Epischnomyia merzi Roháček, 2009

Roháček, Jindřich, 2018, First Anthomyzidae (Diptera) from China: a new genus, six new species and new records, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 58 (1), pp. 35-76 : 57

Epischnomyia merzi Roháček, 2009

( Fig. 66 )

Material examined. CHINA: SICHUAN: Pingwu Co., Mianyang, Laohegou (= Old Creek), Xiaogou (= Small Valley), 32°29′02.47′′N 104°42′21.17′′E, 15.v.2016, 1814 m, 1 1 ♀ in copula on leaf, S. + S. Marshall leg. ( DEBU, dried from ethanol and mounted on triangular pinned card, both genit. prep. but female body lost during drying process so only its abdomen is preserved).

Remarks. The pair of specimens examined belong to the pale form of E. merzi as described by ROHÁČEK (2009: 80) having frons and medial part of mesonotum largely yellow although the latter has a pair of faint vittae in the female (see Fig. 66 ). This form closely resembles in colour the species E. triarmigera ( Sueyoshi & Roháček, 2003) but detailed study of characters of the male and female terminalia confirmed the identity of the above Chinese specimens as E. merzi .

Biology. Very little known. The type specimens were found in South Korea in forests at higher altitudes (750–1200 m) in the second half of June ( ROHÁČEK 2009). The specimens from Sichuan were photographed on a small shrub in a slightly open hilltop (1814 m) surrounded by dense forest (as in Fig. 67 ) in May (S. A. Marshall, personal communication, 2018). The first habitat photos (see also that of E. tkoci below, Fig. 72 ) of Epischnomyia species in China indicate that members of this genus could be associated with dicotyledonous plants in the undergrowth of leafy forests.

Distribution. South Korea ( ROHÁČEK 2009), China: Sichuan (new record).

Figures

Figs 62–67. Amygdalops and Epischnomyia species and their habitats. 62 – A. bisinus Roháček, 2008, female (China: Hainan I.), wing (length 2.1 mm); 63 – A. sevciki sp. nov., female paratype (China: Hainan I.), wing (length 2.3 mm); 64 – same specimen, detail of costal setosity; 65 – habitat of Amygdalops species in the type locality of A. sevciki; 66 – mating pair of E. merzi Roháček, 2009 (body length of male 3.1 mm, of female 3.8 mm); 67 – habitat of E. merzi in Sichuan: Laohegou. Photos by J. Roháček (62–64), J. Ševčík (65) and S. A. Marshall (66, 67).

Figs 68–72. Epischnomyia tkoci sp. nov. and its habitat. 68–71 – E. tkoci sp. nov., male holotype (China: Sichuan): 68 – head, dorsolaterally; 69 – holotype before dissection, laterally (body length 2.9 mm); 70 – f1 and t1, posteriorly; 71 – distal half of f3, posteriorly; 72 – habitat of E. tkoci in the type locality. Photos by M. Tkoč.