Plagiozopelma fornicata, Tang & Zhu & Yang, 2019

Tang, Chufei, Zhu, Yajun & Yang, Ding, 2019, Sciapodinae from the Himalayan region with description of nine new species from Tibet (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), Zootaxa 4577 (1), pp. 1-28 : 23-24

Plagiozopelma fornicata sp. nov.

( Figs 7 , 16 )

Diagnosis. Postpedicel 1.4 times longer than wide; arista-like stylus nearly as long as head and thorax together. Surstylus enlarged. Cercus nearly band-like, expanded ventrally at middle, with cluster of long strong apical bristles ( Fig. 16 ).

Description. Male ( Fig. 7 ). Body length 6.5 mm, wing length 7.4 mm. Head brightly metallic green with grey pollinosity. Hairs and bristles on head black, middle and lower postocular bristles short and black except posteroventral hairs and bristles pale; posteroventral hairs and bristles clustered, very long; frons anteriorly with 2 short bristles on posterolateral slope; 1 long vt. Ocellar tubercle with 2 long strong oc and 2 short posterior hairs. Antenna black; scape vase-like, pedicel with circlet of short black apical bristles except 1 long strong dorsal bristle and 2 long strong ventral bristles; postpedicel nearly triangular, blunt apically, with long blackish pubescence, about 1.4 times longer than wide; arista-like stylus apical, black, nearly as long as summing length of head and thorax, with short black pubescence. Proboscis dark yellow with blackish hairs at lower apical margin and middle; palpus thin, yellow, with 1 long black bristle and clustered yellow hairs apically. Thorax brightly metallic green with grey pollinosity. Hairs and bristles on thorax black; 5 dc, only posterior 2 strong; 3 paired acr; 2 pairs of sc, lateral pair weak, middle pair strong. Legs yellow except mid and hind coxae black, mid and hind trochanters blackish basally, mid and hind femora brown apically, fore and hind tarsi black, mid tarsomeres II–V brownish to black. Hairs and bristles on legs black except on coxae pale, ventral hairs on femora pale. Fore coxa with 3 long lateral bristles at apical quarter and many pale dorsal hairs on basal third; mid coxa with some pale hairs on apical half; hind coxa with 1 outer bristle, 2 preapical bristles and 3 rows of hairs anterolaterally, apically with 3 long strong bristles. Hind femur with 1 preapical pv. Fore tibia with 3 very short ad. Hind tibia with 3 ad, 5 pd. Hind tarsomere I with 5 ad, 1 pd. Hind tarsomere IV with 2 strong bristles apically. Relative length ratio of tibiae and tarsomeres: LI 16.0: 17.5: 3.5: 1.5: 2.0: 1.0; LII 3.7:?:?:?:?:?; LIII 30.0: 25.0: 5.0: 4.5: 2.5: 2.0. Wing hyaline, apical portion somehow brownish, veins dark brown. Vein M 1 arched. Crossvein dm-cu weakly sinuate. CuAx ratio 2.0. Lower calypter pale with pale hairs. Halter dark yellow. Abdomen nearly straight, metallic green with thin pale pollinosity. Hairs and bristles on abdomen black. Hypopygium ( Fig. 16 ): Epandrium nearly triangular, slightly wider than long, with 2 long strong apical bristles; epandrial lobe flat, with 5 long strong and 3 short apical bristles. Surstylus elongate, expanded apically. Cercus nearly band-like, expanded ventrally at middle, with cluster of long strong apical bristles. Hypandrium somewhat hooked apically, somewhat dilated preapically; phallus simple, thick at basal half.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: China. Tibet: Nyingchi, Bome, Suotong Village , N30°01′18.3″ E95°17′17.4″, 2600 m, 2014. VIII.15–IX.15, Malaise trap, Baohai Wang & Yaling Zhang (CAU). PARATYPE: 1 ♂, same data as holotype ( CAU) .

Distribution. China (Tibet).

Etymology. The name of the new species means ‘arched’, referring to the shape of cercus.

Remarks. The type specimens were collected near a swamp with abundant vegetation. The new species is similar to P. brevarista Zhu & Yang, 2011 from Yunnan and Guangxi ( China), but may be separated from the latter by the body length, color of postpedicel and the shape and the bristles of the cercus. In P. brevarista , the body length is only 4.5 mm for males and 4.0 mm for females; the postpedicel is yellow; and the cercus is axe-like with 1 thin, long digitation at base and 1 row of strong spinous bristles apically and long, pale ventral bristles ( Yang et al. 2011, fig. 158).

Figures

FIGURES 5–7. 5. Amblypsilopus medogensis sp. nov.; 6. Amblypsilopus quinquepetalus sp. nov.; 7. Plagiozopelma fornicata sp. nov. All males. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 16–18. Male hypopygium, lateral view. 16. Plagiozopelma fornicata sp. nov.; 17. Plagiozopelma trilobata sp. nov.; 18. Sciapus zewoiensus sp. nov. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: epn = epandrium, hyp = hypandrium, ph = phallus, sur = surstylus, lat = lateral lobe, cer = cercus.