Tomosvaryella yemenensis Motamedinia & Skevington

Motamedinia, Behnam, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2021, Revision of Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) in the Middle East, with description of 19 new species, Zootaxa 5002 (1), pp. 1-103 : 78-83

Tomosvaryella yemenensis Motamedinia & Skevington sp. nov.

Figs 45A–E , 47D, 55, 71A–B

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the shape of surstyli in dorsal view, symmetrical, broadened at base and rather rectangular-shaped ( Fig. 45A ); epandrium longer than wide ( Fig. 45A ); long phallic guide with distinct projection before apex, pointing upwards in lateral view ( Fig. 45D–E ); hind tibia with three to four long dark posterodorsal setae at apices (Fig. 47D).

Description: MALE: Body length (excluding antennae): 3.05 mm. Head. Scape, pedicel and arista dark. Pedicel with three short upper setae and a single lower bristle; flagellum brown, gray pollinose and tapering (LF:WF = 2.4). Eyes meeting for a distance of 12–13 facets. Frons silver-gray pollinose, vertex dark and shine, lacking pollinosity, bearing an elevated ocellar triangle. Occiput dark, gray pollinose with scattered dark seate. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe light brown, with 2–3 short light brown setae along the upper margin (up to 0.01 mm). Prescutum and scutum black, silver-gray and brown pollinose, with scattered setae at anterior supra-alar area and uniseriate rows of intra-alar setae. Scutellum black, silver-gray pollinose, with about 10 short dark setae along posterior margin (up to 0.04 mm). Subscutellum black and pleura brown. Wing. Wing length: 3.1 mm., LW:MWW = 3.4. Wing almost entirely covered with microtrichia. Halter length: 0.3 mm., light brown, narrowly black at base. Legs. Dark brown, trochanters smooth, femora and tibiae with narrow but distinct pale base and apices, silver pollinose. Fore and mid femora with two rows of dark, peg-like anteroventral spines in apical half. Mid and hind femora with one wrinkled indentation in basal. Hind femur with two wrinkled indentation in basal. Tibiae with two rows of short brown setae on anterior and three rows on posterior side. Hind tibia with one or two wrinkled indentations in middle and with three to four long dark posterodorsal setae (up to 0.16 mm) at apices (Fig. 47D). Tarsi light brown, distitarsi brown. Abdomen. Ground color dark, tergite 1 silver gray pollinose with a patch of dark setae (5‒6) laterally, tergites 4‒5 gray pollinose dorsolaterally, slightly extending dorsally along anterior margin. Sternites light brown laterally and brown centrally, gray pollinose. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium and surstyli brown, gray pollinose. Epandrium longer than wide (MLE:MWE = 1.16). Surstyli symmetrical, slightly broadened at base, rectangular-shaped ( Fig. 45A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods long and equal in height, phallic guide strong, straight, with a finger-like projection in right side before its apex ( Fig. 45B ). Genital capsule in lateral view: surstyli slightly straight in basal two thirds, curved towards sternite in apical third ( Fig. 45D–E ). Phallic guide long, with a distinct projection pointed upwards towards surstyli ( Fig. 45D–E ); phallus with three narrow ejaculatory ducts, twisted apically ( Fig. 45D ). FEMALE: unknown.

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to Yemen, from where the type series was collected.

Specimens examined: HOLOTYPE: YEMEN: 12 km NW of Manakhah , 15°04’N, 43°44’E, 21.viii– 28.x.2002, A. van Harten, Malaise trap, CNCD9082 (1♂, CNC) ; PARATYPES: YEMEN: Same data as holotype, CNCD9081 (1♂, CNC) ; 12 km NW of Manakhah , 15°04’N, 43°44’E, 6.vii–21.viii.2002, A. van Harten, Malaise trap, CNCD9079 (1♂, CNC) .

Distribution: Yemen ( Fig. 55 ).

Note: Based on DNA barcodes, this species is genetically most similar to T. pilosiventris , differing by 10.3% (pairwise divergence) (Supplementary Table 1).

FIGURE 47. Hind leg of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. jubata (JSS52231, CNC), B) T. hamounensis sp. nov., paratype (JSS51816, CNC), C) T. nodosa (JSS51746, TAU), D) T. yemenensis sp. nov., paratype (CNCD9079, CNC), E) T. pilosiventris (JSS52252, CNC), F) T. spinula sp. nov., holotype (JSS51924, CNC).

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Figures

FIGURE 45. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella yemenensis sp. nov., holotype (CNCD9082, CNC) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 55. Distribution of Tomosvaryella inermis, T. israelensis, T. yemenensis sp. nov. in the Middle East.