Elachiptera sarda, Nartshuk, 2009

Nartshuk, Emilia P., 2009, Three new species of Chloropidae (Diptera) from southern Sardinia *, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 545-551 : 548-550

Elachiptera sarda sp. nov.

( Figs 6–11)

Type material. Holotype ♂: Italia, Sardegna (Carbonia-Iglesias), Domusnovas, Lago Siuru , UTM 32 S 467069 4357916, 20–23.V.2006, Malaise trap, M. Bardiani, D. Birtele, P. Cornacchia & D. Whitmore leg. ( CNBFVR).

Paratypes. 1 ♂, 6 ♀♀: same data as holotype (4 ♀♀ — CNBFVR; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ — ZIN) .

Diagnosis. Species similar to Elachiptera cornuta ( Fallén, 1820) and E. rufifrons Duda, 1932 . It can be distinguished from the former by the dusted line in the middle of the scutum, along the acrostichal setulae, the dusted prescutellar part of the scutum and the yellow hind corners of the ocellar triangle. Contrary to E. rufifrons , the ocellar triangle of the new species is mostly black except for its hind corners, and the dusted stripe on the scutum is divided into 3 longitudinal lines: two wider ones along the dorsocentral setulae and a narrow one along the acrostichal setulae. Like E. austriaca Duda, 1932 the new species has only one long orbital seta, but differs from this species by its black thorax.

Description. Head ( Fig. 6) yellow with black lower parts of occiput, postgena and central part of ocellar triangle. Ocellar triangle black with large, yellow hind corners. Occiput and hind corners of ocellar triangle dusted. Frons covered with yellow setulae. Setae of head yellow; only one long orbital seta. Gena a little narrower than first flagellomere, with well developed vibrissa. Antenna yellow, first flagellomere shorter than high, with a black mark at base of arista. Arista black, flattened, broad and parallel-sided, covered with black hairs. Palpus yellow. Thorax shiny black, with narrow reddish marks on hind corners of thorax at the sides of scutellum. Scutum ( Fig. 7) shiny with 3 dusted stripes: two broader ones along dorsocentral setulae and a narrower one along acrostichal setulae. Hind part of scutum, before scutellum, also with pubescence. Scutellum trapeziform with 3 pairs of small scutellar tubercles, the basal pair very small. Apical scutellar setae longer than scutellum. Distances between tubercles equal to one another. Seta on postpronotum short. Postalar seta long. Notopleural setae 1+1. Wing slightly brownish, longer than abdomen, veins brown. Correlation of length of costal sections 2:3:4 equals 33:30:15. Haltere yellow. Legs yellow with blackish fore tibia and tarsus in most specimens. Hind tibia sometimes with blackish stripe on anterior surface. Abdomen dorsally brown with pale parts on tergites I–II, ventrally pale. Male genitalia as in Figs 8–11.

Body length: 2.5 mm.

Female: differs from male in the external morphology by having 2 long orbital setae.

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin adjective referring to the type locality.

Remarks. Some variability can be observed in the size of the black spot on the ocellar triangle, the presence of reddish spots on the sides of scutellum and the amount of black on fore tibia and tarsus. Probably, three females from the Balearic Islands ( Spain), which Ebejer (2006) listed as “ Elachiptera sp. ”, belong to the same species. The Balearic specimens were reared from larval frass in an old Lepidoptera tunnel in stems of Phragmites sp. on 21–27.V.2006.