Pseudolycoriella nahenahe, Köhler, 2019

Köhler, Arne, 2019, The genus Pseudolycoriella Menzel & Mohrig, 1998 (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Zealand, Zootaxa 4707 (1), pp. 1-69 : 47

Pseudolycoriella nahenahe sp. n.

( Fig. 40 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B0518863-0580-4308-B7E2-61F10B824DB8

Material studied. Holotype male. New Zealand: Coromandel , Wharekawa Redwood Picnic Area near Opoutere, redwood plantation with pines and tree fern, sweep net, 09.02.2002, leg. M. Jaschhof ( NZAC).

Description. Male. Head. Head capsule brown. Eye bridge four facets wide, two facets at margin. Scape and pedicel pale, contrasting with the brown flagellum; fourth flagellomere 2.5 times longer than wide; necks of flagellomeres well differentiated; surface of flagellomeres rough with deep pits, sensilla of two different lengths, small ones and longer, curved sensilla; setae as long as a flagellomere’s width, slightly curved. Maxillary palp long and three-segmented, first palpomere is the longest, the second shortest; first palpomere with long sensilla and three long bristles. Prefrons and clypeus bulging. Thorax brown, with frontal and lateral pale brown patches. Posterior pronotum bare. Anterior pronotum with three setae. Episternum 1 with six setae. Mesonotum with five robust lateral bristles. Scutellum with four robust bristles and several minor setae. Longer and shorter dorsocentral bristles forming a complete row on the mesonotum. Katepisternum as long as high. Wing. Length 2.2 mm; width/length ratio 0.37. Membrane transparent and without macrotrichia, anal area present; all posterior veins distinct, except faint stem of M, apical two-thirds of R 5 with macrotrichia on ventral and dorsal side; bM and r-m bare; R 1 0.7 times as long as R; c/w ratio 0.71; r-m 1.2 as long as bM. Haltere brownish; shaft of haltere slightly longer than knob. Legs pale brown, slightly paler than thorax, mid and hind coxae concolourous with thorax. Tibial organ surrounded by a circular border and slightly wider than half of the width of the tibial apex; tibial organ consists of an irregular row of bristles. Front tibia without robust bristles among the vestiture. Mid tibia with one robust bristle among vestiture. Posteriodorsal row of bristles inconspicuous, consisting of three to five bristles. All tibial spurs equal in length. Claws with robust teeth. Abdomen concolourous with thorax, with long, dark setae. Hypopygium. ( Fig. 40 ) Gonocoxites wider than long, inner side of gonocoxites with medium sized setae, outer side with long setae; ventral, inner side of gonocoxites basally separated. Gonostylus elongated, 2.6 times longer than wide, apex globular and slightly curved inwards, inner side tumid, apical cavity small; one spine and one whip-lash hair present. Tegmen of the typical ground plan of the Psl. jejuna complex, onion-shaped but elongated; parameral apodeme basally strongly sclerotized, medially connected. Area of teeth absent. Ejaculatory apodeme pale, narrow and short; base of ejaculatory apodeme not present. Posterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme long and brown, medially joined by a slender bridge. Anterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme long and dark brown.

Body size: 2.2 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Genetic distances. No genetic data available.

Etymology. The Māori adjective nahenahe —meaning being separate, alone etc.—was chosen as epithet, indicating that only one specimen of this newly described species was available.

Distribution. New Zealand.

Discussion. Due to the slender ejaculatory apodeme and the tumid gonostylus Psl. nahenahe is similar to Psl. sudhausi, Psl. porotaka , and Psl. whena . Among these species Psl. nahenahe can be distinguished by a combination of a small body size (2.2 mm) and a low length-width index of the fourth flagellomere. Both Pseudolycoriella sudhausi and Psl. whena have a fourth flagellomere with a length-width index greater than 2.8, while Psl. porotaka has a similar low index of the fourth flagellomere, but has a body size of more than 2.8 mm.

Figures

FIGURES 37–42. Pseudolycoriella jejuna complex, hypopygia. 37. Pseudolycoriella sudhausi sp. n. 38. Pseudolycoriella whena sp. n. 39. Pseudolycoriella porotaka sp. n. 40. Pseudolycoriella nahenahe sp. n. 41. Pseudolycoriella raki sp. n. 42. Pseudolycoriella dagae sp. n. Abbreviation: ba = basal angle.