Rhamphomyia malaisei, Frey, 1935: 2

Shamshev, Igor V., 2020, Notes on species of Empididae (Diptera) described by R. Frey from the Swedish Kamchatka Expedition 1920 - 1922, Zootaxa 4758 (3), pp. 532-548 : 545-546

malaisei Frey, 1935: 2 ( Rhamphomyia (Ctenempis ))

Current name. Rhamphomyia (Ctenempis) malaisei Frey, 1935 .

Type locality (by lectotype designation): Russia, Kamchatka.

Notes on the type series. Frey described this species after both sexes. He noted the following material: “ 1 ♂, 4 ♀, Kamtchatka (Malaise). Ausserdem zahlreiche Exemplare von Kamtchatka (leg. Derschawin, Nowograblenov) im Leningrader Museum”. One male and three females are currently housed in NHRS and one female in MZH. Only specimens collected by A.M. Derzhavin are present in ZIN and MZH .

Type materials examined. LECTOTYPE (here designated in order to fix identity of the species), ♂ ( Fig. 21 ), labelled ( Fig. 22 ): “ Kamtschatka / Malaise”; “309”; “Spec. typ.”; “ Rhamphomyia / Malaisei / n. sp. [hand-written by Frey] Frey det.”; “ Rhamphomyia / malaisei Frey [modern Museum label]”; “ Lectotypus ♂ / Rhamphomyia / malaisei Frey, 1935 / design. Shamshev, 2019” ( NHRS). The lectotype is in good condition, but right hind tarsomeres 2–5 missing.

PARALECTOTYPES: Kamtschatka, Malaise; 271; Spec. typ.; Rhamphomyia malaisei Frey ; Paralectotypus, Rhamphomyia malaisei Frey, 1935 , design. Shamshev, 2019 (1 ♀, NHRS). Kamtschatka, Malaise; 263, 331; Rhamphomyia malaisei Frey ; Paralectotypus, Rhamphomyia malaisei Frey, 1935 , design. Shamshev, 2019” (2 ♀, NHRS). Kamtschatka, Malaise; Spec. typ.; Rhamphomyia Malaisei n. sp. [hand-written by Frey] Frey det.; Rhamphomyia (s. str.) malaisei Frey , det. Barták, 1986; Paralectotypus, Rhamphomyia malaisei Frey, 1935 , design. Shamshev, 2019 (1 ♀, MZH). Village Klyuchevskoe, on river Kamchatka, 5.vi.1909, A. Derzhavin; unclear sign [only in male speci- men]; Rhamphomyia Malaisei n. sp. [hand-written by Frey] Frey det. [only in male specimen]; Mus. Zool. Helsinki Loan No D7582; Rhamphomyia (s. str.) malaisei Frey , det. Barták, 1986; Museum registry label; Paralectotypus, Rhamphomyia malaisei Frey, 1935 , design. Shamshev, 2019 (1 ♂, 1 ♀, MZH). Same locality, Paralectotypus, Rhamphomyia malaisei Frey, 1935 , design. Shamshev, 2019” (5 ♂, 3 ♀, ZIN).

Diagnosis. Mid-sized, greyish species of the R. (s. str.) coracina group (= Ctenempis Frey); mesoscutum densely greyish pruinose, with four indistinct brownish vittae, covered with only pale setae. Male: sternite 6 with cluster of numerous, closely set, strong, yellowish, moderately long setae posteromedially, sternite 7 with two lateral footshaped projections and cluster of 8–9 yellowish setae medially. Female: wing brownish.

Re-description. Male ( Fig. 21 ). Body length 5.1–5.3 (lectotype 5.2); wing length 5.4–5.5 (lectotype 5.5). Head with dense greyish pruinescence on face, frons, ocellar tubercle and occiput; gena subshiny. Eyes holoptic, upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons represented by very small triangular space below ocellar tubercle and larger subtriangular space above antennae; with minute marginal setulae on lower part. Face broad, margins slightly divergent below; bare. Ocellar tubercle with numerous long fine setae. Occiput with numerous long fine mostly black setae on upper part and mostly pale setae on lower part. Antenna with scape and pedicel rather dark brown, postpedicel and stylus black; scape about 2 times longer than pedicel, both with short setae; postpedicel 2–2.5 times longer than basal width; stylus nearly as long as postpedicel basal width. Palpus brownish, bearing numerous long, dark setae. Labrum brown, slightly longer than eye height.

