Elaphropeza motane, Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013, The flies of the family Hybotidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) collected during the Boyekoli Ebale Congo 2010 Expedition in Democratic Republic of Congo, Zootaxa 3603 (1), pp. 1-61 : 49-51

Elaphropeza motane sp. nov.

( Figs. 67–69 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: D.R. CONGO, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert, MS reference EC11); Holotype / Elaphropeza motane / Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov. ( RBINS). PARATYPES: 1 3, Kona , 11 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30032, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 3, Eyolo forest, ca. 2 km E Lieki, 2 June 2010, Sweeping, lowland evergreen swamp forest; (leg. A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, BECE 02629). 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Bomane village area, 20–24 May 2010, Malaise traps, lowland evergreen swamp forest; (leg. A.H. Kirk-Spriggs; BECE 01483).

Diagnosis. Species of the E. ephippiata -group; recognised by thorax entirely reddish yellow; hind tibia with 3 long anterodorsals.

Description. Length: body 3.2 mm, wing 3.0 mm. Male. Occiput entirely black, subshining; with black setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals hardly prominent. Anterior ocellars long proclinate and cruciate, posterior ocellars minute. Frons subshining, narrow, above antennae nearly as broad as anterior ocellus. Antenna with yellow scape and pedicel and brownish postpedicel and stylus; pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae; postpedicel subtriangular, short, 2.0 times longer than wide; stylus with short pubescence, long, nearly 4.5 times (4.4 times in holotype) longer than postpedicel, about 2.0 times (2.2 times in holotype) as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded, covered with numerous black setulae, subapical seta short, thin.

Thorax entirely reddish yellow, with black setation. Prothoracic episterna without long upturned seta just above fore coxa, with minute seta on upper part. Postpronotal seta not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 long notopleurals (posterior longer), 1 moderately long postsutural supra-alar, 1 similar postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate; lateral pair minute); acrostichals short, arranged in 3 irregular rows on anterior margin of mesonotum, becoming 2-serial posteriorly, lacking on notopleural depression; dorsocentrals short, multiserial on anterior half of mesonotum, becoming uniserial toward scutellum, 1 pair of prescutellars long (nearly as long as apical scutellars).

Legs long, slender, all femora of subequal width, with black setation, entirely yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with rows of short anteroventral and similar posteroventral setae, 1 long seta near base, and short subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with row of anteroventral and row of similar posteroventral spinule-like setae throughout, 1 long seta near base, 1 long strong subapical seta anteriorly, and row of short anterodorsal setae. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules, lacking prominent setae (except subapicals). Hind femur with subequally short anteroventrals and several short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia with 3 long anterodorsals and 1 very short anterior subapical; apical projection small, subtriangular, brownish yellow. Hind basitarsus with several subbasal subequally short spine-like setae.

Wing normally developed, finely infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins mostly yellowish brown, basal section of M1+2 (including short area beyond crossvein bm-cu), crossveins r-m and bm-cu pale; basal section of vein CuA1 thicker than basal section of vein M1+2. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Costal bristle long, black. Costal index: 70/38/51. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. R1 uniform throughout. Vein R2+3 evenly bowed, uniformly sclerotised. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, almost straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 lacking. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m before middle of cell bm. Calypter brown, with black setae. Halter blackish.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 pale yellow; tergites 2–3 represented only by small subtriangular lateral patches, with unmodified setae; tergite 4 broad, brown, with numerous squamiform setae laterally; tergite 5 narrow, brown, with squamiform setae; tergite 6 pale yellow, with short unmodified setae; tergite 7 largely pale yellow, narrowly brownish yellow posteriorly, with moderately long posteromarginal setae; tergite 8 unmodified. Sternites weakly sclerotised, undivided, with scattered, short, unmodified setae; sternites 6–7 broader, with more numerous setae. Gland-like structure present between tergites 4–5, ampoule-like. Terminalia ( Figs. 67–69 ) small, brownish yellow. Cerci separated; right cercus very narrow, digitiform, considerably shorter than left cercus, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; left cercus ( Fig. 68 ) unbranched, digitiform, bearing 2 black spines subapically, with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths; hypoproct prominent. Epandrium ( Fig. 68 ) completely divided. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 67 ) rather subconical, with deep dorsal excision subapically, bearing several long strong black ventral subapical setae, covered with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several moderately long setae apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 69 ) large, rather subglobular, with short unmodified setae. Phallus short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Similar to male.

Etymology. The specific epithet “ motane ” means yellow in Lingala language refers to entirely yellow thorax.

Distribution. D.R. Congo.

Remarks. Elaphropeza motane sp. nov. is most similar to E. plagiata and E. angustifacies (D.R. Congo, Sierra Leone). The main differences between these species have been noted in the key and also they are discussed under Remarks to E. plagiata .

Figures

FIGURES 67 – 69. Elaphropeza motane sp. nov. 67. Right epandrial lamella; 68. Epandrium with cerci; 69. Left surstylus.