Scatopsciara (Scatopsciara) tricuspidatula, Mohrig, Werner & Kauschke, Ellen, 2016

Mohrig, Werner & Kauschke, Ellen, 2016, New Black Fungus Gnats (Diptera, Sciaridae) of North America Part I. Genus Scatopsciara Edwards, 1927, Zootaxa 4150 (4), pp. 401-435 : 415

Scatopsciara (Scatopsciara) tricuspidatula sp. n.

( Figs. 7 A, B )

Locus typicus: USA, Arizona, Cochise County, Huachuca Mts. , Ash Canyon Road , 31.39°N, 111.24°W, oak-pine woodland, 5100 ft. Holotype: Male, 23.–31.x.1993, leg. N. McFarland, Malaise trap ( PWMP).

Description. Male. Head. Dark brown. Eye bridge 2–3 facets wide. Antennae short; 4th flagellomere short and strong, with l/w-index 1.4, haired densely, shorter than wide; neck short. Palpus 3-segmented, rather long; basal segment with a slightly deepened sensory area and 3–4 bristles. Thorax. Brown. Scutum haired short, whitish, a few lateral bristles are longer; scutellum with two longer marginal bristles; mediotergite with a few short bristles centrally. Wings pale, short and broad; R1 short, = 1/3 R; c shorter ½ w; y shorter x, with 2–3 macrotrichia; posterior veins without macrotrichia, pale. Haltere short, yellowish. Legs brownish; tibial organ small, with 4 hyaline bristles, comb-like; claws toothless. Abdomen. Brown, haired whitish. Hypopygium brown; gonocoxites longer than gonostylus, inner ventral margin haired sparsely. Gonostylus elongated, with rather long apical tooth and 2 somewhat shorter subapical spines. Tegmen wide, with strong aedeagus and a rather long basal furca. Body size: 1.8 mm.

Comments. The species is characterized by a slender gonostylus with a long apical tooth and two somewhat shorter subapical hyaline spines, short and thick flagellomeres (l/w index 1.4), short c, short y with 2–3 macrotrichia, whitish haired scutum, short bristles on the mediotergite and yellowish haltere. It is closely related to the European species Sc. tricuspidata (Winnertz) and differs mainly by having just two subapical spines, a paler hairiness, yellowish haltere, stronger antennal flagellomeres and longer palpus. It belongs to the Sc. atomaria group.

Distribution. USA (Arizona).

Figures

FIGURE 7. A – B. Scatopsciara (Sc.) tricuspidatula sp. n. Holotype. A. Hypopygium, ventral view. B. Flagellomeres 4 – 5. C – D. Scatopsciara (Sc.) atomaria (Zetterstedt). Specimen from USA. C. Hypopygium, ventral view. D. Flagellomeres 3 – 5.