Meoneura nigrohalterata, Papp, 2013

Papp, L., 2013, New Species And Records Of Meoneura Rondani, 1856 From The Old World Tropics (Diptera, Carnidae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 59 (3), pp. 213-227 : 223-225

Meoneura nigrohalterata sp. n.

( Figs 30–33 )

Holotype male ( BMSA): Namibia, Brandberg , Wassarfallfläche, 21°10’48’’S 14°33’11’’E, 20.iii.2001, A. H. Kirk-Spriggs. Klipspringer dung.

Paratypes: 5 males ( BMSA, 1 m HNHM): same data as for the holotype ; 1 male ( BMSA): ibid., Mason Shelter , 21°04’39’’S 14°05’43’’E, 09.iii.2002, 1750 m . 1 female ( BMSA): ibid., Mason Shelter , 21°04’39’’S 14°05’43’’E, 05–14.iii.2002, 1750 m, A. H. Kirk-Spriggs & E. Marais, Malaise trap riverbed ; 1 female ( BMSA): ibid., Lüderitz district, Klinghardt Mnts , at: 27°20’04’’S 15°46’00’’E, 27.viii.–3.ix.1998, A. H. Kirk-Spriggs & E. Marais, Malaise trap sample . 1 female ( HNHM): RSA, Eastern Cape Prov., Shamwari Game Reserve, on elephant dung, Jan 11, GPS10, 33°24’47.0’’S 26°05’45.0’’E, 301 m, No. 14; L. Papp & M. Földvári .

Measurements in mm: body length 1.24 (holotype) 1.06–1.35 (paratypes), wing length

1.04 (holotype), 1.07–1.27 (paratypes), wing width 0.44 (holotype), 0.43–0.52.

All body shiny black, microtrichia (tomentum) dark and sparse.

Frontal triangle black shiny, extended to 2/5 of the distance of anterior ocellus to frontal margin, anterior 1/3 of frons dirty yellow, this colour continued laterally to frontal triangle. Palpus slightly longer than flagellomere. Anterior genal setae short and thick, view, 33 = postgonite, lateral view. Scales: 0.2 mm for Fig. 26 , 0.1 mm for Figs 27–33 .

0.055–0.06 mm, medial one slightly more than half as long, lower genal seta comparatively strong upcurved, 0.07 mm. Mostly only 1 more posterior longer genal seta present. Eye 0.21 × 0.155 mm. Gena at lowest point of eye 0.08 mm. Arista 0.14–0.15 mm long with very fine pilosity.

Prescutellar acrostichal pair only 0.05–0.055 mm long, longest anepisternal seta 0.10 mm, longest katepisternal 0.09 mm.

Legs all black. Fore femur with 2 long posteroventral setae.

Wing membrane light yellowish (whitish), veins yellow. Knob of haltere black (actu- ally graphite grey), stalk in the same colour.

Epandrium with a pair of long dorsal setae, 0.11–0.12 mm. Subepandrial sclerite ( Fig. 30 ) broad but not reaching most ventral part of epandrium in caudal view. Epandrium 0.075 mm long, longest caudal seta 0.07 –0.08 mm long but epandrial setae comparatively thick. Anal aperture of epandrium rather large, subcercal part with 2 pairs of short setae. Cercus rather thinly sclerotised. Surstylus ( Figs 31–32 ) large and simple, i.e. broad without an apex; surstylar setae are short both on lateral and medial surfaces. No lamella developed at all. Postgonite ( Fig. 33 ) longer than its basal width, apical part broadly rounded with a small anteriorly curved and not sharp apex.

Etymology. The specific epithet of the new species refers to its black haltere.

Meoneura nigrohalterata sp. n. is an easily recognisable species. There are but a few species of Meoneura with dark haltere (see Hennig 1937, SAbrosky 1959). Those two Nearctic species, M. nigrifrons Malloch, 1915 and M. wirthi Sabrosky, 1959 , as well as two Palaearctic species, M. elongella (Zetterstedt, 1838) and M. perlamellata Hennig, 1937 are not related at all (see SAbrosky 1959: figs 9–10, Hennig 1937: textfig. 70). There is a third species, M. alpina Hennig, 1948 (= M. ungulata Carles-Tolrá et Ventura, 2002 , synonymy by Stuke, 2009), where “Haltere brown”, but its male genitalia are definitely different (CArles- Tolrá & VenturA 2002: fig. 3). This is the first species of this kind in the Afrotropical region. The surstylus of the new species resembles to that of M. scutellata Deeming, 1976 but contrarily to M. scutellata , its antenna is dark and the knob of haltere in M. scutellata is white.

Figures

Figs 26–33. Meoneura species, male genitalia. 26–29 = M. biseta Deeming, male terminalia: 26 = abdominal sternites 3 to 5, ventral view, 27 = left surstylus in broadest extension, a sublateral, slightly subventral view, 28 = epandrium, basal part of hypandrium, right surstylus and contours of subepandrial sclerite laterally, 29 = postgonite in broadest extension (a sublateral view). 30–33 = M. nigrohalterata sp. n., paratype male: 30 = contours of epandrium, cerci and subepandrial sclerite, caudal view (subepandrial sclerite dashed, epandrial setae omitted), 31 = surstylus in broadest extension, sublateral view, 32 = same, inner (medial)