Helina mediomaculata, Couri, Márcia & Pont, Adrian, 2016

Couri, Márcia & Pont, Adrian, 2016, New African species of Helina Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera, Muscidae), Zootaxa 4103 (4), pp. 374-382 : 379

Helina mediomaculata sp. nov.

( Figs. 3 , 13–16 )

Type material examined. Holotype male. ANGOLA: (A26), Salazar, I.I.A.A, 9–15.iii.1972 / Southern African Exp., B. M. 1972-1. Paratypes, 2 females (1 MNRJ), same labels as holotype.

Diagnosis. Both postsutural intraalar setae present, the anterior one short and the posterior one very long; lower katepisternal seta inserted closer to the posterior than to the anterior seta; fore tibia with a posterior median seta; mid tibia without anterodorsal seta; hind tibia without posterodorsal seta; wing clear.

Description. General colouration. Brown and yellow with grey pollinosity. Frons brown; ocellar triangle with grey pollinosity; fronto-orbital plate, face, parafacial and gena silvery-grey pollinose; antenna with scape yellow and postpedicel brown; arista light brown; palpus yellow; scutum presuturally with two brown vittae between the dorsocentrals; postsuturally with a median brown and light brown spot from the suture to a little beyond the second pair of dorsocentrals and two broad lateral vittae ( Fig. 3 ); postpronotum yellow with whitish pollinosity; scutellum yellow; pleura mostly yellow, with grey pollinosity on anepisternum and basal part of katepimeron; calypters white; haltere yellow; wing clear; legs yellow, tarsi brown; abdomen of male mostly yellow with two round brown spots on tergite 4, close to the distal margin; in female, the abdomen with grey pollinosity, and brown spots on tergites 3 and 4; tergite 5 with a brown median vitta.

Male. Body length: 6.2 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.

Head. Eye bare; frons at level of anterior ocellus about one-fifth of head-width; 4 pairs of frontal setae inserted on less than lower half of frons, the one closest to lunule longer and the last one ciliform; inner and outer vertical setae moderate and similar in size; ocellar setae long; antenna inserted a little above the mid-level of eye; postpedicel long, about 4 times the length of pedicel, reaching mouth-margin; arista long-plumose; palpus filiform.

Thorax. Dorsocentral setae 2+3, the anterior presutural seta shorter than the others; presutural acrostichals hairlike; 2 postpronotals; 1 presutural and 2 postsutural intraalars, the anterior one very short and the posterior one very long; 1 supraalar; 1 postalar; notopleuron with 2 setae, the posterior slightly shorter than anterior; anepisternum with a series of 6 long setae, and a strong setula in dorsal anterior corner; lower katepisternal seta inserted closer to posterior than to anterior seta. Scutellum with 1 long basal and 1 long apical pair of setae, similar in length; margins and ventral surface bare.

Legs. Fore femur with rows of posteroventral, posterior and posterodorsal setae; fore tibia with a median posterior seta, 1 preapical dorsal and 1 ventral apical seta; mid femur with a row of anterodorsal setae on basal half and 3 well-spaced ventral setae on apical half, 1 anterodorsal on apical fifth and 2 preapical dorsals; mid tibia with 2 posterior setae inserted at the limits of the thirds and a shorter one at basal third, 1 preapical anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal, apical setae on dorsal, posterodorsal, anterior and ventral surfaces, the latter longer; hind femur with a well-spaced row of anterodorsal setae, and 4 anteroventral setae inserted along the length of the femur, posterodorsal surface with a seta at apical fifth; hind tibia with 2 anterodorsals on middle third and 2 anteroventrals, one median and one submedian, 1 anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal preapicals, and 1 ventral apical.

Wing. Veins bare; veins R4+5 and M parallel at wing-tip; costal spine distinct; lower calypter about twice the length of upper one.

Abdomen. Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 with laterals and a marginal row of long setae; tergites 4 and 5 each with a marginal and discal row of long setae; sternite 1 bare; sternite 5 with one longer seta on each lobe ( Fig. 13 ).

Terminalia . Cercal plate as long as wide and surstylus as in Figs 14–15 . Aedeagal complex as in Fig. 16 .

Female. Body length: 5.8–6.0 mm; wing length: 5.6–5.8 mm.

Similar to male, except for: head dichoptic; frons at level of anterior ocellus about one-third of head-width; 3 pairs of frontal setae, the one closest to lunule long, and two pairs of reclinate orbitals.

Distribution. Angola (Salazar).

Etymology. The specific epithet mediomaculata is derived from the Latin medius (“middle”) and maculatus (“marked”), and refers to the dark brown central spot on the scutum.

Notes. The new species runs to couplet 10 and H. lenta Curran in Emden’s (1951) key, but the general colour of the body easily separates these two species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Dorsal view of holotypes: (1) Helina duocolorata sp. nov., holotype male; (2) Helina longicerca sp. nov., holotype male; (3) Helina mediomaculata sp. nov., holotype male; (4) Helina sexnotata sp. nov., holotype female.

FIGURES 13 – 20. (13 – 16) Helina mediomaculata sp. nov., male: (13) sternite 5, dorsal view; (14) male cercal plate and surstyli, dorsal view; (15) male cercal plate and surstyli, lateral view; (16) aedeagal complex, lateral view. (17 – 20) Helina sexnotata sp. nov., male: (17) sternite 5, dorsal view; (18) cercal plate and surstyli, dorsal view; (19) cercal plate and surstyli, lateral view; (20) male aedeagal complex, lateral view.