Elaphropeza belumut, Published, 2007

SHAMSHEV, IGOR V. & GROOTAERT, PATRICK, 2007, Revision of the genus Elaphropeza Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Oriental Region, with a special attention to the fauna of Singapore, Zootaxa 1488 (1), pp. 1-164 : 70-72

Elaphropeza belumut sp. nov.

( Figs. 107–110 )

Diagnosis. Occiput and thorax black, antenna entirely brown with postpedicel 3.5–4.0 times longer than wide; hind tibia lacking prominent bristles, tarsomere 5 of all legs blackish.

Description. Male. Body length 1.8–1.9 mm, wing length 1.6–1.7 mm. Occiput black, subshining, with brownish setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones short. Antenna ( Fig. 107 ) entirely brown. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel 3.5–4.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, about 1.5 times longer than postpedicel and nearly as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded.

Thorax entirely black, shining, with brownish bristles. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle minute. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichal bristles 2-serial, lacking on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals 1-serial, extending to base of scutellum (2 pairs of prescutellars longest).

Legs long, slender, almost entirely yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation; tarsomere 5 of all legs blackish, tarsomeres 2–4 of mid and hind legs with brownish tinge. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles (2 bristles near base longer). Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles (posteroventrals somewhat longer), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules (1 subapical somewhat longer), lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 2–3 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia lacking prominent bristles; apical projection prominent, small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, finely uniformly infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, brownish. Costal index: 26/29/34/15. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 slightly divergent near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 absent. Crossvein bm-cu transverse. Crossvein r-m somewhat beyond middle of cell bm. Halter dark.

Abdomen. Tergites 1–5 brownish, tergites 6 and 7 somewhat paler. Tergite 4 broadest, shining, tergite 5 very narrow. Tergites 4 and 5 with few squamiform setae; tergite 6 with short, tergite 7 with moderately long posteromarginal bristles. Sternites subrectangular, distinctly sclerotised.

Terminalia ( Figs. 108–110 ) brown, rather large, elongate. Cerci fused forming single, quite long, digitiform lobe, covered with bristles of different length, lacking spines. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subrectangular, concave on upper margin, covered with numerous bristles of different length. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 1 long bristle apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe elongate, bifurcate, bearing numerous minute setulae. Hypandrium with 1 long and 1 very short bristle. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Body length 1.7–1.8 mm, wing length 1.6–1.7 mm. Mid femur with thinner ventral bristles, mid tibia lacking ventral spinules. Abdominal segment 8 elongate, with sclerites separated; sternite 8 folded apically. Sternite 10 and cercus brownish. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: MALAYSIA, Gunung Belumut , 22 October 2005, along stream in rain forest (reg. 25397, leg. PG, E-52).

Paratypes: MALAYSIA, 9 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, same provenance as holotype .

Derivatio nominis. The name belumut alludes to the type locality, Gunung Belumut (Prov. Johor, Malaysia). The name is used as a noun.

Distribution. Malaysia. Forest.

Elaphropeza belumut sp. nov. was found in fairly large numbers on the vegetation along a path in a primary rain forest.

Remarks. The relationships of E. belumut sp. nov. are unclear beyond inclusion within the monophyletic lineage of the E. ephippiata species group sharing completely fused cerci (see "Discussion" for details).

Figures

FIGURES 107–110. Elaphropeza belumut sp. nov. 107. antenna. 108. epandrium with cerci. 109. right epandrial lamella. 110. left surstylus.