Clinocera rostrata, Sinclair & Plant, 2022

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Plant, Adrian R., 2022, Clinocera Meigen of Thailand (Diptera: Empididae: Clinocerinae), Zootaxa 5200 (6), pp. 525-549 : 534-535

Clinocera rostrata sp. nov.

( Figs 11 , 15 , 26 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B840ED24-71CE-4C7C-BE7F-E45E88501F84

Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ labelled: “ THAILAND: Loei Province / Phu Hin Rong Kla Nat. Park / Huai Man Daeng Noi at trail / 16°57′N 101°03′E, 1600m / 10.ii.–17.iii.2003, Malaise ”; “HOLOTYPE/ Clinocera / rostrata/ Sinclair & Plant [red label]” ( QSBG) . PARATYPES: BHUTAN. Thimphu, 3 km NNE Dochula , 27°31′5″N 89°45′18″E, 2360 m, MT, 19–28.viii.2017, Borkent, Hauser, NPPC team (6 ♀, CNC) ; Wangdue Phodrang, 8.5 km ENE Bajo , 27°31′55″N 89°58′34″E, 1600 m, MT, 15–20.viii.2017, Borkent, Hauser, NPPC team (3 ♂, CNC) ; Punakha, 1 km S Mendrelgang , 27°31′8″N 89°49′55″E, 1625 m, MT, 21–28.viii.2017, Borkent, Hauser, NPPC team (3 ♂, 2 ♀, CSCA) . CHINA. Guangdong, Nan Kun Shan , 581 m, 23°37.941′N 113°50.182′E, creeks YPT, 19–21.x.2009, L. Masner et al. (3 ♂, 1 ♀, CNC) . THAILAND. Kamphaeng Phet Province: Mae Wong NP , Chong Yen , 16°5.212′N 99°6.576′E, 1306 m, MT, 24.ix.–1.x.2007, C. Piluek & A. Inpuang, T3679 (1 ♂, QSBG) . Loei Province: Phu Hin Rongkla Nat. Park, Huai Man Daeng Noi at trail , 16°57′N 101°03′E, 1600 m, 10.ii.–17.iii.2003, MT (6 ♂, 6 ♀, CNC; 7 ♂, 7 ♀, QSBG) ; same data except, v.2002 – i.2003 (2 ♀, QSBG); same data except, 14.xi.– 14.xii.2002 (1 ♂, QSBG); same data except, 17.iii.–10.iv.2003 (3 ♂, 2 ♀, ISUI); same data except, 14.xii.2002 – 17.i.2003 (2 ♂, 6 ♀, CNC) . VIETNAM. Vinh Phú, Tam Dao , Hill Stn ., SE town , 930 m, 21°27′N 105°39′E, MT, primary for, dry streambed, 7–31.v.1996, B. Hubley (1 ♂, 1 ♀, ROM) .

Recognition. This species is most similar to the Thailand species C. areeluckorum sp. nov. on the basis of pleural colouration (yellow), but can be distinguished by the yellow colouration on the lateral margin of the scutum not extending to the upper notopleural seta; surstylus rectangular with crest of setulae projecting posteriorly and inner projecting process.

Description (wing length 2.4–3 mm). Male. Head: Oval, dark brown. Face narrower than width of antennal bases, narrower at mid-length, with lateral setulae; pale bluish pruinescence covering entire face, not tapered to antennal bases, faded between antennal bases to ocellar triangle. Ocellar triangle with pair of divergent ocellar setae, longer than pair of vertical setae. Antenna brown; arista-like stylus less than twice length of remaining antenna. Thorax: Scutum brown, with thin pruinescence; yellow along lateral margin from postpronotal lobe to notopleuron, not extending dorsally to upper npl; postalar ridge yellowish; dark spot at base of wing. Pleura yellow with thin pruinescence ( Fig. 11 ). Several very minute acrostichals anterior to first dc; 5 dc; 1 pprn, thin and reduced; 1 presut spal; 1 strong upper npl, lower npl slender, similar to pprn; 1 posterior psut spal; 1 pal, thin; 2 sctl, similar to prescutellar dc. Laterotergite with several brownish setae. Legs: Coxae and ventral faces of femora yellow, remaining segments brown. Fore femur with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of short, slender, dark setae, length more than one-quarter width of femur. Hind tibia with strong dorsal and ventral setae on distal half, length nearly subequal to width of tibia. Wing: Narrow; infuscate; pterostigma absent; single long basal costal seta present; cell dm produced distally. Halter yellowish brown. Abdomen: Sclerites dark brown, with thin pruinescence, similar shade to thorax. Terminalia ( Fig. 15 ): Hypandrium triangular, longer than epandrium, tapered distally, without lateral setae. Phallus straight with expanded apex of shaft and triangular expansion posteriorly; distiphallus slender, arched apically with expanded tip, more than one-half length of shaft. Ejaculatory apodeme slender. Epandrium rectangular, with long, thin setae. Clasping cercus digitiform, flattened, with tapered apex; inner face with peg-like setae confined to extreme anterior and dorsal margins. Surstylus triangular, tapered to beak-like projection, with inner, projecting, slender process; dorsal margin with prominent posterior crest.

Female. Similar to male, except as follows: face dull brown; fore femur without row of ventral setae.

Etymology. This species is named in reference to the beak-like apex of the surstylus.

Distribution and Ecology. This species has a wide distribution from Bhutan, northern Thailand (Loei and Kamphaeng Phet Provinces) across northern Vietnam into southern China in Guangdong ( Fig. 26 ). In Thailand all records are from 1,306 –1,600 m in EM forest habitat but in Bhutan it occurred at 1,600 –2,360 m and at lower elevation in Vietnam (930 m) and in lowland Guangdong at only 581 m. Label data include specific habitat details in only one case (“creeks”) and it is very likely that C. rostrata sp. nov. is associated with lotic habitats. Seasonal preferences are difficult to discern.Adult emergence evidently coincides with monsoon rains in Bhutan. In Thailand and perhaps Vietnam an apparent peak of adult abundance occurs just before or in the early wet season (a very common phenology of insects in seasonal tropical biotopes). In Thailand and Guangdong there is also a late peak of abundance at the end or just after the end of the wet season. It is possible that this species avoids the wettest periods.

Remarks. This species is similar to C. stackelbergi (Vaillant) on the basis of male terminalia, but differs in the more strongly attenuated surstylus and more greatly expanded apex of the phallic shaft.

Figures

FIGURES 9–12. Species of Thailand Clinocera. 9, C. gracilis sp. nov., head, thorax, foreleg, lateral view, scale bar = 0.25 mm; 10, C. gracilis sp. nov., male terminalia, oblique view, scale bar = 0.1 mm; 11, C. rostrata sp. nov., male habitus, lateral view, scale bar = 0.5 mm; 12, C. spatulata sp. nov., head, thorax, lateral view, scale bar = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 15–18. Male terminalia of Thailand Clinocera, lateral view. 15, C. rostrata sp. nov.; 16, C. spatulata sp. nov.; 17, C. srisukai sp. nov.; 18, C. univittata sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.1 mm

FIGURES 21–28. Distribution of new Clinocera species in East Asia. 21, C. abbreviata sp. nov., 22, C. areeluckorum sp. nov., 23, C. courtneyi sp. nov., 24, C. gracilis sp. nov., 25, C. univittata sp. nov., 26, C. rostrata sp. nov., 27, C. spatulata sp. nov., 28, C. srisukai sp. nov. Occurrence data for each species is plotted with an accuracy of one degree (1°) of latitude and longitude.