Anthomyza, Fallen, 1810

Roháček, Jindřich, 2020, Anthomyzidae (Diptera) of Taiwan: new species but no new records, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 60 (1), pp. 269-290 : 287

Anthomyza sp. nov. (2) near flavosterna

Material examined. TAIWAN: Nantou [County]: Hsini Patungkuan [=Batongguan, Xinyi Township], sweeping, 13.–15.vi.1989, 2 2 ♀♀, K. W. Huang leg. ( NMNS, all heavily damaged, 1 1 ♀ genit. prep., 1 ♀ with wings lost).

Diagnosis. Small species (body length ca. 2.2–2.4 mm, wings not measurable) differing from all relatives by lighter body colouration. It most closely resembles A. flavosterna but differs from it as follows: head largely yellow; thorax with brown (not dark-brown) mesonotum; pleural part of thorax only dorsally pale brown, ventrally yellow; also abdomen dorsally pale brown; head yellow to pale yellow including most of frons, only occiput (above foramen) brown and frontal triangle pale brown; frontal triangle short and broad (reaching middle of frons); thorax sparsely light-grey microtomentose, subshiny; pleuron yellow ventrally (including sternopleuron and hypopleuron) but also ventral part of propleuron and mesopleuron ochreous, rest of pleuron pale brown. Male genitalia most closely resembling those of A. flavosterna but gonostylus with both anterior (proximally) and posterior (more distally) margins convex, distinctly tapered towards the apex which is subacute and ending in 2 denticles; anterodorsal third of gonostylus lacking micropubescence; posterior part of postgonite less projecting and with only 2 setae; filum of distiphallus wider proximally and less dilated distally but terminally similar to that of A. flavosterna in having an acute (but more slender) tooth and the usual, long, slender, sinuously curved and apically pointed projection. Female postabdomen also most similar to that of A. flavosterna but differing as follows: all sclerites distinctly paler; T7+S7 longer and its tergal part brown (darkest abdominal sclerite); original S7 membranous and unpigmented, distinctly wider and almost parallel-sided (not tapered anteriorly); spermathecae longer, elongately pyriform (as in A. caesarea ) but relatively large, with more densely transversely striated surface in the wider distal half and with well-developed, dark-pigmented cervix. Ventral receptacle similar to that of A. flavosterna but with the dilated hyaline middle part distinctly longer, the narrowed distal part also longer with apex simply twisted. Cercus similarly shaped to that of A. flavosterna but pale-pigmented.

Discussion. This new species also remains unnamed and undescribed because the specimens are very damaged. It seems to be most closely allied to A. flavosterna (more closely than is A. sp. nov. (1) near flavosterna treated above) judging from the formation of the terminal part of the filum of the distiphallus (having an acute tooth in addition to a long projection) in the male genitalia and the construction of the ventral receptacle in the female terminalia. However, it can be easily distinguished from A. flavosterna and all other relatives by the strikingly pale colouring of the head, thorax and abdomen. This species will be described in full when additional, well-preserved material becomes available.

Biology. Unknown. The four known specimens were swept in June.

Distribution. Taiwan: Nantou County.