Crossopalpus quadrispina (Collart)

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 : 10-11

Crossopalpus quadrispina (Collart)

( Figs. 7–9 )

Drapetis (Crossopalpus) quadrispina Collart, 1934: 61 , figs 1–2 (antenna, wing). Type locality: Elisabethville, Lubumbashi [D.R. Congo].

Crossopalpus quadrispina: Smith, 1980: 432 (catalogue, Drapetis ( Crossopalpus )); Raffone, 1994: 227 (in key, C. quadrispinus ); Yang et al., 2007: 363 (catalogue).

Type material examined: HOLOTYPE, Ƥ labelled: TYPE [orange]; Musée du Congo / Elisabethville/ Lubumbashi 28.vi.1920 [hand-written]/ Dr M. Bequaert; R. Dét./ 2598; A. Collart det./ Drapetis (Crossop.) / quadrispina n. sp. [hand-written] ( RMCA ENT / 000016387).

Additional material examined: D.R. CONGO: 1 Ƥ, Elisabethville, 29.vii.1932, Dr. M. Bequaert; Reg. Mus. Hist. Nat. Belg. I. G. 10.453; A. Collart det. Drapetis (Crossop.) quadrispina Coll. ; Oriental Prov., 1 3, Kona , 15 May 2010, Malaise trap in forest (MS name Cros 1); 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Kona , 11 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30033, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 3, 2 Ƥ, Yaekela , 2 May 2010, marsh land (reg. 30007, leg. P. Grootaert); 2 3, 4 Ƥ, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert); 2 Ƥ, Yaekela , 5 May 2010, around pools in forest (reg. 30017, leg. P. Grootaert); 4 Ƥ, Bomane village area, Malaise traps, lowland evergreen swamp forest (leg. A.H. Kirk-Spriggs); 1 3, 2 Ƥ, Likombo forest, 2 km SW Bomane, 20–24 May 2010, Malaise traps, lowland evergreen primary forest (disturbed); (leg. A.H. Kirk-Spriggs).

Diagnosis. Recognised by brown antennae and palpi, yellow legs, hind tibia with 4 strong anterior subapical setae.

Re-description. Male (described for the first time). Length: body 1.9–2.1 mm, wing 1.8 mm. Occiput entirely black, largely tomentose, narrowly shining behind eyes including ocellar tubercle; with brownish setation; inner verticals very short. Posterior ocellars very long, proclinate. Frons tomentose. Antenna brown; postpedicel ovoid; stylus subapical, very long. Proboscis yellowish brown. Palpus brown, small, rounded, bearing scattered setulae; subapical seta short, thin.

Thorax black, almost entirely shining, only anepimeron (= pteropleuron) tomentose, larger bristles brown. Prothoracic episterna with long upturned seta just above fore coxa. Postpronotal seta not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleurals, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair very long, cruciate; lateral pair minute); acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated from even covering of short setae on scutum, 1 pair of prescutellars long.

Legs quite robust, entirely yellow to brownish yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with 1 short black subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except 2 long subapicals). Mid femur with 1 long subapical seta anteriorly. Mid tibia lacking prominent bristles (except 2 long subapicals). Hind femur with 2 moderately long anteroventrals subapically and some short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia with 4 strong anterior subapical setae of different lengths; apical projection rather small, pointed. Tarsi of all legs unmodified, with unmodified setation, basitarsi with stronger setulae ventrally.

Wing normally developed, finely infuscate. Costal bristle long, brownish. Costal index: 38/22/29. Vein R2+3 evenly bowed. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat convergent near wing apex, both slightly bowed. Crossvein bm-cu slightly oblique. Crossvein r-m beyond middle of cell bm. Halter yellow.

Abdomen. Tergites well sclerotised, subshining viewed dorsally, covered with scattered unmodified setulae; tergite 7 with moderately long posteromarginal setae. Sternites well sclerotised, undivided, sternites 3–4 with shallow median excision posteriorly; covered with minute setulae. Gland-like structure present between tergites 4–5. Terminalia ( Figs. 7–9 ) rather large, dark brown. Cerci separated; right cercus very narrow, short, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; left cercus very large, rather subglobular, with several unmodified setae of different lengths. Epandrium completely divided. Right surstylus represented by 3 sclerites ( Fig. 7 ), with short unmodified setae. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, lacking setation apically. Left surstylus represented by 2 small sclerites ( Fig. 9 ), with short unmodified setae. Phallus short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Similar to male; segment 8 upturned when extruded; with deep median excision posteriorly; cercus brownish.

Distribution. D.R. Congo.

Remarks. Collart (1934) described C. quadrispina from a single female. The holotype is damaged lacking the postpedicel of both antennae, tarsomeres 2–5 of the left fore leg, the tibia and tarsus of the right fore leg, tarsomeres 2–5 of the left mid leg, and one of the hind legs while the other hind leg is glued on the same support with the specimen.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 9. Crossopalpus quadrispina (Collart, 1934). 7. Right surstylus; 8. Epandrium with cerci; 9. Left surstylus.