Platypalpus akhunensis, Kustov, Semen, Shamshev, Igor & Grootaert, Patrick, 2015

Kustov, Semen, Shamshev, Igor & Grootaert, Patrick, 2015, New data on the genus Platypalpus (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Caucasus with description of seven new species, Zootaxa 3973 (3), pp. 451-473 : 452-453

Platypalpus akhunensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3 , 23 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ labelled [printed in Cyrillic], [ RUSSIA], " RUS, Sochi Reg. [= Sochi District, Krasnodarskiy Territory]/ near Khosta/ Akhun Mt. [= Akhun Mountain]/ forest / [N 43º32' E39º48']/ 3–8.vii.2008, coll. Tomkovich” ( ZMMU). PARATYPES: RUSSIA: same data as holotype (1 ♂, KSU).

Recognition. Large species of the P. pallidiventris-cursitans group; occiput with 1 pair of yellowish inclinate verticals; antenna largely reddish-yellow, postpedicel darkened apically, about 2.3X longer than wide; palpus yellowish, large, oval; mesonotum densely golden grey dusted, with yellowish bristles, 3 notopleurals, katepisternum with polished black patch occupying about 1/3 of its size; legs almost entirely yellow, only last tarsomeres brown on apical half; mid tibia with long, pointed apical spur; abdomen entirely shiny black, anterior two tergites with small lateral patches of greyish pollinosity.

Description. Male. Body length 4.0– 4.1 mm; wing length 4.3–4.4 mm. Head black. Occiput with dense grey pollinosity; with 1 pair of long, yellowish, inclinate verticals; upper part of occiput with numerous moderately long, yellowish bristly hairs becoming longer and whitish on lower part. Ocellar tubercle greyish pollinose, with long (as long as verticals) anterior and minute posterior setae. Frons narrow, mostly parallel-sided, somewhat broadened before ocellar tubercle, densely greyish pollinose. Face narrow, with dense silvery pollinosity, slightly widening below; clypeus with silvery pollinosity. Antenna largely reddish-yellow, only postpedicel darkened apically; postpedicel conical, nearly 2.3X longer than wide; stylus black, short pubescent, about 1.3X longer than postpedicel. Gena very narrow and shiny. Proboscis dark brown, long, 2/3rds as long as head is high. Palpus yellowish, large, oval, whitish pubescent, with 2–3 very long, whitish bristly hairs apically.

Thorax with mesonotum densely golden grey dusted; pleura with dense silvery grey pollinosity; with yellowish bristles; katepisternum with polished black patch occupying about 1/3 of sclerite. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long and several short setae. Mesonotum with 3 long notopleurals, 2 postalars (1 longer) and 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate, lateral pair short); acrostichals moderately long, arranged in 2 almost regular rows, not divergent; dorsocentrals irregularly 2–3-serial, somewhat longer than acrostichals, 2 prescutellar pairs long; additionally, numerous setulae present just behind postpronotal lobe, on notopleuron and supra-alar area.

Legs almost entirely yellow, only tarsomere 5 of all legs brown on apical half. Fore femur strongly thickened, with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of long bristly hairs becoming longer towards base. Fore tibia slightly thickened, clothed in moderately long, pale hair-like setae, with several short, brownish-yellow setae dorsally. Mid femur slightly stouter than fore femur, with double row of short black spines ventrally and row of moderately long, yellow posteroventral bristles. Mid tibia slender, with row of black ventral spinules; apical spur long, pointed, black apically. Hind legs long and slender, covered with ordinary setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing slightly yellowish, with yellowish veins. Costal bristle long, yellowish. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 convergent near wing margin, M1+2 slightly bowed on apical part; CuA2 slightly recurrent. Crossveins m-cu and r-m somewhat separated. Calypter yellow, with yellow setae. Halter yellow.

Abdomen black, shiny; anterior two tergites with small lateral patches of greyish pollinosity; covered with numerous long, pale yellow hair-like setae; sternite 8 with longer posteromarginal setae. Terminalia ( Figs 1–3 ) moderately large, subglobular, shiny black; cerci ( Fig. 2 ): right cercus short, expanded apically (dorsal view), covered with short ordinary setae; left cercus digitiform, parallel-sided (dorsal view), narrowed apically, nearly twice as long as right cercus, covered with short ordinary setae, without apical hook and ventral bulge (lateral view); right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 1 ) elongate oval (lateral view), with row of several long subapical setae; right surstylus short, with some short ordinary setae; left epandrial lamella ( Fig. 3 ) rather elongate oval, rounded apically, with some projection on lower margin closer to base bearing very long, pale yellow curved setae, with some short ordinary setae along upper margin on subapical part.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the area of its origin, the mountain Akhun.

Distribution. Russia (Krasnodarskiy Territory).

Remarks. The new species is closely related to P. longiseta (Zetterstedt) and P. pallidiventris (Meigen) . Platypalpus longiseta differs by the postpedicel being only a little yellowish at base and dilated and spindle-shaped fore tibia; P. pallidiventris has a completely black postpedicel and annulated black tarsi. In P. akhunensis sp. nov., the postpedicel is pale yellow on basal half, tarsal segments (except for apical tarsomere) are yellow and the fore tibia is rather slender.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Platypalpus akhunensis sp. nov., male. 1, right epandrial lamella and surstylus, ventral view; 2, epandrium and cerci, dorsal view; 3, left cercus and left epandrial lamella, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: cerc—cercus, lft epand—left epandrial lamella, rt epand—right epandrial lamella, rt sur—right surstylus.

FIGURES 23 – 27. Habitus of males of Platypalpus, lateral view. 23, Platypalpus akhunensis sp. nov; 24, Platypalpus lantsovi sp. nov.; 25, Platypalpus pseudosilvahumidus sp. nov.; 26, Platypalpus subcaucasicus sp. nov.; 27, Platypalpus teberdaensis sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.