Tipula (Lunatipula) paupera Savchenko, 1964

Figs 6, 7, 13C, 14C, I

Tipula (Lunatipula) quadridentata paupera Savchenko 1964: 393 (type locality: Georgia, Zagor Pass, Svanetiya); Oosterbroek, Theowald 1992: 118; Oosterbroek 2021.

Material examined.

Holotype: Georgia • 1 male; “Загор [ Загар Сванетия], Груз . ССР” [Zagor Pass Svanetiya, Gruz. SSR. Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic]; alt. 2623 m; 19 Jul. 1957; R. Savenko leg.; ZISP. / " Tipula 4-dentata Tipula paupera ssp. n. det. Savchenko " / “Holotypus” . / “Paratypus” [Paratype not initially marked; red label] / " Tipula (Lunatipula) paupera Sav., stat. nov. Lantsov, Pilipenko, 2020" [white label].

Diagnosis.

Male. Gonocoxite with two elongate, pointed teeth, one dorsally and one ventrally. Tergite 9 with two projections posteriorly, separated by deep wide notch. Paired appendages of sternite 8 widely spaced, base shorter than wide, gap between not masked by setae. Apical appendages of sternite 9 elongate, narrow distally, with dense bundle of relatively short golden yellow setae at tip.

Redescription.

Adult male (Fig. 6A, B). General color light grey. Body length 15.5 mm, wings 16.5 mm.

Head (Figs 6B, 13C). Rostrum dorsally light grey to whitish with silvery pruinescence, dark brown procumbent setae, base of rostrum dorsally light beige, laterally dirty rusty, yellow. Nasus well defined with longer whitish procumbent setae. Palpus dark brown. Vertex (Fig. 13C) light sandy color with soft silvery pruinescence, dark grey thin median line extending to occiput; nine or ten short brown setae, behind antenna, four or five longer brown setae alongside eye. Row of long brown setae on temporal region and around occipital foramen. Gula and gena (including rostrum ventrally) yellowish-sandy to light brown, with medially enfolded region ventrally marked by moderately broad, light brown median line; gena near eyes light yellow; postgena yellow to sandy.

Antennae. Scape light grey with silvery pruinescence, pedicel yellow with subtle brown ring at base. Flagellomeres brown.

Thorax (Fig. 6A, B). Pronotum grey with dark broad median stripe with blurred edges. Scutum with four brown stripes, central pair more pronounced, widener anteriorly with dirty yellow between. Scutal lobes brown with silvery pruinescence. Scutellum and mediotergite with thin fuzzy grey median line; scutellum yellow to light grey; mediotergite light grey with silvery pruinescence and scattered whitish short bristles. Katepisternum, anepisternum, katepimeron, anepimeron and meron light grey with silvery pruinescence, glabrous.

Wings. Transparent, without noticeable marble pattern, with light brown stigma. Longitudinal veins with macrotrichia.

Halteres . Stem light brown to dirty yellow, knob brown.

Legs. Coxae light grey with silvery pruinescence and long, whitish bristles; trochanters light brown; femora yellow at base, light brown with darkened tips, with adpressed dark brown bristles.

Abdomen (Figs 6A, 7A). Grey with short whitish bristles. Posterior and lateral margins of tergites with thin whitish edging.

Terminalia (Figs 7, 14C, I). Hypopygium not thickened. Tergite 9 and gonocoxites with silvery pruinescence. Gonocoxite (Figs 7G, 14I) with two teeth. Tergite 9 (Figs 7E, F; 14C) distally with projection on either side of deep, wide central notch. Paired appendages of sternite 8 (Fig. 7D) widely separated, basal section shorter than width, gap between not masked by setae. Appendage of sternite 9 (Fig. 7K, L) with dense bundle of relatively short golden-yellow setae at tip. Gonocoxal fragment as in Figure 7I, semen pump and aedeagus as in Figure 7J.

Female. Unknown.

Status.

The species was described and treated as a subspecies of T. quadridentata . It is elevated here to species rank because of the presence of a number of differences of the species from T. quadridentata and all other species of the Tipula caucasica species group (see below).

Comparison with closely related species.

This species differs from all other species of the Tipula caucasica group by the number and arrangement of setae dorsally on the head (Fig. 13C), the deep median notch at the apex of tergite 9 (Figs 7F, 14C), and the more widely spaced appendages of sternite 8 (Fig. 7D). It differs from T. eleniya sp. nov., T. quadridentata, and T. caucasica in the shape and presence of the dense bundle of short setae on the appendages of sternite 9 (Fig. 7K). This species is similar to T. quadridentata in having two teeth on the gonocoxite (Figs 7G, 14I, J).

Elevation.

The holotype was probably collected at 2623 m (height of Zagar Pass) and one of the paratypes was collected "on the descent from the Bassa Pass", the height of which is 3057 m. It can be assumed that this species occurs in high-mountainous habitats.

Flight period.

Adults were collected from the last third of July to early August.

Habitat.

Data absent.

Distribution.

Endemic to the Caucasus-currently known from the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus (Georgia).