Meoneura nepalensis, Papp, 2013

Papp, L., 2013, New Species And Records Of Meoneura Rondani, 1856 From The Old World Tropics (Diptera, Carnidae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 59 (3), pp. 213-227 : 218-219

Meoneura nepalensis sp. n.

( Figs 10–15 )

Holotype male ( HNHM): Nepal, Terhatum District , N Basanthpur, 2700 m – No. 6., 23. III. 1996., leg. G. Csorba. Paratypes ( HNHM, 1 m BMSA) : 17 males 2 females: data same as for the holotype. Measurements in mm: body length 1.80 (holotype), 1.43–2.00 (paratypes), wing length 1.65 (holotype), 1.45–1.73 (paratypes), wing width not measurable, 0.49–0.60 .

Body black, subshining, legs all black. Frons black but anterior ½ of frons reddish; frontal triangle shiny black, reaching to the reddish middle of frons. Face dull yellowish. Inner and outer occipitals medium-long, postocellars 0.06 mm. Supralunular (interfrontal) seta 0.09 mm. Other cephalic setae as in its related species, but slightly shorter. Arista 0.18– 0.20 mm long. Gena comparatively narrow, only 0.065 mm broad anteriorly, eye 0.26–0.27 mm × 0.24–0.25 mm.

Mesonotum with thick dark grey microtomentum, moderately shiny. Only 1 long (posterior) dorsocentral pair, anterior 2 pairs only c. 2 times longer than dorsocental microchaetae (0.09–0.10 mm). Prescutellar acrostichal seta 0.10 mm long. Longest anepisternal seta 0.14 mm, longest kapepisternal seta also 0.14 mm long.

Fore femur with 2 long posteroventral setae. All legs with dark grey microtomentum.

Wing membrane yellowish grey, veins light brown (ochre). Inter-crossvein section of M 1+2 0.10 mm, MM crossvein 0.055–0.06 mm long. Stalk of haltere ochre, knob yellowish white.

Male epandrium ( Figs 10, 13 ) broad and not particularly short with medium-long setae; there is only a long and thick seta on ventral caudal edge of epandrium. Anal aperture of epandrium rather small, consequently also cercus small. Subepandrial sclerite large (cf. Fig. 13 and consider that plane of the subepandrial sclerite is oblique to the plane of the figure). Surstylus ( Figs 10–12 ) much longer (slightly more than 0.10 mm) than broad basally with medially curved apex. Actually apex is with a definite tip ( Fig. 12 ) if seen perpendicularly to the apical part of surstylus. Surstylus without any longer setae, only short and thin setae present on both lateral and inner sides. Lamella ( Fig. 10 ) broad and rounded with numerous thick medium-long setae. Postgonite ( Figs 14–15 ) very characteristic: ba- sally broad and its base curved in a cranio-caudal direction, i.e. broad both in anterior and lateral views. In profile postgonite ( Fig. 15 ) narrowing apically with a subapical emargina- tion and a strongly proclinate apex; apex slightly lateroclinate ( Fig. 14 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet of the new species is formed from its type locality

( Nepal).

M. nepalensis sp. n. belongs to a comparatively species rich group of Meoneura , where surstylus is comparatively simple and lamella is not fused with surstylus at all, and has more or less strong, at least medium-long setae (i.e. M. glaberrima Becker, 1910 , M. neglecta Collin, 1930 , etc. on one side, M. atoma L. Papp, 1981 and allies, on the other, are excluded). M. orientalis sp. n. is with very differently shaped surstylus and its lamellae are with a few setae only. M. asiatica L. Papp ( Mongolia) has numerous shorter setae on ventral caudal part of epandrium, instead of a long seta, its surstylus is with long setae and its lamella is with longer setae than in M. nepalensis sp. n. (cf. PAPP 1976: figs 3–4). I think the shape of the postgonite of M. nepalensis sp. n. as species-specific.

Figures

Figs 10–15. Meoneura nepalensis sp. n., male genitalia: 10 = ventral part of epandrium, right surstylus and lamella laterally, 11 = surstylus in broadest extension, 12 = surstylus in a view perpendicular to its apical part, 13 = contours of epandrium, cerci and subepandrial sclerite, caudal view (subepandrial sclerite dashed), 14 = postgonite, anterior view, 15 =