Elaphropeza plumicornis Senior-White, 1922

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 : 58-59

Elaphropeza plumicornis Senior-White, 1922

Elaphropeza plumicornis Senior-White, 1922: 150 , Pl. XIV, Fig. 9 (antenna) (female).

Re-description. Female. Body length 2.2 mm [2.0 in the original description], wing length 2.3 mm. Occiput black, densely greyish pollinose. Eye slightly concave on hind margin. Frons subshining, above antennae somewhat narrower than anterior ocellus. Anterior ocellars and inner verticals moderately long, outer verticals somewhat shorter. Scape and pedicel brown, pedicel with equally short setulae. Postpedicel blackish (except extreme base). Style thickly pubescent, nearly 2.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Gena somewhat produced. Palpus small, reddish brown.

Thorax entirely ferruginous, shining. Prothoracic episterna with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and 1 very short bristle in upper part. Acrostichal and dorsocentral bristles undifferentiated, scutum evenly covered with short, pale bristly hairs (except 1 pair of long prescutellars).

Legs yellow with brownish tinge (hind tarsus appearing paler, hind femur darker in apical part). Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles and 2 longer bristles near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur slender, with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles, 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia lacking prominent bristles; apical projection quite large, broad, angulate at apex, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing uniformly finely brownish infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle moderately long, brownish. Costal index: 55/40/36/16. Vein Rs longer than crossvein bm-cu. Vein R2+3 smoothly arched, almost straight. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, more or less straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 present as fold. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m before middle of cell bm. Halter with dark knob [not yellow as in the original description].

Abdominal tergites 3–5 with squamiform setae. (For some missing structures adopted from Senior-White (1922)).

Male. Unknown.

Type material examined: Female holotype labelled: CEYLON / Matale District / Suduganga / 18.i.1920; Elaphropeza / plumicornis male / Senior White / TYPE; Holotype; BMNH (E) # 244882 ( BMNH).

Senior White (1922) described this species from a single specimen that is now deposited in the BMNH. He misinterpreted the sex of the holotype describing it as a male. Actually it is a female. Currently, in the holotype the postpedicel and style are lost from both antennae; otherwise it is in good condition .

Distribution and bionomics. Sri Lanka.

Remarks. The relationships of E. plumicornis are unclear beyond inclusion within the E. biuncinata species group, primarily due to the presence of a long upturned bristle just above the fore coxa and squamiform setae on abdominal tergite 3.

Figures

FIGURES 6–9. Elaphropeza sp. 42 (Malaysia: Langkawi) closely related to E. biuncinata (Melander) 6. antenna. 7. epandrium with cerci. 8. right surstylus. 9. left surstylus.