Blepharicera balangshana, Zhang & Kang, 2022

Zhang, Xiao & Kang, Zehui, 2022, The genus Blepharicera Macquart, 1843 newly recorded from Sichuan, China with descriptions of three new species (Diptera, Blephariceridae), ZooKeys 1085, pp. 51-68 : 51

Blepharicera balangshana sp. nov.

Figs 4 , 5 , 6

Diagnosis.

Compound eye with dorsal division as large as ventral division in the male. Scutellum pale brown with anterior margin yellow. Rs as long as r-m. Cercus triangular. Gonostylus slightly swollen and notched apically. Dorsal carina apparent, tip nearly perpendicular. Genital fork X-shaped in female.

Description.

Male. Body length 4.50-5.00 mm, wing length 6.00-6.50 mm, wing width 2.00-2.50 mm.

Head (Figs 4a , 5a, b ) pruinose, uniformly brown with dark brown hairs. Compound eyes dichoptic, interocular ridge absent; each compound eye divided, callis oculi absent; dorsal division contiguous with ventral division, as large as ventral division; dorsal division with 20 rows of ommatidia, ommatidia red-orange, larger in diameter, with omatrichia; ventral division black with omatrichia. Ocelli brownish yellow. Scape and pedicel oval, brown with brownish black hairs; first flagellomere constricted at base, flared at apex, basal 1/2 brownish yellow, apical 1/2 brownish black, with brownish black hairs; other flagellomeres cylindrical, brownish black with brownish black hairs; ultimate flagellomere 1.6 times length of penultimate flagellomere. Clypeus oval, brownish yellow, twice as long as the width; labrum brownish yellow; labellum brownish yellow with brown hairs; proboscis about 0.63 times length of head width. Palpus with five segments, 1st segment almost invisible; 2nd and 3rd segments cylindrical, yellow with brown hairs; 4th segment cylindrical, slightly swollen apically, basal 1/2 yellow, apical 1/2 brownish black, with brown hairs; 5th segment slender, brownish yellow with brown hairs; relative length of distal four segments as 1.0: 1.0: 1.1: 2.3.

Thorax (Fig. 4b ) pruinose. Pronotum and propleuron brown without hairs. Mesonotum dark brown with middle area of posterior margin yellow; scutellum pale brown with anterior margin yellow, with numerous hairs grouped at posterolateral corner; metanotum brown; episternum brown; epimeron yellow. Relative length of femur, tibiae and 1st to 5th tarsomeres in fore leg as 15: 13: 7.4: 3.4: 2: 1: 1, in mid leg as 15.4: 12.8: 7.4: 2.6: 2.4: 1: 1, in hind leg as 23: 20: 7.2: 2: 1.4: 1: 1. Fore coxa pale with basal margin brownish yellow, with brownish yellow hairs; mid and hind coxae pale with brownish black hairs; trochanters pale, anterior margin with black spot apically, with brownish black hairs; femora yellow basally and gradually darkened apically, with brownish black hairs; fore and mid tibiae brown with brownish black hairs; hind tibia brownish yellow with brownish black hairs; tarsomeres brown with brownish black hairs; claw brown. Tibial spurs 0-0-0. Wing (Fig. 4c ) slightly brown apically, apical 1/3 of sc brown; veins brown. Sc rudimentary, not ending at base of Rs; Rs slightly curved basally, as long as r-m; R4 wavy, the length from end of R1 to end of R4 shorter than length from end of R4 to end of R5; r-m straight, included angle between r-m and Rs less than 90 degrees; the length from end of M1 to end of M2 as long as the length from end of M2 to end of CuA1. Base of halter pale, apex of halter brown with brownish black hairs.

