Elaphropeza ubinensis, 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 : 104-105

Elaphropeza ubinensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 175–178 )

Diagnosis. Occiput black; postpedicel brownish, long, nearly 4.5 times longer than wide; thorax almost wholly yellow only metanotum brownish; fore tibia and tarsus brownish yellow, hind tibia with 1 anterodorsal bristle.

Description. Male. Body length 2.4 mm, wing length 1.9 mm. Occiput black, subshining, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones somewhat shorter. Antenna ( Fig. 175 ) with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brownish. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel 4.5 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, somewhat (1.2 times) shorter than postpedicel and 1.5 times shorter than scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded.

Thorax almost entirely yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles; metanotum brownish, hypopleuron and metapleuron with some brownish tinge. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 very short 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; fore tibia and tarsus brownish yellow, mid and hind legs with tarsomeres 4–5 brownish yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles (2 bristles near base longer). Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur slender, 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 black ventral spinules, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur with 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 1 anterodorsal bristle; apical projection prominent, small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

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: 42/27/35/16. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 divergent near wing apex, the former slightly bowed, the latter straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 absent. Crossvein bm-cu transverse. Crossvein r-m somewhat before middle of cell bm. Halter dark.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 almost entirely pale yellow, with very narrow brownish space laterally. Tergites 2 and 3 subtriangular viewed laterally, broadly concave anteriorly, divided along midline; with unmodified setation. Tergite 4 broadest, with squamiform setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, with few squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 unmodified, both with moderately long posteromarginal bristles. Segment 8 and sternites unmodified. Glandlike structure between tergites 4 and 5.

Terminalia ( Figs. 176–178 ) rather large, elongate, brown. Cerci fused forming single, quite long, digitiform lobe, covered with bristles of different lengths and bearing 2 long spine-like bristles at apex. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subrectangular, somewhat produced on upper margin, covered with numerous bristles of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 3 long bristles apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 178 ) with upper lobe long, elongate oval, bearing scattered minute setulae. Hypandrium with 1 long and 1 very short bristles. Phallus very short. Two rodshaped apodemes.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Pulau Ubin , Chek Jawa, 15 December 2005, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 25452, leg. PG, E-56).

Derivatio nominis. The species is named after the type locality Pulau Ubin, a small island just north east of the main island of Singapore.

Distribution. Singapore. Mangrove.

Singapore. This species is known from a single male.

Remarks. The relationships of E. ubinensis sp. nov. are unclear beyond inclusion within the monophyletic lineage of the E. ephippiata species group sharing completely fused cerci (see “Discussion” for details).

Figures

FIGURES 175–178. Elaphropeza ubinensis sp. nov. 175. antenna. 176. epandrium with cerci. 177. right epandrial lamella. 178. left surstylus and cercus.