Platypalpus penesmirnovi, 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 : 357-359

Platypalpus penesmirnovi sp. nov.

( Figs 10–12 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ UZBEKISTAN, Zeravshan res., deciduous wood, 39°38'N, 67°08'E, 24.v.1989, M. Barták” ( CULSP). PARATYPES: UZBEKISTAN: 9♂, 10♀, same data as holotype (7♂, 9♀ in CULSP; 2♂, 1♀ in ZIN); 2♂, 5♀, same locality as holotype, 21–22.v.1989, M. Barták; 1♂, 1♀, Samarkand, along river Zeravshan, 39°38'N, 67°04'E, 22.v.1989, M. Barták; 2♂, Samarkand, deciduous wood, 39°38'N, 67°08'E, 24.v.1989, M. Barták; 1♂, Amankutan, pasture, 39°19'N, 66°55'E, 1300 m, 23.v.1989, M. Barták ( CULSP).

Diagnosis. Black species with 1 pair of vertical setae and white stylus; mesoscutum mostly lustrous as well as anepisternum; mid tibial spur short and blunt-tipped, long brown posteroventral setae on mid femur.

Description. Male. Head black, vertex with broadly V-shaped silvery spot just behind ocelli and similarly silvery stripe on occiput just behind eyes. Frons » 0.02 mm broad at middle (slightly narrower than anterior ocellus), and slightly broadened both dorsally and ventrally, dull black in ventral view and silvery in dorsal view. Face slightly narrower than frons at middle, microtrichose, narrowly triangular clypeus lustrous as well as very narrow gena. Antenna black with white stylus; postpedicel 3.2–4.0X longer than broad, stylus 2.2–2.7X longer than postpedicel. Palpus ovate, brown, small, about 1/3rd as long as proboscis, with 1 long brown subterminal seta. Ocellar setae dark, » 0.06 mm long. One pair of dark vertical setae (» 0.14 mm) rather wide apart (» 0.15 mm). Occiput sparsely covered with short dark setae dorsally and somewhat longer pale setae ventrally. Proboscis blackish-brown, half as long as height of head. Thorax brownish-black, mesoscutum lustrous including entire postpronotum; microtrichose parts: notopleuron, narrow lateral parts towards postalar calli, scutellum and two rounded spots in front of scutellum; pleura with large parts lustrous: central area of anepisternum, katepisternum (except upper part), anterior part of anepimeron and posterior third of meron; microtrichose parts: propleura, proepimeron, narrow stripe along boundaries of anepisternum and katepisternum, narrow stripe along dorsal border of katepisternum (these two microtrichose stripes narrowly separated), anepimeron (except anterior part), meron (except posterior part) and metanotum. Thoracic setae brown to yellow, very short and fine, often colour difficult to determine on lustrous background. Chaetotaxy: postpronotal seta absent; acrostichals broadly biserial, in some specimens irregularly quadriserial anteriorly, very short (» 0.04 mm); dorsocentrals similar to acrostichals, fine and indistinct, uniserial, last 2–4 pairs somewhat longer and strongly convergent; notopleuron usually with 1–2 short setae (at most » 0.10 mm long); 1 very small and fine postalar and 1 pair of short scutellar setae (with additional pair of very small hairs laterally). Wing clear with brownish veins. R4+5 slightly bowed, M1 strongly bowed, so both veins strongly divergent in basal part and convergent in apical part. Crossveins contiguous to narrowly separated. Cu strongly recurrent and S-shaped. Costal seta short, brown. Squama pale yellow with long yellow to brownishyellow fringes, halter pale yellow. Legs yellow to brownish-yellow, fore tibia and tarsi, mid tarsi and apical segments of hind tarsi darkened, not annulated. Large setae mostly brown, small setae both yellow and brown. Fore femur very thin, not much broader than hind femur, posteroventrally with several mostly brown setae as long as depth of femur, otherwise very short setose. Fore tibia thin, short setose. Mid femur 2X deeper than fore femur, with rather long anteroventral setae and very long mostly brown posteroventral setae. Mid tibia with blunt-tipped apical spur shorter than depth of tibia. Hind legs thin, femur short setose ventrally but some setae on apical part almost spine-like. Tarsi of all legs conspicuously narrow. Abdomen brown, lustrous (only left epandrial lamella and cerci microtrichose) sparsely covered with short pale setae. Genitalia ( Figs 10–12 ) with right cercus digitiform, short, very narrow; left cercus digitiform, about 3X broader and 2X longer than right cercus; left epandrial lamella long, narrow, gradually tapered apically, with small submedian dorso-internal tubercle (visible best from dorsal view, little visible in lateral view); right epandrial lamella subtriangular, slightly narrowed towards apex, with small subapical lateral hairy tubercle and ax-like broadened surstylus. Female. Similar to male except as follows: abdominal segments 1–7 lustrous, last segment microtrichose on apical part. Length: body 2.3–3.0 mm, wing 2.6–3.1 mm.

