Paralimosina australis, Papp, 2013

Papp, László, 2013, The first record of the genus Paralimosina L. Papp (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) in the Afrotropical Region, with descriptions of six new species, African Invertebrates 54 (2), pp. 315-315 : 321-323

Paralimosina australis sp. n.

Figs 19–30

Etymology: From the Latin australis (southern).

Description:

Measurements in mm: body length 2.70 (holotype), 2.56–3.15 (paratypes), wing length 2.28 (holotype), 2.08–2.46 (paratypes), wing width 1.06 (holotype), 0.98–1.26 (paratypes).

Body and legs brown, tarsi dirty ochre, antennae dirty red.

Frons with distinct M-shaped mark (silvery on dark brown). Lunular triangle and face shiny dark brown, occiput dark brown. Three or four pairs of almost evenly long ifr plus short anterior pair (holotype with 3 long ifr pairs on the right side, left side with 4 pairs plus a 9 th thinner seta). Height of gena below eye 0.18 mm, longest axis of eye 0.34 mm, vertical diameter 0.28 mm. Upper 0.6 of gena longitudinally hachured. Genal seta emerges 0.09 mm above mouth margin, 0.15 mm long. Anterior fr-orb (0.15mm) only half as long as posterior one (0.31 mm). Medial seta of scape 0.11 mm long. First flagellomere with cilia 0.025 mm in length. Aristal cilia ca 0.015 mm.

Mesonotum dark microtomentose, i.e. not shiny. Acrostichals short and dense. Anterior dc only 0.11 mm long. Anterior katepisternal seta not discernible, posterior pair 0.32–0.34 mm long. Wing light brown, veins including costa slightly darker brown. Second costal section 0.91 mm, third costal section 0.69 mm, costal index 1.32. Basal costal seta 0.14 mm. M-M slightly infuscated. Lower edge of discal cell, i.e. M 3+4 distal appendage, only 0.13 mm long. R-M–M-M distance 0.28 mm, M-M 0.18 mm long.

Male fore coxa with long dense hairs medially. Male mid tibia ventrally with a row of thick, black, thorn-like spines (0.05 mm in length) on apical half but having only a few long hairs there (at most 0.12 mm). Male mid tibia with a medium-length (0.08 mm) va. Mid tibia with ad at 9/53 (small), 12/53 (medium length), 20/53, 27/53 (both long), 33/53 and 41/53 (longest, 0.14 mm); pd at 13/53, 24/53 and 40/53 (longest, 0.21mm).

Abdomen shiny black. Longest lateral marginal setae on male abdominal tergite only 0.25 mm. Male S5 ( Fig. 23 ) rather long (but much shorter than that of P. paraustralis ), with a very short medio-caudal extension lacking a seta. That medio-caudal part is only slightly more melanised. S6 part of synsternite ( Fig. 28 ) rather large, comparatively long and broad, on the right side distinct sclerotised and melanised sclerites join it (‘right side sclerites’, see Papp (2008)). Those less formed sclerites are almost perpendicular to the abdominal axis (and join broadly, although membranously, also to S5). S7 part of synsternite large, with short thin setae on all of its surface. S8 part of synsternite small. Hypandrial arms rather short and slightly curved; medial part strong, with a sagittal ridge and an anteriorly curved asymmetrical process ( Fig. 25 ). Subepandrial sclerite rather narrow ( Fig. 24 ), its body only 0.07–0.08 mm high, ventral processes comparatively short and thick. Cercal lobes of epandrium very small. They can be regarded as reduced, with sagittal connection of the epandrial complex very low ( Fig. 24 ). Surstylus with very large anterior lobe being an intricate structure: anterior and dorsal parts less strongly sclerotised ( Fig. 29 ). Posterior lobe of surstylus ( Fig. 29 ) much smaller; strongly sclerotised and melanised, with numerous medium-length setae. Phallapodeme strong ( Fig. 26 ), ca 0.3 mm long and almost straight in lateral view. Basiphallus ( Figs 26, 27 ) short and high, ventral apex blunt and slightly curved. Distiphallus ( Fig. 26 ) short, only 0.17 mm, without conspicuous processes. Postgonite rather long (0.22–0.23 mm from apex to base), basal part not strongly broadened, clearly curved with blunt apex ( Fig. 30 ). Ejaculatory apodeme ( Fig. 27 ) discernible, but only 0.055 mm long.

