Platypalpus ikoso, Grootaert & Shamshev, 2014

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2014, New species of Platypalpus (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, European Journal of Taxonomy 103, pp. 1-20 : 5-8

Platypalpus ikoso sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9245014C-ECB6-4DD1-B1EA-8990AF64C6BD

Figs 6–13

Diagnosis

A medium-sized species of the albiseta -group. Postpedicel 5.3 times as long as wide; stylus white, 1.6 times as long as postpedicel. Legs reddish-yellow. Mid femur with a short flattened apical spur.

Etymology

The specific epithet ‘ikoso’ means fly or mosquito in Tumburu, the local language spoken at Yangambi.

Type material

Holotype ♂, DR Congo, Yangambi , 3 Jun. 2013, young forest JEU1 (0°47’22.77” N 24°31’03.76” E; reg. 33034; leg. P. Grootaert; MS name Plat 3); mid leg in tray Entomo 004 position A1 with barcode AB42406101 was extracted for DNA and COI barcode is available in GenBank with accession number: KJ768325 .

Description

Male

LENGTH. Body 3.7 mm; wing 2.9 mm.

HEAD. Entirely black. Occiput densely greyish pollinose; with 1 pair of long black verticals. Ocellar tubercle greyish pollinose, with 2 black, moderately long anterior and 2 very short posterior setae. Frons narrow, somewhat broadened toward ocellar tubercle, above antennae slightly broader than anterior ocellus, greyish pollinose. Face narrow, on middle as broad as anterior ocellus, somewhat broader below antennae and on lower part, greyish pollinose, clypeus subshining. Antenna with scape, pedicel and postpedicel brown; postpedicel conical, long, 5.3 times as long as wide; stylus white, long pubescent, 1.6 times as long as postpedicel. Proboscis brownish yellow, rather long, somewhat shorter than head is high. Palpus brownish yellow, small, ovate, with scattered dark setulae.

THORAX. ( Fig. 6 ). With mesonotum brown, otherwise reddish brown; scutum shining (except prescutellar depression), katepisternum (= sternopleuron) with small shining spot, otherwise thorax faintly tomentose; bristles black. Postpronotal lobe small, elongate, narrow, with several minute setulae. Mesonotum with 2 notopleurals (anterior seta very short, posterior seta moderately long), 1 moderately long postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair long and cruciate, lateral pair very short); additionally, notopleuron with several setulae; acrostichals minute, scattered, arranged in 2 irregular rows; dorsocentrals arranged in 1 row, nearly as long as acrostichals, 2 prescutellars long.

LEGS. Largely reddish yellow, fore and hind tibiae, entire fore tarsus, apical tarsomeres of mid and hind tarsi rather brownish yellow. Coxae and trochanters with ordinary yellowish to brownish yellow setae of different lengths. Fore femur slender; with rows of thin anteroventral and posteroventral setae shorter closer to apex, the latter including 2 longer brownish setae closer to base. Fore tibia slender, clothed with ordinary setulae. Mid femur ( Fig. 7 ) very thickened, long; with double row of black ventral spinules and row of long, black posteroventral setae. Mid tibia bearing a row of black ventral spinules; with short flattened apical spur. Hind femur slender, with short anteroventral setae. Hind tibia slender, clothed with ordinary setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

WING. ( Fig. 8 ). Uniformly brownish infuscate, with brownish veins. One moderately long costal seta. Veins R 4+5 and M 1+2 somewhat convergent just before meeting wing margin. Crossveins m-cu and r-m contiguous; cell bm longer and somewhat broader than cell br; Vein Cu not reaching wing border. Vein CuA 2 somewhat sinuate. Anal vein distinct in apical part and evanescent in basal part. Calypter brown, with brown setae. Halter with stem blackish brown, knob brown.

ABDOMEN. With tergites brownish, subshining, covered with faint very short setae; sternites brownish, with similar setae; segment 8 with several long black posteromarginal setae. Terminalia ( Figs 9–13 ) rather small, brown. Left cercus ( Figs 10, 12 ) much longer than right cercus. Left epandrial lamella ( Figs 12, 13 ) much smaller than right epandrial lamella ( Figs 11, 12 ). Apex of left epandrial lamella with some long setae.

Female

Unknown.

Comparison

In the key of Smith (1969) Platypalpus ikoso sp. nov. runs to P. inermifemur Smith, 1969 and P. ngomensis Smith, 1969 both described from South Africa. In P. inermifemur the ratio of second and third sections of vein Cu (fifth vein sensu Smith 1969) is 3: 3.5 and the hind femur is without distinct anteroventral setae. In P. ngomensis the ratio of second and third section of vein Cu is 2: 3.5 and the hind femur bears short, but distinct anteroventral setae. In P. ikoso sp. nov. the apical section of vein Cu is twice as long as the second section being 2: 4, which is comparable to P. ngomensis . The femur bears distinct anteroventral setae that are half as long as femur is wide. In P. ngomensis the left epandrial lamella is about as long as the right epandrial lamella. In P. ikoso sp. nov. the left lamella is very short ( Fig. 12 ). In addition vein Cu does not reach the wing border in P. ikoso sp. nov. and P. ngomensis , but it does in P. inermifemur .

Distribution

DR Congo.

Figures

Figs 6–8. Platypalpus ikoso sp. nov., holotype ♂. 6. Head, thorax, lateral view. 7. Mid legs, anterior view. 8. Wing.

Figs 9–13. Platypalpus ikoso sp. nov., holotype ♂. 9. Hypandrium. 10. Left cercus. 11. Right epandrial lamella. 12. Epandrium with cerci, dorsal view. 13. Left epandrial lamella. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.