Elaphropeza bezzii, Published, 2007

SHAMSHEV, IGOR V. & GROOTAERT, PATRICK, 2007, Revision of the genus Elaphropeza Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Oriental Region, with a special attention to the fauna of Singapore, Zootaxa 1488 (1), pp. 1-164 : 96-98

Elaphropeza bezzii sp. nov.

( Figs. 157–161 )

Diagnosis. Occiput, antenna, thorax and legs entirely yellow, postpedicel short, about 2.0 times longer than wide; fore tibia with 2 short, mid tibia with 1 similar and hind tibia with 1 long anterodorsal bristles.

Description. Male. Body length 2.0– 2.1 mm, wing length 1.6–1.7 mm. Occiput including frons entirely yellow, subshining, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Ocellar tubercle brownish, anterior ocellars moderately long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones shorter. Antenna ( Fig. 157 ) wholly yellow. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel about 2.0 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, about 3.5 times longer than postpedicel and nearly 2.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded.

Thorax entirely yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles. Prothoracic episterna lacking long upturned bristle just above fore coxa, with 1 very short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle minute. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones very short) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial, uniform (except for 1 pair of long prescutellars), the former lacking on prescutellar depression, the latter extending to base of scutellum.

Legs entirely yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles (1 bristle near base longer). Fore tibia with 2 short but distinct black anterodorsal bristles in middle part. Mid femur slender, with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles (posteroventrals longer), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 1 short anterodorsal bristle in middle part, lacking prominent ventral spinules. Hind femur with 1 row of short anteroventrals and 4–5 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 1 strong black anterodorsal bristle; apical projection prominent, small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing normally developed, finely uniformly infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, yellow. Costal index: 40/18/32/14. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Vein R2+3 smoothly arched. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 absent. Crossvein bm-cu transverse. Crossvein r-m before middle of cell bm. Halter with dark knob.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 entirely pale yellow. Tergites 2–3 largely pale yellow, narrow, very weakly sclerotised; with unmodified setation. Tergite 4 broad, somewhat darker than other tergites, with few squamiform setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, with few squamiform setae. Tergites 6 and 7 pale yellow, with moderately long posteromarginal bristles. All sternites yellowish, weakly sclerotised, with inconspicuous setation. Gland-like structures between tergites 4 and 5.

Terminalia ( Fig. 158–161 ) large, yellow. Cerci broadly separated, both almost equally small, right cercus somewhat longer; left cercus with several long marginal bristles; right cercus with 3 long curved spines (1 somewhat flattened). Subepandrial lobe prolonged. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella rather subglobular, covered with numerous bristles of different length. Right surstylus hardly prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 1 long bristle apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe large, subrectangular (viewed laterally), with two slender processes on upper margin, produced inward at apex, bearing numerous moderately long bristles. Hypandrium with 2 short bristles. Phallus very short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Body length 2.0– 2.1 mm, wing length 1.6–1.7 mm. Abdominal segment 8 rather elongate, yellow, with sclerites separated; sternite 8 folded apically. Sternite 10 and cercus yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined. Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Nee Soon , 9 November 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25414, leg. PG, E-38).

Paratypes: SINGAPORE, 1 ♂, Bukit Timah , 27 July 2005, rain forest, Mal (reg. 25274, leg. PG) ; 4 ♂♂, Bukit Timah , 5 August 2005, rain forest, Mal (reg. 25278, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Bukit Timah , 19 August 2005, rain forest, Mal (reg. 25301, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Bukit Timah , 26 August 2005, rain forest, Mal (reg. 25313, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Bukit Timah , 7 September 2005, rain forest, sweeping (reg. 25330, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 15 July 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25258, leg. PG) ; 4 ♀♀, Nee Soon , 5 August 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25281, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 12 August 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25290, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 16 September 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25350, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 18 November 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25422, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 14 December 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25446, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 8 February 2006, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 26028, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sime forest , 22 July 2005, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25271, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sime forest , 12 August 2005, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25294, leg. PG) ; 2 ♀♀, Sime forest , 7 September 2005, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25335, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sime forest , 14 October 2005, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25384, leg. PG) .

Derivatio nominis. The present species is dedicated to memory Prof. Mario Bezzi, one of the pioneers in Diptera taxonomy of Southeast Asia.

Distribution. Singapore. Forest.

Singapore: This is a fairly common species that is recorded in various types of forests. The peak of activity is in the second half of the year from the second half of July until the first half of December. Males and females are found in nearly equal numbers .

Remarks. In having a prolonged subepandrial lobe E. bezzii sp. nov. is likely to be closely related to E. temasek sp. nov. and E. ephippiata (Fallén) .

Figures

FIGURES 157–161. Elaphropeza bezzii sp. nov. 157. antenna. 158. epandrium with cerci. 159. right epandrial lamella. 160. apical part of left surstylus dorsal view. 161. left surstylus.