Abdomen. First tergum brown with middle area pale, 2nd tergum brown, 3rd to 5th terga brown with basal 1/3 brown, 6th to 8th terga brown; 1st sternum pale, 2nd to 6th sterna pale with brown stripes laterally, 7th sternum pale; abdomen with brown hairs. Male genitalia (Fig. 5c-f ) brown. Epandrium trapeziform, posterior margin concave, with several brown hairs. Cercus triangular, inner margin bulge, with several brown hairs; anal cone round with two long hairs apically. Gonostylus slightly swollen and notched apically, outer side with a wide triangular lobe folded ventrally, with hairs. Gonocoxal lobe bifurcated, outer gonocoxal lobe transparent, rod-shaped, slightly curved; inner gonocoxal lobe transparent, rod-shaped, nearly straight, slenderer than outer gonocoxal lobe. Hypandrium rectangular, twice as long as the width, slightly narrow basally, posterior margin concave, with several brown hairs. Dorsal paramere with posterior margin round; dorsal carina apparent, tip nearly perpendicular.

Female. Body length 6.00 mm, wing length 7.50 mm, wing width 2.75 mm.

Head (Fig. 6a ) pruinose. Compound eyes subholoptic, interocular ridge present; each compound eye divided, callis oculi present; dorsal division separated from ventral division, as large as ventral division; dorsal division with about 20 rows of ommatidia, ommatidia red-orange, larger in diameter, with omatrichia; ventral division black with omatrichia. Scape oval, brown with brown hairs; pedicel conical, dark brown with brown hairs; first flagellomere constricted at base, flared at apex, basal 1/2 brownish yellow, apical 1/2 brownish black, with brownish black hairs; other flagellomeres cylindrical, tapering apically, brownish black with brownish black hairs; ultimate flagellomere 1.47 times length of penultimate flagellomere. Labrum brown; labellum pale with brown hairs; mandibles absent; proboscis about 0.74 times length of head width. Palpus with five segments, 1st segment almost invisible, yellow with brownish black hairs; 2nd segment cylindrical, yellow with brownish black hairs; 3rd and 4th segments cylindrical, brownish yellow with brownish black hairs; 5th segment slender, cylindrical, brownish yellow with brownish black hairs; relative length of distal four segments as 1.0: 1.5: 1.5: 2.2. Tibial spurs 0-0-0. Terminalia (Fig. 6b ): 8th sternite bilobate, medial depression W-shaped, with six hairs laterally; genital fork X-shaped; hypogynial plate broad basally, bilobate posteriorly, each lobe round apically, intervalvular area U-shaped, with short hairs posteriorly; epiproct with two prominent hairs apically; spermathecae three in number.

Type material.

Holotype: male (CAU), China: Sichuan Province, Xiaojin County, Mount Balangshan, 2013.VII.9, 3281 m, Xiaoyan Liu; Paratypes: 5 males 1 female (QAU), same data as holotype.

Distribution.

Currently known only from China (Sichuan).

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the type locality Mount Balangshan.

Remarks.

This new species is very similar to B. indica (Brunetti, 1911) from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India but can be separated by the apex of the gonostylus being slightly swollen and notched, the dorsal carina being apparent with nearly perpendicular tip. In B. indica , the apex of gonostylus is not swollen or notched, and the dorsal carina is inapparent ( Zwick 1990). This new species is also similar to B. asiatica from Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India, but it can be separated from the latter by the scutellum being pale brown with anterior margin yellow, the sterna of abdomen being mostly pale, and the dorsal carina with nearly perpendicular tip. In B. asiatica , the scutellum and the sterna of abdomen are dark brown, the dorsal carina has a very pointed and downcurved tip which is almost parallel to plate sometimes ( Zwick 1990).

Figures

Figure 4. Blepharicera balangshana sp. nov. a habitus of male, lateral view b thorax, dorsal view c wing. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (a); 0.25 mm (b, c).

Figure 5. Blepharicera balangshana sp. nov. a male head, frontal view b male head, lateral view c male genitalia, dorsal view d male genitalia, ventral view e aedegal complex, dorsal view f tip of dorsal paramere, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.25 mm (a, b); 0.10 mm (c-f).

Figure 6. Blepharicera balangshana sp. nov. a female head, frontal view b female terminal, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.25 mm (a); 0.10 mm (b). Abbreviations: gf = genital fork; hyp p = hypogynial plate; st 8 = eight sternite.