Elaphropeza infuscata Grootaert et Shamshev

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013, The flies of the family Hybotidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) collected during the Boyekoli Ebale Congo 2010 Expedition in Democratic Republic of Congo, Zootaxa 3603 (1), pp. 1-61 : 29-31

Elaphropeza infuscata Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov.

( Figs. 36–38 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: D.R. CONGO, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert, MS reference EC8); Holotype / Elaphropeza infuscata / Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov. ( RBINS). PARATYPES: D.R. CONGO: 1 Ƥ, Yaekela , 2 May 2010, marsh land (reg. 30004, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 Ƥ, Yaekela , 2 May 2010, marsh land (reg. 30006, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 Ƥ, Yaekela , 5 May 2010, swamp forest (reg. 30015, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 3, Yaekela , 7 May 2010, secondary forest (reg. 30020, leg. P. Grootaert) + one 3 specimen in tray Congo at AB31540963 extracted for DNA, COI sequence available at genbank. 1 Ƥ, Kona , 16 May 2010, secondary forest, Malaise trap 3 (leg. P. Grootaert); 1 Ƥ, Kona , 11 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30033, leg. P. Grootaert); 2 3, 8 Ƥ, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert) + 1 3 specimen in tray Congo at AB31538773 extracted for DNA, COI sequence available at genbank ( RBINS).

Diagnosis. Species of E. biuncinata -group; recognised by its black thorax, hind femur blackish brown on about apical half, tergites 3–5 bearing squamiform setae; hind tibia lacking prominent setae; wing somewhat deeper infuscate near base of R2+3 and R4+5; vein R2+3 angulate.

Description. Length: body 1.6 mm, wing 1.5 mm. Male. Occiput entirely black, densely pollinose (including vertex); with yellowish brown to yellow setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals short. Anterior ocellars long proclinate and cruciate, posterior ocellars short. Frons shining, above antennae about 2.0 times as broad as anterior ocellus. Antenna brownish; pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae; postpedicel subtriangular, short, nearly 2.0 times longer than wide; stylus with short pubescence, long, nearly 4.0 times longer than postpedicel, about 2.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus brownish yellow, small, rounded, bearing scattered setulae, subapical seta short, thin.

Thorax black, longer setae yellowish brown. Prothoracic episterna with long upturned seta just above fore coxa. Postpronotal seta hardly prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleurals, 1 short postsutural supra-alar, 1 minute postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair very long, cruciate; lateral pair minute); acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated, scutum evenly covered with short setae, 1 pair of long prescutellars (nearly as long as notopleurals).

Legs quite robust, almost entirely yellow, hind femur blackish brown on about apical half. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur thickened, with rows of short anteroventral and similar posteroventral setae, 2 long setae near base, and short subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur slender, with row of very short yellowish anteroventral and row of similar posteroventral spinule-like setae becoming longer basally, 1 long pale seta near base and 1 long subapical seta anteriorly. Mid tibia with hardly prominent black ventral spinules on about apical half, lacking prominent setae (except subapicals). Hind femur and tibia somewhat thickened. Hind femur with short anteroventrals and 3 short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia lacking prominent setae; apical projection small, rounded, brownish yellow. Tarsi of all legs unmodified, with unmodified setation.

Wing normally developed, finely infuscate, somewhat deeper infuscate near base of R2+3 and R4+5, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins mostly yellowish brown, basal section of M1+2 (including short area beyond crossvein bm-cu) and crossvein r-m pale; basal section of vein CuA1 thicker than basal section of vein M1+2. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Costal bristle moderately long, brownish. Costal index: 19/19/19. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Vein R2+3 angulate. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 divergent near wing apex, both slightly bowed. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 lacking. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter blackish.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 represented by very narrow divided dorsally brownish stripe; tergite 2 narrow, broadly concave dorsally, with unmodified short setae, subtriangular viewed laterally; tergites 3 and 4 broad, of subequal width, both with squamiform setae, subrectangular viewed laterally; tergite 5 narrowest, with sparser squamiform setae; tergites 6 and 7 broad, of subequal width, nearly as wide as tergite 4, subrectangular viewed laterally, with unmodified setation; tergite 7 with rather short posteromarginal setae; tergite 8 unmodified. Sternites 3–6 broadly divided medially. Gland-like structures present between tergites 3–4 (ampoule-like, with 2 reservoirs) and 4–5 (plate-like). Terminalia ( Figs. 36–38 ) moderately large, brownish. Cerci separated; right cercus very narrow, weakly sclerotised, short, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; left cercus unbranched, rather long, digitiform, with several unmodified setae of different lengths. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subtriangular, pointed, covered with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent ( Fig. 36 ). Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several short setae apically. Left surstylus broadened basally and rather digitiform apically, with unmodified setation, bearing 3 long setae dorsally ( Fig. 38 ). Phallus long. One rod-shaped apodeme.

Female. Mid tibia lacking black ventral spinules. Gland-like structure between tergites 3–4 similar to that between tergites 5–6 (not ampoule-like as in male). Otherwise as in male. Cercus yellowish brown.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the infuscation on base of vein R2+3.

Distribution. D.R. Congo.

Remarks. Elaphropeza infuscata sp. nov. belongs to a species complex possessing an entirely black thorax and it is most similar to E. sinikorensis ( Sierra Leone) since both have the hind femur yellow. However, in E.

sinikorensis the halter has a brown knob and yellow stem (vs. entirely black in the new species) and the left cercus of the male terminalia is attenuated and pointed apically (vs. digitiform, rounded apically).

Figures

FIGURES 36 – 38. Elaphropeza infuscata sp. nov. 36. Right epandrial lamella; 37. Epandrium with cerci; 38. Left surstylus.