Sobarocephala myllolabis, Lonsdale, Owen, 2014

Lonsdale, Owen, 2014, Revision of the Old World Sobarocephala (Diptera: Clusiidae), Zootaxa 3760 (2), pp. 211-240 : 225-226

Sobarocephala myllolabis sp. n.

Fig. 1

Description ( Fig. 1 ). Male. Body length 3.9mm. Arista sparsely plumose along entire length. Setae brown. Ocellar and postvertical setae both relatively short and thin. Presutural intra-alar seta absent. Two dorsocentral setae. Acrostichal seta absent. One lateral scutellar seta. Venter of mid tibia with hairs short, dense and erect. Antenna white with thin light brown stripe extending from arista that fades before base of first flagellomere; anterior margin of frons, back of head below foramen and face white; parafacial, gena and occiput white and silvery-tomentose; back of head with one pair of brown stripes that disappear before reaching foramen; remainder of frons yellow with ocellar tubercle and stripe along orbital plate (not reaching lateral margin and with outer emargination between mid and hind fronto-orbitals) brown. Notum dark brown with thin yellow line along inner margin of postpronotum and three yellow lines anteromedially on scutum (center stripe longest). Halter white with base of stem slightly brownish. Pleuron light yellow, becoming white ventrally. Legs yellowish-white. Wing slightly dusky with distal half from costa to center of cell r2+3 darker. M1+2 ratio 4.2. Abdomen dark brown with surstylus white.

Female. Unknown.

Male terminalia. Not dissected. Cerci small, rounded and slightly projecting. Surstylus much longer than epandrium and relatively narrow, particularly before base, with apex broader, incurved and arched; stout, pointed tubercle-like setae along inner margin of apical and posterior surfaces on distal half.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the shape of the long, curved surstylus, compounding the Greek for crooked (myllos) and “forceps/tongs” (labis).

Holotype: BURUNDI. KayanzaProv.: Parc National de la Kibira , Rwegura Sector , 02˚55.320’S, 29˚30.067’E, 21– 26.xi.2012, 2237m, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs (1♂, BMSA).

Comments. Sobarocephala myllolabis is readily differentiated from congeners by a mostly white head with a dark orbital stripe, a dark notum and abdomen with several thin yellowish anteromedial lines on the scutum, and a large, narrow, anteriorly curved surstylus. The arista is also sparsely plumose and the gena and occiput form a large, silvery trianglular region similar to many Allometopon . This taxon cannot at present be confidently placed in any species group without dissection, which should ideally be performed following the collection of additional material.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Sobarocephala myllolabis spec. nov., male, with detail of genitalia inset.