Empis (Polyblepharis) sogdiensis Shamshev, 2023

Shamshev, I. V., 2023, Dance flies (Diptera: Empididae) in A. P. Fedtschenko’s Collection from Turkestan: Empis subgenus Polyblepharis, Russian Entomological Journal 32 (2), pp. 221-233 : 228-230

Empis (Polyblepharis) sogdiensis Shamshev , sp.n.

Figs 13–17.

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype, ♂, labels as in Fig. 17, [printed in Cyrillic, Russian] Ziddy [39°29´N 67°57´E], S skl. [=sklon, slope] Gissarsk. khr. [=Gissarskiy khrebet, Gissar Range], Taj. [= Tajikistan] 14.vi.44, Stackelberg ( ZISP, INS _DIP_0000623).

Paratypes. Tajikistan: same data as holotype (7 ♂♂, 1 ♀, ZISP) ; same locality and collector as holotype, 15.vi.1944 (1 ♂, 1 ♀, ZISP) ; same locality and collector as holotype, 17.vi.1944 (1 ♂, 1 ♀, ZISP) ; Gofilabad , upper flow of Lyucheb River, 11.vii.1940, Gussakovskij (1 ♂, dissected, ZISP) . Uzbekistan: Sangy Dzhuman [or Sangy-juman Pass], 25.v.1869 [A. Fedtschenko] (♂, ZMMU) ; Takhta-Karacha Pass , 70 km S of Samarkand, 3.vi.1984, Tanasijchuk (3 ♀♀, ZISP) .

DIAGNOSIS. Rather large species (body about 7.5 mm); male eyes dichoptic; labrum nearly 2X longer than eye height; palpus brownish to yellowish brown, usually with yellow tip; mesoscutum indistinctly vittate, acrostichal setae biserial, dorsocentral setae uniserial, scutellum with 2 setae, laterotergite with brown setae; legs with coxae and femora yellow; abdomen brown, tergites extensively shiny, only tergites 1–2 with posteromarginal setae; female similar to male, legs with simple setae.

DESCRIPTION. Body length about 7.5 mm, wing 6.9–7.1. Male (Fig. 13). Head capsule regions mostly densely greyish pruinose; face on lower margin and clypeus shiny; head setation mostly black. Dichoptic, ommatidia equally small. Frons on middle part nearly as broad as distance between inner margins of posterior ocelli, slightly divergent just below ocellar triangle and above antennae; with marginal setulae. Face broad, bare. Ocellar setae long, strong, lateroclinate; two pairs of posterior setulae. Occiput with row of postocular setae, including 3–5 long setae on upper portion and short, slender setae on lower portion; transverse row of long, strong setae; postgena with pale hair-like setae. Antenna with scape and pedicel light brown, postpedicel and stylus black; scape nearly 2X longer than subglobular pedicel, both with short setulae; postpedicel 3.8–4X as long as basal width, with straight margins; stylus nearly 2X shorter than postpedicel basal width. Proboscis with labrum mostly yellowish, usually brownish yellow near base; nearly 2X longer than eye height; palpus short, brownish to yellowish brown, usually with yellow tip; bearing scattered pale fine setae, 1 subapical seta usually dark.

Thorax almost entirely brown in ground-colour, postpronotal lobe and postalar tubercle somewhat yellowish brown translucent; mostly densely greyish pruinose; mesoscutum in dorsal view mostly densely brownish grey pruinose, with some traces of darker vittae between acrostichal and dorsocentral setae only near anterior margin; thoracic setation black. Prosternum bare. Proepisternum with 5–6 brownish to pale setae on lower part, bare on upper part. Antepronotum with 7–8 short, spine-like setae dorsally. Postpronotal lobe bearing 1 long and 2–3 shorter setae (with a few additional setulae). Mesonotal setae: acrostichals irregularly biserial, very short, scattered (6–7 per row), absent on prescutellar depression; dorsocentral setae uniserial, presutural dorsocentrals similar to but slightly longer than acrostichals, postsutural dorsocentral setae becoming longer towards scutellum, 2 pairs of prescutellars longest and strongest; 1 long, strong presutural supra-alar, 4 notopleurals, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 long and 1 minute postalars, 4 scutellars (setae of lateral pair very short, fine). Laterotergite with 4–5 strong brownish setae and, usually, 2–3 fine, paler setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles yellow.

Legs with coxae faintly greyish pruinose, remaining podomeres subshiny; black setose. Legs colour: coxae and trochanters yellow (sometimes fore coxa slightly darkened near base anteriorly); femora yellow to brownish yellow

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Figs 13–17. Empis (Polyblepharis) sogdiensis Shamshev , sp.n., male: 13 — habitus, holotype; 14 — hypopygium; 15 — hypandrium; 16 — cerci; 17 — holotype labels; 13–14 — lateral view; 15 — ventral view; 16 — dorsal view. Abbreviations: cerc — cercus; ej apod — ejaculatory apodeme; epand — epandrium; hypd — hypandrium; ph — phallus. Scale bar is 1 mm.

Рис. 13–17. Empis (Polyblepharis) sogdiensis Shamshev , sp.n., самец: 13 — габитус, голотип; 14 — гипопигий; 15 — гипандрий; 16 — церки; 17 — Этикетки голотипа; 13–14 — сбоку; 15 — сниЗу; 16 — сверху. СокраЩениЯ: cerc — церк; ej apod — ЭЯкулЯторнаЯ аподема; epand — Эпандрий; hypd — гипандрий; ph — фаллус. Шкала = 1 мм.

