Parvisquama vanuatuensis, Couri & Pont & Daugeron, 2010

Couri, Marcia S., Pont, Adrian C. & Daugeron, Christophe, 2010, The Muscidae (Diptera) of Vanuatu, Zootaxa 2556 (1), pp. 1-39 : 28-29

31. Parvisquama vanuatuensis , sp. nov.

( Figs 11–13 )

Holotype. Male , deposited in BMNH, labeled: Vanuatu (as New Hebrides): Tanna: x.1930 (L.E. Cheesman).

Diagnosis. Postpedicel mainly yellow, darkened in apical third; palpus dark brown; scutum densely grey pollinose, with very faint vittae; mid femur with the posteroventral ground-setulae in apical half becoming distinctly short-spinulose and comb-like; sternite 5 of male with the posterior lobes short and rounded, with short setulae on disc and bare along inner surface ( Fig. 12 ); surstylus with almost whole surface covered with tiny setulae ( Fig. 13 ).

Description. Male. Length. Wing: 2.7–2.9 mm.

Head. Ocellar setae minute. Lower orbital slightly closer to upper frontal than to upper orbital. Pedicel brown, orange at tip; postpedicel mainly yellow, darkened in apical third. Palpi brown.

Thorax. Scutum grey dusted, with weak indications of a pair of paramedian brownish vittae running along dorsocentral rows. Acrostichal setulae in 2 rows. Anterior postsutural intraalar, presutural intraalar and inner postpronotal very short. 2 proepisternal setae. Scutellum grey dusted; basal setae short, and disc with 3-4 setulae. Wing very long and narrow. Vein A 1 +CuA 2 very short, not reaching halfway from its base to wingmargin. Lower calypter linear. Knob of haltere pale yellow. Legs including coxae yellow, on all legs only tips of tarsomeres 3 and 4 darkened and most of tarsomere 5 black. Fore tibia without a posterior seta. Mid femur on ventral surfaces with short setulae, those on posteroventral surface becoming more comb-like and spinulose in apical half; with a strong anterior seta just beyond middle, and 1 posterior preapical seta. Mid tibia with 1 posterior seta, without anterodorsal. Hind femur with 1 short posteroventral just before apex and 1 stronger seta at middle, and with 2 anteroventral setae, one at apical 2/3 and one before apex; anterodorsal row complete (including a preapical seta) and 1 posterodorsal preapical. Hind tibia with 2 anterodorsals, 2 posterodorsals, 1 anteroventral, 1 dorsal and 1 anterodorsal preapicals, without posteroventral apical.

Abdomen. Sternite 5 as in Figs 11–12 .

Terminalia. Surstylus as in Fig. 13 .

Material examined (paratypes): BMNH: Vanuatu: Aneityum: Red Crest , 1200 feet, 3 km NE of Anelgauhat, iii.1955, 2 ♂, L.E. Cheesman .

Comments. All three males (holotype and paratypes) are in very poor condition, but the terminalia show that they represent a different, and undescribed, species. The holotype is the best preserved but is covered with numerous Lepidoptera scales.

Distribution. Known only from Vanuatu, from Tanna and Aneityum Islands.

Figures

FIGURES 11–13. Parvisquama vanuatuensis sp. nov. Male terminalia. 11. Sternite 5. 12. Lobe of sternite 5, lateral view. 13. Surstylus, lateral view. (Scale bar 0.1 mm).