Elaphropeza murphyi, Published, 2007

SHAMSHEV, IGOR V. & GROOTAERT, PATRICK, 2007, Revision of the genus Elaphropeza Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Oriental Region, with a special attention to the fauna of Singapore, Zootaxa 1488 (1), pp. 1-164 : 31-33

Elaphropeza murphyi sp. nov.

( Figs. 35–38 )

Diagnosis. Occiput black, postpedicel 3.0–3.5 times longer than wide; thorax and legs wholly yellow, hind tibia with 2 curved subapical bristles.

Description. Male. Body length 2.0– 2.2 mm, wing length 1.7–1.8 mm. Occiput subshining, black, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate and cruciate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones hardly prominent. Antenna ( Fig. 35 ) with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brownish yellow. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel 3.0–3.5 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, about 2.0 times as long as postpedicel and somewhat longer than scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded.

Thorax entirely yellow (some sutures brownish in different extent), shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles. Prothoracic episterna with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and 1 short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial, uniform (except for 1 pair of long prescutellars), extending to base of scutellum.

Legs wholly yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles (2 bristles near base longer). Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles (posteroventrals somewhat longer), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules in apical part (1 subapical spinule somewhat stronger), lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur more or less evenly thickened, bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 2 black curved subapical anteroventral bristles; apical projection hardly prominent, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, finely uniformly infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle mod- erately long, yellow. Costal index: 33/30/27/10. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Vein R2+3 straight. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 absent. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter with dark knob.

Abdomen. Tergites brownish. Tergite 1 narrow, brownish, almost disappearing dorsally. Tergite 2 broadly deeply concave on anterior margin. Tergites 3 and 4 of subequal width, both with squamiform setae. Tergite 5 somewhat narrower than tergite 4, with squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 of subequal width, as broad as tergite 3, tergite 6 with minute setulae only, tergite 7 with moderately long posteromarginal bristles. Sternites pale brownish; sternites 3–5 divided. Gland-like structures between tergites 3 and 4.

Terminalia ( Figs. 36–38 ) large, brownish yellow. Cerci broadly separated, both digitiform, with several bristles of different lengths; left cercus quite long; right cercus short, very narrow. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subrectangular, covered with numerous bristles of different lengths. Right surstylus prominent, small, rather subtriangular, with very short bristles. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several long bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe large, subglobular, with numerous long bristles along upper margin. Hypandrium with 2 bristles. Phallus very long, double spiral. One rodshaped apodeme.

Female. Body length 2.0– 2.1 mm, wing length 1.7–1.8 mm. Fore tibia lacking ventral spinules. Segment 8 short, brownish yellow, with sclerites fused antero-laterally; sternite 8 not folded apically. Cercus yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Chek Jawa , 30 December 2005, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 25475, leg. PG, E-37).

Paratypes: SINGAPORE, 1 ♀, Chek Jawa , 19 November 2003, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 23080, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀, Chek Jawa , 11 October 2005, mangrove, Mal (reg. 25380, leg. PG) ; 6 ♀♀, Chek Jawa , 26 October 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25399, leg. PG) ; 2 ♂♂, Chek Jawa , 15 December 2005, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 25452, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Chek Jawa , 22 December 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25455, leg. PG) ; 3 ♀♀, Chek Jawa , 30 December 2005, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 25475, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 11 May 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25159, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 10 June 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25167, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 28 October 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25407, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 18 November 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25425, leg. PG) .

Derivatio nominis. The present species is dedicated to Prof. D.E. Murphy who did great work on mangroves in Southeast Asia.

Distribution and bionomics. Singapore. Mangrove.

Singapore. Elaphropeza murphyi is exclusively found in mangroves. It is not very common and most records are from Mid October until the end of December. Nonetheless there are single records in May and June. Few males have been found and the sex ratio is 4.75/ 1 females to males .

Remarks. Elaphropeza murphyi sp. nov. belongs to an apparent monophyletic lineage of Elaphropeza sharing curved subapical bristles on the hind tibia. Within this lineage the new species is closely related to E. spiralis sp. nov., E. yangi sp. nov., E. flavicaput sp. nov., E. monacantha sp. nov. and E. luanae sp. nov. in having a very long phallus coiled in a peculiar double spiral. Otherwise, the relationships of E. murphyi sp. nov. have not been resolved. The main distinguishing features of E. murphyi sp. nov. are indicated in the diagnosis given above and in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 35–38. Elaphropeza murphyi sp. nov. 35. antenna. 36. epandrium with cerci. 37. right surstylus. 38. left surstylus.