(somewhat darker closer to apex dorsally); tibiae yellow near base, becoming gradually darker towards apex, brownish on apex; tarsi brown. Coxae and trochanters with simple setae. Fore femur bare ventrally. Fore tibia covered with short setulae; bearing 2–3 short anterodorsal and 2–3 similar posterodorsal setae (besides circlet of subapical setae; number, position and robustness variable). Fore basitarsus slender, with short, strong setae ventrally. Mid femur whitish pubescent ventrally; with minute anteroventral and posteroventral setulae; 1 long strong seta near apex anteriorly. Mid tibia with 2–3 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal near base and 2–3 posterodorsal setae; dense, fine setulae ventrally. Mid tarsomeres 1–3 with short spine-like setae ventrally (longer on basitarsus). Hind femur slender, only slightly broader than mid femur; whitish pubescent ventrally; with rows of short strong anteroventral and longer posteroventral setae; dense spinule-like setulae over entire ventral face; 1 long strong seta near apex anteriorly. Hind tibia slender; with 2–3 anterodorsal and 3–4 posterodorsal setae; erect fine setulae ventrally; very short seta in posteroapical comb. Hind basitarsus slender; tarsomeres 1–3 with short spine-like setae ventrally (longer on basitarsus).

Wing membrane faintly infuscate; entirely covered with microtrichia; veins yellowish brown, well-sclerotized. Veins R 5 and M 1 strongly divergent toward wing margin; radial fork acute; R 5 meeting costa before wing apex; CuA+CuP (anal vein) complete (slightly weakened closer to wing margin). Cell dm moderately large, with strongly elongate apex; apical portion of M 4 nearly 2X longer than its middle portion. Pterostigma pale brownish, very narrow. Basal costal seta absent. Anal lobe well-developed; axillary incision 90°. Squama yellow, pale fringed. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen brown in ground colour, segments 1–3 slightly paler, tergites 6–7 somewhat yellow translucent posteriorly; tergites extensively shiny, tergite 1 entirely, tergites 2–6 narrowly anteriorly very faintly greyish pruinose (sometimes pruinosity inconspicuous on tergites 3–6), tergites 6–7 with golden brown iridescent spots; sternites mostly faintly greyish pruinose, sternites 2–6 with some shiny space becoming gradually smaller from sternite 2 to sternite 6. Abdominal setation greatly reduced; tergites covered with very short, hair-like, pale setae, only tergites 1 and 2 with long, strong, black posteromarginal setae; sternite 1 bare, sternites 2–6 mostly with very short, pale, hair-like setae, sternites 7–8 with black setae including long strong posteromarginals. Pregenital segments: segment 6 unmodified; tergite 7 broadly concave posteriorly; sternite 7 with somewhat produced posterior corners; small isolated sclerite just beyond posterior margin of pleuron 7; segment 8 with separated tergite and sternite; tergite 8 somewhat flattened, represented by two subtriangular sclerites separated mid-dorsally, with several short setae posteriorly; sternite 8 scoop-shaped, somewhat constricted anteriorly, with 2 lateral projections on each side anteriorly (anterior small projection close to upper margin; posterior projection larger, slightly concave apically), deep rounded concavity between projections.

Hypopygium (Fig. 14) moderately large; epandrial lamella mostly brown, narrowly yellowish brown along lower margin, subshiny; hypandrium brown, bare; cercus brown; phallus yellowish brown. Epandrium entirely broadly divided (epandrial bridge absent); epandrial lamella rather subtriangular (lateral view), with rounded apex; bearing black setae more numerous and longer along lower margin. Hypandrium (Fig. 15) separated from epandrium; mostly membranous, undivided, narrowly sclerotized along margin; with two small notches on truncate apex (ventral view); bare; gonocoxal apodeme small. Cerci (Fig. 16) separated with each other and from epandrium; cercus elongate ovate in lateral view, rather subtriangular in dorsal view; shorter than epandrial lamella, with hardly distinguishable additional lobe dorsally, smoothed on inner margin; with black setulae. Phallus almost entirely hidden; zigzag bent, strongly constricted beyond middle; basal portion thick, gently curved and becoming narrower distad; apical portion semicircular, nearly of uniform thickness, with its tip pointing to rear. Ejaculatory apodeme moderately large, extended far beyond basal curvature of phallus, with lateral wings.

Female. Similar to male except as follows. Frons slightly broader, almost parallel-sided. Mid tibia with 1 anteroventral seta. Hind tibia with 1 anteroventral seta on apical half; with simple setulae ventrally. Mid femur with 2–3 short, strong anterodorsal and row of 3–6 short anteroventral setae; no posteroventral setae and ventral spinules. Abdominal tergites shiny, except faintly pruinose tergite 1 and anterior margin of tergite 2. Cercus brownish, very short, with scattered setulae.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. The new species is most similar to E. uzbekistanica Chvála, 1999 (known from Uzbekistan) sharing dichoptic eyes of the male and extensively yellow legs (including coxae). Empis sogdiensis sp.n. differs from E. uzbekistanica primarily by brown abdomen, 4 scutellar setae and black posteromarginal setae on tergites 1 and 2 only. In E. uzbekistanica the abdomen is yellow, the scutellum bears only 2 setae and posteromarginal setae are present on tergites 1–5.

ETYMOLOGY. The epithet refers to the name of an ancient civilization in present-day Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Sogdia (or Sogdiana).

DISTRIBUTION. Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.