Female abdomen 1.62 mm long and ca 1.14 mm wide, without long lateral marginal setae. Desclerotised ‘window’ of T1+2 with a pair of less sclerotised, round plates. T5 only slightly broader than half the width of abdomen. S2 as broad as ⅔ of width of S3 (i.e. 0.35 mm). S6 is 0.46 mm long and 0.165 mm wide. T8 ( Fig. 20 ) subquadratic in lateral view, without medial process, with several short setae laterally. S8 ( Fig. 19 ) rather long and rounded, with a pair of long setae laterally and having 7 or 8 short setae; anterior margin free of small hairs. Epiproct with a pair of long, more closely set setae ( Fig. 21 ); lateral anterior edges free of small hairs. Cerci ( Fig. 21 ) with a pair of very long (0.21 mm) apical setae and a somewhat shorter pair of medial subapical setae; a third pair of long lateral setae also present. Spermathecae ( Fig. 22 ) globular, with short bulbous ducts.

A mature egg is cylindrical, 0.50 mm long and 0.12 mm thick.

Holotype: ♂ SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: Hogsback, Wolf Ridge Road , 32°35'42.2"S 26°56'51.3"E, 1143 m, 8.i.2007, L. Papp & M. Földvári, from undergrowth along a small brook ( HNHM).

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: 4♂ 2♀ same data as for holotype ( HNHM, abdomen and genitalia of one male dissected and stored in glycerol in a plastic microvial) ; 2♀ Hogsback forest reserve, 32°36'S 26°56'E, 1300 m, 19.ii.1997, D. Barraclough & S. James, inside indigenous forest ( NMSA) ; 1♀ same locality but 20.ii.1997, Auckland forest margins ( NMSA) ; 1♀ Hogsback forest reserve, 30°31'S 29°38'E, 1900 m, 14–16.xi.1995, D. Barraclough, indigenous forest ( NMSA) ; 1♀ Dwesa Nature Reserve , 32°16'S 28°51'E, 50 m, 17–20.xi.1991, D. Barraclough, indigenous forest margin ( NMSA) . KwaZulu-Natal: 2♂ 1♀ Pongola Bush Nat. Res. , 27°21'S 30°6'E, 18.i.1995, B. Stuckenberg, indigenous forest ( NMSA) ; 1♂ 2♀ Ingeli forest reserve, 30°30'S 29°44'E, 1240 m, 17.ii.1997, D. Barraclough & S. James, indigenous forest ( NMSA) . Mpumalanga: 1♀ Mt Sheba Nat.Res. , 24°56'S 30°43'E, 1155 m, 3.iii.1995, D. Barraclough, deep, shaded indigenous forest ( NMSA) . MALAWI: 1♂ Ntchisi forest reserve, 1334 Ac , 1500 m, J. Londt & B. Stuckenberg, 3–4.xii.1980, montane forest and woodland ( NMSA) . BURUNDI: Kayanza Prov.: 1♀ Parc National de la Kibira, Rweguru Sector , 2°55.320'S 29°30.067'E, 21–26.xi.2010, 2237 m, A. Kirk-Spriggs, indigenous afromontane forest, Malaise trap ( BMSA) .

Figures

Figs 14–22. Paralimosina spp., female terminalia: (14–18) P.flavifacies sp. n., paratype: (14) T8, epiproct and cerci, dorsal view; (15) epiproct with contours of cerci, dorsal view; (16) S8, ventral view; (17) spectacles-shaped sclerite, with mid part at higher magnification; (18) unpaired spermatheca and one of the paired spermathecae with ducts; (19–22) P. australis sp. n., paratype: (19) S8, ventral view; (20) T8, lateral view; (21) epiproct and cerci, dorsal view; (22) spermathecae. Scale bars: Figs 14, 16–17, 19–21 = 0.2 mm, Figs 15, 18, 22 and enlarged part of Fig. 17 = 0.1 mm.

Figs 23–30. Paralimosina australis sp.n., male paratype, postabdomen and genitalia:(23) S5, ventral view; (24) cercal lobes and subepandrial sclerite, ventral view; (25) hypandrium, lateral view; (26) phallus and phallapodeme, lateral view; (27) basiphallus and ejaculatory apodeme, lateral view; (28) S6–7 parts of synsternite, ventral view; (29) surstylus, broadest (sublateral) view; (30) postgonite, lateral view. Scale bars: Fig. 23 = 0.4 mm, Figs 24–26, 28 = 0.2 mm, Figs 27, 29–30 = 0.1 mm.