Meoneura orientalis, 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 : 216-218

Meoneura orientalis sp. n.

(Figs 5–9)

Holotype male ( HNHM): LAOS, Xiang Khouang Prov., Phou Samsoun , 10 km E of Ban Muang, montane rain forest, 2016 m, 19°8.717’N, 103°46.811’E, Febr. 15, 2012, singled, sweep netting and light trap, No. LAO2012PL_20, leg. Peregovits & Szappanos.

Paratypes ( HNHM, 1 m & 1 f in BMSA, 8 m & 2 f in the private collection of A. Szap- panos): 55 males 14 females: same data as for the holotype. 1 male ( HNHM): Vietnam , Lao Cai Prov., Hoang Lien NP, Tram Ton, along and over a small stream, sweeping – Apr 9–11, 2010, 22.346499° N 103.7690706° E, 1904 m, VN 2010PL_5, leg. Papp, L. & Soltész, Z.

Measurements in mm: body length 1.04 (holotype), 0.96–1.40 (paratypes), wing length 1.21, 1.15–1.40 (paratypes), wing width 0.52, 0.50–0.55 (paratypes).

Body and legs black, mostly dull.

Head black, frontal triangle broad, shiny, extended to anterior 2/5 distance from anterior ocellus to frontal margin. Height of eye 0.23–0.24 mm, longest axis 0.27 mm, genal width below eye 0.07–0.075 mm. Arista 0.16–0.19 mm with microscopicallly short cilia. Anterior genal (not vibrissal) setae subequal, lower one 0.08 mm, upper one shorter but slightly thicker, medial one (in contrast to most of the Meoneura species ) 0.06–0.065 mm, i.e. at least ¾ of the ventral one. Posterior genal setae incl. upcurved one longer, 0.12 mm.

Mesonotum subshiny: microtomentum dark and sparse. Only 1 posterior dorsocentral seta. Prescutellar acrostichal macrochaeta indistinct. Apical scutellar 0.25 mm to 0.27 mm. (i.e. very long compared to the body length). Longest anapisternal seta 0.13 mm, longest katepisternal 0.11–0.12 mm.

Fore femora with two long postero-ventral setae.

Wing membrane greyish, veins light yellow. Inter-crossvein section of M 1+2 0.05 mm, M-M crossvein 0.03 mm.

Lateral tergal seta on abdomen not long.

postgonite, lateral view. Scale: 0.1 mm for all.

Epandrium and other genital parts extremely small; epandrium simple with some longer bristles only. Surstylus (Figs 5–7) twice longer than broad, strongly narrowing apically. Actually surstylus slightly caudally curved in lateral view. Surstylus with 2 or 3 long sub-basal and caudal-subcaudal setae; there are specimens also with a longer subapical seta (Fig. 6, cf. Figs 5, 7). This must not be a population character, since the paratype from Vietnam does not possess this seta, together with a majority of the Laos paratypes. Lamella (Figs 5–7) rounded, only almost a third as long as surstylus, with 2 or 3 long thick setae as well as other 2 or 3 shorter setae. Postgonite (Figs 8, 9) minute with blunt apex; in a special lateral view one may detect a small rounded anterior apex (Fig. 9). Female cercus with comparatively long setae, the longest (a ventral one) is 0.06 mm.

Female without peculiarities, so not safely identifiable in lack of synchronously cap- tured males. I mean, the locality gives a direct information, since there is no related species hitherto discovered in the Oriental region.

Etymology. The specific epithet of the new species ‘orientalis’ refers to its occurrence in the Oriental region. Its abundance in the Laos material may show that its occurrence is wider than those two countries in SE Asia.

It was not possible to find any closer relative of the new species than Meoneura carpathica L. Papp, 1977 (an European species). In M. carpathica anterior part of the frons is yellow, alike M. flavifacies . The male genitalia of the new species in profile are similar to that of M. carpathica ( PAPP 1977: fig. 6), indeed, although lamellar setae of M. carpathica are thicker. The broadest extension view of the surstylus is very informative: while the surstylus of the new species is very narrowly rounded apically or even with a definite, almost sharp apex, the surstylus of M. carpathica is more broadly rounded ( PAPP 1977: fig. 7).