Elaphropeza asiophila, Published, 2007

SHAMSHEV, IGOR V. & GROOTAERT, PATRICK, 2007, Revision of the genus Elaphropeza Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Oriental Region, with a special attention to the fauna of Singapore, Zootaxa 1488 (1), pp. 1-164 : 85-87

Elaphropeza asiophila sp. nov.

( Figs. 135–140 )

Diagnosis. Occiput black, postpedicel nearly 6.0 times longer than wide, style about 1.5 times shorter than postpedicel; thorax wholly reddish yellow, acrostichal and dorsocentral bristles multiserial; tarsomere 5 of all legs dark brown, fore tibia and fore tarsomeres 2–4 brownish, hind tibia with 1 anterodorsal bristle near middle.

Description. Male. Body length 2.1–2.2 mm, wing length 1.6–1.7 mm. Occiput wholly black, subshining, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones shorter. Frons subshining. Antenna ( Fig. 135 ) with postpedicel brownish, scape and pedicel brownish yellow. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel nearly 6.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, about 1.5 times shorter than postpedicel and nearly 2.0 times shorter than scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded; with scattered brownish yellow setulae, bearing 1 longer and darker subapical seta.

Thorax wholly reddish yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles; sutures brownish in varying extent, spiracles brownish. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 short upturned bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial, uniform (except for 1 pair of long prescutellars), extending to base of scutellum.

Legs largely yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation; tarsomere 5 of all legs dark brown, fore tibia and fore tarsomeres 2–4 brownish. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with hardly prominent rows of antero- and posteroventral bristles and 1 long bristle near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles (becoming shorter in apical part of femur), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 1 ventral subapical black spinule, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 1 anterodorsal bristle near middle; apical projection short, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Hind basitarsus somewhat thickened.

Wing normally developed, finely uniformly infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, brownish. Costal index: 35/25/22/17. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 divergent near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 not quite reaching wing margin. Vein A1 absent. Crossvein bm-cu transverse. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter darkened.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 entirely pale (sometimes with very small brownish lateral spaces). Tergites 2 and 3 with elongate triangular brownish spaces separated along midline (sometimes narrowly connected on tergite 3); with unmodified setation. Tergite 4 broadest, with squamiform setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, with squamiform setae. Tergite 6 modified; narrow, divided into 2 sclerites, with short posteromarginal bristles. Tergite 7 modified; narrow, with internal lateral apodemes; bearing long posteromarginal bristles. Pleural space of segments 4–6 (especially of segment 5) stronger sclerotised; pleuron of segment 4 with spine-like process, pleuron of segment 5 with space of grooves ( Figs. 139–140 ). Sternites 1–2 and 4–7 subrectangular, sternite 3 weaker sclerotised and divided into 2 lateral sclerites. Gland-like structures present between tergites 4–5.

Terminalia ( Figs. 136–138 ) small, brown. Cerci fused forming single subtriangular lobe bearing moderately several long bristles. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella covered with numerous long bristles, bearing 2 spines at apex. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 2 long and 2 short bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe rather subrectangular, with excision in apical part, bearing several long and shorter bristles. Hypandrium with 2 long bristles. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Body length 2.0– 2.1–2.5 mm, wing length 1.6–1.8 mm. Resembling male. Abdominal segments 6–7 unmodified; segment 8 rather elongate, with sclerites separated; sternite 8 folded apically. Cercus elongate oval, brownish.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: MALAYSIA, Pulau Tioman , Juara, 20 July 2005, river, sweeping (reg. 25246, leg. PG, E-16).

Paratypes: SINGAPORE, 1 ♀, Chek Jawa , 19 November 2003, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 23080, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Chek Jawa , 2 December 2003, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 23097, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Chek Jawa , 11 December 2003, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 23119, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Chek Jawa , 22 December 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25455, leg. PG) .

MALAYSIA, 4 ♂♂, Pulau Tioman , Juara, 20 July 2005, river, sweeping (reg. 25246, leg. PG) .

Derivatio nominis. The name asiophila (asio is mud, phila: liking) alludes to its microhabitat being mangrove.

Distribution. Malaysia, Singapore. Mangrove.

Singapore. This is a very rare species that has been recorded only from the mangrove at Chek Jawa and each time only single individuals were captured. All records were from the end of November until the end of December. The record on Pulau Tioman at the mouth of the Juara River was in July.

Remarks. Elaphropeza asiophila sp. nov. is closely related to E. chekjawa sp. nov. Within Elaphropeza only these two species have modified tergites 6 and 7 of the male abdomen.

Figures

FIGURES 135–140. Elaphropeza asiophila sp. nov. 135. antenna. 136. epandrium with cerci. 137. right epandrial lamella. 138. left surstylus. 139. male abdomen lateral. 140. stridulatory organ. T4: tergite 4; T5: tergite 5.