Tephrochlamys variegata, Zeng & Ma & Yang, 2024

Zeng, Wei, Ma, Fangzhou & Yang, Ding, 2024, Three new species of Tephrochlamys Loew (Diptera: Heleomyzidae: Heteromyzinae) from Oriental China, with a key to the Oriental species, Zootaxa 5493 (5), pp. 577-589 : 582-584

Tephrochlamys variegata sp. nov.

( Figs. 20–27 )

Diagnosis. Anterior fronto-orbital points straight forward. Pedicel with single row of dense black ventroapical setae. Dorsal side of first flagellomere flat (visible in lateral view). Scutum with one pair of dark brown stripes in middle and two pairs of dark brown stripes on each side. Crossveins r-m and dm-m with slightly brownish dark markings on the membrane, crossvein CuA, CuA+CuP and bm-m with variegated yellow brown patterns on the veins. Calypter and alula nearly hyaline, with brownish yellow hairs. Fore and hind femora slightly thickened.

Description. Female. Body length 6.7 mm, wing length 6.9 mm [Holotype ♀].

Head ( Figs. 22–23 ) brownish yellow with pale pruinesence; ocellar triangle brown, frons brownish orange without conspicuous dark marking, front half paler than posterior one, occiput almost brown; gena almost yellowish white, but posteriorly slightly brownish yellow. Eyes brownish orange. Hairs and setae on head dark brown. 2 fronto-orbital setae, anterior one point forward straightly and 0.68 times as long as posterior one. Gena with 5 irregular postgenal setae. Antenna brownish orange, scape with black short setae dorsoapically; pedicel with 1 black dorsoapical seta and single row of dense black ventroapical setae. First flagellomere long and oval, with brownish yellow velvet, 0.33 times as long as head height, dorsal side of first flagellomere flat (visible in lateral view); arista pubescent, brownish yellow with pale yellow base segment, 2.84 times longer than first flagellomere. Proboscis brownish yellow, with dark brown vibrissa and short and thin sub-vibrissa; hairs on proboscis pale grey; palpus brownish yellow, with four pairs of apical and subapical setae nearly same in length.

Thorax ( Fig. 21 ) dark brown, mesonotum with pale grey pruinesence; scutellum brownish yellow with dark brown margin. Scutum with one pair of dark brown stripes in middle discontinuously near 2 nd dorsocentral seta and two pairs of short stripes on each side. Hairs and setae on thorax dark brown. Postpronotum with one pair of setae. 1 well developed postpronotal seta and more than 10 short setae; 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae missing due to damage, 1 st dorsocentral seta closer to 2 nd than to suture, with 6 somewhat irregular rows of acrostichal setae between them; katepisternum and propleuron each with 1 seta, katepisternum with 1 row of short setae. A pair of prescutellar setae. Scutellum yellowish brown, with dark brown margin, rounded apically, with two pairs of scutellar setae.

Wing ( Fig. 24 ) nearly hyaline, slightly brownish; veins brownish yellow, crossveins r-m and dm-m with slightly brownish dark markings on the membrane, CuA, CuA+CuP and bm-m with variegated yellow brown patterns on the veins; costal spines inconspicuous. Calypter and alula nearly hyaline, with brownish yellow hairs. Halter whitish yellow.

Legs predominantly light yellow. Fore femur brownish yellow except apex yellowish, mid femur subapically tinged with paler yellow brownish, hind femur subapically tinged with brownish yellow ventrally; tibiae pale brownish yellow, all tibiae and tarsi darkened towards apex except mid tibia. Hairs and setae on legs dark brown. Fore and hind femora slightly thickened. Fore femur with a row of 7–8 long posterodorsal setae, without anteroventral seta.

Abdomen dark brownish dorsally. Hairs and setae on abdomen dark brown. Tergites 2–5 with a row of longer setae at posterior margin.

Female terminalia: Tergite IX ( Figs. 25–26 ) with 2 short setae. Cerci ( Figs. 25–26 ) brownish, symmetrical, separated, rounded and slightly taper at apex, with sparse hairy and several long brown setae at apex. Two spermathecae, dark brown and well sclerotized ( Fig. 27 ), one of them gourd-shaped, while the other arranged in triangular shape resembling Mickey Mouse's head, with smaller bottom sphere and bulging middle part; spermathecal ducts colorless, transparent, or slightly tinged with pale brown.

Male. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype ♀, Fujian, Wuyishan, Fenshuiguan [27°55'32.16"N, 117°50'47.04"E], 695 m, 2022. VI. 29, Lingfei Peng (Malaise trap) ( CAU).

Distribution. China (Fujian).

Remarks. The new species resembles the Oriental and Holarctic species T. rufiventris ( Meigen, 1830) . However, it can be distinguished by the following characteristics: (1) The anterior fronto-orbital setae point straight forward (while the anterior pair points nearly vertically upward from the frons in T. rufiventris ); (2) the crossvein CuA, CuA+CuP and bm-m with variegated yellow-brown patterns on the veins (while in T. rufiventris , they exhibit a uniform coloration); (3) the abdomen is yellowish brown (while in T. rufiventris , it is yellow).

Etymology. The specific name refers to the CuA, CuA+CuP and bm-m with variegated yellow brown patterns on the veins.

Figures

FIGURES 20–24. Tephrochlamys variegata sp. nov., female. Habitus, lateral view (20). Mesoscutum, dorsal view (21). Head, lateral view (22) and dorsal view (23). Wing (24). Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 25–27. Tephrochlamys variegata sp. nov., female postabdomen. Female terminalia in dorsal (25) and ventral (26) view. Spermatheca (27). Abbreviations: see Material and methods.