Amblypsilopus fianarantsoa, Grichanov, 2021

Grichanov, Igor Ya., 2021, Eleven new species of Amblypsilopus Bigot (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Sciapodinae) and a key to the species of Madagascar and adjacent islands, European Journal of Taxonomy 755 (1), pp. 47-87 : 73-75

Amblypsilopus fianarantsoa sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FE9D5C2E-788B-4263-8CC9-88E435DFA465

Fig. 9

Diagnosis

Amblypsilopus fianarantsoa sp. nov. is very close to A. analamazaotra sp. nov. in habitus. The latter differs from A. fianarantsoa sp. nov. in the fore tarsomere 4 black and simple, segment 2 half as long as segment 3. The fore tarsus has segment 4 yellow, flattened and widened in the new species, with posterior comb of 8–9 long flattened setae, segment 2 as long as segment 3. The fore basitarsus is 2–3 times as long as the fore tibia, and the last segment of the fore tarsus is white in both species.

Etymology

The species is named after the former Fianarantsoa Province in the southeastern part of Madagascar, where the Ranomafana National Park is situated (65 km southwest of Fianarantsoa city), now in the regions of Haute Matsiatra and Vatovavy-Fitovinany. With more than 41 600 hectares of tropical rainforest, the Park is home to many rare species of flora and fauna. It is part of the World Heritage Site Rainforests of the Atsinanana.

Material examined

Holotype MADAGASCAR • ♂; Andasibe, Analamazaotra Forest ; 18°46ʹ S, 48°24ʹ E; 950 m a.s.l.; 31 Oct.–4 Nov. 2007; L. Friedman leg.; SMNHTAU.

Paratype MADAGASCAR • 1 ♂; Fianarantsoa Province, Ranomafana Nat. Park ; 21°15.613ʹ S, 47°25.117ʹ E; 15–17 Jan. 2007; A.H. Kirk-Spriggs leg.; AMGS .

Description

Male ( Fig. 9A )

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 4.7 mm; antenna length 1 mm; wing length 4 mm; wing width 1.1 mm.

HEAD ( Fig. 9B ). Frons greenish black, white pollinose; strong anterior vertical and postvertical bristles; upper postocular setae black, short; lateral postocular setae white, uniserial; ventral postcranium covered with irregular white hairs; face densely silvery-white pollinose, narrow, under antennae two times as wide as postpedicel, at clypeus nearly equal in width to postpedicel; clypeus small, slightly bulging; antenna ( Fig. 9C ) black, slightly longer than height of head; pedicel with short bristles, with one long dorsal bristle; postpedicel rounded, inconspicuously longer than high, with short hairs; arista-like stylus dorsal, microscopically haired; length (mm) of scape, pedicel, postpedicel, stylus, 0.06/0.07/0.1/0.84; proboscis orange; palpus blackish, with white and black hairs.

THORAX. Mesonotum and scutellum metallic blue-green, weakly pollinose; pleura bronze-green, grey pollinose; metepimeron brownish; 6 dorsocentral bristles gradually decreasing in size anteriorly with strongest posterior pair; acrostichals short, biserial; scutellum with 2 strong bristles and 2 minute hairs laterally.

LEGS. Mostly yellow; coxae yellow but mid coxa orange at base; fore and mid tarsi brownish to brown; segment 4 of fore tarsus yellowish white; segment 5 of fore tarsus silvery white ( Fig. 9D ); hind femur brownish on distal half dorsally; hind tibia brownish; hind tarsus brown to black; fore and mid coxae with dark hairs and 2 black subapical setae; hind coxa with 1 black seta at middle; fore and hind femora without strong or long setae; mid femur ( Fig. 9E ) with long fine ventral seta in middle, two times as long as height of femur, with 3–4 ventral hairs on basal half, about half as long as height of femur, with small posteroventral subapical seta; fore tibia without conspicuous setae; fore basitarsus long, without setae; segment 4 laterally flattened and widened, 2.25 times as long as wide, with posterior comb of 8–9 long yellow flattened setae, longer than width of segment ( Fig. 9D ); mid tibia with 2 short anterodorsals and 2 short posterodorsals, without conspicuous ventral setae; mid and hind tarsi simple, cylindrical; hind tibia with several short dorsal and ventral setae; femur, tibia and tarsomere (from first to fifth) length ratio (mm): fore leg: 1.28/1.79/3. 62/0.56/0.57/0.27/0.14, mid leg: 1.39/2.93/2.47/0.6/0.34/0.24/0.11, hind leg: 2.17/3.21/1.48/0.65/0.35/0.19/0.12.

WING ( Fig. 9F ). Widened distally, almost hyaline, veins brown; R 4+5 gently curved to M 1 in apical third; M 1+2 straight in basal half, slightly convex anteriad in middle part; M 1 with strong elbow, forming right angle with M 1+2; ratio of parts of costa between R 2+3 and R 4+5 to those between R 4+5 and M 1, 4/1; crossvein dm-m straight; ratio of crossvein dm-m to apical part of M 1+2 (fork-handle) to apical part of M 4, 33/76/24; anal vein and lobe reduced; anal angle absent; lower calypter brownish, with fine yellow cilia; halter yellow with brown knob.

ABDOMEN. Thin and long, mostly shining dark brown, with short black hairs and marginal setae; segment 1 mostly yellow, with white and dark hairs; segments 2–4 each with yellow lateral spot; pregenital segments combined 3.2 times as long as mesonotum; hypopygium ( Fig. 9G ) brown, with brown appendages; cercus yellow, brown at base, bifurcated from base; dorsal arm as long as epandrium, filiform, widened at base, sparsely covered with long setae along entire length, densely covered with numerous setulae at base; ventral arm of cercus shorter and thicker, thickened at base, with several remarkable apical setae, i.e., 3 thick apicoventral setae directed basally, one very long seta at base of small apicodorsal process covered with several short and long hairs ( Fig. 9H ); ventral arms of cerci fused almost to apex; surstylus projected, bilobed, with long thin arms; dorsal arm of surstylus with 2 short leaflike setae and tuft of short hairs at apex; epandrial lobe projected, trilobed; each lobe narrow, with pair of long flattened setae; outer lobe with especially long setae, with each seta remarkably widened at apex ( Fig. 9H ).

Female

Unknown.

Figures

Fig. 9. Amblypsilopus fianarantsoa sp. nov. Holotype, ♂ (SMNHTAU). A. Habitus.B. Head.C. Antenna. D. Fore tarsus, with inset showing segments 3–5, dorsal view. E. Mid femur. F. Wing. G. Hypopygium, left lateral view, reflected light. H. Distoventral appendages of hypopygium, lateral view, transmitted light.