Thaumalea nigronitida L. PAPP, 2006

Papp, L., Merz, B. & Földvári, M., 2006, DIPTERA OF THAILAND A summary of the families and genera with references to the species representations, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 52 (2), No. 2, pp. 97-269 : 122-124

Thaumalea nigronitida L. PAPP , sp. n.

( Figs 13–16 )

Holotype female ( HNHM): THAILAND: Doi Inthanon N. P., over a small rocky brook, Oct 30, 2004, No. 9, L. PAPP & M. FÖLDVÁRI (abdomen with genitalia in a microvial with glycerol, left hind leg lost).

Measurements in mm: body length 1.98 to 2.00 mm (measured along the downcurved abdomen), wing length 2.47, wing breadth 1.18.

Body black, scutum shiny black, coxae black, legs blackish brown.

Apical flagellomere with teo 0.03–0.035 mm long apical setae. Five visible flagellomeres, first flagellomere thickened. Second and third palpomeres bulbously thickened.

Wing fumose, c, sc, r1 and r2+3 cells black. Subcostal vein short (less than 0.4 mm from H). Costal sections (from H): 33: 69: 108, i.e. 0.36: 0.75: 1.17 mm. Veins R1 and R4+5 setose dorsally, crossvein M-M concave, M-Cu 0.075 mm long. Anterior medial vein almost straight, posterior medial vein (M3 or M3+4, “CuA1”, see remark below) downcurved, Cu1 S-formed, distal third almost straight. Cu2 runs close to Cu1, archely curved, faint and thin apically, but overruns crossvein Cu-M remarkably. Vein A1 present only as a straight basal vein. A2 continued to wing margin as a colourless vein.

Haltere broad lamelliform, sides curled, 0.58 mm long, black on dorsal side.

Abdomen rather thick, dark brown. Several hundreds of 0.16–0.17 mm long ripen eggs ( Fig. 16 ) were in holotype’s abdomen, some of them are preserved in the microvial with glycerol. Egg bullet-shaped, with longitudinal ridges and a small round micropyle.

Tergite 8 and sternite 8 completely fused laterally with an emargination at place of fusion ( Fig. 13 ). Tergite 9 simple, without any projection on ventral caudal edge (that is definitely rounded). Cerci subquadratic in profile with broadly rounded apex. Sternite 8 and 9 partly fused, lateral lobes rather long rounded apically ( Fig. 14 ). Inner genital sclerites ( Fig. 15 ) of an intricate form with an anmm for Figs 15–16

terior cylindrical apodeme and a shovel-shaped medial part. Genital sclerites join to the latero-caudal edge of the sternal complex through a pigmented sclerotized thickening.

The other Oriental Thaumalea spp. were described from Pakistan ( SCHMID 1958) and from N India ( SCHMID 1970) . All were described based on male genitalia. One may regard a description of a species based on a female as questionable. However, I think this black-bodied and black-winged small sp. is characteristic enough to represent the first record of the family from SE Asia. The new species is related to Th. karakoramica SCHMID by its body colour. I have to note that in the HNHM there is a Thaumalea female also from Vietnam (but that is a “regular” species with its large reddish body).

Remark. I question the hitherto prevailing nomenclature of the wing veins in thaumaleid taxonomy. I am convinced that not one but two medial veins present also in thaumaleids. In Mesothaumalea fossilis KOVALEV (Upper Jurassic, see KRZEMIŃSKI & EVENHUIS 2000) there are clearly two medial veins. The presence of the characteristic Cu2 (its basal part running close to Cu1) corroborates this opinion.

Figures

Figs 13–16. Thaumalea nigronitida sp. n., holotype female.13 = apex of abdomen, lateral view, 14 = same, ventral view, 15 = genital sclerites, ventral view, 16 = egg. Scales: 0.2 mm for Figs 13–14, 0.1