Elaphropeza lanuginosa Bezzi, 1914

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 : 137-138

Elaphropeza lanuginosa Bezzi, 1914

Elaphropeza lanuginosa Bezzi, 1914: 75 (male and female).

Re-description. Male. Body length 2.8 mm, wing length 3.2 mm. Occiput black, subshining, finely greyish pollinose, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones hardly prominent. Frons subshining. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel brown. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel 2.8 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, 2.5 times longer than postpedicel and 1.6 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow, elongate. Palpus brownish yellow, small, elongate oval.

Thorax largely yellow, shining, with brownish yellow bristles; scutum with broad brown vitta running along its whole length, scutellum rather brownish yellow (paler along posterior margin), sternopleuron and hypopleuron (more distinct) brownish in lower part, metanotum brown, metapleuron brownish yellow. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 short bristly hair in upper part, tomentose. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial, hair-like, quite long, uniform (except for 1 pair of longer prescutellars), yellowish, the former not quite reaching base of scutellum.

Legs quite long, with yellow to brownish yellow, rather long setation; hind femur with brownish ring on apical part, fore and mid tibiae and tarsi of all legs brownish yellow, hind tibia brownish, otherwise legs yellow. 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 rows of short, ventral setulae, 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia lacking ventral spinules and prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur slightly constricted in apical part, bearing rows of short anteroventrals and several erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 2 anterodorsal bristles in middle part; 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 yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, brown. Costal index: 82/45/60/23. Vein Rs subequal to crossvein bm-cu. Vein 2+3 evenly curved. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, the former slightly bowed, the latter straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 present, distinct. Crossvein bm-cu transverse, somewhat convex. Crossvein rm far before middle of cell bm; cell br very short, about 1/3 of cell bm. Halter with black knob.

Abdomen (tergites 2–5 shrunken along midline) wholly brownish, with all tergites unmodified, covered with numerous intermixed dark and pale bristly hairs, lacking squamiform setae. Sternites subrectangular, covered with numerous bristly hairs.

Terminalia small, brown, shining. Not examined.

Female. Segment 8 brown, shining. Cercus brownish yellow.

Material examined. Lectotype male, Paroe, nördl. Paiwan- / Distr. ( Formosa) / H. Sauter VIII.1912; Elaphropeza lanuginosa Bezzi , male and female [hand-written]; TYPUS [light red, crossed] ; Syntypus [red] / 1979 [opposite site]. Female, Kosempo / Formosa / H. Sauter, V.1912 ; Syntypus [red], 1979 [on opposite side]; TYPUS [light red, crossed] ( DEI) .

Bezzi (1914) described this species after two specimens (male and female) that are deposited in the DEI Collection. The male specimen is in good condition but it lacks a hind leg .

Distribution. Taiwan.

Remarks. The relationships of E. lanuginosa are unclear beyond inclusion within the E. ephippiata species group. Elaphropeza lanuginosa is amongst the largest species of Elaphropeza and shows some affinities to E. palpata and E. nigropunctata .