Cyrtosathe kirkspriggsi Winterton & Metz

Winterton, Shaun L. & Metz, Mark A., 2005, Cyrtosathe gen. n.: the first non­scenopinine window fly from sub­ Saharan Africa (Diptera: Scenopinidae), Zootaxa 975, pp. 1-12 : 4-7

Cyrtosathe kirkspriggsi Winterton & Metz gen. et sp. nov.

( Figs 1–4 )

Type species. Cyrtosathe kirkspriggsi sp. nov. by present designation.

Etymology. Cyrtosathe is derived from the Greek, cyrto, bent; sathe penis. The specific epithet is named in honour of Ashley Kirk­Spriggs, the collector of the type series.

Type material: Holotype male, NAMIBIA: Luderitz District, Ob[i]b Waters, pitfall trap (28°00’08”S, 16°36’46”), 10–26.viii.1998, Kirk­Spriggs & Marais (MEI#119440) ( NMNW). Paratypes, NAMIBIA: 2 males, 1 female, same data as holotype (MEI#119434, 119442, 119465) ( USNM); male, Obib Waters, Malaise trap (28°00’08”S, 16°38’46”) 25– 26.viii.1998, Kirk­Spriggs & Marais (MEI# 112932) ( USNM); 6 males, 1 female, Luderitz District, 8 km W Rosh Pinah, pitfall trap (27°59’28”S, 16° 39í14 ”) 20–26.viii.1998, Kirk­ Spriggs & Marais (MEI#119436, 119438, 119441, 119445–6, 119451, 119453) ( NMNW); 1 male, 1 female, Luderitz District, 8 km W Rosh Pinah, Malaise trap (27°59’28”S, 16°39’14”) 20–26.viii.1998, Kirk­Spriggs & Marais (MEI#119448, 119454) ( MEIC / CASC).

Diagnosis. Autapomorphic characters: Female tergite 8 covered with erect, elongate setae arranged in a ring pattern (i.e. glabrous centre); hypandrium bowl­like with posterior processes; dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath enlarged into a ‘ladle’­like structure enclosing ejaculatory apodeme; aedeagus folded onto itself posteriorly such that the ejaculatory apodeme is directed posteriorly. Shared characters with other genera: head and thorax mostly glabrous; costal vein ending just past R5; wing vein M2 present; hind coxal knob absent; abdominal tergite 2 sensory patch present as two hemispheres, sensory setae with apices acute (not truncated); male epandrium divided medially; hypandrium separate from gonocoxites; gonocoxal apodeme slightly longer than gonocoxites; distiphallus bifid, greatly elongate and narrow; ventral apodeme of parameral sheath absent.

Description. Body length: 2.0–2.5 mm. Head. Spherical, glossy dark brown to black; frons glabrous, narrow in male ( Figs 1 A, B) with eyes contiguous along middle third, female ( Figs 1 C, D) frons much wider than ocellar tubercle along entire length; male eyes with facets larger in upper half; ocellar tubercle raised, ocelli red­brown; occiput flat to slightly concave laterally; postocular ridge with irregular rows of minute postocular setae; gena with short setae; mouthparts brown, relatively elongate, approximately equal in length to antennae; labellum relatively small and rounded; antenna ( Fig. 1 E) brown, overlain with fine silver pruinescence; scape and pedicel short, broad; flagellum 2x length of pedicel, flattened, apex pointed; style apical, single segment.

Thorax. Glossy black, glabrous except for fine, pale setae on katepisternum and short dark setae on proepimeron and scutellum; macrosetae absent; wing ( Fig. 2 ) hyaline, venation pale, venation in posterior half of wing poorly sclerotised and difficult to detect; costal vein ending at R5 vein; vein M2 present, extending from middle of discal cell; haltere stem brown, knob pale cream­white; legs dark brown to black, tibiae pale yellow, covered with fine pale setae.

