Tipula (Vestiplex) platyphylla, Yang & Pan & Liu & Yang, 2021

Yang, Qi-cheng, Li, Yan, Pan, Zhao-hui, Liu, Xiao-yan & Yang, Ding, 2021, Six new species of Tipula (Vestiplex) Bezzi (Diptera, Tipulidae) from Tibet, European Journal of Taxonomy 764 (1), pp. 152-192 : 180-184

Tipula (Vestiplex) platyphylla sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:36161517-739E-408A-8F37-B5161284802B

Figs 66–73

Diagnosis

Vertex with brownish black stripe. Scape, pedicel and first flagellar segment yellow, other flagellar segments bicolor, yellowish with dark brown base. Scutellum and mediotergite dark yellow with dark gray mid-longitudinally. Prescutum dark yellow with four stripes, median stripes reddish brown, lateral stripes dark. Tergite 9 of male separated medially, with fleshy upper tergal lobes flattened, and two widened black sclerotized blades at a lower level.

Etymology

The species is named after the shape of blades of tergite 9, the Latin adjective ‘ platyphylla ’ refers to ‘having flat leaves’.

Material examined

Holotype CHINA • ♂; Tibet, Bomi, Tongmai (通麦); coordinates of the town: 30°06′00″ N, 95°04′56″ E; 21 Aug. 2011; Lihua Wang leg.; light trap; specific geographic coordinates and altitude not recorded; CAU.

Description

Male

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 15.0 mm, wing length 17.5 mm, antenna length 5.0 mm (n = 1).

HEAD ( Figs 66, 68 ). Mainly reddish yellow. Vertex with brownish black stripe. Rostrum and nasus dark yellow. Setae on head dark brown. Scape, pedicel and first flagellar segment yellow, other flagellar segments bicolor, yellowish with dark brown base. Proboscis brown; palpus yellowish brown.

THORAX ( Figs 66, 68 ). Mainly reddish yellow with dark yellow pruinescence. Pronotum reddish yellow with yellow setae. Prescutum dark yellow with four reddish brown stripes, median stripes broadened apically and gradually narrowing to base, lateral stripes long-oval, dark reddish brown. Scutum almost entirely brown with four olive-gray pruinose spots. Scutellum and mediotergite dark yellow with dark gray mid-longitudinally. Thoracic pleuron reddish yellow. Anepisternum pale brown. Setae on thorax yellow. Legs with coxae and femora dark yellow, femora with dark brown apices and brown middle portion, tibiae and tarsi dark brown. Setae on legs dark brown. Wing variegated light brown; pterostigma brown; petiole of cell m 1 shorter than discal cell ( Fig. 67 ). Halter with stem yellow, knob pale yellow with dark brown lower margin.

ABDOMEN ( Figs 66, 68 ). Mainly yellow. Middle of abdominal tergites 1–2 with pale brown stripes, other tergites without spot. Abdominal segments 5–9 brown. Setae on abdomen yellow.

HYPOPYGIUM ( Figs 69–73 ). Gonocoxite elongated, separated from sternite 9, gonocoxite ends with a sharp black upper spine, directed chiefly upward, bottom of gonocoxite also with a black upper spine ( Figs 69, 73 ). Posterior margin of membranous suture between tergite 9 and gonocoxite with a spiny projection. Tergite 9 separated medially, with fleshy upper tergal lobes flattened, two widened sclerotized blades at a lower level, apex of blade black and serrulate. Sternite 9 with a median prominence; apex of appendages of sternite 9 slender, basally dilated. Outer gonostylus slender, strip-shaped; stem almost without setae ( Fig. 71 ). Inner gonostylus with a subtriangular elevation, lower beak close to base of upper beak ( Fig. 72 ).

Female

Unknown or unrecognized.

Distribution

China (Tibet).

Remarks

The new species is similar to T. (V.) gandharva Alexander, 1951 from India (Assam) and Myanmar, but the latter differs in the following characters: dorsolateral extensions of tergite 9 long and slender, sclerotized ventral blades much less massive; the spine of gonocoxite is smaller than this new species.

Figures

Figs 66–68. Tipula (Vestiplex) platyphylla sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (CAU). 66. Habitus, lateral view. 67. Wing. 68. Habitus, dorsal view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Figs 69–73. Tipula (Vestiplex) platyphylla sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (CAU). 69. Hypopygium, lateral view. 70. Tergite nine, dorsal view. 71. Outer gonostylus, lateral external view. 72. Inner gonostylus, lateral external view. 73. Hypopygium, ventral view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars: 69–70, 73 = 0.5 mm; 71–72 = 0.1 mm.