Thorax dark, densely greyish pruinescent (except noted), with pale to yellowish setation (stronger setae usually somewhat darker; often single brownish to blackish setae present, especially among dorsocentrals and scutellars); scutum with 4 indistinct vittae of greyish brown pruinescence. Proepisternum with cluster of long hair-like setae on lower part; similar setae on upper part of proepisternum in front of anterior spiracle. Prosternum covered with setae. Antepronotum with cluster of numerous long setae laterally and short setae dorsally. Postpronotal lobe clothed in numerous long hair-like setae, 1 hardly outstanding stronger seta. Mesonotal setation: supra-alar space with numerous long hair-like setae, its presutural part without strong setae, 1–2 postsutural supra-alars; 3–5 notopleurals and numerous hair-like anteriorly, 1 postalar, 10 scutellars; dorsocentrals undistinguishable from supra-alar setae on presutural part (virtually multiserial), 1–2 serial and longer along prescutellar depression toward scutellum, 2–3 prescutellars longest; acrostichals arranged in 2–3 irregular rows, similar to presutural dorsocentrals, lacking on prescutellar depression. Laterotergite with cluster of numerous setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles brown.

Legs blackish brown, coxae densely greyish pruinescent, remaining podomeres subshiny. Coxae and trochanters with numerous pale hair-like setae. All femora slender, whitish pilose ventrally; fore and mid femora with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of pale fine setae being minute apically but becoming longer toward base of femur (longest basal setae nearly as long as femur basal width); hind femur ( Fig. 23 ) with short yellowish uniform throughout anteroventral setae (at most as long as half of femur middle width). Fore and mid tibiae slender, hind tibia slightly thickened and constricted apically; all tibia with long thin setae posteroventrally (less numerous on mid tibia, denser and slightly longer on hind tibia), also, hind tibia with similar setae dorsally on about apical half; fore and mid tibiae pilose posteriorly and anteriorly, respectively; hind tibia without seta in posteroapical comb. Fore basitarsus slightly thickened, nearly as broad as fore tibia at apex, with similar to fore tibia setae posteroventrally, setae of subapical circlet long; hind basitarsus slightly thickened but narrower than hind tibia at apex, with numerous long thin setae dorsally; remaining tarsomeres slender, with short setae (except circlet of subapicals).

Wing membrane slightly infuscate; pterostigma distinct; basal costal seta absent. Anal vein (CuA+CuP) slightly weakened subapically, reaching wing margin. In lectotype cross-vein m-m absent on left wing. Axillary incision acute, anal lobe well-developed. Squama yellow, pale fringed. Halter with yellow knob and yellowish brown stem.

Abdomen mostly dark brown (segments 6–8 slightly darker, blackish brown), greyish pruinescent (except not- ed), denser on tergites laterally and sternites, tergite 7 narrowly shiny laterally, sternite 8 broadly shiny proximally (lateral view); covered with pale to yellowish setae. Modified pregenital segments ( Fig. 24 ): segments 6–8 modified, stronger sclerotised; tergite 6 viewed dorsally distinctly broader than tergite 5, broadly concave posteriorly, with produced posterior corner, enclosed tergite 7; sternite 6 inflated, rounded anteriorly, with straight posterior margin, with posteromedial tubercle bearing cluster of numerous, closely set, strong, yellowish, moderately long setae posteromedially; tergite 7 in dorsal view trapezium-like, narrower anterior side rounded, broader posterior side straight, small tubercle postero-laterally (corresponding to posterior corners of tergite 6), in lateral view tergite 7 humped; sternite 7 very narrow, with 2 lateral foot-shaped projections and cluster of 8–9 yellowish setae medially (similar to setae on sternite 6); tergite 8 separated from sternite 8, tergite 8 (invisible in situ) narrow, entire, broadly concave posteriorly; sternite 8 rather large, subtriangular viewed laterally, somewhat flattened ventrally, deeply concave anteriorly.

Terminalia ( Fig. 24 ) small, cerci and epandrium dark, greyish pruinescent. Cercus separated from epandrial lamella, elongate oval (lateral view), with minute setulae. Epandrial lamella subtriangular (lateral view), with somewhat produced apex; covered with numerous pale fine moderately long setae. Hypandrium well sclerotised, subtriangular (ventral view), bare; almost entirely hidden in situ. Phallus brownish yellow to reddish brown, short, with apex not extended beyond cerci, evenly curved, slender, somewhat narrowed apically, with two minute ventral spinule-like projections on apical part. Ejaculatory apodeme beyond basal curvature of phallus, small, without lateral wings.

Female. Similar to male but eyes dichoptic, ommatidia equally small; frons very broad, almost parallel-sided; head and mesonotum with sparser and shorter setation; legs with slender fore, hind basitarsi and hind tibia, covered with simple setulae, femora not pilose ventrally; wing darker, brownish; abdomen covered with very short setae; cercus concolorous with abdomen, long, slender, with minute setulae.

Distribution. Palaearctic: Russia (Kamchatka).

Remarks. This species is very similar to the European species, R. pokornyi Bezzi. Frey (1935) compared both species in the original description of R. malaisei . Like other species of Ctenempis (or R. coracina group) the male of R. malaisei has species-specific structures and vestiture on abdominal sternites 6 and 7.

Figures

FIGURES 21–24. Rhamphomyia (Ctenempis) malaisei Frey. 21. male habitus, lectotype, lateral view; 22. lectotype labels; 23. male hind leg, anterior view; 24. male postabdomen, lateral view.