Rhipidia (Rhipidia) flava, Zhang, Xiao, Li, Yan & Yang, Ding, 2014

Zhang, Xiao, Li, Yan & Yang, Ding, 2014, A review of the genus Rhipidia Meigen from China, with descriptions of seven new species (Diptera, Limoniidae), Zootaxa 3764 (3), pp. 201-239 : 212-214

Rhipidia (Rhipidia) flava sp. nov.

( Figs. 23–29 )

Diagnosis. Male antenna with seven bipectinate flagellomeres. Mesonotum uniformly yellow; pleuron brown with dorsal part yellow. Wing pale yellow with mostly combined very pale brown spots and some slightly darker spots; combined spots very extensive and almost obliterating lighter areas, most spots very indistinct and making wing almost unicolor; Sc1 ending near midlength of Rs; basal section of CuA1 proximad of fork of M. Lobe of gonostylus with four rostral spines.

Description. Male. Body length 7.3 mm, wing length 6.0 mm.

Head (fig. 24). Dark brown, dusted with grayish white. Hairs on head brown. Antenna 2.2 mm long. Scape and pedicel brown, flagellomeres one to nine pale yellow with basal enlargements and branches brown, remaining flagellomeres brown. First flagellomere stout basally; each of flagellomeres two to eight inclusive with two branches which are the longest at fifth or sixth flagellomere and slightly longer than corresponding flagellomere; ninth flagellomere with single short branch; flagellomeres ten and eleven enlarged but not pectinate; terminal flagellomere longated, exceeding penultimate. Labellum and palpus dark brown with brown hairs.

Thorax (fig. 23, 25). Generally yellow to brown, dusted with grayish white. Mesonotum (fig. 25) uniformly yellow. Prescutum brown with three narrow brownish yellow stripes, each side stripe with a row of sparse brown hairs. Pleuron brown with upper part yellow. Hairs on thorax white. Coxae pale brown; trochanters pale brownish yellow; femora yellow with tips darker; tibiae and tarsi yellow. Wing (fig. 26) pale yellow; all cells with mostly combined very pale brown spots; combined spots very extensive and almost obliterating lighter areas, most spots very indistinct and making wing almost unicolor; slightly dark spots at base of cell Sc, middle area of cell Sc, origin of Rs, fork of Sc, fork of Rs, tip of R1 and tip of A2; veins pale yellow, darker in clouded areas. Venation: Sc1 ending near midlength of Rs, Sc2 near its tip; basal section of CuA1 proximad of fork of M. Halter 0.7 mm long, white with knob slightly darker.

Abdomen (fig. 23). Tergites and sternites brownish yellow. Hairs on abdomen white.

Hypopygium (figs. 27–29). Posterior margin of tergite nine with deep V-shaped notch, forming two broadly rounded lobes. Gonocoxite with a single simple ventromesal lobe. Clasper of gonostylus arched at 2/3 length, suddenly narrowed to apical spine. Lobe of gonostylus large; rostral prolongation relatively long with four short spines immediately beyond midlength. Paramere with mesoapical lobe blackened, tip acute.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male ( CAU), China: Yunnan, Nujiang, Lushui, Pianma (25°24'4"N 98°55'23"E, 1900 m), 2012. VII. 25, Junchao Wang.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective and refers to the uniformly yellow mesonotum (form Latin flavus meaning “yellow”).

Remarks. This new species is somewhat similar to R. (R.) hypomelania ( Alexander, 1936) from China, but it can be easily distinguished from the latter by the male antenna with seven bipectinate flagellomeres (fig. 24), the lobe of gonostylus being large, and the rostral prolongation with four short spines immediately beyond midlength (figs. 27–29). In R. (R.) hypomelania , the male antenna has eight bipectinate flagellomeres (fig. 31), the lobe of gonostylus is medium-sized, and the rostral prolongation has five or six long spines near tip (fig. 33).

Figures

FIGURES 23 – 26. Rhipidia (Rhipidia) flava sp. nov. 23: Habitus of male, lateral view; 24: Head of male, dorsal view; 25: Thorax of male, dorsal view; 26: Wing. Scale bar: 23 = 2.0 mm; 24 = 0.5 mm; 25 = 0.5 mm; 26 = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 27 – 29. Rhipidia (Rhipidia) flava sp. nov. 27: Hypopygium, lateral view; 28: Hypopygium, dorsal view; 29: Hypopygium, ventral view. Scale bar: 27 – 29 = 0.2 mm.