Planetella csabai Ševčík & Hippa, 2023

Ševčík, Jan, Hippa, Heikki, Burdíková, Nikola, Sopuch, Kryštof, Skuhravá, Marcela & Bruun, Hans Henrik, 2023, Integrative taxonomy of Central European Planetella (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) indicates high species diversity, intraspecific variation and low host specificity, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 63 (2), pp. 413-450 : 431-432

Planetella csabai Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov.

( Figs 9A,B , 13I )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, Slovakia , Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area , Hajnáčka, Buková (Zaboda), 8.viii.–12.ix.2018, Malaise trap in Quercus cerris forest, leg. J. Roháček & J. Ševčík, specimen after DNA extraction (No. PLA11 ), prepared on slide (coll. NMPC) . PARATYPE: SLOVAKIA: 1J, Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area, Jestice, Hradisko, 17.viii.–13.ix.2022, Malaise trap in Quercus cerris forest, leg. J. Roháček & J. Ševčík, specimen after DNA extraction (No. PLA 58), in ethanol (coll. JSL-UOC).

DNA sequences. DNA sequences (COI barcode region, 28S, 16S) taken from the holotype (No. PLA 11) are deposited in GenBank. Their Accession numbers are provided in Table 1.

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by 15 binodose flagellomeres, eyes with an eye-bridge, palpus with 3 palpomeres. It is very similar to Planetella adami sp. nov. but differs in details on the male terminalia (hypoproct as long as aedeagus, apically only slightly excavated, Figs 9A,B ) and in DNA sequences.

Etymology. This species is named after Csaba Balázs, a zoologist at the Administration of Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area in Rimavská Sobota ( Slovakia), who organized dipterological research in the area and helped us to select the best habitats there, including the localities of this new species.

Description. Male. Wing length 6.3 (paratype). Overall body coloration: mostly dark brown, legs and halteres light brown.

Head dark brown. Eyes with a distinct eye-bridge, which is membranous, without ommatidia. Antennal flagellum with 15 flagellomeres, each with three rows of circumfilial loops (except the apical one in holotype). The apical flagellomere (F15) either uninodal (holotype), about half as long as the previous one, or binodal (paratype) but with distal node shorter, as long as basal node. Flagellomere 1 ( Fig. 13I ) about 4 times as long as broad, longer and less constricted than the other flagellomeres. Flagellomere 4 ( Fig. 13I ) 3.3 times as long as broad. Maxillary palpus with 3 palpomeres, subequal in length.

Thorax mostly dark brown, scutum laterally light brown with three dark longitudinal stripes. Scutellum laterally light brown with black spots anterolaterally. Lateral pleura mostly dark brown. Scutum distinctly produced above the head.

Wing elongated, about 3 times as long as broad. Veins C, R 1, R 5 and Cu-stem distinct. R 1 joining C slightly before the middle of wing. R 5 reaching C beyond wing apex. Rs indistinct. M 4 indistinct. CuA with dark stem and bent downwards.

Legs with tarsal claws narrow, slightly longer than maximum tarsal diameter, only slightly bent apically.

Abdomen dark brown, with a light transverse oval spot on each side of the tergite.

Terminalia ( Figs 9A,B ). Gonocoxite narrow, about 2.5 times as long as broad, mediobasally with a small lobe. Gonostylus narrow, slightly curved, about 4.7 times as long as broad and 0.6 times as long as gonocoxite, apically with a small, rounded, transversely grooved dark lobe, pointed medially. Cerci rather short, apically bluntly pointed, basally fused. Hypoproct relatively narrow, distal margin almost straight, distinctly longer than cerci but slightly shorter than aedeagus. Aedeagus narrow, elongate, subtriangular, shorter than gonocoxites. Gonocoxal apodemes strongly sclerotized, medially fused.

Female. Unknown.

Biology. The galls are unknown. Both the type specimens were collected at the edge of a thermophilous Quercus cerris forest and, unlike in other species, rather late during the season, from mid-August to mid-September. The most probable host plants are Carex michelii (holotype) and Carex humilis (paratype). These Carex species were found near the Malaise traps.

Variation. We noted a variation in the structure of the apical (15 th) flagellomere, see above.

Discussion. This species is known only from two localities in Cerová vrchovina Protected Landscape Area (southern Slovakia) and it belongs to the group of species with 14 or 15 flagellomeres, eye-bridge present and dark coloration, currently containing five very similar species, see the discussion under Planetella adami sp. nov. (above). They differ in small details on the male terminalia, especially in the shape of hypoproct, but considerably in DNA sequences. The closest relative to P. csabai sp. nov., in terms of K2P distance, is P. muranica sp. nov., with 8.6% distance ( Tab. 3). The other species differ in more than 9%.

Figures

Fig. 9. Male terminalia in ventral (A, C) and dorsal (B, D) view, and hypoproct and apex of aedeagus in ventral view (E).A, B – Planetella csabai Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype). C, D, E – P. davidi Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype). Scale 0.1 mm.

Fig. 13. Antennal flagellomere 4 (except flagellomere 3 in H) and outline of flagellomere 1 with or without associated pedicellus and scapus. A – Planetella granifex (Kieffer, 1898), B – P.gallarum (Rübsaamen, 1899), C – P.fasciata (Meigen, 1818), D – P. aestivalis Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov.(holotype), E, F – P. adami Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype), G – P. antennata Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype); H – P. atrobrunnea Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype); I – P. csabai Ševčík & Hippa sp. nov. (holotype). Scales: 0.1 mm.