Elaphropeza dudui, Grootaert & Shamshev, 2014

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2014, New Tachydromiinae (Diptera: Empidoidea: Hybotidae) from different types of forests along the Congo river (D. R. of the Congo), Belgian Journal of Entomology 18, pp. 1-34 : 1-34

Elaphropeza dudui sp. nov.

( Figs 15–17 )

ETYMOLOGY. The species is dedicated to Prof. Benjamin Dudu Akaibe, head of the ‘Centre pour la surveillance de la Biodiversité’ at UNIKIS (Université de Kisangani).

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype, ♂: D. R. CONGO, Kinshasa, 3 June 2012 (Park, Hotel Invest Presse), (reg. 32001, leg. P. Grootaert, MS reference EC29) ( RBINS). Mid leg in tray Congo 2 at E4 was extracted for DNA and a COI barcode is available at GenBank.

DIAGNOSIS. Species of E. biuncinata group. Thorax yellow, but postnotum blackish brown and brownish markings on meron. Legs yellow with apical tarsomere of all legs brownish; hind tibia with 1 brown anterodorsal bristle on basal third. Halter yellow.

DESCRIPTION.

Male. Occiput entirely black, densely pollinose (including vertex); with yellowish brown to yellow setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals short. Anterior ocellars long proclinate and cruciate, posterior ocellars short. Frons shining, rather narrow, above antennae about as broad as anterior ocellus. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellow, postpedicel and stylus brownish; pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae; postpedicel subtriangular, short, 2.2 times longer than wide; stylus with short pubescence, long, 3.3 times longer than postpedicel, 2.2 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis yellow, labrum brown apically. Palpus yellow, small, rounded, bearing scattered dark setulae, subapical seta thin, moderately long.

Thorax almost entirely yellow, postnotum brown, meron with brownish markings; longer setae brownish yellow. Prothoracic episterna with long upturned seta just above fore coxa. Postpronotal seta not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 long notopleurals, 1 short postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate; lateral pair very short); acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated, scutum entirely covered with uniform setulae, 1 pair of long prescutellars (nearly as long as notopleurals).

Legs quite robust, almost entirely yellow, only tarsomeres 5 of all legs brownish. Coxae and trochanters with ordinary setae. Fore femur thickened, with rows of minute anteroventral and somewhat longer posteroventral setae, 2 long setae near base, and short subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent setae (except circlet of subapicals). Mid femur slender, with row of very short yellowish anteroventrals, row of stronger and longer posteroventrals, 1 long dark seta near base and 1 short subapical seta anteriorly. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules, lacking prominent setae (except subapicals). Hind femur and tibia somewhat thickened. Hind femur with short anteroventrals and 3 short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia with 1 anterodorsal seta; apical projection rather large, truncate, brownish yellow. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, finely uniformly infuscate. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Costal seta moderately long, brownish. Costal index: 34/31/21. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm­cu. R 1 of uniform thickness throughout. Vein R 2+3 evenly bowed. Veins R 4+5 and M 1+2 parallel near wing apex, both slightly bowed. Crossvein bm­cu oblique. Crossvein r­m near middle of cell bm. Halter yellow.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 represented by very small narrow lateral stripes; tergite 2 broadly concave anteriorly, with unmodified short setae, subtriangular viewed laterally; tergites 3–7 subrectangular; tergite 3 broadest, tergites 3–5 brown, with squamiform setae; tergites 6 and 7 brownish yellow, with unmodified setation; tergite 7 with short posteromarginal setae. Sternites 3–4 divided medially. Gland­like structures present between tergites 3–4 and 4–5, plate­like. Terminalia ( Figs 15–17 ) small, cerci, left surstylus, and apical part of right epandrial lamella brown. Cerci separated. Right cercus very narrow, rather long, with ordinary setae. Left cercus rather long, digitiform, broadened on apical half, with ordinary setae. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subrectangular, broadly concave apically, covered with numerous ordinary setae. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several short setae apically; left surstylus as in Fig. 17 . One rod­shaped apodeme.

Length (mm). Body 2.0, wing 1.7.

Female unknown.

COMPARISON. The new species is similar to E. mai Grootaert & Shamshev, 2013 described from D. R. Congo. The main differences between these species have been noted in the key.

DISTRIBUTION. D. R. Congo.

Figures

Figs 15–17. Elaphropeza dudui sp. nov., 15. Right epandrial lamella, lateral view; 16. Terminalia, dorsal view; 17. Left surstylus, lateral view.