Etymology. The species name stresses the similarity of the above described species with P. smirnovi Kovalev (pene, Latin = almost).

Distribution. Uzbekistan.

Remarks. The species described above can be recognized according to the key. It is very similar to P. smirnovi , with differences summarised in Table 1 .

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ UZBEKISTAN, Zeravshan res., deciduous wood, 39°38´N, 67°08´E, 24.v.1989, M. Barták” ( CULSP). PARATYPES: UZBEKISTAN: 11♂, 2♀, same data as holotype (9♂, 1♀ in CULSP; 2♂, 1♀ in ZIN); 1♂, same locality, 21–22.v.1989, M. Barták; 2♂, 2♀, Chinaz, along Syrdarja river, 40°53'N, 68°43'E, 20.v.1989, M. Barták; 8♂, 9♀, 2 km E Samarkand, pasture, 39°39'N, 67°01'E, 22.v.1989, M. Barták; 3♂, Samarkand, deciduous wood, 39°38'N, 67°08'E, 24.v.1989, M. Barták; 2♀, Samarkand, along river Zeravshan, 39°38'N, 67°04'E, 22.v.1989, M. Barták; 4♂, 10♀, Amankutan, pasture, 39°19'N, 66°55'E, 1300 m, 23.v.1989, M. Barták; 2♂, 6♀, Karamazar, damp meadow, 41°32'N, 69°48'E, 500 m, 18.v.1989, M. Barták; 1♂, 3♀, Chimgan, damp valley, 41°38'N, 70°02'E, 1200 m, 18.v.1989, M. Barták; 2♂, 2♀, Tashkent, along brook, 41°15'N, 69°28'E, 19.v.1989, M. Barták; 2♀, Tashkent, damp meadow, 41°24'N, 69°28'E, 16.v.1989, M. Barták; 2♂, 3♀, Aktash, deciduous wood, 41°38'N, 69°46'E, 500 m, 17.v.1989, M. Barták; 2♀, Chirchik, along river, 41°32'N, 69°38'E, 19.v.1989, M. Barták; 1♂, Karamazar, alpine meadow, 41°30'N, 69°49'E, 800 m, 18.v.1989, M. Barták; 2♂, Karamazar, damp meadow, 41°32'N, 69°48'E, 500 m, 18.v.1989, M. Barták ( CULSP).

Diagnosis. Yellow species with 1 pair of vertical setae; thorax microtrichose except largely lustrous katepisternum; mid tibial spur rather long and blunt, saddle-like carved apically and armed with apical spine in male and shallowly spoon-shaped in female, long pale posteroventral setae on mid femur; male left epandrial lamella with large, long setose outgrowth.

