Lispe attenuata, Pont, 2019

Pont, Adrian C., 2019, Studies on the Australian Muscidae (Diptera). VIII. The genus Lispe Latreille, 1797, Zootaxa 4557 (1), pp. 1-232 : 70-74

Lispe attenuata sp. nov.

( Figs 137–155 )

Diagnosis. The ♂ of L. attenuata can be easily recognised by its modified mid leg, with the extremely attenuated tibia and enlarged basal tarsomere ( Fig. 141 ). The basal tarsomere of the hind leg, with its small flange and armature, is also characteristic ( Figs 143–145 ).

Etymology. The name attenuata (Latin “attenuatus” = “thin”) refers to the long and attenuated mid tibia.

Type Material Examined. Holotype ♂. AUSTRALIA: New South Wales, North Creek, near Ballina , 1.iii.1965, D.K. McAlpine & R. Lossin ( AMS) . Paratypes 3♂ 4♀. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Townsville , in mangroves, 20.xi.1957, K.R. Norris , 1♂ ( ANIC). New South Wales: Careel Bay , mangroves, 4.ix.1962, D.K. McAlpine , 1♀ ( AMS); Goodwood Island, Clarence River , mangroves, 14.xi.1964, D.K. McAlpine , 1♀ ( AMS); Greys Point. in mangroves, 22.xi.1970, G. Daniels , 1♀ ( QMBA); North Creek, near Ballina , 1.iii.1965, D.K. McAlpine & R. Lossin , 1♂ 1♀ ( AMS) & 1♂ ( BMNH) .

Description ♂ ♀. Head ( Fig. 138 ). Ground-colour black. Frons at broadest point 0.34 (♂) or 0.37 (♀), at lunula 0.24 (♂) or 0.31 (♀), of maximum head-width (frontal view). Fronto-orbital plate thinly grey pruinose in upper half, yellowish-white (♂) or brownish (♀) below; parafacial and face yellowish (♂) or brown (♀) pruinose, gena yellowish-white (♂) or brownish-white (♀), occiput whitish-grey. Both orbital setae strong. Frontal triangle narrow, matt. Parafacial narrow, half (♂) to 2/3 (♀) as broad as postpedicel; bare in ♂. Scape and pedicel yellow in ♂, mainly darkened in ♀; basal 1/4 to 1/3 of postpedicel orange-yellow, remainder black; postpedicel 2.7 (♂) to 3.0 (♀) times as long as broad, falling short of mouth-margin by half its length. Arista plumose, the hairing at widest point 2.2–2.4 times width of postpedicel. Vibrissa strong, surrounded by several erect setulae. Gena narrow in ♂, 0.08 of vertical eye-length; broader in ♀, 0.14 of eye-length; genal setae strong and dense. Palpus yellow, strongly swollen at tip ( Fig. 139 ).

Thorax. Ground-colour black. Scutum and scutellum rather unevenly grey (♂) or brown (♀) dusted; postpronotal lobe and pleura thinly light grey (♂) to brownish-grey (♀). In ♂ scutum wholly dusted grey when viewed from above, in posterior view with little dust except along neck, along suture at sides, and along posterior 2 post dc setae; ♀ brown dusted with virtually no trace of darker dusted lines; scutellum in posterior view undusted (♂) or brown dusted (♀). Anterior spiracle grey. Acr setulae in 4 irregular rows at suture; 1 prsc pair of setae. Dc 2+3, all strong. 2 pprn. 1+2 ia, anterior post one fine. 1+1 sa, both strong. 1 strong and 1 weaker proepisternal setae. 1 proepimeral, shorter than the strong proepisternal, with 4 adjacent setulae. Anepisternum with 1 short seta in upper anterior corner, very fine in ♂; 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; in ♂ fore tibia yellow, mid and hind tibiae dull yellow, hind tibia dark in apical half; in ♀ tibiae black, but basal half of fore tibia yellowish; tarsomeres black, sometimes apical segments reddish. Fore coxa bare behind. Fore femur with a row of short regular av setulae (♂) or spinules (♀); pv row complete, fine, the setae much longer than femoral depth and interspersed with shorter setae and, in ♀, with spinules; pd row complete, strong. Fore tibia with 1 strong submedian pv; with strong d, p and pv apical setae, without 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 of ♂ strongly flattened dorso-ventrally ( Fig. 141 ); with 1 strong pd; with d, a, av, pv and short pd apicals. Mid basal tarsosmere in ♂ strongly expanded and flattened ( Fig. 142 ), otherwise tarsomeres without modifications. Hind coxa with a seta on posterior apical margin ( Fig. 140 ). Hind femur with 4-5 setae in basal half of av and pv surfaces, otherwise with only setulae on these surfaces, those in apical 2/3 spinulose in ♀; ad row complete; 1 d preapical. Hind tibia with 1 ad and 0 av; d and ad preapical setae strong; with av apical, the pv absent in ♂ but present in ♀. Hind basal tarsomere of ♂ enlarged, with a small posterior flange in basal half, with a dense comb of pv setulae along whole length and finer av setulae ( Figs 143–145 ); other tarsomeres not modified.

