Medetera nuwarensis, Naglis, Stefan & Bickel, Daniel J., 2012

Naglis, Stefan & Bickel, Daniel J., 2012, Medetera (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) of Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 3188, pp. 55-63 : 59-60

Medetera nuwarensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 A, B)

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: SRI LANKA. 3: “ Sri Lanka N. E. Dist. Nuwara Eliya blacklight trap 26-27.IX.1975 ”; “collected by D.M. Davies, S. Karunaratne, D.W. Balasooriya” ( USNM). PARATYPE: SRI LANKA. 1 Ƥ: Bad. Dist. Kande-ela Reservoir, 6200 ft., 1–5.x.1970, O.S. Flint Jr. ( USNM).

Description. Male. Length (holotype): Body 2.4 mm, wing 2.7 mm. Head: Face and clypeus dark metallic blueviolet with little grey pruinosity; frons dark metallic green with dense grey pruinosity; palpus and proboscis dark brown; scape and pedicel yellow, first flagellomere black; lower postoculars white. Thorax: Dorsum dark metallic bronze-green with dusting of grayish-brown pruinosity; all thoracic setae black; 5 strong dc, and some hair-like anterior setae; ac strong and long, posteriormost ac as long as anteriormost dc; 2 strong scutellars and 2 lateral setae two-thirds length of medians; pleura dark metallic bronze-green, proepisternum with 2 strong setae below. Legs: Entirely black, tip of femora pale; all setae black, except as noted. Fore leg: bare of major setae; relative podomere ratios: 49/50/28/ 10/17/8 /5. Mid leg: coxa with 3 strong anterolateral setae; femur with av row of setae, length nearly subequal to diameter of femur; tibia with strong ad/pd setal pair at 1/4, and 1 apicoventral seta; relative podomere ratios: 56/60/42/ 19/16/8 /5. Hind leg: coxa with strong lateral seta; femur with anterior and av row of strong setae; tibia lacking major setae, with black pv apical tooth-like projection (MSSC); basitarsus with small basal tubercle opposite of tibial tooth (MSSC); relative podomere ratios: 64/87/19/42/ 23/14/9. Wing: Membrane slightly darkened; veins black; R4+5 slightly arching posteriad distally, R4+5 and M converging and becoming subparallel before wing margin; CuAx ratio: 0.6; RMx ratio: 4.8; lower calypter yellowish-brown with fan of yellowish setae; halter yellowish with dark brown stem. Abdomen: Dark metallic green; setae black Male genitalia ( Figs. 4 A, B): hypandrium with rounded apex, with narrow lobe on either side; epandrial seta absent; epandrial lobes well separated each bearing strong curved seta; surstylus trifurcate, dorsal lobe narrow and acute, with apical and subapical seta, ventral lobe rounded, with blade-like subapical and 3 normal setae; cercus elongate, with strong, hornlike apical projection and 2 blade-like and 1 normal setae ventrally; aedeagus with dorsal bifurcate process projecting laterad of cercus (= “bottle-brush-like” aedeagal projection sensu Bickel (1985)). Female: Similar to male, but tibiae yellowish-brown, wings less darkened.

Etymology. The species is named after the type locality.

Remarks. Medtera nuwarensis probably represents a new species-group. It is similar to M. kinabaluensis Bickel, 1987 from Malaysia, the single species of the signaticornis-pinicola species-group in the Oriental Region. Both species can be separated by the characters given below. The species bears a long, narrow, apically bifurcate dorsal projection, the “bottle-brush-like” aedeagal projection according to Bickel (1985, 1987), but in M. nuwarensis the apex of this projection is not hairy as in other species of this group. Moreover, M. nuwarensis has a narrow lobe on either side of the hypandrium, a unique character within the Oriental species.

1 Body length more than 3 mm; lower calypter with pale setae; cercus distally bulbous; hypandrium with pointed apex, without lateral lobes; aedeagus without dorsal process projecting near base of cercus (see Bickel 1987, figs. 19a, b)................................................................................................... kinabaluensis Bickel

- Body length less than 3 mm; lower calypter with dark setae; cercus distally tapering; hypandrium with rounded apex, with lateral lobes on either side; aedeagus with long, narrow, bifurcate dorsal process projecting near base of cercus ( Figs. 4 A, B)....................................................................................... nuwarensis sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Medetera nuwarensis sp. nov. male hypopygium: (A) left lateral view; (B) hypandrium and aedeagus, ventral view (scale bar = 0.1 mm).