Description. Male. Head in most specimens entirely yellow, only ocellar triangle slightly darkened, some specimens with obscurely greyish darkened frons, vertex and part of occiput behind eyes, microtrichose and pale (white to yellow) setose. Frons » 0.09 mm broad on lower part (slightly broader than pedicel) and » 0.12 mm broad on upper part (at level of anterior ocellus). Face » 0.10 mm broad at middle. Gena distinct and microtrichose. Antenna with both basal segments yellow, postpedicel entirely pale yellow in most specimens but sometimes brown to various extent, stylus always brown, shape of postpedicel variable, 1.6–2.9X longer than broad, stylus 1.4–2.0X longer than postpedicel. Clypeus lustrous. Palpus broadly ovate, pale yellow, about half as long as proboscis, with 1–3 rather yellow subterminal setae. Ocellar setae pale, » 0.15 mm long. One pair of pale vertical setae » 0.15 mm long rather close together (» 0.15 mm apart). Occiput rather densely yellowish-white setose on lower half, sparsely setose on upper half. Proboscis yellow, half as long as height of head. Thorax usually entirely yellow, only very rarely with obscurely brownish median stripe, microtrichose, katepisternum largely lustrous, leaving only narrow microtrichose stripes on anterior and posterior parts. All setae pale, whitish yellow. Chaetotaxy: postpronotal seta long and strong (similarly as postalar), accompanied with several much shorter hairs; acrostichals narrowly biserial and slightly divergent, short (» 0.05 mm), about 10–15 setae in each row; dorsocentrals equally long as acrostichals, irregularly uniserial (with several hairs lateral of row and posteriorly spreading into prescutellar depression), last 1–3 pairs strong and long; notopleuron with 2 long setae on posterior part, upper one usually stronger and longer than lower one; 1 postalar and 1 pair of scutellar setae (with 2–4 small hairs). Wing clear with pale veins. R4+5 slightly bowed, M1 slightly S-shaped (both veins nearly parallel in apical part). Crossveins broadly separated. Cu slightly recurrent and almost straight. Costal seta yellow and long. Squama pale yellow with yellow fringes, halter pale yellow. Legs entirely yellow including all coxae and last tarsomeres of all legs (only with omnipresent small dark dots on trochanters and knees of mid and hind legs). Most setae whitish yellow, rarely fine not spine-like brown setae intermixed especially on tibiae and tarsi. Fore femur thin, with rather long pale setae ventrally (2/3rds as long as depth of femur). Fore tibia very slightly thickened, short setose. Mid femur thickened, with long pale posteroventral setae. Mid tibia with rather long blunt apical spur saddle-like carved apically and armed with apical spine. Hind legs thin, femur rather long setose ventrally. Abdomen yellow including genitalia (except brown hypandrium), tergites 2–5 often darkened to various extent. Basal tergites appear broadly microtrichose on sides leaving only small dorsal lustrous triangles, remaining parts including venter lustrous (extent of lustrous and microtrichose parts difficult to observe against yellow background). All abdominal setae short and pale. Genitalia ( Figs 13–15 ) with both cerci short, of subequal length, moderately broad, rounded apically, with scattered ordinary setae; left epandrial lamella as in Fig. 15 , with ventral protuberance bearing long pale wavy setae; right epandrial lamella rather subglobular, with row of several long subapical setae; right sustylus short narrow. Female. Similar to male except as follows: based on limited material on hand it seems that dark forms (with dark postpedicel and dark median stripe on mesoscutum) are slightly more frequent than in males. Mid tibial spur more rounded, shallowly spoon-shaped, without spine-like apical seta. Length: body 2.1–3.3 mm, wing 2.4–3.6 mm.

Etymology. The species is named after the shape of the tip of male mid tibial spur. The specific epithet ( sagma, Latin = saddle), should be used as a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Uzbekistan.

Remarks. The species described above can be recognized according to the key. It shows considerable variability in shape and colour of the postpedicel (as described above) and colour of the mesoscutum (usually entirely yellow, sometimes with narrow, obscurely darkened longitudinal stripe occupying scarcely acrostichal setae up to a broad stripe occupying whole space between dorsocentrals including base of scutellum). Interestingly, without taking into account the colour of the body, several characters of yellow species P. sagma sp. nov. are strikingly similar to black species P. cothurnatus (sexual dimorphism in the shape of apical mid tibial spur, shape of lustrous spot on katepisternum, general form of genitalia, lustrous clypeus). However, the latter species is smaller (wing length at most 2.5 mm), with much narrower frons (0.03 mm in middle), very narrow lustrous gena, widely spaced vertical setae and genitalia differ in details.

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 12. Platypalpus penesmirnovi sp. nov., male terminalia. 10. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 11. cerci, dorsal view. 12. left epandrial lamella, lateral view. Scale bars = 0.10 mm.

FIGURES 13 – 15. Platypalpus sagma sp. nov., male terminalia. 13. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 14. cerci, dorsal view. 15. left epandrial lamella, lateral view. Scale bars = 0.10 mm.

Tables

TABLE 1. Differences between P. s m i r no v i Kovalev and P. penesmirnovi sp. nov.

Character	P. smirnovi	P. penesmirnovi sp. nov.
Lustrous part of proepisternum	broadly connected with lustrous part of anepisternum	separated from lustrous part of anepisternum by microtrichose area
Anepimeron	microtrichose on extreme anterior margin	lustrous along anterior margin
Right epandrial lamella	with sharp finger-like process	without finger-like process
Ocellar setae	subequally long as verticals	about one-half to one-third as long as verticals
Lower part of occiput just behind eyes	deep black	very light, almost silvery grey
Platypalpus sagma sp. nov. (Figs 13–15)