Vitilevumyia bobwoodleyi, Woodley, Norman E., 2011

Woodley, Norman E., 2011, Vitilevumyia, an enigmatic new genus of Stratiomyidae from Fiji (Diptera), Zootaxa 2821, pp. 62-68 : 64-67

Vitilevumyia bobwoodleyi sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–8 )

Diagnosis. Vitilevumyia bobwoodleyi gen. et sp. nov. is the only known species in the genus. It may be distinguished from other stratiomyid species by the characters noted in the generic diagnosis.

Description. Male. Head black but yellow on face, small frontal area just above antennae, gena, postgena, and very narrow line posterior to ocellar tubercle. Frons 0.29x width of head at anterior ocellus. Head without evident tomentum, face and gena with short, pale hair-like setae. Upper frons except medially and vertex with evident punctation that is fine and relatively sparse. Antenna ( Fig. 2 ) with scape, pedicel, and ventral side of first flagellomere dark yellowish, remainder black; scape and pedicel with dense, short, black hair-like setae; flagellum with velvety vestiture. Palpus pale yellow with velvety vestiture. Proboscis yellowish with some erect, hair-like setae.

Thorax dark yellow, extreme upper part of anepisternum near suture whitish; scutum, scutellum, and posterior part of anepimeron with very distinctive black punctation that strongly contrasts with ground color ( Figs 1–2 ); hairlike setae arising from punctures short, dark in color. Anterior portion of anepisternum, most of katepisternum, and laterotergite with short, semi-erect, golden hair-like setae. Legs entirely yellowish with short, mostly pale vestiture but a few brownish hair-like setae present, especially notable on front tarsus. Wing slightly brownish infuscated, a bit more noticeable in costal region, cell r1 slightly darker than rest of wing. Halter with stem yellowish, knob slightly brownish dorsally.

Abdomen dark yellow with lateral areas of tergite 3 and most of tergites 4 and 5 brown. Tergites evenly set with short, dense, semi-appressed hair-like setae that are dark brownish to black in color, a little longer and sparser on tergite 1; sternites with short, semi-appressed pale hair-like setae.

Male terminalia with gonocoxites ( Fig. 3 ) rounded laterally, posterior margin of genital capsule slightly produced, more or less truncate; gonocoxal apodemes short, not attaining anterior margin of gonocoxites; gonostylus scoop-shaped ( Fig. 3 ), concave dorsally, inserted somewhat ventrally; phallic complex trifid ( Fig. 5 ), nearly straight in lateral view ( Fig. 4 ), tapered anteriorly, medial lobe truncate apically, slightly shorter than pointed lateral lobes; epandrium more or less evenly rounded laterally and posteriorly ( Fig. 6 ); cerci large, approximated dorsally.

Length 4.7 mm.

Female. Differs from male as follows: Head with ventral side of flagellum with yellow sometimes extending to second and/or third flagellomere.

Abdomen with segment 6 narrower than 5, tubular, exerted partially out of segment 5.

Female terminalia with furca ( Fig. 8 ) more or less ovoid, anterior margin with acute process, posterior margin broadly bilobed, evenly emarginate between lobes. Three hinged spermathecal ducts visible in cleared abdomen, spermathecae apparently membranous and unpigmented. Cerci one-segmented ( Fig. 7 ), about 1.5 times longer than wide, dorsoventrally flattened, rounded apically; epiproct reduced, cerci separated from each other by less than width of a single cercus.

Length 6.0– 6.3 mm.

Specimens examined. Holotype ɗ, FIJI: Viti Levu, Naitasiri Prov., 2 km E of Navai Village, old trail to Mt. Tomaniivi, 17.621 S, 178 E, 700 m, 26.ix-11.x.2003, Malaise 3, Schlinger & Tokota’a, FBA 124531 (BPBM); 1Ψ paratype, same data as holotype except 24.xi.-9.xii.2003, Malaise MO3, FBA 203997 (USNM); 1Ψ paratype, FIJI: Viti Levu, Naitasiri Prov.: Navai Village, Eteni, 17 37ˏS, 177 59ˏE, 700 m, 9.xii-20.xii.2003, FJ-11C. Malaise, M. Irwin, E. Schlinger & M. Tokota’a, FBA 0 32069 (BPBM); 1Ψ paratype, Naitasiri Prov.: 1.8 km E of Navai Village, old trail to Mt. Tomaniivi, 17.621 S, 177.998 E, 100 m, 16.iii-6.v.2005, Malaise 4, E. Namatalau, FBA 516717 (USNM).

Etymology. The species epithet is named for my father, Robert E. Woodley, known as Bob to his friends and family. He instilled in me an interest in natural history from an early age and always encouraged my study of it, for which I am grateful.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus illustration of female of Vitilevumyia bobwoodleyi gen. n., sp. n. Illustration by Taina Litwak.

FIGURE 2. Left lateral view of head and anterior part of thorax of Vitilevumyia bobwoodleyi gen. n., sp. n.

FIGURES 3 – 6. Male terminalia of Vitilevumyia bobwoodleyi gen. n., sp. n.. 3, genital capsule, dorsal view. 4, phallic complex, left lateral view. 5, phallic complex, dorsal view. 6, epandrium and postgenital segments, dorsal view.

FIGURES 7 – 8. Female terminalia of Vitilevumyia bobwoodleyi gen. n., sp. n.. 7, ninth tergite and postgenital segments, dorsal view. 8, furca, ventral view.