Lonchaea mussoorie, Introduction & Fallén & Morge, 2007

Introduction, Iain, Fallén, Lonchaea & Morge, Setisquamalonchaea, 2007, New pecies of Lonchaeidae (Diptera: Schizophora) from Asia, Zootaxa 1631, pp. 1-32 : 10

Lonchaea mussoorie sp. nov.

Description: Holotype male: Head: Eyes bare. Frons parallel sided, subshining, with relatively long scattered interfrontal setulae almost half as long as orbital setae, longer setulae on anterior margin above the lunule. Orbital plates broad and shining, without setulae. Lunule with ground colour dark orange, with three strong setulae on each side. In dorsal view face and parafacials with light grey dusting. Anterior genal setulae forming a single row of three or four along mouth margin, none of these markedly stronger than the other setulae on the genae. Antennal flagellomere two and a half times as long as deep, broadly orange at base on inner surface, this colouration extending along basal third of the ventral surface. Arista yellow basally with short pubescence approximately as long as width of the arista.

Thorax: disc shining apart from some light dusting in pre-scutellar area, anepisternum shining centrally on upper part otherwise all pleurae lightly dusted. Notopleural depression bare apart from two strong setae. One propleural and one slightly weaker stigmatical setae. Anepisternum with three strong anterior and three strong posterior setae. Katepisternum with one strong setae, a few setulae present posterior to it. Scutellum dusted, margin with two setulae between lateral and apical setae, two setulae between apical setae. Squamae pale with pale margins, squamal fringe dark. Wings clear with yellow veins. Intercostal space approximately twice length of crossvein R-M. Wing length 3.5mm. Legs black apart from basal and second tarsomeres of all legs which are yellow, basal tarsomeres of anterior and posterior legs with a fringe of golden setulae ventrally. First sternite of abdomen without setulae.

Male terminalia: Figs. 18–20. In lateral view, epandrium rather rectangular, one and a half times as high as wide, with a hooked anteroventral process, five long setulae along posterior margin, longest of these almost reaching to apex of cerci, shorter setulae along ventral margin. Surstylus extending posteroventrally as a rather square process with apex rounded, half the height of the cerci. Cerci half height of epandrium, rather vertical and from mid point narrowing gradually to apex, with moderately long setae along margins on apical half. In ventral view surstyli with small spicules on ventral and lateral margin; inner margin also with spicules, these becoming stronger posteriorly, eventually forming a row of six small black teeth. Aedeagus two segmented, basal part rather simple, apical part as long as basal part, elbowed basally and apically.

Differential diagnosis: This is a fairly “general” Lonchaea species with few distinguishing features apart from, in the male terminalia, the surstylus having a large posterior lobe and a row of small teeth on ventral margin. The aedeagus is two segmented, both parts are characteristically shaped and almost equal in size.

TYPE MATERIAL: Holotype male: INDIA; Uttar Pradesh, Mussoorie , c. 1500–2200m, 3–14. viii. 1978, Copenhagen Zoological Museum Expedition.

Only known from the holotype in the ZMUC .

Etymology: Named after the location of capture of the holotype.