Dinera alticola, Zhang & Shima, 2006

Zhang, Chun-Tian & Shima, Hiroshi, 2006, A systematic study of the genus Dinera Robineau-Desvoidy from the Palaearctic and Oriental regions (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 1243 (1243), pp. 1-60 : 10-13

Dinera alticola sp. nov.

Figs. 1–4

Diagnosis

Slender and small dark brownish species, thoracic dorsum with 3 broad dark vittae, 1+1 ac, 2+3 dc, basicosta and calypter brown, costal spine undeveloped, abdominal

syntergite 1+2 excavated only on basal 1/2, without median marginal setae.

Body length 4.7–6.2 mm.

Description

Male. Head black in ground color, gena brown, with grayish brown pruinosity; frontal vitta and lunule brown; antenna, arista and palpus dark brown. Frons narrowest at anterior margin of ocellar triangle, 1/10–1/12 head width; frontal vitta about twice as wide as fronto­orbital plate at middle, distinctly widened anteriorly; parafacial slightly widened below, 1.8–2 as wide as flagellomere 1 at middle height; facial carina high and arched in lateral view, rather flattened on anterior surface; lower margin of face protruding forward; gena about 0.55 eye height. Inner vertical seta fine, 0.3–0.4 eye height; outer vertical seta indistinct; ocellar seta about 0.6 eye height, as strong as longest frontal seta; 8–9 inclinate frontal setae, several strong hairs present among them; fronto­orbital plate bare outside row of frontal setae; parafacial bare; vibrissa inserted above lower margin of face by about length of pedicel; occiput mainly with black hairs, pale brownish pile confined on lower middle portion. Antenna falling short of lower margin of face by about 1/2 length of flagellomere 1; base of antenna nearly level with lower 2/5 eye height; flagellomere 1 about 2.5 times as long as pedicel; arista including plumosity about as wide as flagellomere 1. Prementum about 2/3 as long as eye height; palpus 1.3 times as long as flagellomere 1.

Thorax black in ground color, with light grayish brown pruinosity on postpronotal lobe and postalar callus, intra­alar region, 3 broad dark brown longitudinal vittae distinct on dorsum, narrow pale brownish pruinosity present between the vittae; median vitta twice as wide as lateral vitta on presutural area of scutum and anterior 3/5 portion of postsutural scutum, then the vitta narrowed to 1/3 width on posterior 2/5 due to development of lateral pruinose vittae; scutellum dark brown except for light grayish brown anterolateral portion. Postpronotal lobe with 2–3 setae; 1+1 ac; 2+3 dc; 0+2 ia; 0+3 sa; 2+1 katepisternal setae, occasionally 1+1; scutellum with strong apical scutellar seta, about 1.5 times as long as scutellum, only slightly shorter than basal and subapical seta. Wing hyaline, evenly and rather distinctly tinged with brown; tegula black, basicosta brown; calypter brown. Costal spine absent; base of vein R 4+5 with 3–4 hairs on dorsal and ventral surfaces. Relative length of second, third and fourth sections of costa approximately as 2:5:2.5; vein M from dm­cu crossvein to its bend 1.3–1.5 times as long as distance between the bend and wing margin; bend of vein M angled; cell r 4+5 narrowly open. Legs black, pulvilli pale brownish yellow. Fore tibia with 2 submedian p; mid tibia with 2 ad, 2 pd and 1 v, a submedian d sometimes present; hind tibia with 2 av, 3–7 ad of irregular lengths and 2–3 pd, an apical pv present.

Abdomen long ovate, black in ground color, with yellowish gray pruinosity on anterolateral portions of tergites 3 and 4 and anterior 2/3 of tergite 5; median to posterior portion of tergites 3 and 4 broadly and triangularly dark brown to black. Hairs on abdomen rather dense on anterior tergites and becoming sparser posteriorly, sparse long and erect on tergite 5; syntergite 1+2 only excavated to basal half, without median marginal seta, with 1 lateral marginal seta on each side; tergite 3 with 2 median marginal and 1 lateral marginal setae; tergites 4 and 5 each with a row of marginal setae; discal seta absent on intermediate tergites, but hairs on posterolateral portions of tergites 4 and 5 rather strong and bristlelike. Sternite 5 weakly narrowed anteriorly, V­shaped median cleft deep and wide, posterior lobe rounded at apex. Male terminalia. Cerci wide on basal 1/2 and strongly narrowed on apical 1/ 2 in dorsal view, in lateral view curved ventrally, not extending beyond apex of surstylus; surstylus wide and rounded at apex, with dense long hairs inside and outside; postgonite slightly shorter than basiphallus; distiphallus long and slender, with spinules on membranous ventral surface, membranous apical part about 1.5 times as long as sclerotized basal part; ejaculatory apodeme small and short.

Female. Palpi reddish brown to dark brown; body with yellowish brown pruinosity; more light­colored than in male; vertex about 0.37 head width, parafacial about 3 times as wide as flagellomere 1; gena about 2/3 eye height; outer vertical seta distinct, about 1/2 time as long as inner vertical seta; 7 inclinate frontal setae, 2 proclinate orbital setae present; calypters pale brownish; wing more lightly tinged; abdomen ovate. Claw and pulvillus shorter than tarsomere 5.

Type material

Holotype ♂, NEPAL, Topke Gola , 3700 m, 27º38’N, 87º35’, 8.vii.1972, J. Emoto ( BLKU) . Paratypes NEPAL. 1 male, 5 females, same data as holotype ; 2 males, NE. Thudam , 4000 m, 25.vi.1972, H. Shima , 1 female, Y. Nishida; 1 male, 1 female, Thudam , 3500 m, 28.vi.1972 , 1 female, Basantapur , 2300 m, 27º07’N, 87º24’E, 27.iv.1972, Malaise trap ( BLKU) .

Etymology

Latin adjective altus (= high) plus noun colus (= live) indicates the habitat of this species.

Remarks

This species is similar in appearance to D. grisescens , but is darker in body color and the male frons is narrower.