Neozealides obscurifrons (Tonnoir & Malloch) Mathis & Zatwarnicki, 2019

Mathis, Wayne N. & Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz, 2019, New taxonomic twists in shore flies as revealed in discovery of Neozealides, a new genus from New Zealand (Diptera: Ephydridae), Zootaxa 4656 (3), pp. 487-500 : 495-499

Neozealides obscurifrons (Tonnoir & Malloch) , n. comb.

( Figs. 6 , 15–23 , Map 2 )

Hyadina obscurifrons Tonnoir & Malloch 1926: 16 .— Miller 1950: 111 [catalog, Diptera of New Zealand].— Harrison 1959: 231 [fauna of New Zealand].— Mathis 1989: 646 [Australasian/Oceanian catalog].— Mathis & Zatwarnicki 1995: 205 [world catalog].

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: Small shore flies, body length 1.35–1.93 mm. Generally light brown to brown with some gray to silvery gray ( Fig. 16 ).

Head ( Figs. 15–16 ): Mesofrons unicolorous, completely brown, with some faint golden brown microtomentum, lacking gray stripes laterad of ocellar triangle. Face, parafacial, and most of gena silvery gray, posterodorsal portion of gena (adjacent to posteroventral margin of eye) with darker gray, oval area. Genal height more than half eye height. Gena-to-eye ratio: 0.54–0.63.

Thorax ( Figs. 6 , 16 ): Mesonotum generally brown with 2 longitudinal lighter brown vittae on either side of acrostichal row and before dorsocentral track, lacking gray marks adjacent to dorsocentral track; acrostichal setulae lacking; apex of scutellum gray; subapical, lateral seta about 1/2 length of apical seta, apical seta slightly dorsoclinate; postpronotum silvery gray, like ventral margin of notopleuron and area immediately posterior of notopleuron, otherwise notopleuron brown as a lateral extension from brown coloration of mesonotum through anterior margin of notopleural triangle, brown encompassing single notopleural setal base; anepisternum gray except for a large, medial, oval brown spot; no anepisternal or katepisternal setae. Wing ( Fig. 16 ) length 1.61–2.05 mm; wing width 0.71–0.97 mm; wing with cell R 1 infuscate basally and with an oval spot apical of level of crossvein r-m; 1 white spot in cell R 2+3 at level of crossvein dm-cu and with somewhat oval brown areas on either side of white spot; cell R 4+5 with 2 white spots equidistant from level of crossvein dm-cu and a narrow, longitudinal brown patch connecting the 2 white spots, apical portion hyaline; area surrounding crossvein r-m infuscate; cell br with white spot; discal cell and cell M each with 1 obovate brown spot about equal distance on either side of crossvein dm-cu; crossvein dm-cu with brown spot over anterior half that extends into cell R 4+5; wing length to width ratio: 0.44–0.48; costal vein ratio: 0.67–0.77; M vein ratio 0.48–0.52. Halter yellowish. Femora and tibiae concolorous with apices yellowish, femora also with dark annulus at apical 2/3; tarsi with basal 2 tarsomeres yellowish, apical tarsomeres becoming progressively more brownish with apical tarsomere brown.

Abdomen: Male terminalia ( Figs. 17–23 ): Epandrium (apparently including the fused surstyli) in posterior view ( Fig. 17 ) generally broadly oval with a cluster of numerous setulae at ventral margin, apex moderately rounded, in lateral view ( Fig. 18 ) vertically elongate, irregularly tear-drop shaped with dorsal half narrow, almost parallel sided, shallowly curved, digitiform, ventral half greatly expanded, more or less broadly and irregularly triangular, angulate anteriorly at midheight, ventral margin broadly rounded, ventral margin bearing a cluster of numerous setulae; cercus in posterior view ( Fig. 17 ) broadly lunate, medial margin shallowly concave, lateral margin broadly rounded, bearing numerous, evenly dispersed setulae, in lateral view ( Fig. 18 ) semi-hemispherical, posterior margin evenly and broadly rounded, anterior margin slightly convex, nearly straight; aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 23 ) elongate, unevenly Z-shaped from bifurcate base, dorsal extension shorter, slightly more than half length of ventral extension, tapered, thereafter apical portion abruptly recurved to very narrow extension, ventral extension narrowly tapered to sharply pointed apex, in ventral view ( Fig. 21 ) irregularly rectangular, lateral margins unevenly concave, more pronounced after truncate base then more evenly expanded to broadly rounded, almost truncate apex; phallapodeme in lateral view ( Fig. 23 ) narrowly triangular, keel relatively narrow, apical portion rod-like, extension to aedeagal base greatly narrowed and conspicuously curved, extension toward hypandrium angulate, about 90 degrees but with a short, pointed angle, in ventral view ( Figs. 19, 22 ) I-like, linear, elongate, narrowly rectangular, truncate at both apices; gonite in lateral view ( Fig. 23 ) with rod-like dorsal extension or bridge that connects with opposite extension above aedeagus, apical portion comparatively elongate, tapered to a sharply pointed apex, bearing a stout, spine-like setula sub-basally, and 2 much smaller setulae toward gonal base, base irregularly digitiform; hypandrium in ventral view ( Figs. 19–20 ) comparatively broadly rounded anteriorly, posterior margin deeply incised on both sides, forming a wide, short, medial process that narrows in a step-wise manner to more narrowly truncate posterior margin.

