Notiochyromya monticola, Ebejer, 2009

Ebejer, Martin J., 2009, A revision of Afrotropical Chyromyidae (excluding Gymnochiromyia Hendel) (Diptera: Schizophora), with the recognition of two subfamilies and the description of new genera, African Invertebrates 50 (2), pp. 321-321 : 342-344

Notiochyromya monticola sp. n.

Figs 6 , 7

Etymology: From the Latin mons (mountain) and incola (inhabitant), and refers to the high altitudes at which this species occurs.

Diagnosis: A species with an orange-brown head, yellow thorax with scutum a deeper yellow to pale brown, and pale brown to yellow abdomen; mtn yellow and all setae and setulae black; male with st 2 mostly shining and st 6 with two backwardly projecting lobes and strong lateral setae; scut with 3 pairs of marginals; distiph with apical filaments, psg narrow with normal setae. Similar species: N. filigera sp. n.

Description:

Male.

Head: Higher than long, deep orange yellow including oc triangle; fr narrowed anteriorly: at level of antennae 0.2× width of head and 0.5× width of that at level of anterior oc, with several minute dark setulae across middle; lunule high, about equal to length of antennal segment 3; ocp brown except for upper 1/3 of postocular margin and behind vertex, which are yellow; ocp in profile narrowly visible behind eye margin in lower half; short postocular setulae in one row; eye almost round, just a little higher than long and anterior facets about twice size of posterior facets; mouthparts small, yellow, palp short and round, vibrissal setulae of buccal margin only a little longer that genal setulae; face small, poorly sclerotized and depressed; median carina absent. Gena about 0.3× height of eye at middle, yellow and with numerous brown setulae, isolated lower postgenal seta short but distinct; antenna small and yellow; second segment paler than third, with distinct short dark seta dorsally; third segment about 0.25× length of horizontal diameter of eye, finely pubescent: hairs shorter than diameter of arista at base; arista black almost throughout, yellow only at base and sparsely but at regular intervals with minute pubescence. Chaetotaxy: 3 strong orb, anterior strongly inclinate and as long as fr is wide at this level; oc long, erect, slightly divergent, pvt distinct and crossed; 1 vti and 1 vte, both strong.

Thorax: Yellow with somewhat darker yellow to pale brown scutum; ntpl contrasting pale yellow; scut, mtn and pleura all yellow. Chaetotaxy: all setae and setulae black or at least dark brown, 1 pprn with 2 adjacent setulae, 1 posthu, 1 pra, 1 sa, 1 pa, 1 short post ia, 2 ntpl, 1 strong postsutural dc and another in front of this about 1/3 its size; acrs undifferentiated; setulae on scutum at level of transverse suture in 8 irregular rows between dc lines; prscut pair strong, about as long as 0.5× length of hind dc, 1 anepisternal in upper 1/3 and 1 katepisternal at upper posterior corner with several short dark setulae in front of each; scut with 3 pairs of marginals, middle pair shortest and set just medial to line joining basal and subapical pairs.

Wing: Hyaline, veins yellow; anterior costal setulae black, no dorsal setulae present; distance between R 2+3 and R 4+5 about 0.6× that between R 4+5 and M 1+2; apical section of Cu about 1.5× length of posterior crossvein; distance between crossveins about equal to length of apical part of Cu. Haltere yellow.

Legs: Not modified; fine dark setulae scattered on all pairs of legs; mid tibial apicoventral seta half as long as diameter of tibia at apex, dark brown; claws black.

Abdomen: Yellow to brown with numerous dark setulae on dorsum and laterally and on hind margin of tg 4–6 with several longer setae; large shiny black spot ventro-laterally on tg 2; st 2 also dark and shiny except for narrow brown dusted border, st 5 with a pair of lobes directed backwards and long setae laterally; tg 6 almost as broad as tg 5 and completely separated from ep.

Postabdomen: ep large, hemispherical and brownish yellow with a large surs projecting postero-ventrally and setulose on hind margin and curved at apex; ej apd very large and bilobed, ph apd long and broad; prg trapezoidal, with apex directed slightly forward and setulose, psg small and pointed, distiph with flagellum at apex, cerc without special modifications.

Female.

As in male, but abdomen with paired large shiny black spots laterally on each tg and along midline with a variably developed darkening. Postabdomen: Sclerotized sternal plates of segment 8 having long setae on posterior part; hypr small, poorly sclerotized and weakly setulose, similar in size to small cerc; spermathecal duct thinly sclerotized in first part from s.

Length: ơ body 1.9 mm, wing 2.2 mm; ^body 2.0 mm, wing 2.3 mm.

Variation: Remarkably little in both sexes; the intensity and extent of dark areas varies a little as does the colour of the setae from black to brown; scut yellow, but in a few specimens with very small dark spot at base of lateral margin.

Holotype: ơ ETHIOPIA: Shewa, Debre Tsige , 09°39'N: 38°49'E, 2660 m, 28.ix.2005, A. Freidberg ( TAUI) . Paratypes: 5ơ 4^same data as holotype ( TAUI) ; 1ơ 1^same data ( BMNH) ; 2ơ 2^same data ( NMWC) ; 2ơ 1^same data ( NMSA) ; 2^Tigray, Axum , 2220 m, 14°08'N: 38°43'E, 4–5.x.2005, A. Freidberg ( TAUI) . SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape: 1^Wilderness National Park , 17 km SE George, 35°59'S: 22°39'E, 14.x.1994, R. Danielsson ( MZLU) .

Figures

Fig. 6. Notiochyromya monticola sp. n., ơ: (a) hypopygium, lateral, scale bar = 0.2 mm; (b) st 5, ventral, scale bar = 0.15 mm.

Fig. 7. Notiochyromya monticola sp. n., ^postabdomen, lateral (a) and ventral (b). Scale bar = 0.15 mm.