Claraeola mantisphalliga Motamedinia & Skevington

Motamedinia, Behnam, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2019, Revision of Claraeola (Diptera, Pipunculidae) in the Middle East based on morphology and DNA barcodes, ZooKeys 873, pp. 85-111 : 85

Claraeola mantisphalliga Motamedinia & Skevington sp. nov. Figs 6 , 9B

Examined material.

Holotype. YEMEN • ♂; Seyun; 15°57'N, 48°48'E; 20-22 Aug. 2002; light trap; A. van Harten leg.; CD9071; CNC. Paratypes. YEMEN • 2 ♂♂; same data as holotype; Oct.-Nov. 2002; CD9090; CD9091; CNC.

Diagnosis.

This species can be recognized by yellow legs, hind tibia with a wrinkled indentation mid-anteriorly bearing one distinctly stronger bristle and each gonopod with six to seven strong bristles on inner side. It is closely related to C. conjuncta and C. thekkadiensis ( clavata species group). It differs by the shape of surstyli in lateral view and the specific shape of the phallic guide with two projecting lobes on either side in ventral view.

Description.

Male. Body length (excluding antennae) 3.7-3.8 mm (n = 3). Head. Face dark, silver-gray pruinose. Scape dark. Pedicel brown, with four dark upper and two lower bristles (the long one is longer than half of flagellum). Flagellum light brown, pointed to tapering (LF:WF = 2.0-2.1) and gray pruinose. Arista dark. Eyes meeting for 11 to 12 times diameter of ocellus. Frons dark, silver-gray pruinose. Vertex dark, lacking pruinosity, bearing an elevated ocellar triangle. Occiput dark, gray pruinose with scattered dark and small bristles. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe pale, gray pruinose and with three to four postpronotal bristles along upper margin (up to 0.08 mm). Prescutum and scutum dark, predominantly gray pruinose, only dorsocentrally with some brown pruinosity to various extents, with two uniseriate dorsocentral rows of brown bristles and longer supra-alar bristles. Scutellum dark, gray pruinose, with a fringe of 11-13 short dark bristles (up to 0.05 mm). Subscutellum large with two patches of brown-gray pruinose laterally. Wing. Length: 3.0-3.2 mm. LW:MWW = 2.4. Wing with microtrichia. Pterostigma brown and complete (LS:LTC = 1.0; LTC:LFC = 1). r-m reaches dm between basal third and half of the cell’s length. Halter Length: 0.5 mm and yellow. Legs. Light brown. Coxae and trochanters gray pruinose. Mid coxa and hind trochanter with one or two dark bristles on inner apical corner. All femora with two ventral rows of dark peg-like spines in apical half. Hind tibia with a wrinkled indentation mid-anteriorly bearing one distinctly stronger bristle. Distitarsi brown covered with small black bristles and three long bristles at apex. Pulvilli slightly longer than distitarsi. Abdomen. Ground color dark. Tergite 1 gray pruinose with four to five dark lateral bristles. Tergite 2 gray pruinose. Tergites 3-5 laterally gray pruinose, extending onto dorsal surface along posterior margin and largely meeting, otherwise brown pruinose. Sternites 1-7 brown and dark in middle, gray pruinose. LT35:WS8 = 2.3. Syntergosternite 8 dark, gray pruinose, viewed laterally as long as high (LS8:HS8 = 1.0). Viewed caudally, membranous area of medium size, somewhat ovate. Genitalia. Genital capsule dorsal view: epandrium light brown, gray pruinose and slightly wider than long (MLE:MWE = 0.8-0.9). Surstyli somewhat pale, gray pruinose, symmetrical, slightly bow-shaped and enlarged separation at base ( Fig. 6A ). Genital capsule ventral view: gonopods equal, rather large, each with six or seven strong bristles on inner side ( Fig. 6B ). Genital capsule lateral view: phallus with a strong and straight base, with three small ejaculatory ducts, two of them bearing two or three saw-like small teeth along their side ( Fig. 6D, E ). Phallic guide long and broad, especially at apex with two projecting lobes on either side with hooked tip ( Fig. 6D, E ). Epandrium with small projecting lobe on either side. Surstyli broadened apically ( Fig. 6D, E ). Ejaculatory apodeme nail-shaped with a bulbous middle ( Fig. 6C ).

Etymology.

From mantis (common name of Mantidae family) and phalliga (phallic guide), referring to the similarity between the shape of the phallic guide and a mantis in ventral view.

Distribution.

Yemen ( Fig. 10 ).

Figures

Figure 6. Male genitalia of holotype Claraeola mantisphalliga Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. A in dorsal view B in ventral view C ejaculatory apodeme D, E in lateral view.

Figure 9. Male of Claraeola species A paratype of Claraeola bousynterga Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. in dorsal view B holotype of Claraeola mantisphalliga Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. in lateral view C-D Claraeola halterata (Meigen) C abdominal tergites in dorsal view D habitus in lateral view E-F paratype of Claraeola khuzestanensis Motamedinia & Skevington, sp. nov. E legs in lateral view F habitus in dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.5 mm (A-F).

Figure 10. Claraeola species distribution in the Middle East.