Primary Type Material. The holotype female is labeled “[ New Zealand.] Wairakei 6 Mar. 1923 A. Tonnoir/ TYPE Hyadina obscurifrons n.sp. A. Tonnoir det. [pink; species name and “n.sp.” handwritten].” The holotype is double mounted (minuten wound around base pin, bent at 90° angle upward), is in good condition (right wing removed, mounted on a small celluloid slide that is attached to the main pin beneath the locality label; several setae, especially of head, missing), and is deposited in the NZAC.

Type Locality. New Zealand. North Island : Wairakei (38°37.2'S, 176°06.2'E) .

Other Specimens Examined (all from New Zealand). NORTH ISLAND. BP: Paradise Valley (38°07.9'S, 176°09.9'E), 7 Feb 1998, VH, W. N. Mathis (2♂, 2♀; NZAC, USNM) . TO: Wairakei (38°37.2'S, 176°06.2'E), 6 Mar 1923, A. Tonnoir (1♀; holotype; NZAC)

.

SOUTH ISLAND . DN: Berwick (8.6 km W, Waipori River; 45°55.6'S, 170°01.8'E; 30 m); 13 Jan 2004, W. N. Mathis (2♂, 5♀; USNM) . FD : Monowai (45°46.5'S, 167°37.0'E; 120 m); 20 Jan 2004, W. N. Mathis (4♂, 5♀; USNM) . KA : Hapuku Stream (42°13'S, 173°45.3'E; 420 m), 8 Jan 2004, W. N. Mathis (7♂, 7♀; USNM) . MC : Christchurch (Styx Mill Reserve; 43°27.8'S, 172°36.8'E; 9 m), 2 Feb 2004, W. N. Mathis (3♂, 9♀; USNM) . NN : Graham Valley (41°12.1'S, 172°50.8'E), 12 Feb 1998, W. N. Mathis (2♂, 3♀; USNM) ; Motueka Valley , Graham Stream (41°11.9'S, 172°48.6'E), 12 Feb 1998, V. Hollmann (3♂; NZAC) ; Orchard Flats (41°17.9'S, 173°20.3'E), 10 Feb 1998, V. Hollmann, W. N. Mathis (2♂, 1♀; USNM) . SL : Pourakino River (46°11.7'S, 167°55.4'E; 90 m); 14 Jan 2004, W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM) .

Distribution ( Map 2 ). Australasian/Oceanian: New Zealand. North Island (BP, TO), South Island ( DN, FD, KA, MC, NN, SL).

Remarks. Although similar to N. irroratus , this species is distinguished by its smaller size (see comments un- der N. irroratus ) and its generally darker appearance in addition to the characters noted in the key.

Figures

MAP 2. Neozealides obscurifrons.

FIGURE 16. Neozealides obscurifrons (male; New Zealand. South Island. KA: Hapuku Stream (42°13'S, 173°45.3'E; 420 m)), habitus, lateral view. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 5–6. Habitus, dorsal view. 5. Neozealides irroratus (male; New Zealand. South Island. KA: Hapuku Stream (42°13'S, 173°45.3'E; 420 m)); 6. Neozealides obscurifrons (male; New Zealand. South Island. KA: Hapuku Stream (42°13'S, 173°45.3'E; 420 m)). Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 14–15. Head, anterior view. 14. Neozealides irroratus (male; New Zealand. South Island. KA: Hapuku Stream (42°13'S, 173°45.3'E; 420 m)); 15. Neozealides obscurifrons (male; New Zealand. South Island. KA: Hapuku Stream (42°13'S, 173°45.3'E; 420 m)). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 17–23. Male terminalia of Neozealides obscurifrons (New Zealand. South Island. MC: Christchurch (Styx Mill Reserve). 17. Epandrium and cerci, ventral view; 18. Same, lateral view; 19. Internal male terminalia, ventral view; 20. Gonite and hypandrium, ventral view; 21. Aedeagus, ventral view; 22. Phallapodeme, ventral view. 23. Internal male terminalia, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.