Abdomen. Glossy black, sparsely covered with elongate, pale setae in male; tergite 2 with two medial hemispherical patches of sensory setae ( Fig. 1 F).

Male Genitalia. Genitalia aligned with body axis (i.e. epandrium dorsal), not rotated; epandrium ( Figs 3 A, C) quadrangular, arched, covering terminalia, split medially in two sections; cerci short, rounded; gonocoxites ( Figs 3 B–C, E–F) elongate with spatulate posterior process and a short, strong seta dorsally; gonocoxites widely separated medially by a large rounded bowl­like hypandrium; hypandrium with paired posterior processes and medial process ( Figs 3 B–C, E–F); gonostylus elongate, narrow, apical third upturned slightly; gonocoxal apodeme elongate, equal to gonocoxite in length, curved outwards then recurved inwards at apex around dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath, apex spatulate; aedeagus extended anteriorly beyond gonocoxites, folded dorsally on itself, distiphallus bifid, greatly narrowed, elongate, slightly coiled, ribbon­like lateral flanges near base; dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath large, ‘ladle’­shaped with lateral wings at base, cradling ejaculatory apodeme ( Figs 3 B–E); lateral ejaculatory apodemes not clearly evident; ejaculatory apodeme narrow with greatly enlarged paddle­shaped apex posteriorly.

Female Genitalia. Tergite 8 covered with erect, elongate pale setae arranged in a ringlike pattern (i.e. glabrous in the centre) ( Fig. 4 A); tergite 9+10 joined to furca internally by a bridge formed by tergite 9 ( Figs 4 B–C); acanthophorites with four to six stout A1 setae; furca ( Fig. 4 C) circular, lightly sclerotised; sternite 8 bowl shaped; two spermathecae present; spermathecal ducts thickened basally, narrower distally, with reticulated tissue patterning; spermatheca membranous, truncated distally with thickened marginal band; spermathecal sac very small; spermathecae join to roof of bursa separately from and immediately posterior of spermathecal sac duct; accessory glands join to bursa just posterior to spermathecae.

Comments. Cyrtosathe kirkspriggsi gen. et sp. nov. is known from a single collecting locality in the Luderitz District, Namibia. All adults were collected by Malaise and pitfall traps. As with all other non­scenopinine window flies, the immature stages are unknown. The type series is only in fair condition as most specimens are shriveled, presumably when they were removed from alcohol and mounted.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cyrtosathe kirkspriggsi gen. et sp. nov.: Male: A, head, lateral; B, same anterior. Female: C, head lateral; D, same anterior; E, antenna, right lateral. F, abdominal tergite 2 sensory setae patch (enlarged at right). Scale lines: 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Cyrtosathe kirkspriggsi gen. et sp. nov.: Wing. Scale line: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 3. Cyrtosathe kirkspriggsi gen. et sp. nov.: Male genitalia: A. Epandrium, dorsal; B, aedeagus and gonocoxites (epandrium and vestiture removed), dorso­lateral view; C, same, lateral; D, detail of basal portion of aedeagus, lateral; E, aedeagus and gonocoxites, dorsal; F, detail of gonocoxites. lateral, Scale line: 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: c, cercus; d, distiphallus; da, dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath; e, epandrium; ea, ejaculatory apodeme; g, gonocoxite; ga, gonocoxal apodeme; gs, gonostylus; h, hypandrium; hy, hypoproct.

FIGURE 4. Cyrtosathe kirkspriggsi gen. et sp. nov.: Female genitalia: A, Genitalia in contacted position, postero­lateral; B, detail of same with acanthophorites slightly relaxed posteriorly, lateral; C, same, showing distal reproductive system (tergite 8 cut away and vestiture removed), dorsal. Scale lines: 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: A 1, acanthophorite macrosetae; ag, accessory gland duct (gland cut away); f, furca; ss, spermathecal sac; s, spermatheca; sd, spermathecal duct; s 8, sternite 8; s 10, sternite 10; t 8 ­ t 10, tergites 8 to 10.