Planetella submontana 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 : 438

Planetella submontana Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov.

( Figure 12D,E , 14H )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, Slovakia, Trsteník , 8.–29.vi.2018, reared from tussock of Carex umbrosa , leg. J. Roháček & J. Ševčík, specimen after DNA extraction, prepared on slide, No. PLA4 (coll. NMPC) . PARA- TYPE: J, the same locality as holotype but 16.vi.–14.vii.2016, Malaise trap among Carex rostrata and Carex umbrosa , leg. J. Roháček & J. Ševčík, specimen after DNA extraction (No. PLA 1), prepared on slide (coll. SMOC).

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

Diagnosis. A mostly light brown to orange species ( Fig. 1A ), with some parts of thorax dark. Antenna with 12 binodose, relatively long flagellomeres, plus a short apical segment. Eyes with a narrow membranous eye-bridge. Terminalia with a relatively narrow, apically excavated hypoproct, and broadly pointed gonostylus.

Etymology. The name of this species refers to the submontane type locality; adjective.

Description. Male. Wing length 5.1 mm. Overall body coloration mostly orange brown, with head, antennae, legs, halteres and gonostyli darker.

Head. Eyes with a narrow, membranous eye-bridge, ommatidia not touching. Antennal flagellum with 12 binodal tricircumfilial, relatively long flagellomeres, and apically with a very short (about one third of previous flagellomere) uninodal flagellomere lacking circumfila. Flagellomere 1 ( Fig. 14H ) 4.4 times as long as broad, slightly longer but of similar shape as the other flagellomeres, flagellomere 4 ( Fig. 14H ) about 4.6 times as long as broad. Maxillary palpus with 3 palpomeres, subequal in length.

Thorax mostly light orange brown. Scutum distinctly produced above the head, with three longitudinal stripes. Anterior margin of scutum darker, as well as mediotergite.

Wing elongated, about 2.6 times as long as broad. Veins C, R 1, R 5 and Cu-stem dark and distinct. R 1 joining C almost in the middle of wing. R 5 reaching C beyond wing apex. Rs present. M 4 light and indistinct. CuA with dark stem and bent downwards.

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

Abdomen basally orange brown, distally orange, gonostyli blackish.

Terminalia ( Figs 12D,E ). Gonocoxite relatively broad, about twice as long as broad, mediobasally with a long and broad lobe. Gonostylus narrowing to the apex, slightly curved, three times as long as broad, shorter than gonocoxite, apically with a rounded tooth directed medially. Cerci relatively short, subtriangular, basally fused. Hypoproct relatively long, almost twice as long as cerci, subrectangular, posteriorly excavated, with several marginal setae. Aedeagus subtriangular, almost as long as gonocoxites, longer than hypoproct. Gonocoxal apodemes strongly sclerotized, medially fused.

Female. Unknown.

Biology. This species is associated with Carex umbrosa , from which it was reared. The galls remain unknown.

Discussion. This species is characterized by its orange coloration, 12 flagellomeres, eyes with a thin eye-bridge, and the shape of gonostylus and hypoproct. It is known only from the type locality in central Slovakia. Its closest relatives in terms of K2P genetic distance ( Tab. 3), as well as in the phylogenetic tree ( Fig. 15), are P. attilai sp. nov., with 8.0% distance, and Planetella sp. D with 8.2% distance.

Figures

Fig. 12. Male terminalia in ventral (A, D) and dorsal (B, E) view, and cerci and hypoproct in dorsal view (E). A, B, C – Planetella thermophila Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype). D, E – P. submontana Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype). Scales: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 14.Antennal flagellomere 4 and outline of flagellomere 1 with or without associated pedicellus.A (holotype), B (paratype) – Planetella attilai Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype), C – P. davidi Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype), D – P. galiciensis Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype), E – P. hlisnikovskyi Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype), F – P. muranica Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype), G – P. riparia Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype), H – P. submontana Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype), I – P. thermophila Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype). Scales: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 1. Adults of Planetella species. A – male of Planetella submontana Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. collected when sitting on a Malaise trap (Slovakia, Muránska planina, Trsteník, 16.vi.–14.vii.2016). B – female of Planetella granifex (Kieffer, 1898) reared from gall on Carex acuta (Slovakia, Cerová vrchovina, Salonkáš, 3.iv.–11.iv.2019). All photos by J. Ševčík.