Platypalpus amankutanensis, Barták, Miroslav & Shamshev, Igor, 2015

Barták, Miroslav & Shamshev, Igor, 2015, Species of Platypalpus Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from Uzbekistan, with descriptions of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 3926 (3), pp. 351-376 : 352-354

Platypalpus amankutanensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ UZBEKISTAN, Amankutan, pasture, 39°19´N, 66°55´E, 1300 m, 23.v.1989, M. Barták” ( CULSP). PARATYPES: UZBEKISTAN: 9♂, 10♀, same data as holotype (7♂, 9♀ in CULSP; 2♂, 1♀ in ZIN).

Diagnosis. Almost entirely yellow species with 2 pairs of vertical setae; thorax microtrichose except lustrous spot on katepisternum; mid tibial spur black and sharp in both sexes; long sparse pale posteroventral setae on mid femur.

Description. Male. Head black on dorsal 2/3rds and yellow on ventral part, dark parts very light grey microtrichose, yellow parts microtrichose (including clypeus) and whitish yellow setose. Frons » 0.08 mm broad on lower part (much broader than pedicel) and » 0.12 mm broad on upper part at level of anterior ocellus (slightly shrunken in almost all specimens). Face » 0.09 mm broad at middle. Gena broad, microtrichose. Antenna yellow with brown stylus (in one male postpedicel slightly darkened on basal two-thirds); postpedicel 1.5–2.0X longer than broad, stylus 1.9–2.5X longer than postpedicel. Clypeus microtrichose. Palpus broadly ovate, pale yellow, about half as long as proboscis, usually with 1 subterminal long white seta and another shorter seta on hind margin. Ocellar setae pale, » 0.13 mm long. Two pairs of pale vertical setae, inner pair cruciate, long (» 0.18 mm), outer pair shorter. Occiput whitish yellow setose, setae are shorter on dorsal half and longer on ventral part. Proboscis yellow, half as long as head height or slightly more. Thorax entirely yellow (in some specimens metanotum slightly darkened), microtrichose, katepisternum lustrous, leaving narrow microtrichose stripe on anterior part and much broader stripe on posterior part. All setae whitish yellow. Chaetotaxy: postpronotal seta long and strong (only slightly shorter than postalar seta) accompanied with several very short hairs; acrostichals narrowly biserial, short (» 0.05 mm), about 5–8 setae in one row; dorsocentrals distinctly longer than acrostichals, uniserial (6–10 setae in row), last pair strong, long and usually also 1–3 dorsocentrals in anterior 2/3 of the row much longer than remaining setae; notopleuron usually with two long setae on posterior part (lower one sometimes reduced); 1 postalar and 1 pair of long scutellar setae (with additional pair of small hairs laterally). Wing clear with pale veins. R4+5 almost straight, M1 very slightly S-shaped (both veins nearly parallel in apical part). Crossveins broadly separated. Cu slightly recurrent to almost perpendicular and almost straight. Costal seta long, yellow. Squama pale yellow with yellow fringes. Halter pale yellow. Legs entirely yellow including all coxae and last tarsomeres (only with small dark dots on trochanters). All setae whitish yellow (except ventral spines on mid femur and tibia). Fore femur not much thickened (distinctly narrower than mid femur) short setose, ventral setae scarcely 1/3 as long as femur depth. Fore tibia distinctly spindle-like dilated, short setose. Mid femur slightly swollen (1.3–1.4X deeper than fore femur), with several long pale posteroventral setae. Mid tibia with long black sharply tipped apical spur (1.5X longer than depth of tibia). Hind legs thin, femur short setose ventrally. Abdomen yellow including genitalia (with the exception of brown apex of hypandrium), tergites 2–3 darkened dorsally. Tergites seem to be microtrichose except dorsal part of last tergites, remaining parts including venter and epandrial lamellae lustrous (extent of lustrous and microtrichose parts badly observable on yellow background). All abdominal setae pale and short except somewhat longer marginal setae on last segment. Genitalia ( Figs 1–3 ) with right cercus digitiform, very narrow, somewhat narrower towards apex beyond middle, bearing several ordinary setae of different lengths; left cercus longer and broader than right cercus, mostly parallel-sided but strongly attenuated subapically, with pointed apex, bearing several moderately long setae on subapical part; left epandrial lamella rather subrectangular but pointed apically, with more or less smooth ventral margin, bearing several short setae on subpical part and numerous long curved setae on about middle of ventral margin; right epandrial lamella rather elongate ovate, truncate apically, bearing row of several long subapical setae; right surstylus short narrow. Female. Similar to male except as follows: abdominal tergites seem appear more lustrous and fore tibia slightly narrower than in male. Postpedicel often darker. Length: body 2.0–3.0 mm, wing 2.3–2.8 mm.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the name of the type locality (Amankutan, also Aman-Kutan). Distribution. Uzbekistan.

Remarks. The species described above can be recognized according to the key. In basic characters it is similar to P. leleji Shamshev, 1999 described from the Kuril Islands ( Shamshev 1999b); however, the new species can be readily distinguished from P. leleji by biserial acrostichal setae (vs. 4-serial) and by mid tibia with long, black sharply-tipped apical spur (vs. short, yellow, flattened).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Platypalpus amankutanensis sp. nov., male terminalia. 1. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 2. cerci, dorsal view. 3. left epandrial lamella, lateral view. Scale bars = 0.10 mm.