Platypalpus serviae, Barták & Grootaert, 2024

Barták, Miroslav & Grootaert, Patrick, 2024, Description of twelve new species of Platypalpus Macquart from Europe and the Middle East (Diptera, Empidoidea, Hybotidae), Zootaxa 5443 (2), pp. 161-185 : 179-180

Platypalpus serviae sp. nov.

( Figs 16 , 17 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: SPAIN, Fragas do Eume NP, MT 1 (forest) 160 m, 43.418 N, - 8.066 W, Garcia, Ševčík, 30.v.–20.vi.2019 ( CULSP) . PARATYPES: SPAIN, same data as holotype (1 ♂, 1 ♀) . PORTUGAL, 5 km N of Formalicao, Castanea wood, sweeping, 40°28′31″N, 7°21′32″W, 23.v. 2008, 930 m, M. Barták (1 ♂, 2 ♀)—( CULSP) .

Diagnosis. Small black species of the P. pallidiventris —cursitans group. A single pair of vertical setae. Antennae black, stylus 1.8–3.5× longer than postpedicel. Clypeus microtrichose. Palpus brown. Legs dark yellow including coxae (mid and hind coxae slightly darkened, almost brownish especially in female), tarsi darkened but not annulated, mid tibia with very long, sharply pointed apical spur, mid femur with posteroventrals. Mesoscutum thinly microtrichose. Wing membrane brownish. Large mesoscutal setae black, small setulae brown. Acrostichals biserial.

Description. Male ( Fig. 16 ). Head black, grey microtrichose, face including clypeus light grey microtrichose. Frons ≈ 0.04 mm broad at ventral part (about as wide as pedicel) and 0.07 mm broad at level of anterior ocellus. Face ≈ 0.03 mm broad at middle. Gena narrow, lustrous. Antenna black, postpedicel 1.7× longer than broad, stylus 2.9–3.5× postpedicel (in female, male damaged). Clypeus lustrous. Palpus oval, brown, with 2–3 long, white setae. Ocellar setae black, ≈ 0.10 mm long (ocellar triangle with 2 pairs of additional very short setae behind anterior pair of ocellars). Single pair of subequally long or slightly longer than vertical setae, rather wide apart (≈ 0.17 mm). Occiput with dark setae dorsally, white and longer ventrally. Proboscis brownish black, lustrous, scarcely half as long as head height. Thorax black, mesoscutum thinly grey microtrichose; katepisternum with lustrous spot leaving both margins microtrichose. Large setae black, small hairs light brownish. Chaetotaxy: long postpronotal seta; proepisternum with several pale setae almost as long as lower occipitals; acrostichals biserial and rather short (≈ 0.05 mm, 7–12 setae in one row), dorsocentrals uniserial (with only 1–2 setae outside rows), last pair longer and black; notopleuron with 2 black setae, posterior seta longer and several short hairs; 1 black postalar and 1 pair of black scutellar setae (with 2 smaller pale hairs). Wing membrane brownish clouded, veins yellowish brown. R 4+5 and M 1 almost parallel, only slightly bowed in middle. Crossveins broadly separated. CuA slightly recurrent. Costal seta black. Squama yellow with yellow fringes. Halter pale yellow. Legs dark yellow, both black and pale setose (small setae on femora dark on dorsal part, ventrally mostly pale, larger setae black); mid and hind knees darkened; all tarsi darkened (first segment apically, second and third on more than half and last two almost entirely dark, not annulated). Fore femur moderately thickened on basal third, with yellow antero- and posteroventral setae two thirds as long as femur depth and circlet of black preapical setae. Fore tibia slightly dilated, dorsally with several black setae. Mid femur slightly deeper than fore femur, with several pale (proximally) and black (distally) posteroventral setae half as long as femur depth and similar anteroventral setae, in addition to two anterior black setae on apical half. Mid tibia with very long, sharply pointed apical spur. Hind femur and tibia narrow, short setose; hind tibia dorsally with 1–2 dark setae. Abdomen blackish-brown, lustrous, tergite 1 microtrichose at sides, tergite 2 narrowly microtrichose anteriorly, remaining parts lustrous; covered with pale setae, genitalia partly dark setose. Terminalia ( Fig. 17 ): cerci subequally long, both with tapered, pointed apex ( Fig. 17B ). Right border of right epandrial lamella set with short setulae, irregularly multiserial in basal half ( Fig. 17A ). Left epandrial lamella striated; left border produced into point, apical third with a few long, widely interspaced setae; basal 2/3 with row of densely set, very long straight setae, nearly as long as left epandrial lamella width as seen in lateral view ( Fig. 17C ). Female. Similar to male except as follows: postpedicel slightly longer, 1.8–2.3× longer than wide, stylus 1.8–2.3× longer than postpedicel; last two abdominal segments microtrichose. One female with slightly darkened (brownish yellow) femora distally. Length. Both sexes: body 2.0– 2.2 mm, wing 2.1–2.5 mm.

Etymology. The species is named after María José Servia García, collector of a part of the type series and operated Malaise traps in Fragas do Eume National Park.

Distribution. Spain, Portugal.

Remarks. Platypalpus serviae sp. nov. shares basic characters (antennae black, a single pair of verticals, sharply pointed spur on mid tibia, large thoracic setae black, acrostichals biserial, two notopleural setae, femora yellow or only slightly darkened) with P. tergestinoides Grootaert & Chvála and P. teberdaensis, Kustov, Shamshev & Grootaert , however, both the latter species are larger (body more than 3.0 mm, wing more than 3.6 mm) and have clear or slightly brownish wings. In addition, the newly described species has quite differently shaped left epandrial lamella.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Platypalpus serviae sp. nov., paratype male (photo Isabella Van de Velde).

FIGURE 17. Platypalpus serviae sp. nov., paratype male, terminalia. A. Right epandrial lamella; B. Epandrium with cerci, dorsal view; C. Left epandrial lamella, lateral. Scale 0.1mm (image Patrick Grootaert).