Teuchophorus limosus, Grootaert, 2006

Grootaert, Patrick, 2006, The Genus Teuchophorus (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) In Singapore, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 54 (1), pp. 59-82 : 74-75

Teuchophorus limosus , new species

( Figs. 35-39 )

Teuchophorus limosus is referred to as species B in Evenhuis & Grootaert, 2002: 316.

Material examined. – Holotype male: SINGAPORE: Sungei Buloh , 27 Nov.2003, mangrove (23092, coll. P. Grootaert) in Raffles Museum.

Paratypes: SINGAPORE: 44 males, Sungei Buloh , 27 Nov.2003, mangrove (23092, coll. P. Grootaert) ; 2 males, 4 females, Sungei Buloh , 27 Nov.2003 (23091, coll. P. Grootaert) ; 2 males, Sungei Buloh , 9 Dec.2003 (22057, coll. P. Grootaert) ; 7 males, Sungei Buloh , 28 Mar.2005 (25037, coll. P. Grootaert, Si 554) ; 63 males, Sungei Buloh , 22 Jun.2005 (25121, coll. P. Grootaert, Si 794) ; 2 males, Sungei Buloh , 11 May.2005 (25159, coll. P. Grootaert, Si 810) ; 7 males, Sungei Buloh , 6 Jul.2005 (25199, coll. P. Grootaert, Si 879) ; 27 males, Sungei Buloh , 26 August. 2005, sweep netting (25321, coll. P. Grootaert, Si 1019) ; 4 males, 7 females, Lim Chu Kang , 13 Oct.2000 (20051, coll. P. Grootaert & Neal Evenhuis) ; 3 males, Pulau Ubin , Chek Jawa, 19 Nov.2003 (23080, coll. P. Grootaert) ; 3 males, 1 female, Chek Jawa , 2 Dec.2003 (23097, coll. P. Grootaert) ; 1 male, 1 female, Chek Jawa , 11 Dec.2003 (23119, coll. P; Grootaert) ; 3 males, Pandan mangrove, 5 Dec.2003 (23109, coll. P. Grootaert) ; 17 males, 10 females, Mandai mangrove, 9 Oct.2000 (20038) ; 3 males, 3 females, Kranji , mangrove, 6 Oct.2000 (20033, coll. P. Grootaert & N. Evenhuis, species B in Evenhuis & Grootaert, 2002) ; 2 males, Kranji (beach forest), 27 Jul.2005 (25254, coll. P. Grootaert, Si 925) .

Diagnosis. – Antenna brownish black with third antennal segment a little wider than long. No stigma present, but costa between r1 and r2+3 darkened. Acr uniseriate. First tarsomere of fore leg without basal spinule (at most an indistinct hair). Mid femur with 2 short ventral bristles at base. Mid tibia ventrally with 4 spinules in apical third. Hind femur without bristles, except for 3 av bristles in apical third. Hind tibia with 2 dorsal bristles. Aedeagal complex strong, black, separated from surstyli.

Description. – Male. Body length: 1.4-1.6 mm; wing length: 1.25-1.4 mm.

Head. Frons subshining metallic green. Face somewhat denser greyish dusted than frons. Palpi small, brown, with a small black bristle. Rostrum brownish yellow. Occiput subshining dark metallic green. Chaetotaxy as usual; no postocellars. Postoculars short, uniseriate, black. Antenna ( Fig. 35 ) short; first and second segments brownish black; third segment dark brown, with a lighter coloured apex. Third segment short, shorter than wide, with a blunt apex. Arista less than 3 times as long as antenna, shortly pubescent; basal segment slightly shorter than upper margin of third antennal segment.

Thorax. Mesoscutum and scutellum subshining dark metallic green. Pleurae dark brown, with a metallic green gloss on mesopleura and metapleura; the latter with a black anterior border. Acr uniseriate; 5 dc. A minute propleural bristle.

Legs, including coxae, yellow. Mid coxa exteriorly with a vague brown longitudinal streak.

Fore leg. Coxa anteriorly with short, sparse, brownish hairs; towards tip a row of 4-5 rather short brownish bristles. Femur with a very weak preapical pv. Tibia about as long as femur, with a short anterodorsal serration, most distinct in apical half. First tarsal segment without spinules at base, at most an indistinct hair. Length of femur, tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 0.42: 0.42: 0.2: 0.07: 0.06: 0.04: 0.07

Mid leg. Coxa anteriorly with short brownish hairs, no exterior bristle. Femur ( Fig. 36 ) with a rather long preapical av, and a slightly shorter preapical pv; ventrally at base 3 pale bristles about half as long as femur is deep; tibia about as long as femur; 2 ad, 1 pd; ventrally on apical two fifths a row of 4- 5 short spinules ( Fig. 36 ); apical bristles short. Length of femur, tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 0.52: 0.52: 0.21: 0.11: 0.08: 0.07: 0.07.

Hind leg. Coxa with a weak black exterior bristle. Femur ( Fig.

37) without ventral bristles, with two long av preceding the preapical a. Tibia about as long as femur; 3 dorsal bristles; first tarsal segment short; on posterior apical rim a short black fringe. Length of femur, tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 0.52: 0.56: 0.11: 0.14: 0.1: 0.07: 0.07.

Wing hyaline. Costa not thickened between tips of r1 and r2+3, at most darker than the rest of the costa. r4+5 and m1+2 apically more or less parallel. Length ratio of basal and apical parts of m1+2 about 1:2.5. Halter yellow. Squama brown, broadly blackened at apex, with dark cilia.

Abdomen dorsally dark bronze-brown, subshining. Venter yellowish; sternites brownish at middle. Hairs and marginal bristles on terga short, black. Hypopygium ( Figs. 38-39 ) dark brown. Hypandrium, aedeagus and dorsal epandrial lobes strongly curved and separated from surstyli. Aedeagal complex looks contrastingly black due to the black dorsal epandrial lobes, but hypandrium and aedeagus transparent.

Female. Body length 1.4-1.7 mm; wing length 1.3-1.45 mm. In most respects identical to male. Ventral spinules on apical half of mid tibia absent.

Etymology. – The name limosus (Latin for muddy) refers to the muddy substrate in the mangrove where the new species lives.

Discussion. – The new species looks superficially like T. simplicissimus that is sympatric. It is easily distinguished from the latter by the strong, black, curved aedeagal complex, the absence of the posterior erect hairs on the hind tibia and the absence of a basal spinule at the base of the first tarsomere of the fore leg.

To identify the species quickly, squeeze the abdomen so that the large black aedeagal complex is freed or, look for absence of the erect posterior hairs on the hind tibia to separate the species from T. simplicissimus .

Distribution and habitat. – Singapore. Very common in mangrove, but occurs only in the upper mangrove near pools with less saline water or along affluent freshwater streams.

Figures

Figs. 35-39. Teuchophorus limosus, new species male. 35. antenna; 36. mid leg with detail of ventral spinules on apical third of tibia; 37. hind leg; 38. hypopygium ventral view; 39. hypopygium lateral view.