Megaselia pereensis, Khameneh & Khaghaninia & Disney & Maleki-Ravasan, 2019

Khameneh, Roya Namaki, Khaghaninia, Samad, Disney, R. Henry L. & Maleki-Ravasan, Naseh, 2019, Twenty one new species of Megaselia Rondani (Diptera: Phoridae) from Iran, Zootaxa 4711 (1), pp. 1-50 : 42-43

Megaselia pereensis n. sp.

( Figs 255–271 )

Material examined. Holotype male, West Azerbaijan province, Khoy city, Pere region, 38°41.719’ N, 44°54.041’ E, 1405 m, montane grassland, 22.V.2012, S. Khaghaninia (55, CUMZ—13-97).

Description. Male. Whole fly as Fig. 255 , Frons as Fig. 256 , with very fine microtrichia on most of frons ( Fig. 257 ). Cheek with 4 bristles and jowl with 2 that are longer and more robust. Postpedicels without SPS vesicles and as Fig. 258 . Palps as Fig. 259 . Proboscis with only a few short spinules below the labella. Thorax brown. With 3 notopleural bristles and no cleft in front of these. Mesopleuron with numerous small hairs and a single long bristle ( Fig. 260 ). Scutellum with an anterior pair of small hairs and a posterior pair of bristles. Abdominal tergites brown ( Fig. 261 ) with numerous small hairs that are only a little longer at the rear of T6 ( Fig. 262 ). Venter brown, and with hairs on segments 3–6. Hypopygium as Figs 263–267 . Legs brown. Fore tarsus basal 2 segments as Fig. 268 (segment 5 lost on both legs). Dorsal hair palisade of mid tibia extends about 0.72 times its length. Hairs below basal half of hind femur longer than those of anteroventral row of outer half ( Fig. 269 ). Hind tibia with a dozen differentiated posterodorsal hairs, without anterodorsals, and spinules of apical combs simple. Wings ( Figs 270 & 271 ) 1.95 mm long. Costal index 0.46. Costal ratios 3.11: 1.81: 1. Costal cilia (of section 3) 0.07 mm long. Vein without 3 hair. 3 axillary bristles, the outermost being 0.0. 14 mm long. Sc not reaching R. Haltere brown ( Fig. 270 ).

Recognition. In the key to the Megaselia males of the British Isles ( Disney 1989) it runs to couplet 32 lead 1, but its hypopygium is clearly different. Some M. palmeni (Becker) may run to this point, but its front basitarsus is thicker with some rows of small spinules and its hypoygium is different. Three subsequently described species will run to the same point. Of these only M. withersi Disney (2008) comes close in resemblance. Both species have peculiar but differing left hypandrial lobes and penis complexes and P. withersi has more than 10 hairs on each circus. In Schmitz’s (1956 b) to Abteilung I Palaearctic species it runs to couplet 9 lead 1, the species is already excluded in the above key to British species. In Borgmeier’s (1964 b) key to Nearctic Group I species it runs to couplets 6 and 7, but the hypopygia are clearly different. It fails to run down in the rest of the world fauna.

Etymology. Named after the Pere Region.

Figures

FIGURES 255–260. Megaselia pereensis n. sp. male. 255, whole fly; 256, frons; 257, detail of frons; 258, postpedicel; 259, palp; 260, side of thorax. Scale bars 20 μm.

FIGURES 261–271. Megaselia pereensis n. sp. male. 261, left face of abdomen; 262, tergite 6; 263, left face of hypopygium; 264, left face of epandrium and anal tube; 265, left face of hypandrium; 266, left face of penis complex; 267, right face of epandrium and anal tube; 268, segments 1 and 2 of front tarsus; 269, hind femur; 270, wing and haltere; 271, base of wing. Scale bars 20 μm.