Chionea (Chionea) sphaerae, Zhang, Xiao, Wang, Junchao & Yang, Ding, 2012

Zhang, Xiao, Wang, Junchao & Yang, Ding, 2012, Chionea Dalman newly recorded from China with descriptions of two new species (Diptera, Limoniidae), Zootaxa 3316, pp. 1-14 : 8-9

Chionea (Chionea) sphaerae sp. nov.

( Figs. 23–30 )

Diagnosis. Generally brownish yellow species. Antenna with 9 or 10 segments. Tibiae enlarged and bulgy rounded at tarsal articulations. Gonostylus with a sclerotized lobe at base; inner tooth of sclerotized lobe as long as outer tooth. Aedeagus small and not projecting beyond paramere.

Description. Male ( Fig. 23 ). Body length 4.0– 4.5 mm, wing length 0.5–0.6 mm.

Head ( Fig. 24 ). Brown with brownish yellow hairs. Frons prominent. Antenna 0.9–1.0 mm long. Scape pale brown with extreme tip pale yellow; pedicel pale brown with tip darker; fusion segment (first flagellomere) brownish yellow, flagellomeres 2–7 or 2–8 brownish yellow. Scape subcylindrical; pedicel club-shaped; fusion segment subconical, flagellomeres 2–6 or 2–7 subcylindrical with three long hairs each, last flagellomere short with two long apical hairs. Proboscis and palpus brown with brownish yellow hairs.

Thorax ( Fig. 23 ). Pronotum and mesonotum brownish yellow with pale yellow hairs. Coxae yellow; trochanters brownish yellow; femora brownish yellow; tibiae brown with tips brownish yellow; tarsi brown. All tibiae with enlarged and rounded bulge at tarsal articulations. Hairs on legs brownish yellow ( Fig. 25 ). Wing white. Halter about 0.4 mm long, white.

Abdomen ( Fig. 23 ). Tergites and sternites brown. Hairs on abdomen pale yellow.

Genitalia ( Figs. 26–30 ). Posterior margin of tergite 9 with a broadly V-shaped median emargination. Gonocoxite elongate, with long hairs on both dorsal and ventral sides. Gonostylus smoothly curved with a blunt basal tooth on inner margin, which bears several hairs; tip of gonostylus with tuft of microscopic hairs. Blackened sclerotized lobe present at base of gonostylus; sclerotized lobe bidentate, two teeth of it nearly equal in size. Paramere triangular with tip relatively acute and curved downward. Claspette apically rounded with fine, short dorsal hairs. Aedeagus tapered apically.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male, China: Liaoning, Kuandian, Tianhuashan Mountain, 41°4ʹN 124°35ʹE, 2011. III. 5, Weihai Li & Junchao Wang. Paratypes: 5 males, same data as holotype.

Distribution. China (Liaoning).

Etymology. The specific name refers to the apically enlarged tibiae.

Remarks. This new species resembles somewhat Chionea (Chionea) mirabilis Vanin, 2008 from South Korea in having the tibiae similarly apically enlarged and wings long, but it can be easily separated from the latter by the posterior margin of tergite 9 being concave medially ( Fig. 27 ), and the paramere being apically acute and curved downward ( Figs. 26 , 30 ). In C. (C.) mirabilis Vanin , the posterior margin of tergite 9 is linear, and the paramere is apically rounded and internally folded ( Vanin 2008).

Figures

FIGURES 23 – 26. Chionea (Chionea) sphaerae sp. nov. 23: Habitus of male, dorsal view; 24: Head of male, lateral view; 25: Leg of male; 26: Aedeagal complex, dorsal view. Scale bar: 23 = 2.0 mm; 24 = 0.5 mm; 25 = 2.0 mm; 26 = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 27 – 30. Chionea (Chionea) sphaerae sp. nov. 27: Genitalia, dorsal view; 28: Genitalia, ventral view; 29: Genitalia, lateral view; 30: Aedeagal complex, dorsal view. Scale bar: 27 – 29 = 0.4 mm; 30 = 0.1 mm.