Tipula (Vestiplex) alyxis Alexander, 1963

Men, Qiu-Lei, Starkevich, Pavel, He, Li-Fan, Shi, Jian-Xiong, Shi, Mei-Ying, Zhang, Zhong-Xin, Hu, Jia-Hui, Chen, An & Zhang, Yi-Xue, 2021, Tipula (Vestiplex) from Yunnan and Tibet, China: one new species and redescriptions of five known species (Diptera: Tipulidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 61 (2), pp. 341-362 : 344-347

Tipula (Vestiplex) alyxis Alexander, 1963

( Figs 15–31 )

Tipula (Vestiplex) alyxis Alexander, 1963b: 322 (original description).

Tipula (Vestiplex) alyxis : OඈඌඍൾඋൻඋඈൾK & THൾඈඐൺඅൽ (1992: 153); Pංඅං- ඉൾඇKඈ et al. (2019: 14).

Type locality. China, Tibet, Zayu,Nyingchi, Rongtö Valley, 28°54′23.1″N 96°39′27.9″E.

Type material examined. Tipula (Vestiplex) alyxis Alexander : Hඈඅඈ- ඍඒඉൾ: ♂, CHINA: Tංൻൾඍ: Rongtö Valley, 6,500 ft., 21.v.1933, coll. F. Kingdon-Ward & R. J. H. Kaulback ( BMNH; No. 246054). Pൺඋൺඍඒඉൾඌ: CHINA: Tංൻൾඍ: 1 ♀, Rongtö Valley, 6,500 ft., 22.v.1933, coll. F. Kingdon-Ward & R. J. H. Kaulback ( BMNH; No. 246059); 1 ♀, Rongtö Valley, 6,500 ft., 23.v.1933, coll. F. Kingdon-Ward & R. J. H. Kaulback B. M. ( BMNH; No. 246058); 1 ♂, Rongt ö Valley, 23.v.1933, coll. F. Kingdon-Ward & R. J. H. Kaulback (antenna, leg, wing and genitalia on slide) ( USNM); 1 ♀, Rongtö Valley, 23.v.1933, coll. F. Kingdon-Ward & R. J. H. Kaulback (antenna, legs and wing on slide) ( USNM); 1 ♂, Rongtö Valley, Zayul Rima Chu, 6,000 ft., 20.iv.1933, coll. F. Kingdon-Ward & R. J. H. Kaulback ( BMNH; No. 246057); 1 ♀, Zayul Ata Kang, 8,000 ft., 17.vi.1933, coll. F. Kingdon-Ward & R. J. H. Kaulback ( BMNH; No. 24605); 1 ♂, Zayul Ata Kang, 10,000 ft., 16.vii.1933, coll. F. Kingdon-Ward & R. J. H. Kaulback (antenna, leg, wing and genitalia on slide) ( USNM).

Additional material examined. CHINA: Tංൻൾඍ: 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Shibagongli, Motuo County, 31.v.2019, coll. Q. Men ( AQNU); 33 ♂♂, Shangchayu, Chayu County, Linzhi, 8.vi.2019, coll. Q. Men ( AQNU). Yඎඇඇൺඇ: 1 ♂, Pianma, Lushui County, 19.vi.2019, coll. Q. Men ( AQNU).

Redescription. Male ( Figs 15–18 ). Body length 10.3–13.5 mm (excluding antenna, n = 35), wing length 14.8–18.8 mm (n = 35), length of antenna 5.3–5.8 mm (n = 35). General body coloration yellowish.

Head. Generally yellow, vertex and occiput with dark brown linear mark ( Fig. 15 ). Rostrum yellowish-brown, nasus yellow, very short and stout, densely covered with black setae. Antenna 13-segmented, if bent backward almost reaching base of 2 nd abdominal segment. Scape and pedicel yellow, first flagellomere yellowish-brown, rest of flagellomeres weakly bicolored, blackened at base. Apical flagellomere very small, reduced, distinctly shorter than preceding flagellomere. Each flagellomere except for first slightly enlarged at base, with longest verticils subequal in length to corresponding flagellomeres. Whole flagellum densely covered with short and light setae. Palpus with basal three segments light brown, last segment dark brown.

