Nepalomyia kotrbae, Ya, Igor, 2010

Ya, Igor, 2010, Discovery of Griphophanes Grootaert & Meuffels and Nepalomyia Hollis in the Afrotropical Region with a key to Afrotropical genera of Peloropeodinae (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), Zootaxa 2668, pp. 1-20 : 11-16

Nepalomyia kotrbae sp. nov.

( Figs. 15−23)

Diagnosis. Having simple male wing veins and simple hypandrium, short postpedicel of male antenna, the new species is related to the pallipes- species group ( Wang et al. 2007). Males of N. kotrbae are remarkable in having unusual setation on fore tarsus and hind tibia, strongly different from all other described species.

Type material. HOLOTYPE 3 [dried and mounted on pin], La Reunion: near Ste-Rose, Foret Mourouvin, 470 m, 27.IV.2002, leg. M. Kotrba [ ZSM]. PARATYPES: 703 and Ƥ [in alcohol], same label [ ZSM; 13 and 1Ƥ in author’s coll.]; 23, 3Ƥ [in alcohol], La Reunion: Le Grand Etang, Ufer, 27.IV.2002, leg. M. Kotrba [ ZSM].

Etymology. The species is named for the collector, Dr. Marion Kotrba.

Description. Male: Head: Frons and face with black ground colour; frons wider than high, brownish pollinose. One vertical seta at upper corner of frons; one short postvertical seta positioned behind vertical seta; ocellar setae strong; two short fine postocellars; postocular setae all dark, slightly increasing downward. Eyes haired. Face under antennae slightly wider than height of postpedicel, slightly narrowing towards clypeus. Antenna black-brown, slightly longer than head height. Scape small, vase-like; pedicel larger, globular, with ring of short setulae and 1 elongate apicodorsal seta; postpedicel triangular, as long as high at base, densely haired; arista-like stylus arising from the apical concavity of the postpedicel, 2.5 times as long as main segments of antenna combined, pubescent, with short thick segment 1 and filiform segment 2. Ratio of lengths of scape to pedicel to postpedicel to stylus: 2/ 3/5/29. Palpus and proboscis small, blackish-brown, palpus oval, with black seta and dark pubescence; proboscis with 6 pseudotracheae.

Thorax: Dark-brown, with dark bristles; mesonotum shining blue, flattened posteriorly. Five (1+4) dorsocentrals, with 5th seta slightly shifted towards lateral margin; 7−8 pairs of short acrostichals in two rows; scutellum with one pair of strong setae and one pair of lateral hairs. Upper propleuron without setae; proepisternum with 1 strong seta. Legs: Yellow with coxae and 5th tarsomeres brownish. All tarsi with simple and small pulvilli and claws. Fore and mid coxae with dark anterior and apical setae; hind coxa with 1 dark bristle at middle. Fore leg without strong setae; fore femur with 1−2 fine posteroventral subapicals, fore tarsus with anterior row of long curved cilia, 2−3 times as long as diameter of corresponding tarsomeres, 2-3 cilia on each segment, longest on basitarsus. Length ratio of fore tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth): 31/10/7 / 5/5/6. Mid femur simple, bearing 1 strong but short anterior subapical bristle; mid tibia simple, with 1 anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal seta at basal third, 1 anterodorsal right below middle and 3-4 apical setae, of which one ventral longish; no ventral setae; mid tarsus simple, but basitarsus with short basoventral seta; segments 1–4 each with short apical spinules. Length ratio of mid tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth): 42/16/9 /8/6/6. Hind femur simple, without strong bristles; hind tibia simple, with 2 anterodorsals, posterodorsal row of 8−9 pale setae and with simple subapical dorsal bristle; hind basitarsus with 1−2 short ventrals, 1 short apicoventral seta, with very small basal tooth posteriorly. Length ratio of hind tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth): 45/ 10/15/8 /7/8. Wing: Greyish, veins brown. Costa simple, with simple costal setulae reaching R2+3. Ratio of part of costa between R2+3 and R4+5 to that between R4+5 and M1+2: 14/10. R2+3 and R4+5 slightly diverging towards wing apex; R4+5 and M1+2 straight and slightly diverging in distal half. Ratio of apical to basal part of M1+2: 60/35. Ratio of dm-cu to apical part of CuA1: 7/20. Anal vein fold-like, not reaching wing margin; anal lobe poorly developed; anal angle obtuse. Lower calypter small, brownish, with pale setae. Halter brownish.

Abdomen: Brown, cylindrical, as long as thorax (dried specimen), with black hairs and marginal setae; tergum 6 small, glabrous, with shallow posterior emargination; sterna 5 and 6 weakly sclerotized. Segment 7 glabrous, reduced, with small sternum; in a dried specimen tergum 7 is visible as small inverted black Vshaped sclerite (dorsal view); segment 8 brown, large, ovate, setose; hypopygium brown, with yellow cercus; epandrium ovoid, longer than high, concave ventrally in middle; foramen lateral, positioned in basal half of epandrium; hypandrium not fused with epandrium, originating from 2 basolateral arms, then simple, short, parallel-sided, with rounded apex; phallus thick at base, slender, cleft at apex; epandrial lobes reduced to 3−4 simple epandrial setae, with one seta longish, and strong and long pedunculate curved seta at distoventral corner of epandrium; surstylus symmetrical, trilobate, with dorsal arm subtriangular, with dorsal seta; middle arm short, with thick apical seta; ventral arm of surstylus irregularly shaped, broad, with 2−3 small and 1 large oval plates; latter with 1 simple and 1 long flattened seta; cercus elongate-triangular, with strong apical spine and sparse dorsal setae.

Measurements (mm): Body length 1.2, antenna length 0.45, wing length 1.5, wing width 0.5, hypopygium length 0.45. Female: Similar to male except lacking male secondary sexual characters, otherwise as follows. Hind tibia with 5−6 dark posterodorsals, 2 anterodorsals; fore tarsus simple; each hemitergite with 5 thick setae.