Empis (Enoplempis) prodigiosa Cumming

Sinclair, Bradley J., Brooks, Scott E. & Cumming, Jeffrey M., 2013, Revision of the Empis subgenus Enoplempis Bigot, east of the Rocky Mountains (Diptera: Empididae), Zootaxa 3736 (5), pp. 401-456 : 438-439

Empis (Enoplempis) prodigiosa Cumming sp. nov.

( Figs 16 C, D, E, 17B, 18A)

Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ labelled: “[ USA] Bath Co, VA/ 24 May 2002 / B. Kondratieff/ Blowing Sprgs/ Back Cr.”; “ HOLOTYPE / Empis (Enoplempis) / prodigiosa / Cumming [red label]” (USNM).

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by a modified male hind femoral-tibial joint with a number of distinctive projections and setal combs at the base of the femur that articulate with a pair of blunt basiventral tibial processes, and a denticulate phallus that is flanked by stout lateral pointed projections.

Description. Wing length 6.0 mm. Male. Head dark in ground-colour, with dense greyish pruinescence on face, frons and occiput, postgena yellowish. Dichoptic, eye with ommatidia of similar size. Frons parallel-sided, subequal to width of ocellar triangle, bearing short dark setulae along inner margin of eye. Face slightly divergent towards mouthparts, bare. Ocellar triangle dark, subshining, with pair of short, parallel, proclinate ocellar setae and several shorter posterior setulae. Occiput bearing 2 strong, black upper postocular setae with remainder of postocular row comprised of short black setae; occipital setae black, similar in size to strong upper postoculars. Postpedicel and stylus dark; scape and pedicel brownish. Scape 2× longer than pedicel; postpedicel more than 5× longer than basal width, about 4× longer than stylus. Palpus pale yellow with dark setulae. Proboscis largely pale; apex and base of labrum darkened; labellum with dark setae.

Thorax mostly yellowish in ground-colour but with darkened scutum medially. Scutum with 1 pair of broad blackish vittae between dc rows. Pleura entirely yellowish. Proepisternum with several short, dark setae on upper part; prosternum bare. Antepronotum with row of short dark setae. Postpronotum with several short dark setae and 1 long seta. Scutum with inconspicuous, uniserial row of fine acr setulae ending at transverse suture; dc row uniserial, slightly stronger than acr, with 1 strong dc posteriorly; 1 strong posterior npl, with several weak anterior npl setae; 2 weak presut spal; 1 strong psut spal; 1 strong pal. Scutellum with pair of short sctl, similar to pal, 1 marginal setula. Laterotergite with 4 long, dark setae and 2 lower setula. Anterior and posterior spiracles pale.

Legs long, yellow, except for dark ring at trochanter-femur junction and apices of femora; tarsi brown, becoming darker apically. Coxae with numerous dark lateral and apical setae, longer and stouter along apical anterior margins. Hind trochanter lacking spine-like or modified setae. Femora clothed in short dark setae, setae longer at apex, mid and hind femora with distinct anterior preapical seta. Hind femur slender in proximal twothirds, apical third ( Figs 16 C, D, E) swollen, bearing broad anteroventral cone of setae adjacent to slender posteroventral finger-like process, with more distally positioned knob ventrally; anteroventral and posteroventral setal combs present near apex. Fore tibia clothed in dark setae, shorter than width of tibia, setae dense and shorter along anterior surface with several preapical setae. Mid tibia clothed in dark setae, shorter than width of tibia; 1 anterodorsal, 3 anteroventral, 1 posterodorsal, 3 posteroventral and 6 preapical setae. Hind tibia weakly bowed medially, clothed in dark setae, mostly longer than width of tibia; basally with pair of blunt ventral processes ( Figs 16 C, D, E), proximal posteroventral process rounded with tuft of black setae, distal anteroventral process anvilshaped with fringe of short setae apically; 4 dorsal, 2 anterodorsal, 2 anteroventral, 4 posterodorsal and 4 preapical setae. Tarsomeres 1–5 of all legs with rows of antero- and posteroventral spine-like setae; fore tarsomere 1 enlarged, slightly wider than tibia and longer than tarsomere 1 on mid and hindlegs.

Wing clear with brownish veins; all veins complete (except Sc), well sclerotized. Basal costal seta indistinct from surrounding costal setae. R5 and M1 parallel near wing margin; R5 ending beyond wing tip; radial fork acute. Halter yellow.

Abdominal tergites 1–7 mainly dark, concolorous with scutum medially, with marginal setae distinct and dark; sclerites 1–7 pale with pale setae. Segment 8 with marginal setae dark, longer than proceeding segment. Pregenital segments unmodified; sclerites of segment 8 weakly fused to form complete ring, not weakly sclerotized dorsally. Terminalia ( Fig. 17 B) largely yellow, except cerci dark. Cercus broad at anterior end, narrow at posterior end, appressed to dorsal margin of epandrium; dorsal margin with rounded tooth-like projection at inner apex; posterior end simple, truncate; clothed in setae. Hypoproct lacking setae. Epandrial lamella subtriangular, bearing short apical setae; posterior margin with small process, bacilliform sclerite extending to base of process. Hypandrium prolonged posteriorly with broad notch on apical margin, more than 0.33× as long as epandrium; base with several dark setae, subequal to length of hypandrium. Phallus with broad base terminating apically on each side in lateral pointed projection, medial denticulate apical portion sharply bent upwards with slender apex emerging at cercus; ejaculatory apodeme about 0.5× length of epandrium; inverted Y-shaped, with short median keel.

Female. Unknown.

Geographical distribution and seasonal occurrence ( Fig. 18 A). Empis (En.) prodigiosa is presently known only from the holotype, which was collected in May in the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia.

Etymology. From the Latin for extraordinary, in reference to the highly modified male hind femoral-tibial joint.

Nuptial gift presentation. Form unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Male legs of E. (Enoplempis). A, E. pectinata, hindleg, anterior view; B, E. penicillata, hindleg, anterior view; C, E. prodigiosa, hindleg, anterior view; D, E. prodigiosa, apex of hind femur and base of hind tibia, anterior view; E, E. prodigiosa, apex of hind femur and base of hind tibia, posterior view.

FIGURE 17. Male terminalia, lateral view of E. (Enoplempis). A, E. pencillata; B, E. prodigiosa.

FIGURE 18. Distribution of E. (Enoplempis). A, E. nuda and E. prodigiosa; B, E. enodis, E. montywoodi, E. pectinata, and E. penicillata.