Lispe crinitarsis, Pont, 2019

Pont, Adrian C., 2019, Studies on the Australian Muscidae (Diptera). VIII. The genus Lispe Latreille, 1797, Zootaxa 4557 (1), pp. 1-232 : 76-79

Lispe crinitarsis sp. nov.

( Figs 156–166 )

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to L. armata and L. attenuata , but is characterised in the ♂ sex by the simple fore tarsomeres, mid tibia and mid tarsomeres, and the expanded basal tarsomere on hind leg ( Fig. 157 ).

The hind tarsomere of this species resembles that of L. albicorpus from the Philippines. However, there are many differences between the two species, including (in L. albicorpus ): antenna dark brown, intraalars 0+0, fore tibia without a posterior seta, mid tibia with an anteroventral seta, hind tibia with 2 anteroventral setae, calypters with dark brown margins, and abdominal pattern reduced to faint spots.

Etymology. The species name refers to the fringe of fine hairs on the anterior surface of the basal tarsomere of hind leg (Latin “crinis” = “hair”).

Type-Material Examined. Holotype ♂. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Central Province , Lea Lea, saltpan margin, 6.x.1985, J.W. Ismay, 1♂ ( BMNH) . Paratypes 1♂ 7♀. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 8 km S of Cape Bertholet, West Kimberley , 19.iv.1977, D.H. Colless , 1♀ ( ANIC). Northern Territory: Batten Point , 30 km NE by E of Borroloola, 18.iv.1976, D.H. Colless , 1♀ ( ANIC). Queensland: 18 miles N of Cairns , 13.v.1970, R. & J. Matthews , 1♀ ( ANIC); Ingham , light trap, 1.xi.1960, K.L. Harley , 1♂ ( ANIC). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Central

Province: Gaba Gaba, beach, 20.v.1984, J.W. Ismay, 1♀ (BMNH); Gaile Forest , 28 miles SE of Port Moresby, 1.v.1965, R.W. Crosskey, 1♀ ( BMNH) ; Lea Lea , saltpan margin, 6.x.1985, J.W. Ismay, 1♀ ( BMNH) ; Port Moresby, mangroves, 25.x.1963, D.K. McAlpine, 1♀ ( AMS) .

Of the two available males, one (holotype) is not fully hardened and has the left hind leg missing, whilst the other (paratype) has the legs completely bunched up together.

Description ♂ ♀. Head. Ground-colour black. Frons at broadest point 0.35, at lunula 0.25 (♂) or 0.3 (♀), of maximum head-width (frontal view). Fronto-orbital plate thinly pruinose to subshining in upper half, whitish (♂) or grey to yellowish-grey (♀) below; parafacial and face whitish pruinose (♂), or tinged with yellow (♀), gena and occiput whitish-grey. Lower orbital seta weak. Frontal triangle narrow, yellow (♂) or brownish-grey (♀) pruinose. Parafacial narrow, half (♂) to 2/3 (♀) as broad as postpedicel; bare except for a few setulae below. Scape and pedicel yellow in ♂, mainly darkened in ♀; postpedicel orange-yellow, apical half not or weakly (♂) to strongly (♀) infuscated; postpedicel 2.5 times as long as broad, falling short of mouth-margin by 0.8 (♂) or 0.6 (♀) of its length. Arista plumose, the hairing at widest point 2.0 (♂) or 2.25 (♀) times width of postpedicel. Vibrissa strong. Gena narrow, 0.08–0.09 of vertical eye-length; genal setae strong and dense. Palpus yellow, strongly swollen at tip (as in L. attenuata , Fig. 139 ).

Thorax. Ground-colour black. Scutum and scutellum rather unevenly grey dusted; postpronotal lobe and pleura light grey. In ♂ scutum thinly dusted grey in posterior view, with denser dust along suture at sides and medially before scutellum, with a weak dark narrow median vitta and traces of darker markings outside prst and post dc setae; ♀ with 3 dark brown vittae running along acr and dc lines; scutellum grey dusted in posterior view, with a darker line along middle and a broad dark spot at tip. Anterior spiracle brown. Acr setulae in 4–5 irregular rows at suture. Dc 2+3, all strong, but anterior post pairs rather shorter in some Papua New Guinea females. 2 pprn. 1+1 ia, anterior post seta absent. 1+1 sa, both strong. 1 strong and 1 weaker proepisternal setae. 1 proepimeral, subequal to the strong proepisternal, with 4 adjacent setulae. Anepisternum with 1 short seta in upper anterior corner; posterior row with 3 strong and 3 weak setae. 3 strong kepst. Meron bare below spiracle and above hind coxa. Scutellum with disc and upper part of sides setulose, ventral surface bare.

