal and short posteroventral hair-like setae. Hind tibia with prominent row of dorsal setae. Tarsomere 5 on all legs slightly flattened; pulvilli broad, shorter than tarsal claw.

Wing 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 straight beneath stigma; radial fork with base proximal to apex of R 2+3; R 5 and M 1 parallel at wing-apex; cell d broad, longer than basal cells, slightly produced apically, truncate; m-m crossvein long, M branches widely separated; dm-cu crossvein straight; M 4 longer than dm-cu crossvein. Apex of cell cua slightly rounded, CuP+CuA long, faint, ending short of wing margin. Halter light brown.

Abdomen narrowed proximad, covered with numerous, long, pale hair-like setae, posteromarginal setae not prominent; tergites viewed dorsally finely greyish brown pollinose, viewed posteriorly densely greyish brown pollinose; sternites finely pollinose. Terminalia concolorous with abdomen, small. Hypandrium slightly rounded, curved apically with rounded and broadly notched apex, bearing several long, stout setae nearly as long as sclerite; gonocoxal apodeme short and slender ( Fig. 4B). Postgonite posterior to phallus, extended beyond epandrium, parallel with phallus and hooked apically; posterior margin of shaft with projection at mid-length; apex sharply pointed. Epandrium not greatly inflated laterally; dorsal bridge very broad; produced distally and sharply tapered into slender surstylus; apex of surstylus sharply pointed and slightly arched medially; innear margin of epandrium plate-like, expanded medially. Phallus long and slender, arched slightly beyond cercus, apex roundly curved; apex rounded, membranous posteriorly; ejaculatory apodeme small and slender; base of phallus with posteriorly produced, single, rounded membranous lobe. Cercus tapered, shorter than epandrium, thumb-like and broad basally, apex rounded, extended well free from epandrium; hypoproct plate-like, well developed and expanded beyond cercus margin, not projecting as paired lobes.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after its presently-known restricted distribution.

Distribution. This species is currently relatively rare, known only from two localities in California and Baja California ( Mexico) ( Fig. 5A).