Metopina kuslitzkyi, Mostovski, Mike B., 2016

Mostovski, Mike B., 2016, Metopina Macquart (Diptera: Phoridae) of Israel, with description of a new species, new records and an identification key, Zootaxa 4111 (1), pp. 61-68 : 62-63

Metopina kuslitzkyi sp. n.

( Figs 3 , 10 )

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5D568BC7-901B-4F8E-934E-A311F8 E82512 Etymology. The species is named after Dr Wolf Kuslitzky, whose collecting efforts in Israel have led to this discovery.

Description. Female: Body length: 1.4 mm. Colour: Head dark brown, antenna brown, palpus yellow, labrum dark yellow; scutum and scutellum dark brown, pleura, mid and hind coxae brown, fore leg including coxa yellow, mid and hind legs light brown; abdominal tergites dark brown, abdominal venter grey. Head: Frontal setation 4-2- 2-2-2-4 (4 supra-antennals, 2 antials, 2 mediolaterals, 2 preocellars, 2 ocellars, 4 verticals); palpus slender, with 6 bristles and at least 10 hairs. Thorax: Scutellum with anterior pair of hairs and posterior pair of bristles. Wing: Length 1.07–1.09 mm, CI 0.47–0.50, costal section ratio 0.70–0.73:1; membrane lightly tinged brown, particularly along veins; haltere brown. Abdomen: Tergite 2 with short setulae, membranous part of segment 2 bare; segment 3 with setulae on T3 and few on each side of the tergite and on ventral side; segment 4 with setae on T4 and a number of them next to it and on ventral side, but these patches do not fuse; segments 5 and 6 with setae on tergites and on entire membrane. Tergites 2 and 3 subrectangular, tergite 4 broader than long, tergite 5 spear-shaped with vestigial membranous or weakly sclerotized anterior flap ( Fig. 3 ), tergite 10 cuneate with S-shaped anterolateral arms (apodemes).

Male: Body length: 1.2 mm. Colour: Like in female, but generally darker; hypopygium dark brown. Head: Chaetotaxy of frons and palpus as in female. Thorax: Same as in female. Wing: Length 0.68–0.76 mm, CI 0.44–0.45, costal section ratio 0.86–0.96:1; membrane and haltere as in female; costa thickened starting at Sc midlength, 2nd thin vein sinuous basally (attached to RS at acute angle), alular lobe not broadened. Legs: Microsculpture on the posterior face of the hind femora with scaly appearance along the ventral edge and irregular (basally) and honeycomb-shaped (distally) cells above several rows of the ‘scales’ ( Fig. 10 ). Abdomen: Membranous part entirely bare with no sclerotization ventrally; tergites 2–5 with 1–2 rows of short hairs along rear edge, with 3–5 hairs medially anteriad of these rows; tergite 6 with 22–25 longer hairs in a broadly triangular patch along posterior margin.

Comparison. The female of the new species differs from other Metopina females in having a rudimentary poorly sclerotized or membranous flap of the abdominal tergite 5; other species demonstrate either well-developed flap or complete absence thereof. The male differs from other Metopina males with a bare abdominal venter in having a peculiar ornament on the posterior face of the hind femora; the microsculpture has a scaly appearance along the ventral edge and consists of areas of irregular (basally) and honeycomb-shaped (distally) cells above several rows of the ‘scales’.

Type material. Holotype ♀: Israel: Almagor [32°55'N 35°36'E], 10–25.xii.2010, W. Kuslitzky, Malaise trap. Paratypes: 2♀ same data as holotype, but collected on 16–30.xi.2010.

Other material examined. 3♂ same data as paratypes; 1♂ same data as holotype, but on 8–28.ii.2011; 1♂ Ma'agan Mikha'el [32°33'N 34°55'E], 1–9.iii.2009, W. Kuslitzky, Malaise trap.

Remarks. Taxonomy of Metopina is based primarily on females. There are several species, including M. trochanteralis Schmitz, 1953 from Switzerland, that have been described from males only. Hypothetically, females of M. kuslitzkyi may turn to be missing females of a species previously known in one sex. However, the chance of this is rather slim, and association of males to hand with females of the new species seems correct.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Abdominal tergites (T) of Metopina females showing anterior flap (AF) of T 5. 1, M. braueri, T 5; 2, M. heselhausi, T 5; 3, M. kuslitzkyi sp. n., T 4 – 5; 4, M. obsoleta, T 4 – 5; 5, M. pileata, T 5; 6, M. ulrichi, T 4 – 5. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 10 – 12. Posterior face of hind femur of Metopina males. 10, M. kuslitzkyi sp. n.; 11, M. obsoleta; 12, M. ulrichi. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.