Legs. Coxae and trochanters black; femora black, extreme tips (knees) yellow; tibiae black, rather yellow at bases; ♂ fore tarsomeres 2–5 or even all fore and mid tarsomeres orange, otherwise tarsomeres black. Fore coxa bare behind. Fore femur bare on av surface in ♂, with a row of short spinulose setulae in ♀; pv row complete, fine, the setae much longer than femoral depth and interspersed with shorter setae and spinules; pd row complete, strong. Fore tibia with 1 strong submedian pv; with strong d, p and pv apical setae, and with a short ad apical. Fore tarsomeres short, without modifications. Mid femur setulose (♂) or spinulose (♀) along av surface; with 4–5 pv setae in basal half, and in ♀ also with short spinules along entire pv surface; basal half also with a row of short strong a setae; 2 p preapicals. Mid tibia with 1 strong pd; with d, a, av, pv and short pd apicals, the d placed well before apex. Mid tarsomeres without modifications. Hind coxa with a seta on posterior apical margin. Hind femur with 2 av setae, one beyond middle and one before apex, with setulae on basal half of this surface in ♂ but with setulae along the whole surface in ♀; with 3–5 pv setae in basal half, otherwise with only setulae on this surface, those in apical 2/3 spinulose in ♀; ad row complete; 1 d preapical. Hind tibia with the ground-setulae on ad surface rather erect in ♂; 0 (♂) or 1 (♀) ad and 1 av; d and ad preapical setae strong; with av apical, the pv absent in ♂ but present in ♀. Hind basal tarsomere of ♂ flattened and enlarged on posterior side, with a dense but short brush of setulae along posterior surface and a row of fine erect setulae on anterior surface ( Fig. 157 ); other tarsomeres not modified.

Wing. ♂ weakly smoky at apex between tips of veins R2+3 and R4+5, otherwise clear. Tegula and basicosta black. Crossvein r-m placed slightly apicad of the point where vein R1 enters costa; dm-cu straight, longer than apical section of vein CuA1. Vein M running straight to wing-margin. Calypters white. Knob of haltere yellow.

Abdomen. Ground-colour black. Syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3–5 not modified in shape; sternites 1–5 without modifications ( Fig. 160 ). Dust on tergites light grey, giving a pattern of dusted vittae and spots on dorsum and sides in both sexes ( Fig. 158–159 ), the black bands on tergites 3 and 4 divided by pale dust into quadrate spots, the ♀ hardly differing from ♂. ♂ epandrium subshining. ♀ ovipositor with exposed tergites dusted grey. Sternites 1–5 dull grey dusted, but sternite 5 of ♂ shining. Setae only present on tergite 5, with 1 pair each of median and lateral discals, often placed close to fore-margin, and 3 pairs of erect marginals. ♂ sternites 2–4 with sparse setulae.

Ƌ terminalia. Epandrium separated from tergite 5 by a syntergosternite 8, which is unusually long and narrow ( Fig. 161 ) and has 2 spiracles; with 1 pair of large setae; produced into a long lobe ventrally. Tergite 6 absent. Sternite 6 present as 2 small symmetrical plates, withdrawn beneath sternite 5. Surstylus absent, i.e. fused to epandrium without trace ( Fig. 161 ). Cercal plate deeply divided dorsally and ventrally ( Fig. 162 ). Hypandrium attached at two points: to a rod originating from wall of epandrium close to upper outer edge of cercal plate; and via an apparent praegonite to lower anterior corner of epandrium which, because of its length, is produced relatively far forwards. Phallic complex ( Fig. 163 ): hypandrium with a pair of long finger-like processes at posterior end; praegonite present, long; postgonite absent, but the lobe-like bases of the hypandrial processes appearing at first sight to be postgonites; phallapodeme long, bifid at base, at middle joined to hypandrium by a bridge from which a pair of strongly sclerotised lobes is produced; phallus tube-like, with well-sclerotised plates, juxta without spinules, without finger-like processes flanking it at base.

♀ ovipositor ( Figs 164–166 ). Tergites 6 and 7 complete; tergite 8 divided dorsally, the two halves displaced laterally, and almost meeting ventrally. Sternite 6 reduced to 2 small plates; sternite 7 absent, suppressed by the edges of the very large tergite 7 which almost meet ventrally; sternite 8 present as two long plates concealed within the membrane between tergite 8 and hypoproct, visible in posterior view but otherwise not easily seen. Epiproct oblong, with 2 pairs of long stout setae. Hypoproct not projecting far, unusually concave ventrally, with several stout spines at apex. Cercus unusually broad, plate-like, without spines. 3 spermathecae.

Measurements. Wing-length, 3.5 mm (♂), 3.5–4.5 mm (♀). Body-length, 5.0 mm (♂), 5.0–6.0 mm (♀).

Biology. Adults have been collected on a beach and around saltpans.

Distribution. Australia (WA, NT, Q) and Papua New Guinea (Central Province).

Figures

FIGURE 156. Lispe crinitarsis sp. nov. ♀ habitus (paratype from PNG, Central Province, Port Moresby).

FIGURES 157–160. Lispe crinitarsis sp. nov., ♂. 157. Hind tarsomere 1, anterodorsal view. 158. Abdomen, dorsal view. 159. Abdomen, lateral view. 160. Sternites 1–5. (157, PNG, Lea Lea; 158–160, Q, Ingham; all paratypes.)

FIGURES 161–163. Lispe crinitarsis sp. nov., ♂. 161. Hypopygium, lateral view. 162. Cercal plate, dorsal view. 163. Phallic complex, lateral view. (Paratype from Q, Ingham.)

FIGURES 164–166. Lispe crinitarsis sp. nov., ♀ ovipositor. 164. Dorsal view. 165. Ventral view. 166. Lateral view. ststernite, t—tergite. (Paratype from Q, 18 miles north of Cairns.)

FIGURES 138–140. Lispe attenuata sp. nov. 138. ♂ head, lateral view. 139. ♀ palpus. 140. Hind coxa, showing the coxal seta. cx3—hind coxa. (138, Q, Townsville; 139–140, NSW, Careel Bay; all paratypes.)