Bittacus jiulianshanus, Chen & Tan & Hua, 2013

Chen, Jing, Tan, Jiangli & Hua, Baozhen, 2013, Review of the Chinese Bittacus (Mecoptera: Bittacidae) with descriptions of three new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 47 (21 - 22), pp. 1463-1480 : 1476-1478

Bittacus jiulianshanus sp. nov.

( Figure 7 )

Holotype

Jiangxi: ♂, Mt Jiulianshan , 3 May 1986, coll. Luo and Liu ( SHEM).

Etymology

The specific epithet, jiulianshanus , is of Latin derivation and refers to its type locality, Jiulianshan.

Diagnosis

The ventral margin of the epandrial lobes is prolonged and curved mesally. The upper branch of proctiger bears a pair of lateral lobes medially, which are furnished with numerous yellow setae and greatly expanded toward apex and emarginate apically. Brown clouding occurs at OM, ORs, FRs and the distal end of CuP, and along apical crossveins. Av is absent. 1A terminates beyond FM.

Description

Body length 23.0 mm; antennal length 7.5 mm; forewing length 24.3 mm, width 6.1 mm; hindwing length 21.8 mm, width 5.3 mm.

Head. Vertex yellowish brown; rostrum dark brown; maxillary palpi and compound eyes blackish brown; ocellar triangle black; flagellum of antennae filiform and ciliated; segmentation indistinct beyond the 15th flagellomere.

Thorax. Pronotum, propleuron and prothoracic spiracle unevenly yellowish brown; pronotum with two black setae along anterior and posterior margins; pleuron with sparse setae along anterior margin; anterior two-thirds of mesonotum and protuberance unevenly dark brown; dorsal median stripe, remaining part of mesonotum and metanotum pale yellow; scutellum with two setae along posterior margin; lateral and ventral sides of the thorax pale yellowish brown; posterior margin of each coxal cavity with a black streak. Legs yellowish brown, fourth tarsomere with three spines on each side.

Wings ( Figure 7A ). Wing membrane faintly with yellow tinge. Pterostigma dark. Brown clouding at OM, ORs, FRs and distal end of CuP, along apical crossveins. The dark crossveins roughly arranged in an oblique line from r 2+3 via 1r 5 and m 1+2 to m 4. A thyridium prominent at FM. Two Pcv; Sc terminating beyond FRs; Scv before FRs; Cuv slightly beyond FM; Av absent; 1A terminating beyond FM; 2A terminating slightly before OM. Hindwings similar to forewings except for Sc terminating slightly before FRs, and CuP coalesced with 1A at base.

Abdomen of male. Terga II–IX yellowish brown; terga III–VIII each with a narrow antecosta; tergum VIII emarginate on posterior margin ( Figure 7B ); tergum X pale yellow, saddle-like, extending caudoventrally around the base of cerci into a glabrous triangular sclerite. Epandrial lobes fused in basal half and divergent in distal half, triangular in lateral aspect; the ventral margin curved laterally, and prolonged distally into a process; the inner side of posterior margin bearing a patch of black spines medially ( Figure 7C ). Upper branch of proctiger with a pair of lateral lobes medially that bear numerous yellow setae, and greatly expanded toward apex and slightly emarginate apically ( Figure 7B ). Lower branch of proctiger very short, tapering toward apex ( Figure 7B ). Cercus one-third as long as gonocoxite ( Figure 7B ). Gonocoxite extending caudally. Gonostylus short, with numerous fine setae and a glabrous process on the inner side of apex. Aedeagal lobes elongate and slightly acute at tip; penisfilum coiled ( Figure 7B, C ).

Distribution

Jiangxi Province ( China)

Remarks

The new hangingfly resembles B. cirratus and B. triangularis in wing shape, triangular epandrial lobes and proctiger with a pair of median processes on the upper branch, but differs from the latter two species by the epandrial lobe curved laterally along the ventral margin and the upper branch of proctiger greatly expanded and slightly emarginate.

Figures

Figure 7. Bittacus jiulianshanus sp. nov., male holotype. (A) Right wings; (B) terminalia in lateral view; (C) terminalia in dorso-caudal view. A, anal vein; AL, aedeagal lobe; Av, anal crossvein; Ce, cercus; CuA, anterior cubitus; CuP, posterior cubitus; Cuv, cubital crossvein; EL, epandrial lobe; FM, first fork of media; FRs, first fork of radial sector; Gc, gonocoxite; Gs, gonostylus; LBP, lower branch of proctiger; M, media; OM, origin of media; ORs, origin of radial sector; Pcv, pterostigmal crossvein; Pf, penisfilum; Ps, pterostigma; R, radius; Sc, subcosta; Scv, subcostal crossvein; T, tergum; UBP, upper branch of proctiger. Scale bars: A = 1 mm; B and C = 0.5 mm.