Silba bambusae, Introduction & Fallén & Morge, 2007

Introduction, Iain, Fallén, Lonchaea & Morge, Setisquamalonchaea, 2007, New pecies of Lonchaeidae (Diptera: Schizophora) from Asia, Zootaxa 1631, pp. 1-32 : 15

Silba bambusae sp. nov.

Description: Holotype male: Head: Eyes bare. Frons narrowing gradually from ocellar triangle to just above the level of the antennal bases where it is approximately half eye width, with very short frontal and interfrontal setulae no more than one sixth length of orbital setae. Orbital plates shining and bare of setulae. Lunule bearing six setulae, dark brown ground colour covered with moderately dense silver dusting. Face and parafacials moderately silver dusted. Anterior genal setulae in a single row of six to eight along the mouth margin, the anterior ones very short but becoming stronger posteriorly, the posterior two or three being the strongest setulae on the genae, but not greatly stronger or longer than the others. Second antennal segment slightly silvered dorsally. Antennal flagellomere entirelly black, two and a half times as long as deep. Arista yellow basally, with plumosity at its greatest extent just more than the depth of antennal flagellomere.

Thorax: Disc shining black apart from some dusting in pre-scutellar area, covered in setulae which are approximately one third as long as orbital setae. Pleurae slightly dusted, anepisternum with two strong setae anteriorly and three strong setae posteriorly. Katepisternum with two strong setae, the anterior one slightly shorter than posterior. One propleural and one fine, short stigmatical setae. Scutellum, on margin, with five to seven setulae between lateral and apical setae, these in multiserial rows with a few creeping onto margins of scutellar disc, six setulae between apical setae also in multiserial rows. Squamae pale with pale fringes. Wings slightly fumose anteriorly. Wing length 4.5mm. Legs: entirely black.

Male terminalia; Figs. 26–28. In lateral view epandrium one third higher than wide, widest point at base of anterior third, bearing several rows of short setulae along ventral surface, longer setulae posteriorly, some of these reaching apex of the cercus. Cerci rather small, extending posteriorly from epandrium for only a distance equal to one fifth depth of epandrium, not sclerotised, bearing a group of long, slightly curved setulae along posterior margin. Surstyli not visible outside the shell of epandrium. In ventral view surstyli with strong black, spine-like setulae along the margin, six strongest situated centrally with two to three slightly weaker posterior and anterior to these, basal plate bearing three peg-like teeth, one sharp black inner tooth situated below the base of the cerci. Aedeagus, a simple rather slender U-shape, with an axe-shaped basal apex.

Differential diagnosis: this species is distinguished from other similar Silba species by the presence of strong spine-like setulae on margins of surstyli, three teeth and one inner tooth on the basal plate of surstyli and aedeagus with a distinctly shaped basal portion.

TYPE MATERIAL: Holotype male. MALAYSIA: Selangor, U.F.S.C., Abgestorbene spitz Bambus- Sproâ (G.S.), gesammelt am 10.11 (Auszucht), 17.i.2004, leg. P. Dohm.

Paratypes. 10 males, 9 females with same data as holotype. Selangor, U.F.S.C., gammelsproâ (G.S., gef 20.08), 03.x.2003, leg. P. Dohm. , 4 males 6 females.

Specimens in the MHNG.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the generic name of bamboo from which this species was reared.