Heteropsilopus yunnanensis, Liu, Xiaoyan, Zhu, Yajun & Yang, Ding, 2012

Liu, Xiaoyan, Zhu, Yajun & Yang, Ding, 2012, New species of Heteropsilopus and Amblypsilopus from China (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), Zootaxa 3198, pp. 63-67 : 64-65

Heteropsilopus yunnanensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–2 )

Diagnosis. Fore femur entirely yellow, apical 0.3 of mid and hind femora brown to dark brown; extreme tip of fore tibia, mid tibia (excluding basal 0.25) and middle portion of hind tibia dark brown. Hind femur with row of long thin av and pv longer than femur thickness. Wing nearly hyaline with three dark brown transverse spots. Halter dark brown. Male cercus with a short subapical process bearing strong setae; surstylus short, thick, trifurcate.

Description. Male. Body length 3.7–4.4 mm, wing length 5.0– 5.2 mm.

Head bright metallic green with pale grey pollinosity. Setulae and setae on head black, except middle and lower postoculars (including posteroventral setulae) pale yellow; ocellar tubercle distinct, with 2 long oc and 2 very short posterior setulae; vt and pvt absent, 1 very short setula present on slope. Antenna black; first flagellomere triangular in lateral view, as long as wide; arista apical, black, bare, distinctly longer than head + thorax. Proboscis dark yellow, with short blackish setulae; palpus black with black setulae and 2 black apical setae.

Thorax bright metallic green with pale grey pollinosity. Setulae and setae on thorax black; 2 long, irregularly paired acr; 2 long dc slightly longer than acr, 3–4 short setulae anteriad. 1 short ih, 1 short ph (as long as ih), 2 npl, 1 long sa, 1 psa; scutellum with pair of long apical sc and short basal sc, basal sc about 0.25 as long as apical sc. Legs yellow except mid and hind coxae black, apical 0.3 of mid femur (excluding extreme tip) brown and apical 0.3 of hind femur dark brown; extreme tip of fore tibia, mid tibia (excluding basal 0.25) and middle portion of hind tibia dark brown; tarsi dark brown except fore tarsomere1 brownish yellow with dark brown extreme tip. Setulae and setae on legs black. Fore coxa with 4 setae apically; mid coxa with 6–7 setae apically; hind coxa with 2 exterior setae in a vertical line. Fore femur without distinct ventral setae; hind femur with row of long setula-like av and pv longer than femur thickness. Fore tibia without distinct setae; mid tibia apically with 3 short setae; hind tibia with 10–12 short pd and 3–4 short pv, apically with 1 short ad and 1 short av. Hind tarsomere 1 with 1 ventral seta at extreme base. Relative length ratio of tibiae and tarsomeres: LI 2.9: 2.9: 0.8: 0.65: 0.5: 0.3; LII 5.3: 4.0: 0.8: 0.6: 0.4: 0.25; LIII 5.7: 3.45: 1.1: 0.7: 0.5: 0.25. Wing nearly hyaline with anal lobe distinct; three dark brown transverse spots present, inner spot relatively short and narrow, middle spot long and narrow, apical spot large and wide, middle and apical spots fused at anterior margin; veins dark brown. Vein M1 with strongly curved basal portion nearly geniculate, vein M2 reduced but only visible at base; crossvein m-cu strongly sinuate, nearly Sshaped; curved costal setae present, from base almost to join of R2+3 and costa. Squama dark brown, with black setulae. Halter dark brown.

Abdomen metallic green with grey pollinosity. Setulae and setae on abdomen black.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 2 ). Epandrium somewhat triangular in lateral view, nearly as long as wide. Surstylus short, thick, trifurcate; dorsal arm finger-like with long thick subapical seta and 1 short thick apical seta; middle arm very thick; ventral arm spine-like and furcate. Epandrial lobe short finger-like with 1 short subapical seta and 1 very long apical seta. Cercus long with short subapical process bearing strong setae. Hypandrium thick with acute tip in lateral view. Phallus very long, nearly straight apically.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE 3, CHINA, Yunnan, Yingjiang, Xima, 1700 m, 24°41ʹN 97°56ʹE, 2011. V.30 ( CAU).

PARATYPES: 2 3, same data as holotype ( CAU). The specimens were collected from subtropical forest.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality Yunnan.

Remarks. This new species belongs to the Indian triligatus group. In the key of Bickel (1994: 159), it runs to Heteropsilopus protarsatus Parent and Heteropsilopus triligatus Becker. But it can be separated from Heteropsilopus protarsatus by the following features: wing with inner spot short and not fused with middle spot, costal setae present, mid tarsomere 1 simple and shorter than mid tibia, male cercus with a subapical process bearing strong setae; in Heteropsilopus protarsatus , wing with inner spot wide and three spots fused at anterior margin, costal setae absent, mid tarsomere 1 somewhat flattened and as long as mid tibia, male cercus without subapical process ( Parent 1937; Bickel 1994). It can be separated from Heteropsilopus triligatus by the following features: wing with inner sport short and middle and apical spots fused at anterior margin, male cercus slightly bent with subapical process bearing strong setae; in Heteropsilopus triligatus , wing with inner spot wide and three spots entirely separated, male cercus simple and straight without subapical process ( Becker 1922; Parent 1941; Bickel 1994).

This is the first discovery of Heteropsilopus outside Australia and Western Ghats/ Sri Lanka. Previously the genus was only known from eastern and southern Australia (including Tasmania) and the southern Indian subcontinent ( Bickel 1994). Heteropsilopus was previously considered Gondwanan in origin, possibly dating from the lower Cretaceous, before the split of India from Australia. This hypothesis must now be re-considered given this new species from 1700 m in Yunnan.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Heteropsilopus yunnanensis sp. nov. (male). Wing. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Heteropsilopus yunnanensis sp. nov. (male). Genitalia, lateral view. Scale bar 0.25 mm. Abbreviations: cer = cercus; epn = epandrium; epnl = epandrial lobe; hyp = hypandrium; ph = phallus; surd = surstyllar dorsal arm; surm = surstyllar middle arm; surv = surstyllar ventral arm.