Platypalpus virgatus, Barták, Miroslav & Shamshev, Igor, 2015

Barták, Miroslav & Shamshev, Igor, 2015, Species of Platypalpus Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from Uzbekistan, with descriptions of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 3926 (3), pp. 351-376 : 368-370

Platypalpus virgatus sp. nov.

( Figs 34–35 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ UZBEKISTAN, Chinaz, along Syrdarja river, 40°53'N, 68°43'E, 20.v.1989, M. Barták” ( CULSP). UZBEKISTAN: PARATYPES: 1♀, same data as holotype ( CULSP).

Diagnosis. Black species with 1 pair of vertical setae; both basal segments and base of postpedicel reddish yellow; mesoscutum microtrichose, with two darker stripes between rows of setae; katepisternum with very small ovate lustrous spot in middle; legs yellow with annulated tarsi, mid tibia with long pointed apical spur, posteroventral setae on mid femur present.

Description. Male. Head black, light grey microtrichose, face in female slightly translucent yellow on lower part. Frons » 0.07 mm broad on lower part (broader than pedicel) and 0.09 mm broad on upper part (at level of anterior ocellus). Face » 0.05 mm broad at middle. Gena lustrous, narrow. Antenna with both basal segments and base of postpedicel reddish yellow, proximal half or so reddish-brown to brown, stylus brown, postpedicel 2.7X longer than broad, stylus 1.6X longer. Clypeus without microtrichiae but not lustrous. Palpus broadly ovate, pale yellow, large (about 2/3rds as long as proboscis), with 4–5 long setae. Ocellar setae pale, » 0.09 mm long. One pair of short (» 0.11 mm), pale vertical setae rather widely separated (» 0.17 mm distance). Occiput sparsely covered with pale setae longer on lower part. Proboscis brown, short. Thorax black, very light grey microtrichose, katepisternum with very small ovate lustrous spot in middle; mesoscutum with two broad dark stripes occupying most of space between rows of acrostichals and dorsocentrals, stripes reaching anterior part of mesoscutum anteriorly and last acrostichal setae posteriorly. All setae whitish yellow. Chaetotaxy: postpronotal seta very short; acrostichals biserial, very short (» 0.04 mm), 9–10 setae per row; dorsocentrals uniserial, subequally short, ending in 1–2 longer prescutellar pairs; notopleuron with 2 short setae on posterior part; 1 postalar and 1 pair of scutellar setae. Wing clear, with pale veins. R4+5 almost straight, M1 slightly bowed and convergent with R4+5 at apex. Crossveins widely separated. Cu almost perpendicular and straight, basal part of Cu vein indistinct. Costal seta yellow, short. Squama yellow with yellow fringes, halter pale yellow. Legs yellow, all tarsi brown annulated. All setae pale (except ventral spines on mid femur and tibia). Fore femur probably slightly thickened on basal third (collapsed in only available male), with row of posteroventral setae. Fore tibia slightly thickened, short setose. Mid femur only slightly thickened, with several pale posteroventral setae. Mid tibia with long and sharply pointed apical spur. Hind legs thin, short setose. Abdomen blackish-brown, lustrous, lateral parts of all tergites with rather broad microtrichose fasciae occupying entire tergite 1 and anterior half of tergites 2–6, dorsum lustrous; sparsely covered with short pale setae, longer on lateral and ventral parts of terminal segments. Genitalia ( Figs 34, 35 ) with cerci short, digitiform, rounded apically, bearing scattered short setae, right cercus narrow, somewhat bent, left cercus broader and slightly longer than right cercus; left epandrial lamella conical ( Fig. 35 ), ventral margin evenly arcuate, with numerous long setae (except basal part); right epandrial lamella subtriangular (ventral view), with row of several long subapical setae; right surstylus short. Female. Similar to male except as follows: postpedicel slightly shorter and darker, 2.2X longer than broad. Palpus with only 2 setae. Abdomen lighter and more lustrous, with microtrichose stripes much narrower but distinct on all tergites, less distinct on sternites. Length: body 2.2–2.6 mm, wing 2.3–2.4 mm.

Etymology. The species specific name stresses the peculiarly striped mesoscutum of the above described species ( virgatus, Latin = striped).

Distribution. Uzbekistan.

Remarks. The species described above is in most respects similar to P. flavicornis (Meigen) , which is widely distributed in Europe ( Chvála 1989). However, the latter species has (beside lacking stripes on mesoscutum) microtrichose clypeus, shorter postpedicel, much larger lustrous spot on katepisternum and abdomen continuously microtrichose along lateral margins.

Figures

FIGURES 34 – 35. Platypalpus virgatus sp. nov., male terminalia. 34. cerci and epandrium, dorsal view. 35. left epandrial lamella, lateral view.