Pseudolycoriella kaikoura, Köhler, 2019

Köhler, Arne, 2019, The genus Pseudolycoriella Menzel & Mohrig, 1998 (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Zealand, Zootaxa 4707 (1), pp. 1-69 : 14-16

Pseudolycoriella kaikoura sp. n.

( Fig. 11 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F587D109-BD83-490F-921F-E515D4356B80

Material studied. Holotype male. New Zealand, South Island , Kaikoura , Waiau, Pillona, altitude 400 m, Kunzea ericoides over water supply seepage, Malaise trap, 26.12.2000 – 12.01.2001, leg. P.M. Johns ( NZAC, SDEI-Dipt- 0000500) . Paratype. 1♂ same locality and same date as holotype ( SDEI, SDEI-Dipt-0000501) .

Description. Male. Head. Head capsule brown. Eye bridge two to three facets wide. Antennae light brown, without any contrast between scape, pedicel and flagellum; fourth flagellomere 1.8–1.9 times longer than wide; necks of flagellomeres well differentiated; surface of flagellomeres rough with deep pits, sensilla of two different lengths; setae on the flagellomere as long as flagellomere width. Maxillary palp pale with three palpomeres, first one longest, second and third short and of same length, first palpomere with two to four bristles; patch of sensilla on first palpomere not conspicuous. Prefrons and clypeus bulging. Thorax pale brown. Posterior pronotum bare. Anterior pronotum with three to five setae. Episternum 1 with four to seven setae. Mesonotum with three long lateral bristles and several small ones. Scutellum with four robust bristles and several smaller setae. Katepisternum as long as high, distal part slightly darker than proximal part. Wing. Length 2.0 mm; width/length ratio 0.35. Membrane transparent and without macrotrichia, anal area present; all posterior veins distinct; r-m and bM without macrotrichia; R 5 with macrotrichia on dorsal side only (the paratype bears two additional macrotrichia at ventral side of R 5 apex); R 1 approximately 0.7–0.8 times as long as R; c/w ratio 0.7; r-m as long as bM. Haltere brownish; with a short shaft; head of haltere longer than shaft. Legs yellowish brown. Tibial organ surrounded by a circular border and as wide as half width of tibial apex; bristles of tibial organ arranged in an irregular row. Front tibia with one robust bristle among vestiture. Mid tibia with one slightly robust bristle. Hind tibia with a posteriodorsal row of eight robust bristles, comprising apical two-thirds of tibia, additional robust bristles on the ventral and posterior sides. All tibial spurs equal in length. Claws with teeth. Abdomen pale brown, slightly paler than thorax. Hypopygium ( Fig. 11 ). Gonocoxites wider than long, inner side of gonocoxites with short setae, outer side with long hairs; ventral, inner side of gonocoxites v-shaped and basally widely separated; apicolaterally strongly incised. Gonostylus two times longer than wide; with a prominent edge in the middle of the inner side, one spine and one long whip-lash hair subapically, apex with a dense vestiture of robust setae. Tegmen apical roundish, lateral parts sclerotized; parameral apodeme very robust. Area of teeth with approximately ten tiny teeth. Ejaculatory apodeme short and dark; base distinct, vshaped. Posterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme long, brown, widely separated, and medially connected. Anterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme long and dark brown.

Body size: 2.0 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Genetic distances. Only one specimen was successfully sequenced. The nearest neighbour is Psl. sp. I, diverging by a minimum of 4.86%. For the 28S sequence the nearest neighbour is Psl. horribilis , diverging by a minimum of 0.25%.

Etymology. The newly described species is named after the Kaikoura peninsula, where both specimens were caught.

Distribution. New Zealand.

Discussion. The reduction to one gonostylar spine—as in this new species—is an infrequent character state among the species of Pseudolycoriella . Outside of New Zealand only a few species are known to have such a reduction: Pseudolycoriella curviseta Mohrig, Psl. defluviata Rudzinski, Psl. japonensis (Mohrig & Menzel), Psl. patronata Rudzinski, Psl. pollicis (Pettey) [for this species Mohrig et al. (2013) stated two narrow subequal spines, while Mohrig & Kauschke (2019) only gave one spine], Psl. pugionata Rudzinski, Psl. microcteniuni (Yang & Zhang), Psl. morenae (Strobl), Psl. pendleburyi (Edwards), Psl. semialata (Edwards), and Psl. subbruckii (Mohrig & Hövemeyer). None of these species has a prominent edge in the middle of the inner side of the gonostylus. Therefore, confusion with Psl. kaikoura can be excluded. Among the New Zealand representatives of the genus the species of the Psl. jejuna complex also bear only one spine on the gonostylus. Nevertheless, Psl. kaikoura can easily be distinguished from them by its uniquely shaped gonostylus and its different tegmen structure. Pseudolycoriella kaikoura can be assigned to the Psl. bruckii group.

Figures

FIGURES 10–11. Pseudolycoriella bruckii group, hypopygia. 10. Pseudolycoriella cavatica (Skuse). 11. Pseudolycoriella kaikoura sp. n. Abbreviations: aga = anterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme; pa = parameral apodeme; pga = posterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme.