Rhipidia (Eurhipidia) expansimacula ( Alexander, 1934 )

Zhang, Xiao, Li, Yan & Yang, Ding, 2014, A review of the genus Rhipidia Meigen from China, with descriptions of seven new species (Diptera, Limoniidae), Zootaxa 3764 (3), pp. 201-239 : 203-204

Rhipidia (Eurhipidia) expansimacula ( Alexander, 1934)

( Figs. 1–3 )

Limonia (Rhipidia) formosana expansimacula Alexander, 1934: 324 . Type locality: Mt. Omei, Sichuan ( China).

Diagnosis. Male antenna with eleven bipectinate flagellomeres. Wing white with brownish black clouds; Sc1 ending just distad of origin of Rs, cell dm open by atrophy of m-m, basal section of CuA1 a short distance distad of fork of M. Lobe of gonostylus with two rostral spines.

Description. Male. Body length 3.3 mm, wing length 4.0 mm.

Head (fig. 2). Brown, dusted with grayish white. Antenna 1.2 mm long. Scape and pedicel brown, flagellomeres one to eleven grayish white with basal enlargements and branches brown, terminal flagellomere brown. Each of flagellomeres one to eleven inclusive with two branches which are the longest at sixth flagellomere and nearly three times as long as corresponding flagellomere; terminal flagellomere longated, exceeding penultimate. Proboscis and palpus brownish black.

Thorax (fig. 1). Generally brown, dusted with grayish white. Details indistinct for covered by flocs. Coxae brown; trochanters yellow; femora yellow with broad brown subterminal rings; tibiae and tarsi brownish yellow with tips dark. Wing (fig. 3) white with brownish black clouds: major brownish black areas at base of cell R, origin of Rs, tip of R1, and wing tip in cells R2 and R3; brownish black stripe along cord to basal section of CuA1; brownish black spots at tip of M1+2, M3, CuA1, CuA2 and A2; veins brownish yellow to brown, darker in clouded areas. Venation: Sc1 ending just distad of origin of Rs; Sc2 not evident; cell dm open by atrophy of m-m; basal section of CuA1 a short distance distad of fork of M. Halter 0.4 mm long, white with knob dark brown.

Abdomen (fig. 1). Tergites and sternites dark brown.

Hypopygium. Shrunken on holotype, details indistinct. Rostral prolongation small with two slender spines arising from a commom tubercle.

Female. Unknown.

Specimens examined. Holotype male (USNM), China: Sichuan, Mt. Omei (1463 m), 1932. VII. 4, Geo. M. Franck. One wing is mounted on a similarly labeled microscope slide. One hind leg is still attached to the body, and the remaining five legs are absent.

Distribution. China (Sichuan).

Remarks. For description and illustration of this species, also see Alexander (1934). Crossvein m-m is shown on the original illustration ( Alexander 1934, plate 1, fig. 22), whereas it is not present in either wing (figs. 1, 3). As described in Alexander (1934), this species is very similar to R. (E.) formosana Alexander, 1923 from China, but it can be easily distinguished from the latter by the small size (body length 3.3–3.8 mm (Alexander 1934)); the wide cloud at origin of Rs with its upper part slightly narrower than the cloud at tip of R1, and the lower part of the cloud at origin of Rs nearly twice wider than the upper part (fig. 3). In R. (E.) formosana , the size is relatively large (body length 4.5–5.5 mm); the cloud at origin of Rs is relatively narrow with its upper part about half the width of the cloud at tip of R1, and the lower part of the cloud at origin of Rs is slightly wider than the upper part ( Zhang et al. 2012, fig. 3).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Rhipidia (Eurhipidia) expansimacula (Alexander, 1934) (holotype). 1: Habitus of male, lateral view; 2: Head of male, lateral view; 3: Wing. Scale bar: 1 = 2.0 mm; 2 = 0.5 mm; 3 = 1. 0 mm.