Elaphropeza crassicercus, 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 : 37-39

Elaphropeza crassicercus sp. nov.

( Figs. 44–48 )

Diagnosis. Occiput black, postpedicel about 2.5 times longer than wide; metanotum brown, otherwise thorax yellow; legs yellow, hind tibia with 1 black curved subapical anteroventral bristle.

Description. Male. Body length 2.2–2.3 mm, wing length 1.9–2.0 mm. Occiput black, subshining, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate and cruciate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, outer ones hardly prominent. Frons short, subshining. Antenna brownish yellow. Pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae. Postpedicel nearly 2.5 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; with scattered brownish yellow setulae, bearing 1 longer and darker subapical seta.

Thorax almost entirely yellow, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles; suture between scutum and scutellum brownish, sternopleuron and hypopleuron with brownish patch in lower part, metapleuron brown in upper half, metanotum wholly brown. Prothoracic episterna with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and 1 short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleural, 1 shorter 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), extending to base of scutellum.

Legs wholly yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with hardly prominent rows of antero- and posteroventral bristles and 1 long bristle near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of spinule-like, short, ventral bristles (becoming shorter in apical part of femur), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 1 row of black ventral spinules in apical part, lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur with 1 row of short anteroventrals and 3–4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia bearing 1 black curved subapical anteroventral bristle; apical projection small, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified, with ordinary setation.

Wing normally developed, uniformly finely brownish infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, brownish yellow. Costal index: 41/30/35/14. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter darkened.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 almost entirely pale yellow, with very narrow brownish space laterally. Tergites 2–5 brown, tergites 6–7 yellowish brown. Tergite 2 broadly concave on anterior margin, broader laterally; with scattered, brownish, unmodified setae. Tergite 3 broadest, subrectangular, with squamiform setae. Tergite 4 in middle about 2 times narrower than tergite 3, with squamiform setae. Tergite 5 very narrow, in middle about 2 times narrower than tergite 4, with squamiform setae. Tergite 6 with short, tergite 7 with long posteromarginal bristles. Sternites largely yellowish, sternites 3–5 divided, sternites 6–8 yellowish brown, with scattered setulae. Gland-like structures present between tergites 3–4 and 4–5.

Terminalia ( Fig. 45–48 ) large, brownish yellow. Cerci separated; left cercus large, with shallow excision in apical part, bearing numerous long bristles; right cercus short, narrow, with few short bristles. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella subrectangular, covered with numerous long bristles. Right surstylus strongly prominent, small, digitiform, with short bristles. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with few moderately long bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe large, subglobular, with long bristles. Hypandrium with 2 long subapical bristles. Phallus long, coiled. One rod-shaped apodeme.

Female. Body length 2.0– 2.1 mm, wing length 1.7–1.8 mm. Mid tibia lacking ventral spinules. Segment 8 brownish, shortened, with sclerites fused antero-laterally; sternite 8 not folded apically. Cercus broad oval, brownish yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, Sungei Buloh , 14 October 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25394, leg. PG, E-14).

Paratypes: SINGAPORE: 1 ♂, Kranji , 27 July 2005, forest, sweeping (reg. 25254, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 17 June 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25156, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 5 August 2005, swamp forest, Mal 3 (reg. 25283, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 7 September 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25332, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 18 November 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25423, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 18 November 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25422, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 25 January 2006, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 26021, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 8 February 2006, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 26028, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 8 February 2006, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 26029, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Seletar , 2 November 2005, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 25410, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 14 October 2005, forest, Mal 3 (reg. 25386, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 9 November 2005, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25412, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 18 November 2005, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25420, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 14 December 2005, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25445, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 17 February 2006, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 26035, leg. PG) ; 2 ♂♂, Sungei Buloh , 9 December 2002, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 22057, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sungei Buloh , 22 April 2005, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 25076, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 10 June 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25168, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 6 July 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25197, leg. PG) ; 2 ♀♀, Sungei Buloh , 6 July 2005, mangrove, sweeping (reg. 25200, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sungei Buloh , 5 August 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25284, leg. PG) ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 19 August 2005, mangrove, Mal 1 (reg. 25302, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 16 September 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25355, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Sungei Buloh , 9 November 2005, mangrove, Mal 2 (reg. 25418, leg. PG) .

Derivatio nominis. The name crassicercus alludes to the wide left cercus. The name is used as a noun.

Distribution and bionomics. Singapore. Terrestrial forest and mangrove.

Singapore: This is a fairly common species that occurs in beach forests, mangroves and all types of terrestrial forests. It is present throughout the year, but with a higher activity in the second half of the year. The sex ratio of 0.5/1 indicates that females have a different activity pattern than males .

Remarks. Elaphropeza crassicercus sp. nov. apparently belongs to a monophyletic lineage of Elaphropeza sharing curved subapical bristles on the hind tibia. Otherwise, the relationships of E. crassicercus sp. nov. have not been resolved. The main distinguishing features of E. crassicercus sp. nov. are indicated in the diagnosis given above and in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 44–48. Elaphropeza crassicercus sp. nov. 44. antenna. 45. epandrium with cerci. 46. right surstylus. 47. tip left cercus. 48. left surstylus.