Planetella atrobrunnea Ševčík & Hippa, 2023

Ševčík, Jan, Hippa, Heikki, Burdíková, Nikola, Sopuch, Kryštof, Skuhravá, Marcela & Bruun, Hans Henrik, 2023, Integrative taxonomy of Central European Planetella (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) indicates high species diversity, intraspecific variation and low host specificity, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 63 (2), pp. 413-450 : 430

Planetella atrobrunnea Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov.

( Figs 7D,E , 13H )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, Slovakia, Nitriansky kraj, Iža, Bokrošské slanisko NR, 106 m, 21.iv.–5.v.2017, Malaise trap, Ľ. Vidlička & O. Majzlan leg., specimen after DNA extraction (No. PLA3 ), prepared on slide (coll. NMPC) . PARATYPEs: SLOVAKIA: 1 J, Cerová vrchovina Protected LandscapeArea, Chrámec,near pond, 13.iv.–11.v.2023, Malaise trap in Carex acutiformis , leg. J. Roháček & J. Ševčík, specimen after DNA extraction (No. PLA 67), in ethanol (coll. JSL-UOC); 1 J, Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area, Chrámec, Vlčia dolina valley, 13.iv.–11.v.2023, Malaise trap in Quercus cerris forest, with Carex michelii in the undergrowth, leg. J. Roháček & J. Ševčík, specimen after DNA extraction (No. PLA 65b), in ethanol (coll. JSL-UOC).

DNA sequences. DNA sequences (COI barcode region, 28S, 16S) taken from the holotype (No. PLA 3) are deposited in GenBank. Their Accession numbers are provided in Table 1.

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by 15 binodose flagellomeres, eyes with an eye-bridge, maxillary palpus with 2 palpomeres, apical one longer, blackish brown and apically pointed. It is habitually very similar to Planetella adami sp. nov. and P. csabai sp. nov. but differs in details on the male terminalia (narrow and apically straight hypoproct) and in DNA sequences.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the blackish dark brown coloration of this species; adjective.

Description. Male. Wing length 7.5 (holotype). Overall body coloration: mostly dark brown, legs and halteres light brown.

Head blackish brown. Eyes with a narrow eye-bridge, which is membranous, without ommatidia. Antennal flagellum with 15 flagellomeres (paratype, antennae broken off in holotype), F1–F14 each with three rows of circumfilial loops. The apical flagellomere (F15) either uninodal, apically pointed (left antenna of paratype), about half as long as the previous one, or binodal, apically blunt (right antenna of paratype) but with distal node shorter, as long as basal node. Flagellomere 1 ( Fig. 13H ) 3.6 times as long as broad, longer and less constricted than the other flagellomeres. Flagellomere 3 ( Fig. 13H ) three times as long as broad. Maxillary palpus with 2 palpomeres, apical one longer, blackish brown and apically pointed.

Thorax mostly dark brown, scutum laterally light brown with three dark longitudinal stripes. Scutellum laterally light brown with black spots anterolaterally. Lateral pleura mostly dark brown. Scutum distinctly produced above the head.

Wing elongated, about 3.5 times as long as broad. Veins C, R 1, R 5 and Cu-stem distinct. R 1 joining C slightly before the middle of wing. R 5

reaching C beyond wing apex. Rs

indistinct. M 4 indistinct. CuA with dark stem and bent downwards.

Legs with tarsal claws narrow, slightly longer than maximum tarsal diameter, only slightly bent apically.

Abdomen dark brown, with a light transverse oval spot on each side of the tergite.

Terminalia ( Figs 7D,E ). Gonocoxite narrow, about 2.5 times as long as broad, mediobasally with a small lobe. Gonostylus narrow, slightly curved, about 4.7 times as long as broad and 0.6 times as long as gonocoxite, apically with a small, rounded, transversely grooved dark lobe, pointed medially. Cerci rather short, apically bluntly pointed, basally fused. Hypoproct relatively narrow, distal margin almost straight, distinctly longer than cerci but slightly shorter than aedeagus. Aedeagus narrow, elongate, subtriangular, shorter than gonocoxites. Gonocoxal apodemes strongly sclerotized, medially fused.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. We noted a variation in the structure of the apical (15 th) flagellomere, see above.

Biology. The galls are unknown. The type specimens were collected in three different habitats, in a salt marsh (holotype), at the edge of a pond in Carex acutiformis growth (paratype No. PLA67), and at the edge of a thermophilous Quercus cerris forest with Carex michelii in the undergrowth (paratype No. PLA65b).

Discussion. This species belongs to the group of species with 15 flagellomeres, narrow eye-bridge, dark coloration, currently containing four species (see the key above) differing slightly in the shape of hypoproct and substantially in DNA sequences. According to K2P genetic distances ( Tab. 3), the closest species appears to be P. hlisnikovskyi sp. nov., with 14.4% of genetic distance, indicating its high genetic isolation from the other species of the genus.

Figures

Fig. 7. Male terminalia in ventral (A, D) and dorsal (B, E) view, and hypoproct and apex of aedeagus in ventral view (C). A, B, C – Planetella antennata Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype). D, E – P. atrobrunnea Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype). Scale 0.1 mm.

Fig. 13. Antennal flagellomere 4 (except flagellomere 3 in H) and outline of flagellomere 1 with or without associated pedicellus and scapus. A – Planetella granifex (Kieffer, 1898), B – P.gallarum (Rübsaamen, 1899), C – P.fasciata (Meigen, 1818), D – P. aestivalis Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov.(holotype), E, F – P. adami Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype), G – P. antennata Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype); H – P. atrobrunnea Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype); I – P. csabai Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype). Scales: 0.1 mm.