Thorax. Pronotum yellow. Prescutum and presutural scutum yellow with four greyish-brown stripes, median stripes narrowed at base and gradually expanded to rounded apex, merging at apex, rounded apically, marginally suffused with brown on outer side ( Fig. 16 ). Interspace between median and lateral stripes grayish-yellow with light and short setae. Postsutural scutum yellow, each lobe with two brown triangular markings connecting to each other. Scutellum yellow, with dark median vitta at apical half. Postnotum yellow. Pleuron entirely yellow ( Fig. 17 ). Legs with coxae, trochanters and basal one fifth of femora yellow, rest of femora brown with tip black, tibiae and tarsi entirely brown. Halter with stem yellow, knob brown. Wing light brown, cell sc slightly darker than ground color, variegated by light areas, including apical area of cell c, median area of 1 st cell of cell r 1, base of stigma, light band across apical area of stigma, base of cells r 3, r 4 and r 5; other light areas including base and apical areas of bm, median areas of cells cua and cup, outer end of cell r 5; stigma dark brown ( Fig. 18 ). Venation: R 1 atrophied in basal half, R 2+3+4 longer than R 3, R 4 subequal in length to Rs, R 5 curved in apical half, r-m distinctly shorter than base of R 5, discal cell narrow, longer than petiole of cell m 1, cell m 1 more than two times longer than its petiole ( Fig. 18 ).

Abdomen. Basal four abdominal segments yellow with tergites narrowly trivittate, rest of abdominal segments including hypopygium black ( Fig. 19 ).

Hypopygium. Male hypopygium with tergite nine and sternite nine separated totally ( Figs 20, 21 ). Tergite nine approximately rectangular in outline, with pale furrow mid-dorsally, anterior margin concave medially, posterior margin concave, ventral portion inconspicuous, terminating into two small darkened lobes ( Fig. 20 ). Gonocoxite broad basally, gradually narrowed and produced into curved rod, terminating into black point; in dorsal view, gonocoxite broad basally and gradually narrowed to apex, apically curved inward; surface densely covered with long setae, those of outer surface longer ( Fig. 21 ). Sternite nine broad, densely covered with setae on lateral surface, appendage of sternite nine with ventral lobe nearly triangular, with many long setae ( Fig. 22 ). Outer gonostylus narrowed, flattened black blade, apically curved and narrowed to obtuse apex ( Fig. 23 ). Inner gonostylus terminating into slender black beak, lower beak black, broadened, outer crest elevated, pointed into angular tip ( Fig. 24 ). Adminiculum laterally with two black lobes, broad basally and then narrowed to apex, with median spine gradually narrowed to sharp tip ( Fig. 25 ). Semen pump with compressor apodeme V-shaped, each arm expanded apically ( Fig. 26 ). Posterior immovable apodeme consisting of pair of arms, produced into angular apex in dorsal view, relatively straight in lateral view ( Figs 27, 28 ). Anterior immovable apodeme broad and flattened ( Figs 27, 28 ). Aedeagus thick at base, gradually narrowed to apex, more than five times longer than semen pump ( Fig. 28 ).

Female. Body length 21.2 mm (excluding antenna, n = 1), wing length 18.6 mm (n = 1), length of antenna 3.2 mm (n = 1). Generally similar to male in body coloration. Antenna relatively short, if bent backward reaching before base of wing.

Female terminalia. Tergites nine and ten brown. Cercus dark brown, with tip acute and curved dorsally, ventral margin with rough serration ( Figs 29–31 ). Hypovalva short, strongly reduced, terminating in two narrowed lobes, acute apically ( Figs 29, 31 ). Median incision between hypovalvae of almost same depth as posterior margin of sternite eight ( Fig. 31 ). Lateral incision absent. Sternite nine with anterior parts flattened and concave medially ( Fig. 31 ). Spermatheca elliptical.

Distribution. China: Tibet (Aඅൾඑൺඇൽൾඋ 1963b); Yunnan (new record).

Figures

Figs 15–19. Tipula (Vestiplex) alyxis Alexander, 1963, male. 15 – head, dorsal view; 16 – thorax, dorsal view; 17 – thorax, lateral view; 18 – wing; 19 – abdomen and hypopygium, lateral view.

Figs 20–28. Tipula (Vestiplex) alyxis Alexander, 1963, male. 20 – hypopygium, dorsal view; 21 – hypopygium, lateral view; 22 – hypopygium, ventral view; 23 – outer gonostylus, lateral view; 24 – inner gonostylus, lateral view; 25 – adminiculum, ventral view; 26 – compressor apodeme, dorsal view; 27 – semen pump, dorsal view; 28 – semen pump, lateral view.

Figs 29–31. Tipula (Vestiplex) alyxis Alexander, 1963, female. 29 – female terminalia, lateral view; 30 – female terminalia, dorsal view; 31 – female terminalia, ventral view.Abbreviations: cerc – cercus; hyp vlv – hypovalva.