Wing. Clear or weakly smoky. Tegula and basicosta black. Crossvein r-m placed slightly apicad of the point where vein R 1 enters costa; dm-cu straight, longer than apical section of vein CuA 1. Vein M running straight to wing-margin. Calypters white. Knob of haltere black.

Abdomen. Ground-colour black. Syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3–5 not modified in shape; sternites 1–5 without modifications ( Fig. 146 ). Dust on tergites light grey, giving a pattern of dusted spots and bands on dorsum and sides in both sexes ( Figs 149–150 ). ♂ epandrium subshining. ♀ ovipositor with exposed tergites dusted grey to brownish-grey. Sternites 1–5 dull grey dusted. 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 2–5 with sparse setulae ( Fig. 146 ).

Ƌ terminalia (only 1♂ dissected, which was immature, and some parts therefore distorted). Epandrium separated from tergite 5 by syntergosternite 8, which has 2 spiracles; with 2 pairs of large setae; produced lobe-like ventrally. Tergite 6 absent. Sternite 6 a small plate, withdrawn beneath sternite 5. Surstylus absent, i.e. fused to epandrium without trace ( Fig. 151 ). Cercal plate deeply divided dorsally and ventrally ( Fig. 152 ). 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. Phallic complex: too soft and weakly sclerotised to dissect out; hypandrium with a pair of long finger-like processes at posterior end ( Fig. 147 ); praegonite and postgonite present ( Fig. 148 ); phallapodeme short, normal in structure; phallus long, bulbous, simple, juxta large, without spinules, basal part flanked on each side by two simple finger-like processes, the upper one long.

♀ ovipositor ( Figs 153–155 ). Tergites 6 and 7 complete; tergite 8 divided dorsally. Sternite 6 reduced to 2 small weakly-sclerotised plates; sternite 7 absent or represented by a bristle-dot, 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, almost meeting epiproct dorsally. Epiproct V-shaped, with a pair of long stout setae. Hypoproct large, extended posteriorly, with several stout spines at apex. Cercus unusually broad, plate-like, with a few spines on posterior dorsal edge. 3 spermathecae.

Measurements. Wing-length, 3.5–4.5 mm (♂), 5.0–6.0 mm (♀). Body-length, 5.5–6.5 mm (♂), 6.0–7.0 mm (♀).

Biology. Most of the adults seen were collected among mangroves.

Distribution. Only known from Australia (Q, NSW).

Figures

FIGURE 137. Lispe attenuata sp. nov., ♂ habitus (holotype).

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.)

FIGURES 141–148. Lispe attenuata sp. nov. 141. ♂ mid tibia, posterior view. 142. ♂ mid tarsomeres, posterior view. 143. ♂ hind tarsomere 1, dorsal view. 144. ♂ hind tarsomere 1, posterior view. 145. ♂ hind tarsomere 1, posterodorsal view. 146. ♂ sternites 2–5. 147. ♂ hypandrium. 148. ♂ praegonite and postgonite. ad—anterodorsal, av—anteroventral, d—dorsal. (141– 145, Q, Townsville; 146–148, NSW, North Creek; all paratypes.)

FIGURES 149–152. Lispe attenuata sp. nov., ♂. 149. Abdomen, dorsal view. 150. Abdomen, lateral view. 151. Hypopygium, lateral view. 152. Cercal plate, dorsal view. (149–150, Q, Townsville; 151–152, NSW, North Creek; all paratypes.)

FIGURES 153–154. Lispe attenuata sp. nov., ♀ ovipositor. 153. Dorsal view. 154. Ventral view. (Paratype from NSW, Careel Bay.)

FIGURE 155. Lispe attenuata sp. nov. ♀ ovipositor, lateral view. st—sternite, t—tergite. (Paratype from NSW, Careel Bay.)