Paralimosina congoensis, Papp, 2013

Papp, László, 2013, The first record of the genus Paralimosina L. Papp (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) in the Afrotropical Region, with descriptions of six new species, African Invertebrates 54 (2), pp. 315-315 : 325-327

Paralimosina congoensis sp. n.

Figs 38–41

Etymology. The species is named after Congo.

Description:

Female.

Measurements in mm: body length 1.94, wing length 1.54, wing width 0.70.

Body dark brown, including frons (the specimen was kept in alcohol for about 3 decades but colours have not faded much); tarsi ochre.

Subantennal swelling of facial plate rather large. Frons with silvery-striped M-shaped pattern. Three pairs of ifr, anterior one minute, 2 nd and 3 rd pairs of medium length (0.08 mm), the posterior pair is anteriad of anterior fr-orb. Anterior fr-orb 0.09 mm, posterior 0.15 mm long. Vibrissa 0.25 mm long, genal seta not far from mouth margin, strongly upcurving, 0.11 mm long. Antenna 0.23 mm in length. Scape with a thin but very long (0.105 mm) seta. Pedicel with similarly long setae. First flagellomere with dorsal apical conus and with cilia 0.04 mm long. Arista short (ca 0.50 mm), aristal cilia 0.04 mm.

Anterior dorsocentral seta only 0.08 mm.

Wing membrane light brownish, veins ochre, longest sub-basal seta of costa 0.12mm. Setae on first costal section 0.06–0.07 mm, on second section half as long. Costa terminates just at conjunction with R 4+5. Second costal section 0.42 mm, third costal section 0.52 mm, costal index 0.81. Lower edge of discal cell smaller than 90°, distal vein appendage of M 3+4 short and colourless. R-M–M-M 0.17 mm, M-M 0.075 mm, i.e. less than half as long as R-M–M-M. Alula darker than wing membrane, very narrow rounded, only 0.05 mm broad.

No mid ventral seta on mid tibia, va 0.09 mm long. Mid tibia with ad at 8/35, 16/35, 24/35, 27/35 (very long), only 2 pd at 13/35 (very long) and 25/35 (very long).

Abdomen 1.04 mm long and 0.71 mm wide, only moderately flattened, with mediumlength, lateral marginal setae on tergites. Only distal half of T2 desclerotised area is weakly but evenly sclerotised.Abdominal sternites not particularly broad; with short and thin setae only. Length of sternites sagittally vs broadest width (in mm): S2 0.21/0.06, S3 0.325/0.16, S4 0.35/0.15, S5 0.35/0.15, S6 0.31/0.10. S7 is 0.07 mm long, T7 and S7 form an open ring of 0.26 mm in diameter. T8 sub-pentagonal, with several moderately long, caudally directed setae ( Fig. 39 ). S8 bipartite ( Fig. 40 ), proximal part with seta(e) of 0.08 mm and a belt covered by dense, short, sharp setulae; distal part quadratic but the more melanised part is T-shaped.

Postabdomen slightly protruding. Epiproct rather broad, with a pair of long setae ( Fig. 38 ). Cerci small and only 0.05 mm long, with a pair of dorsal medial setae 0.13 mm in length and with some short setae. Spermathecae ( Fig. 41 ) are not flattened, and are vesiculate like some of the Palaearctic species (see Roháček & Papp 1988), ducts of medium length and not bulbous.

Ten mature yellowish eggs of 0.56× 0.10 mm and several immature eggs were found in the abdomen of the holotype when dissected.

Male. Unknown.

Holotype: ♀ REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Sibiti [3°41'S 13°21'E], 1.xii.1963, J. Balogh & A. Zicsi ( HNHM, right wing lost when prepared from alcohol, abdomen and genitalia dissected and stored in glycerol in a plastic microvial).

Figures

Figs 38–41. Paralimosina congoensis sp. n., holotype female, terminalia: (38) epiproct and cerci, dorsal view; (39) left half of T8, lateral view; (40) S8, ventral view; (41) spermathecae with sclerotised ducts. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.