Platypalpus exsectus, Barták & Grootaert, 2024

Barták, Miroslav & Grootaert, Patrick, 2024, Description of twelve new species of Platypalpus Macquart from Europe and the Middle East (Diptera, Empidoidea, Hybotidae), Zootaxa 5443 (2), pp. 161-185 : 167-169

Platypalpus exsectus sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: BULGARIA, 12 km S of Pavel Banya , oak wood, sw [= sweeping vegetation], 42.488 N, 25.210 E, 900 m, 1.–3.v.2018, M. Barták & Š. Kubík ( CULSP) . PARATYPES: BULGARIA, same data as holotype (1 ♀) ; Pamporovo , pasture, PT [= water pan traps], 1330 m, 41.613 N, 24.726 E, 15–16.vi.2019, M. Barták & Š. Kubík (1 ♀) ; same locality except, sw + pt, 1300–1600 m, 41.639 N, 24.697 E ± 2 km, 14–18.vi.2018, M. Barták & Š. Kubík (1 ♀)—( CULSP) .

Diagnosis. Large black species of P. pallidiventris —cursitans group. A single pair of vertical setae. Antennae black. Legs yellow with dark pattern, tarsi sharply annulated, mid tibia with very long, sharply pointed apical spur, mid femur with posteroventrals. Large mesoscutal setae black, small setulae pale. Acrostichals irregularly quadriserial. Clypeus lustrous. Palpus yellow.

Description. Male. Head black, grey microtrichose, face almost silvery, clypeus lustrous. Frons ≈ 0.07 mm broad at ventral part (about as wide as pedicel) and 0.13 mm broad at level of anterior ocellus. Face ≈ 0.07 mm broad at middle. Gena narrow, lustrous. Antenna black, postpedicel 2× longer than broad, stylus 2.5–2.7× postpedicel (in female, male damaged). Palpus oval, dirty yellow, with very long white setae (4–5 setae sub-basally and one extremely long subterminal). Ocellar setae black, ≈ 0.15 mm long (ocellar triangle with 2 pairs of additional shorter setae behind anterior pair of ocellars). Single pair of subequally long vertical setae, closely approximated (≈ 0.17 mm apart, measured in female, male damaged). Occiput with both pale and dark setae dorsally, pale and longer ventrally. Proboscis brownish black, lustrous, slightly more than half as long as head height. Thorax black, mesoscutum grey microtrichose, somewhat brownish dorsally; katepisternum with lustrous spot leaving narrow margins microtrichose. Large setae black, small hairs pale. Chaetotaxy: 1 short, fine postpronotal seta; acrostichals irregularly quadriserial (≈ 0.10 mm long, not arranged in rows), dorsocentrals irregularly biserial (with several setae outside the rows), last 1–2 pairs longer and black; notopleuron with 2 black setae on posterior part and several short hairs; 1 black postalar and 1 pair of black scutellar setae (with 2 smaller pale hairs). Wing clear or indistinctly grey darkened, veins dark. R 4+5 and M 1 almost parallel apically but M 1 distinctly S-shaped bowed in basal two thirds. Crossveins contiguous. CuA slightly recurrent. Costal seta black. Squama yellow with yellow fringes. Halter pale yellow. Legs fore coxa yellow, mid and hind coxae blackish brown; fore and hind femora yellow, with only indistinct brownish clouding dorsally, mid femur blackish brown except base and tip; mid knee black, hind knee brown; fore and hind tibiae yellow, mid tibia dirty yellow; all tarsi distinctly annulated. Setae mostly pale (except some ventral spines and posteroventrals on mid femur and tibia and anterior setae on fore and mid femora). Fore femur moderately thickened on basal third, with antero- and posteroventral rows of densely set setae two thirds as long as femur depth, with black preapical anterior seta. Fore tibia narrow, ventrally with setulae as long as tibia depth, dorsally with several darkened setae. Mid femur conspicuously swollen, with several mostly pale but also black posteroventral setae, half as long as femur depth, with anteroventral seta on apical third. Mid tibia with very long sharply pointed apical spur. Hind femur and tibia narrow, both ventrally with dense setulae somewhat longer than diameter of leg. Abdomen blackish-brown, lustrous, all tergites with narrow anterior margins microtrichose; abdomen rather densely covered with long pale setae, sternites 2–5 with conspicuously long, dense setulae. Terminalia ( Fig. 5 , undissected): very short. Left epandrial lamella deeply cleft dorsally ( Fig. 5B ), incision bears long setae inserted on long warts ( Fig. 5A ), ventrally with long pale setae ( Fig. 5B ); cerci short. Female. Similar to male except as follows: legs paler, mid femur with dark maculation dorsally and narrow brown stripe ventrally, last two abdominal segments microtrichose, sternite 8 with narrow lateral lustrous stripe. Length. Body 4.6 mm, wing 4.6 mm (male); body 5.1–6.0 mm, wing 4.6 mm (female).

Etymology. The specific name refers to the deeply incised dorsal margin of the left epandrial lamella ( exsectus, Latin , means cut out).

Distribution. Bulgaria.

Remarks. The species described above may be easily identified according to the diagnosis above. We decided not to damage the single male at hand with the dissection of genitalia. Interestingly one female has indication of short second pair of vertical setae, one inclinate and the other lateroclinate.

Having a single pair of vertical setae, entirely black antennae, mid tibia with very long sharply pointed apical spur, large mesoscutal setae black and acrostichals irregularly quadriserial, only two notopleurals, legs yellow with dark pattern, tarsi sharply annulated, it will lead to couplet 96 (key in Grootaert & Chvála 1992). There, it can be distinguished from P. melancholicus Collin that has microtrichose clypeus and black palpus. The new species has a lustrous clypeus and yellow palpus.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Platypalpus exsectus sp. nov., holotype male terminalia. A. Detail right border left epandrial lamella; B. Left lateral view on epandrium (image M. Barták).