Pseudolycoriella robustotegmenta, Köhler, 2019

Köhler, Arne, 2019, The genus Pseudolycoriella Menzel & Mohrig, 1998 (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Zealand, Zootaxa 4707 (1), pp. 1-69 : 54-55

Pseudolycoriella robustotegmenta sp. n.

( Figs 7 & 54 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:NomenclaturalActs/ 3346FE28-2271-4E55-8DB1-4CA3ED714633

Material studied. Holotype male. New Zealand: North Island , Bay of Plenty , Katikati, Uretara mangrove area, Malaise trap, 04.09– 22.10.2016, leg. P.A. Maddison ( NZAC, SDEI-Dipt-0001358) . Paratype. 1♂, North Island , Bay of Plenty , Katikati, Te Mania catchment, Malaise trap, 19.09– 27.10.2016, leg. P.A. Maddison ( SDEI, SDEI- Dipt-0001371) .

Description. Male. Head ( Fig. 7 ) brown; eye bridge two to three facets wide. Flagellomeres brown, concolourous with scape and pedicel; fourth flagellomere 2.7–2.9 times as long as wide; necks of flagellomeres differentiated; surface of flagellomeres rough with deep pits; sensilla of two different lengths present; setae sparse, approximately as long as flagellomere width, bases of setae with coronas. Prefrons and clypeus moderately bulging. Maxillary palp three-segmented; first palpomere longest, third longer than second; first palpomere with three to four bristles and an inconspicuous patch of sensilla; first and second palpomere each with one longer bristle. Thorax brown, laterally brighter. Posterior pronotum bare. Anterior pronotum with four to seven bristles. Episternum 1 with five to six bristles. Mesonotum with five longer lateral bristles; row of dorsocentral bristles present. Scutellum with two robust and some shorter bristles. Katepisternum brown, basally slightly brightened; as long as high. Wing. Length 2.0– 2.2 mm; width/length ratio 0.37–0.38. Membrane transparent and without macrotrichia, anal area present; all posterior veins distinct, all without macrotrichia; apical fourth of R 5 with five to six additional macrotrichia on ventral side; bM bare; r-m with one macrotrichium (exceptionally the left wing of the holotype shows two macrotrichia on r-m); R 1 short, 0.55–0.57 times as long as R; M-fork shorter than M stem; c/w ratio 0.68–0.70; r-m 0.8 times as long as bM. Haltere pale brown. Legs pale brown; coxal bristles dark; trochanter darkened. Fore tibia with one robust bristle among the vestiture; tibial organ comprising more than half of the tibial apex, consisting of a patch of bristles surrounded by a robust circular border. Mid tibia with two anterioventral and two posterioventral robust bristles among the vestiture. Hind tibia with several robust bristles on anterioventral, posterior and posterioventral sides and a longitudinal row of robust bristles, which extends along four fifths of the tibial length. Basal tarsomere of all legs with conspicuous robust bristles. All tibial spurs equal in length. Claws with one robust tooth and several minor teeth. Abdomen. Pale brown, with long dark bristles. Hypopygium ( Fig. 54 ) brown. Gonocoxites wider than long, ventrally not fused, without a basal lobe of bristles. Gonostylus long and evenly curved, 2.8–3.1 times longer than wide; apically with dense setae and a group of approximately four to five spines; subapically with two to three medium-sized whip-lash hairs; inner base of gonostylus with an angle. Tegmen strongly sclerotized, wider than long, base very strongly sclerotized with long parameral apodeme; lateral margin of tegmen with a broad sclerotized edge; laterally scattered with several small teeth; sclerotized edge interrupted apically; dorsal structures well developed, reaching apex of the tegmen. Area of teeth with ten to twenty conspicuous teeth. Ejaculatory apodeme medium-sized, broad, and very dark, with a broad, u-shaped base. Posterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme broad and brown. Anterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme broad and short.

Body size: 2.2–2.3 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Genetic distances. Both available COI sequences are identical and do not show any p-distances. The nearest neighbour is Psl. gonotegmenta , diverging by a minimum of 0.61%. Both available 28S sequence are identical and do not show any differences to those of Psl. frederickedwardsi, Psl. gonotegmenta, Psl. huttoni, Psl. jaschhofi, Psl. macrotegmenta, Psl. plicitegmenta, Psl. subtilitegmenta, Psl. tonnoiri , and Psl. wernermohrigi .

Etymology. The name of the newly described species is composed of the two Latin words robustus (robust) and tegmen (cover; technical term for a part of the sciarid hypopygium).

Distribution. New Zealand.

Discussion. Pseudolycoriella robustotegmenta can be distinguished from the remaining species of this complex by the strongly developed margin of the tegmen, robust dorsal structures on the tegmen reaching the apex, and the base of vein M longer than the M-fork.

Figures

FIGURE 54. Pseudolycoriella robustotegmenta sp. n., hypopygium.

FIGURES 1–9. Various body parts of Pseudolycoriella spp., in lateral view. 1. Pseudolycoriella dagae sp. n., fourth flagellomere. 2. Pseudolycoriella jejunella sp. n., fourth flagellomere. 3. Pseudolycoriella aotearoa sp. n., fourth flagellomere. 4. Pseudolycoriella bispina Mohrig, fourth flagellomere. 5. Pseudolycoriella puhihi sp. n., fourth flagellomere. 6. Pseudolycoriella jejunella sp. n., palp. 7. Pseudolycoriella robustotegmenta sp. n., head. 8. Pseudolycoriella jejunella sp. n., tibial organ. 9. Pseudolycoriella hauta sp. n., wing. Abbreviations: aa = anal area; bM = base of the medial vein; c = distance between intersection of vein R5 and radial vein and the end of costal vein; CuA1/CuA2 = first and second branch of the anterior branch of the cubital vein; M1/M2 = first and second branch of the medial vein (“M-fork”); R = radial vein; R1/R5 = first and fifth branch of the radial vein; r-m = crossvein between radial and median veins; w = distance between intersection of vein R5 and radial vein and intersection of vein M1 and wing margin.