Empis (Lissempis) azishtauensis Shamshev & Kustov

Shamshev, Igor & Kustov, Semen, 2013, Two new species of the Empis subgenus Lissempis (Diptera: Empididae) from the Caucasus, Zootaxa 3637 (1) : -

Empis (Lissempis) azishtauensis Shamshev & Kustov sp. nov.

( Figs. 1, 2 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled [printed partly in Cyrillic], [ RUSSIA] “ RUS., Adygeya, 2009/ Dakhovskaya env./ dol. r. [valley of river] Belaya – r. [river] Daguaka/ 44,199°N 40,170°E, 465 asl/ coll. P. Tomkovich, 17–23.vi ” (ZMMU). PARATYPES: RUSSIA: same data as holotype (1 3, ZIN); N Caucasus, Krasnodarskiy Kray, Azich-Tau, Ardova glade [44°8'16.04"N 40°3'20.74" E], 1400 m, 8.vii.2009, Kustov S.Yu. (1 3, KSU).

Recognition. Shiny black species with scape of antenna elongate, nearly 3X longer than wide; thorax with postpronotal lobe, scutum and anterior face of scutellum shining, mesonotum with very prominent setae; legs largely yellow, hind tibia thickened towards apex, somewhat curved, hind basitarsus swollen on basal half.

Description. Male ( Fig. 1 ). Body length 4.4–4.5 (in holotype 4.5) mm; wing length 3.7–3.8 (in holotype 3.8) mm. Head black in ground-colour; occiput, vertex, ocellar tubercle, frons and face subshining, finely greyish pollinose. Eyes dichoptic, lower ommatidia enlarged. Frons narrow, above antennae narrower than anterior ocellus; with several thin setae. Face very narrow, below antennae nearly as broad as frons. Ocellar tubercle with 2 long, thin brownish yellow and several minute setae. Occiput covered with numerous thin, pale setae (colour of stronger setae on upper part variable). Antenna black; scape with scattered short setae, nearly 3X longer than wide, about 2.5X longer than pedicel; pedicel with short setae; postpedicel very long, nearly 5.6–6.0X longer than wide near base, with straight margins; stylus short. Proboscis largely brownish; labrum brownish yellow, somewhat longer than head height; palpus brown, with scattered dark setulae.

Thorax black in ground-colour, with pale setae; postpronotal lobe, scutum (except notopleuron and prescutellar depression) and anterior face of scutellum shiny, otherwise thorax finely greyish pollinose. Prosternum bare. Proepisternum with 2 short, thin setae. Antepronotum with several short, thin setae. Postpronotal lobe with 1 rather short, thin seta and several setulae. Mesonotum with 2 notopleurals (anterior seta distinctly longer, as long as apical scutellars), 1 short postsutural supra-alar, 1 short postalar, 4 scutellars (apical pair long, lateral pair short); additionally, notopleuron with several thin setulae anteriorly; acrostichals arranged in 2 irregular rows, short, rather scattered, present on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals uniserial, nearly as long as acrostichals, prescutellar pair long (nearly as long as lateral scutellar setae). Laterotergite with numerous pale setae.

Legs with coxae almost entirely yellow, brownish near base; fore and mid femora wholly yellow, hind femur brown on about apical quarter; fore and mid tibiae brown on apex, hind tibia brownish yellow, darker towards apex; fore and mid tarsi brown (except basal two-thirds of basitarsus), hind tarsus entirely brown. Coxae and trochanters with ordinary pale setae. Fore femur slender, with rows of brown and pale (closer to base) moderately long setae. Fore tibia lacking strong setae, denser pubescent closer to apex. Fore tarsus unmodified. Mid femur somewhat narrower than fore femur, with short, thin ventral setae. Mid tibia with 2 black, spine-like subapical setae anteriorly. Mid tarsus unmodified. Mid femur narrowed basally, densely silvery-white pubescent ventrally, with 1 strong, black anteroventral subapical seta and similar subapical seta anteriorly. Hind tibia thickened towards apex, somewhat curved, with similar ventral pubescence as hind femur, bearing 1 anterodorsal subapical seta. Hind basitarsus swollen on basal half; covered with short black setae on swelling.

Wing hyaline, anal lobe weakly developed, anal angle obtuse; 1 rather short, thin costal seta; stigma indistinct, brownish yellow. Veins R5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing margin; radial fork rather broad; vein CuP+CuA incomplete; discal cell elongate apically. Calypter yellow, with pale setae. Halter yellow.

Abdomen dull brown (dorsal view), tergite 1 with pale, hair-like setae, otherwise tergites covered with short, black spinule-like setae (more distinctly prominent on tergites 2–3) and short, pale setulae, sternites with scattered pale setulae; posteromarginal setae inconspicuous (except sternite 8); pregenital segments unmodified. Terminalia ( Fig. 2 ) rather small; cercus brown, covered with short, black setae, produced medially into narrow, curved inward projection; epandrial lamella dark brown, bearing long, pale setae along lower margin, with deep cleft in apical part; hypandrium bare, well sclerotised; phallus yellow, thin, evenly bowed, somewhat undulate on subapical portion.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to Azish-Tau Ridge, where some of the material was collected.

Distribution. Russia: Adygea, Krasnodar Territory.

Remarks. In having an elongated scape of the antenna, E. (L.) azishtauensis sp. nov. can be compared only with E. (L.) curvitibia Chvála, 2002 known from Albania (Chvála 2002). Besides dramatically different leg structure, the new species also can be distinguished by very prominent setae of the mesonotum (including acrostichals), presence of a costal seta, curious setation of basal abdominal tergites and details of the male terminalia.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Empis (Lissempis) azishtauensis sp. nov., male. 1. habitus, lateral view. 2. terminalia, lateral view. Abbreviations: cerc—cercus; epand— epandrium; hypd— hypandrium; ph—phallus. Scale bars: 1 — 10 mm; 2 — 0.1 mm.