Platypalpus fatnae Zouhair & Grootaert, 2024

Zouhair, Laila, Grootaert, Patrick & Kettani, Kawtar, 2024, Twelve new species of Platypalpus Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from Morocco, with additional new records, European Journal of Taxonomy 951 (1), pp. 1-53 : 26-28

Platypalpus fatnae Zouhair & Grootaert sp. nov.

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Figs 15–16

Diagnosis

Extensively black small species (2.5 mm long) of the pallidiventris-cursitans group, with one pair of long vertical bristles. Antennae black with postpedicel conical, elongate, about 3 × as long as wide at base. Thorax with mesoscutum greyish dusted including postpronotal lobe and pleura greyish dusted, leaving only a large polished spot on katepisternum. Legs yellow with all coxae and trochanters extensively black, mid femur with a black stripe dorsally, hind femur blackish at tip and all tarsi black annulated. Mid tibia with a long, sharp apical spur. Hind femur with a ventral row of black spinules. Wings hyaline with veins R 4+5 and M 1+2 convergent just before meeting wing margin.

Etymology

This species is dedicated to the mother (Fatna Abdaoui) of the first author for her invaluable support.

Type material

Holotype

MOROCCO – High Atlas • ♂; Ourika ; 9 Apr. 2022; sweep net; L. Zouhair leg.; LESCB.

Description

Male

LENGTH. Body: 2.5 mm; wing: 2.3 mm.

HEAD. Black in ground colour, occiput greyish pollinose, with one pair of long black verticals. Gena densely greyish pollinose, with long black setae. Ocellar tubercle greyish pollinose. Frons greyish pollinose, narrower than pedicel, somewhat broader toward ocellar tubercle, yellowish dusted. Face slightly narrower than pedicel, subshining. Clypeus long, subshining. Antennae black, pedicel as long as deep, postpedicel conical, elongate, about 3× as long as wide at base (stylus partly broken). Proboscis black, shorter than head is high. Palpus black, nearly ovate, with long black subapical seta.

THORAX. Extensively black. Mesoscutum greyish dusted including postpronotal lobe. Pleura greyish dusted leaving a large polished spot on katepisternum. Thoracic hairs broken, but according to hair follicles: postpronotal lobe with one seta and several setulae, mesoscutum with 1 notopleural, 2 scutellars, acrostichals biserial and dorsocentrals uniserial.

LEGS. Yellow except for all coxae and trochanters extensively black, mid femur with a black stripe dorsally, hind femur blackish at tip, all tarsi black annulated. Coxae and trochanters with long black setae. Fore femur thickened in basal quarter, with rows of pale anteroventral and posteroventral setae. Fore tibia slightly thickened, spindle-shaped, clothed with ordinary setulae and bearing 2–3 strong black setae dorsally at median part. Mid femur very distinctly thickened, with double row of black ventral spinules and row of thick, long black posteroventral setae. Mid tibia slender, as long as femur, with a row of black ventral spinules and a long, sharp, largely black apical spur. Hind femur slender with a ventral row of black spinules. Hind tibia slender, clothed with ordinary setulae, dorsally bearing 1 strong black preapical seta and 1–2 strong black ventral setae in the middle.

WINGS. Hyaline, with pale brownish veins. Costa with 1 moderately long black seta. Veins R 4+5 and M 1+2 convergent just before meeting wing margin. Crossveins m-cu and r-m separated, bm distinctly broader and longer than br. Vein Cu 2 straight. Vein Cu reaching wing border, recurrent in apical part. Anal vein indistinct. Squama whitish with pale hairs. Haltere whitish.

ABDOMEN. With tergites extensively blackish, subshining, covered with long pale setae; sternites blackish, with similar setation. Male terminalia ( Fig. 15 ) with cerci much longer than epandrium. Both cerci pointed, right cercus much longer than left cercus. Apices of both cerci forked. Right surstylus lacking ( Fig. 15A ). Apical border of left epandrial lamella deeply notched, set with long fine setae. Setae on left margin shorter ( Fig. 15C ).

Female

Unknown.

Remarks

The species described here can be compared with Platypalpus baezi Grootaert & Chvála, 1992 , described from the Canary Islands (couplet 100), and with P. alluaudi Grootaert & Chvála, 1992 , described from Morocco (couplet 95); the three species have one pair of black verticals, black antennae with the postpedicel at least 2.5 × as long as deep, legs yellow with all coxae and trochanters black and the tarsi black annulated, but the new species has a black stripe on the mid femur dorsally, which is absent in P. alluaudi and P. baezi . The new species has some black dorsal setae on the fore tibia (2–3), as in P. alluaudi (absent in P. baezi ). The mid tibia in the new species have a row of black ventral spinules and the hind tibia bear 3–4 strong black setae posterodorsally, which are absent in P. alluaudi and P. baezi . The acrostichals and dorscentrals cannot be compared because they are broken in the new species. An illustration of the male genitalia of P. alluaudi is not available. The genitalia of P. baezi and those of new species are completely different (compare Grootaert & Chvála 1992: figs 110–112 with Fig. 15 ).

Figures

Fig. 15. Platypalpus fatnae Zouhair & Grootaert sp. nov., male terminalia (holotype, LESCB). A. Right epandrial lamella. B. Epandrium with cerci and detail of tip of left cercus in lateral view. C. Left epandrial lamella. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 16. Platypalpus fatnae Zouhair & Grootaert sp. nov., ♂, habitus (holotype, LESCB).