Bradysia spissa, Vilkamaa, Pekka, Hippa, Heikki & Mohrig, Werner, 2012

Vilkamaa, Pekka, Hippa, Heikki & Mohrig, Werner, 2012, The genus Bradysia Winnertz (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Caledonia, with the description of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 3489, pp. 25-44 : 41-42

Bradysia spissa sp. n.

Figs 12 A–C

Material studied. Holotype male. NEW CALEDONIA, Pindaï, sclerophyllous forest, fogging, 30.vi.1992, Bonnet de Larbogne, Chazeau & Guilbert (in MNHN). Paratypes. 2 males, same data as holotype (in MZH and PWMP).

Description. Male. Head. Brown, antenna unicolorous, slightly paler brown, scapus and pedicellus yellowish, apical edge of flagellomeral necks slightly darker than rest, maxillary palpus very pale brown. Eye bridge 3 facets wide. Face with 8–10 scattered longer and shorter setae. Clypeus with 2 setae. Maxillary palpus with 3 palpomeres; palpomere 1 and 3 of equal length, palpomere 2 shortest; palpomere 1 with 2 setae, with a dorsal patch of sensilla in a shallow depression; surface of antennal flagellomeres rough, body of flagellomere 4 ( Fig. 12 A) 1.40–1.60x as long as wide, the neck shorter than broad, the longest setae shorter than the width of flagellomere. Thorax. Brown, setae pale. Anterior pronotum with 3–5 setae. Episternum 1 with 4–8 setae. Scutum with long dorsocentrals, with some longer and shorter laterals, scutellum with 2 longer and some short setae. Wing. Hyalinous. Length 1.1–1.2 mm. Width/length 0.45–0.50. Veins distinct. R1/R 0.55. c/ w 0.70 –0.80. r-m and bM subequal in length. M, CuA, and bM non-setose, r-m non-setose or with 1 seta. Legs. Yellow. Coxal setae pale. Front tibial organ with pale vestiture forming a short row. Front tibial spur slightly longer than the tibial width. Claws without teeth. Abdomen. Setae dark. Hypopygium ( Figs 11 B, C). Brown, concolorous with abdomen. Gonocoxa longer than gonostylus, mesial margin with sparse setosity, basoventrally with denser vestiture. Gonostylus narrow, slightly curved, slightly narrowed towards apex, with the mesial side weakly impressed at apical fourth; with dense apical vestiture, without an apical tooth, with 4 subapical megasetae. Tegmen subquadrangular, weakly sclerotized, with a large area of triangular aedeagal teeth.

Discussion. Bradysia spissa can be placed in the B. fungicola group in the sense of Menzel and Mohrig (2000). In having some of the gonostylar megasetae larger than the others, it resembles the Palaearctic B. scabricornis , but differs in lacking teeth in tarsal claws and in having much shorter antennal flagellomeres. See also under Bradysia filigera .

Etymology. The name is derived from the Latin word spissa , dense, referring to the dense group of gonostylar megasetae.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Bradysia seticornis sp. n. (A, B paratype, C, D holotype). A. Antennal flagellomere 4, lateral view. B. Apical part of front tibia, prolateral view. C. Part of hypopygium, ventral view. D. Gonostylus, ventral view. Scale 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 12. Bradysia spissa sp. n. (holotype). A. Antennal flagellomere 4, lateral view. B. Part of hypopygium, ventral view. C. Gonostylus, ventral view. Scale 0.1 mm.