Setisquamalonchaea intermedia, Introduction & Fallén & Morge, 2007

Introduction, Iain, Fallén, Lonchaea & Morge, Setisquamalonchaea, 2007, New pecies of Lonchaeidae (Diptera: Schizophora) from Asia, Zootaxa 1631, pp. 1-32 : 11-12

Setisquamalonchaea intermedia sp. nov.

Description: Holotype male: Head: Eyes with scattered, very short hairs, these less than width of an ocellus. Frons narrowing to a point one third of distance between ocellar plate and antennal bases, then widening slightly ventrally, subshining black, covered in microsculpture, frontal setulae on eye margins recurved towards centre line frons, scattered interfrontal setulae on central part of frons, longest of all of these no more than one third length of orbital setae. Orbital plate subshining, rather silvery grey with microsculpture, with no setulae. Lunule with six rather strong setulae, dark ground colour but covered in silver dusting as are parafacials and face more so dorsally than ventrally. Anterior genal setulae in a single row of five or six along mouth margin, these setulae rather strong, basal ones in the row being the strongest on the genae. Antennal flagellomere entirely black, twice as long as deep. Arista all black, with very short pubescence only as long on each side as width of arista.

Thorax: disc rather silver metallic and dull, iridescent reflections visible in some lights, covered with appressed setulae approximately one third length of orbital setae, pleurae also silver-grey. Anepisternum with two strong anterior setae and three posteriorly. Katepisternum with two setae, no setulae ventral or posterior to them. Prothorax with two or three setulae on both sides. One propleural and one stigmatical setae. Scutellum with disc also silver-metallic and subshining, margin on each side with four setulae between the apical and lateral setae, these in multiserial vertical rows, two setulae between apical setae. Squamae pale with orange-red margin long pale golden fringes of uniform length. Wings slightly fumose anteriorly. Wing length 4.5 mm. Intercostal space 1.5 times length of crossvein R-M.

Legs: entirely black. Abdomen: first sternite bearing one or two setulae on lateral margins.

Male terminalia: Figs. 21 & 22. In lateral view, epandrium twice as broad as high, rounded ventrally and with a small anterior process. Along ventral margin bearing a fringe of long setulae, these as long as the greatest depth of epandrium, posterodorsally with a group of four shorter setulae. Cerci triangular in shape, not heavily sclerotised, at apex with a tight group of approximately twenty stout black setulae, a scattering of short setulae along posterior margin and posterodorsally. In ventral view surstyli simple rounded lobes but with rows of fine setulae along their lateral margins, no basal plate or teeth present. Aedeagus very deep and broad basally with apical part a rather straight angled tube, on ventral margin of basal part about eighteen finger-like processes.

Female: Unknown.

Differential diagnosis: Based on the presence of the two strong setae on the katepisternum, an almost bare arista and with setulae on the first abdominal sternite this species keys out to the genus Setisquamalonchaea . The presence of setulae on the prothorax also shows that this species has some affinity to the genus Silba but the lack of any teeth on the inner margin of the surstylus eliminate it from that genus. The exact boundaries between the genera Lonchaea and Setisquamalonchaea are still unclear especially with regard to some southeast Asian species. At this present time I am placing this species in the genus Setisquamalonchaea , future taxonomic study may reveal a different relationship.

This species differs from the few other known Setisquamalonchaea species in terms of the distinct cerci and aedeagus and by having the surstyli almost entirely within the shell of the epandrium, these differences are perhaps not too surprising as there are other derived species of Lonchaeidae present in Taiwan.

TYPE MATERIAL: Holotype male. TAIWAN: Taipei, Hsien , Han-Lo-Di, 450m, No. 12, forest undergrowth, 29–30.iii.2003, leg. L. Papp.

Only known from the holotype in the HNHM .

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the intermediate generic characters shown by this species.