Megaselia guentermuelleri, Mostovski, 2015

Mostovski, Mike B., 2015, Melting the iceberg: A new Megaselia Rondani species (Diptera: Phoridae) from Mali with the most striking wing ornament, African Invertebrates 56 (1), pp. 261-261 : 262-264

Megaselia guentermuelleri sp. n.

Figs 1–6 ; Table 1

Etymology:The species is dedicated to Dr Günter C. Müller, whose organizational skills and collecting efforts in Mali resulted in the discovery of this remarkable species.

Description:

Male.

Body length: 2.5 mm.

Colour: Frons dark brown, antenna brown, palpus pale yellow; scutum and scutellum yellow and slightly ochreous, pleura light yellow except for brown to black posterior part of metapleuron; all legs are yellow except for darkened apex of hind femur; abdominal tergites uniformly brown, abdominal sternites unsclerotised except for S6 represented by paired pigmented patches; epandrium brown, paired hypandrial lobes light brown, anal tube pale yellow.

Wing: Large heavily pigmented sclerotised bean-like swelling exists below RS at base of 2 nd thin vein, with a paler extension protruding between 2 nd and 3 rd thin veins.

Female. Unknown.

Comparison: Having a relatively long costa, two strong scutellar bristles, only posterodorsals on the hind tibia and ‘Flügel mit ausgedehneter brauner Makel’, the new species runs immediately to M. leleupi Beyer, 1960 in Beyer’s (1965: 53) key. However, it readily differs from the latter, which has been described from female only, in being larger (2.5 vs 1.8 mm) and in having yellow pleura (black in M. leleupi ), shorter both costa (CI 0.42 vs 0.53 in M. leleupi ) and costal cilia (0.07 vs 0.16 in M. leleupi ), and different costal ratios (3.8:2.6:1 vs 2.4:2.0: 1 in M. leleupi ). If one ignores this option and proceeds Further with BeYer’s keY, identification oF the specimens on hand becomes confusing. From the Neotropical M. shadeae Hartop & Brown, 2014 with a large, bubbled and pigmented wing spot, the new species easily differs by the position and shape of its wing ornament, shorter costa and narrower RS fork, among other features (cf. Hartop & Brown 2014).

HolotYpe (in ethanol): ♂ MALI: Kéniéroba [12°06'26"N 08°19'58"W], 330 m, 27.vii.2014, G. Müller & V. Kravchenko, fogging ( TAU).

ParatYpe (dissected, on slide): ♂ same data as For holotYpe, but vii.2014, sweeping ( TAU) .

Remark: In the absence of corresponding females it would be premature to draw any definite conclusion on the Function oF the wing ornament in this species. Most probablY this is a case oF sexual dimorphism, although some role in the flight aerodYnamics cannot be ruled out completely.

Figures

Figs 1, 2. M. guentermuelleri sp. n., frontal setation (1) and left sideof hypopygium (2). Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Figs 3–6. Middle (3) and hind (4) tibiae, hind femur (5) and wing (6) of M. guentermuelleri sp. n. Photographs maY not reflect true colours observed in specimens; bristles oF the tb3 apical comb are enhanced. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.