Metalimnobia (Metalimnobia) bicolor, Jiang & Zhang, 2020

Jiang, Ye & Zhang, Xiao, 2020, New Metalimnobia crane flies (Diptera, Limoniidae) from China with an update of species distributions, ZooKeys 1008, pp. 93-105 : 93

Metalimnobia (Metalimnobia) bicolor sp. nov. Figures 1 , 2 , 3

Type material.

Holotype male, China: Sichuan, Batang, Deda (30°17'43"N, 99°23'50"E, 3727 m), 2019.VII.17, Liang Wang. Paratypes: 1 male 1 female, same data as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Pleuron brownish black with brownish yellow stripe extending from pronotum to base of wing. Femora each with two rings, apical ring brown, subapical ring slightly paler and spreading over half of femora. Wing brownish with one or more brown spots at base, two large spots at origin and fork of Rs with upper parts brown and lower parts brownish black. Sc1 ending beyond fork of Rs, Sc2 shorter than Sc1; basal section of CuA1 before fork of M. Inner gonostylus divided into three lobes. Paramere with distal part long and nearly straight, tip flattened and bare.

Description.

Male. Body length 10.5-10.8 mm, wing length 11.8-12.0 mm.

Head (Fig. 1b ) brown with vertex and frons dark brown. Setae on head dark brown. Antenna length 2.5-2.8 mm, brownish black with scape dark brown. Scape cylindrical; pedicel nearly globose; flagellomeres oval with long setae, each flagellomere slightly narrower than previous one, terminal flagellomere elongated. Rostrum dark brown with dark brown setae. Palpus brownish black with brownish black setae.

Thorax (Fig. 1c ). Pronotum brownish black with lateral margins brown. Prescutum brown with four broad, brownish black longitudinal stripes, two lateral stripes about 1/2 length of median stripes. Scutum brown with middle area brownish yellow; each lobe with two large brownish black spots, anterior spot connected with lateral stripe of prescutum. Scutellum brownish black with middle area brownish yellow. Mediotergite brownish black, posterior area with two nearly confluent pale brownish yellow spots. Pleuron (Fig. 1a ) brownish black with a brownish yellow stripe extending from pronotum to base of wing. Setae on thorax brownish black. Coxae brown; trochanters pale yellow; femora each brownish yellow with two rings, apical ring brown, subapical ring slightly paler and spreading over half of femora; tibiae brownish yellow with tip dark brown; tarsi brownish black, basal 1/3-1/2 of first tarsal segments brownish yellow. Setae on legs brownish black. Wing (Fig. 2 ) brownish with brown to brownish black pattern: long oval, brown spot at wing base (Fig. 2a ), often divided into two or three small spots (Fig. 2b, c ); two large spots at origin and fork of Rs, each spot with upper part pale brown and lower part brownish black; stigma brown with each side darker; brown seams along cord, m-m, basal section of M3 and base of CuA; obscure, irregular brownish clouds in most cells, darker near R3. Veins brownish yellow, darker in clouded areas. Venation: Sc long, Sc1 ending beyond fork of Rs; Sc2 a greater distance before tip of Sc1, Sc1 1.5-2 times as long as Sc2; basal section of CuA1 1/2-2/3 of its own length before fork of M. Halter length 1.7-1.8 mm, white with knob dark brown.

Abdomen (Fig. 1a ). Tergites 1-4 brownish black with lateral regions brown, tergites 5-8 black. Sternites 1-3 brown, sternites 4-8 black.

Hypopygium (Fig. 3 ). Posterior margin of ninth tergite emarginate, each lobe with several setae. Gonocoxite slender with a large, elongate and caudally curved ventro-mesal lobe. Outer gonostylus broad, arched at 2/3 length, outer third narrowing into a flattened spine. Inner gonostylus divided into three lobes: innermost lobe long, slender and curved; dorsal fleshy lobe fingerlike with long setae; ventral fleshy lobe oval with long setae. Paramere wide basally with distal part long and nearly straight, tip flattened and bare. Aedeagus long, slightly enlarged before tip.

Female. Body length 12.0 mm, wing length 11.0 mm. Similar to male, but tergites 6-9 brownish black with lateral regions brown, sternites 5-9 brown. Tenth tergite (Fig. 1d ) brown. Cercus dark brown, base wide, tip pointed. Hypogynial valve dark brown with middle area of posterior half paler, tip reaching middle of cercus.

Distribution.

China (Sichuan).

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the wing spots at the origin and fork of Rs which have brown upper parts and brownish black lower parts.

Remarks.

Metalimnobia (M.) bicolor sp. nov. can readily be distinguished from all other Metalimnobia crane flies known from China by the wing spots at the origin and fork of Rs. This species has a somewhat similar wing to the widespread M. (M.) tenua but can be easily distinguished from the latter by the antenna with dark brown scape and brownish black pedicel, the mostly brownish black pleuron, the brown coxae, and the paramere being wide basally with a long and nearly straight distal part and a flattened tip (Figs 3 , 4a , 4d ). In M. (M.) tenua , the scape and pedicel of the antenna are yellowish brown, the pleuron is mostly yellowish brown, the coxae are pale yellow, and the paramere is subtriangular with an acute tip (Fig. 4b, e ).

Figures

Figure 1. Metalimnobia (Metalimnobia) bicolor sp. nov. a male habitus, lateral view b head, lateral view c thorax, dorsal view d ovipositor, lateral view. Scale bars: 2.0 mm (a); 0.5 mm (b, c); 0.2 mm (d).

Figure 2. Variations of wing pattern of Metalimnobia (Metalimnobia) bicolor sp. nov. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figure 3. Metalimnobia (Metalimnobia) bicolor sp. nov. a male hypopygium, dorsal view b male hypopygium, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 4. Details of male genitalia of Metalimnobia a-c parameres and aedeagus, dorsal view a M. (M.) bicolor sp. nov. b M. (M.) tenua c M. (M.) caudifusca sp. nov. d-h tip of paramere d M. (M.) bicolor sp. nov. e M. (M.) tenua f M. (M.) caudifusca sp. nov. g M. (M.) quadrimaculata h M. (M.) rectangularis g, h after Mao and Yang 2010.