Pseudolycoriella mahanga, Köhler, 2019

Köhler, Arne, 2019, The genus Pseudolycoriella Menzel & Mohrig, 1998 (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Zealand, Zootaxa 4707 (1), pp. 1-69 : 25-26

Pseudolycoriella mahanga sp. n.

( Fig. 18 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:14AD5BCD-06F0-4CBC-BB21-8E519C072047

Material studied. Holotype male. New Zealand: South Island , Southland , Otago Lakes , Fiordland NP, Eglinton River Valley, opposite Gladehouse Track, Nothofagus forest, Malaise trap, 01– 21.12.2002, leg. M. & C. Jaschhof & U. Kallweit ( NZAC, SDEI-Dipt-0001008) . Paratypes: 15♂♂ South Island , Westland, 5 km SW Arawhata, mixed Nothofagus /podocarp forest, aspirator, 20.10.2001, leg. M. Jaschhof (7x NZAC; 8x SDEI) . 1♂ South Island , Queenstown Lakes , Otago Lakes , Mt Aspiring NP, Makarora River Valley near Cameron Creek Track, mixed Nothofagus /broadleaf forest, sweep net, 18– 19.12.2002, leg. M. Jaschhof ( SDEI, SDEI-Dipt-0000595) . 2♂♂ South Island , Southland, Fiordland, Fiordland NP, 3 km E Milford Sound, mixed podocarp/broadleaf forest, Malaise trap, 01– 21.12.2002, leg. M. & C. Jaschhof & U. Kallweit ( NZAC; SDEI) . 1♂ same locality as previous, sweep net, 21.12.2002, leg. M. Jaschhof ( NZAC) . 1♂ South Island , Southland, Fiordland, Fiordland NP, 4 km E Milford Sound, mixed broadleaf/ Nothofagus forest, sweep net, 07.01.2002, leg. M. Jaschhof ( NZAC; SDEI-Dipt-0000904) . 1♂ South Island , Southland , Otago Lakes , Fiordland NP, Eglinton River Valley, opposite Earl Mountain Tracks, Nothofagus forest, Malaise trap, 05– 24.01.2002, leg. M. & C. Jaschhof ( SDEI, SDEI-Dipt-0000849) . Additional material: 5♂♂ South Island , Kaikoura, Blue Duck Reserve, altitude 300–400 m, mixed podocarp/ Nothofagus solandri forest, sweep net, 29.11.2001, leg. M. Jaschhof; U. Kallweit & A. Stark ( SDEI) .

Description. Male. Head. Head capsule brown. Eye bridge three facets wide, two facets at margin. Scape and pedicel concolourous with flagellomeres; fourth flagellomere 3.0–3.5 times longer than wide; necks of flagellomeres well differentiated; surface of flagellomeres rough, sparsely scattered with long setae arising from slight elevations, setae 1.5 times as long as flagellomere width; sensilla of two different lengths present, small ones and longer, curved sensilla. Maxillary palp long and three-segmented, first palpomere slightly longer than third, second one shortest; first palpomere with an inconspicuous patch of sensilla and two to five bristles, one of these bristles longer and more robust, located on the outer side. Prefrons and clypeus bulging. Thorax brown, central parts brightened. Posterior pronotum bare. Anterior pronotum with three to seven setae. Episternum 1 with five to ten setae. Mesonotum with four to six robust lateral bristles; row of dorsocentral bristles well developed. Scutellum with four robust bristles (exceptionally five) and several minor setae. Katepisternum as long as high, or slightly longer than high.

Wing. Length 2.0– 2.4 mm; width/length ratio 0.35–0.42. Membrane transparent and without macrotrichia, anal area present; all posterior veins distinct, stem of M weakest, apical quarter to apical third of R 5 with macrotrichia on both sides; bM and r-m bare; R 1 0.6–1.0 times as long as R; c/w ratio 0.66–0.76 (specimens from Kaikoura show a c/w ratio from 0.53–0.60); r-m 0.7–1.1 as long as bM (specimens from Kaikoura 0.9–1.5). Haltere short; knob as long as shaft. Legs pale brown, trochanter slightly darkened. Tibial organ surrounded by a circular border and wider than half width of tibial apex; tibial organ consists of an irregular transverse row of bristles and some bristles above the row. Fore tibia without robust bristles among vestiture. Mid tibia without or exceptionally with one robust bristle among vestiture. Hind tibia with three to nine robust bristles organised in a longitudinal, posteriodorsal row; on posterior side of hind tibia one to three robust bristles among vestiture. All tibial spurs equal in length. Claws with robust teeth. Abdomen brown with dark setae. Hypopygium ( Fig. 18 ). Gonocoxites wider than long, basal inner side of gonocoxites widely separated. Gonostylus short, curved, and hunchbacked, 1.7–2.3 times longer than wide, apically with a large inner cavity; two robust spines present, the dorsal one located on a basal lobe; one long whiplash hair is located on the ventral apex of the gonostylus. Tegmen wider than long, apicolaterally with two strongly sclerotized lobes, apex roundish and surrounded by a strongly sclerotized margin, only exceptionally with a small membranous area; parameral apodeme short and robust. Area of teeth consists of 15 to 30 small teeth. Ejaculatory apodeme dark, broad, and short to medium long; base of ejaculatory apodeme pale, lyre-shaped, branches of base of ejaculatory apodeme of different width. Posterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme medium sized and brown. Anterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme long and broad.

Body size: 1.9–2.7 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Genetic distances. The maximum p-distance between the two available COI sequences is 1.14%. The nearest neighbour is Psl. bispina , diverging by a minimum of 7.14%. Both available 28S sequences are identical. The nearest neighbour is Psl. bispina , diverging by a minimum of 0.06%.

Etymology. The Māori word māhanga —meaning twin or twins—was selected as the epithet, to illustrate that the new described species is one of the sibling species around Psl. bispina .

Distribution. New Zealand.

Discussion. Of all species of this complex, only Psl. mahanga and Psl. bispina have in common a lyre-shaped base of the ejaculatory apodeme and a strongly sclerotized apex of the tegmen. Pseudolycoriella mahanga can be distinguished from Psl. bispina by the setosity of vein R 5. In Psl. mahanga macrotrichia are located on both the ventral and dorsal sides, whereas in Psl. bispina they occur only on the dorsal side. On the hind tibia Psl. mahanga has a less developed longitudinal row of robust bristles. Their number does not exceed nine and they are also smaller than in Psl. bispina .

Five males originating from the Blue Duck Reserve in the Kaikoura District differ significantly in c/w ratio from remaining specimens (0.53–0.60 vs. 0.66–0.76). Also, the r-m/bM ratio is slightly higher in some specimens from Kaikoura (0.7–1.1 vs. 0.9–1.5). Genetic data on this population are not available and no further morphological differences have been found, so it was decided not to describe a further new species. Because of this uncertainty, these specimens were not assigned to the type series of Psl. mahanga .

Figures

FIGURES 14–19. Pseudolycoriella bispina complex, hypopygia. 14. Pseudolycoriella bispina Mohrig. 15. Pseudolycoriella teo sp. n. 16. Pseudolycoriella puhihi sp. n. 17. Pseudolycoriella orite sp. n. 18. Pseudolycoriella mahanga sp. n. 19. Pseudolycoriella porehu sp. n. Abbreviation: ti = insertion of the tendon of the gonostylus adductor.