Elaphropeza singaporensis, 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 : 44-46

Elaphropeza singaporensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 58–62 , 253 )

Diagnosis. Thorax entirely black; scutum evenly covered with short setulae; legs yellow, mid and hind tibiae lacking anterodorsal bristles; wing with blackish rather narrow band on middle part.

Description. Male. Body length 1.7–1.9 mm, wing length 1.5–1.6 mm. Head black, occiput subshining, with pale setation. Eye with somewhat concave hind margin. Anterior ocellars moderately long, proclinate; posterior ocellars minute. Two pairs of inclinate verticals of subequal length. Frons shining. Antenna ( Fig. 58 ) brownish yellow. Pedicel with circlet of equally minute setulae. Postpedicel 2.3–2.5 times longer than wide. Style normally pubescent, brown, 3.0–3.3 times longer than postpedicel and nearly 2.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus pale yellow, small, rounded; with scattered yellow setulae, including 1 longer subapical one.

Thorax entirely black, shining, with yellow to brownish yellow bristles; postalar callus paler. Proepisternum with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and 1 short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle minute. Mesonotum with 2 moderately long notopleural, 1 short postsutural supra-alar, 1 similar postalar and 4 scutellar (inner ones very long, cruciate; outer ones minute) bristles. Acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated, scutum evenly covered with subequally short setulae (except for 2 long prescutellar bristles) extending to base of scutellum.

Legs wholly yellow, mostly with yellow 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 slender, with 2 rows of brownish yellow, spinule-like, ventral bristles becoming longer toward base of femur, 1 very long yellow bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules in apical half, lacking prominent bristles (except ordinary subapicals). Hind femur somewhat constricted in middle, bearing 1 row of short anteroventrals and 2–3 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia with ordinary inconspicuous setation; apical projection small, truncate, clothed in dense brownish setulae. Tarsi of all legs unmodified.

Wing ( Fig. 253 ) normally developed, with blackish rather narrow band in middle part, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle moderately long, yellow. Costal index: 32/25/25/10. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 parallel near wing apex, both straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m beyond middle of cell bm. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen with almost all tergites brownish, tergites 2–4 somewhat darker. Tergite 1 very narrow, with scattered brown setulae. Tergite 2 laterally about 2.0 times narrower than tergite 3, deeply concave dorsally, with unmodified setae. Tergite 3 broadest, with squamiform setae. Tergite 4 narrow, along midline as broad as tergite 2, with 1–2 slightly prominent squamiform setae on each side (sometimes lacking). Tergite 5 very narrow, even somewhat narrower than tergite 4, with unmodified setae. Tergites 6 and 7 unmodified, with moder- ately long posteromarginal bristles. All sternites brownish, sternites 2–4 and 8 divided along midline. Glandlike structures present between tergites 3–4 (2 large subrectangular sclerites covered with hairs) and tergites 4–5 (2 large ovate sclerites).

Terminalia ( Figs. 59–62 ) with surstyli and cerci yellow, epandrium brown. Cerci divided; left cercus unbranched, digitiform, rather short, with several bristles of different lengths; right cercus unbranched, hardly prominent, very narrow, with several bristles. Epandrium completely divided. Right surstylus well prominent, long, narrow, overlapping cerci ( Figs. 59, 61 ), with some moderately long bristles basally. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with numerous short bristles apically. Left surstylus with upper lobe rather small, shallowly concave on upper margin, with numerous long bristles. Hypandrium with 2 subapical bristles. Phallus long, coiled. One rod-shaped apodeme.

Female. Body length 1.6–1.9 mm, wing length 1.5–1.7 mm. Abdominal tergites 3 and 4 with distinct squamiform setae. Segment 8 elongate, brown, shining, strongly sclerotised, with sclerites broadly fused antero-laterally; sternite 8 not folded apically. Cercus brownish yellow. Otherwise as in male.

Material examined: Holotype male labelled: SINGAPORE, 1 ♂, Sime forest , 16 September 2005, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25352, leg. PG, E-02).

Paratypes: SINGAPORE, 2 ♂♂, Bukit Timah , 4 December 2002, rain forest; primary, sweeping (reg. 22050, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Bukit Timah , 19 August 2005, rain forest, Mal (reg. 25301, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Bukit Timah , 7 September 2005, rain forest, sweeping (reg. 25330, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 6 May 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25138, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 3 June 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25150, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 10 June 2005, swamp forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25153, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 1 July 2005, swamp forest, sweeping (reg. 25195, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 15 July 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25259, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Nee Soon , 7 September 2005, swamp forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25332, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 28 October 2005, swamp forest, Mal 3 (reg. 25405, leg. PG) ; 1 ♀, Nee Soon , 8 February 2006, swamp forest, Mal 3 (reg. 26030, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 6 May 2005, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 25128, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 26 August 2005, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25314, leg. PG) ; 5 ♂♂, Sime forest , 7 September 2005, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25334, leg. PG) ; 4 ♂♂, Sime forest , 16 September 2005, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25352, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Sime forest , 14 October 2005, forest, Mal 3 (reg. 25386, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 14 October 2005, forest, Mal 1 (reg. 25384, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 4 January 2006, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 26003, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 4 January 2006, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 26003, leg. PG) ; 1 ♂, Sime forest , 8 February 2006, forest, Mal 2 (reg. 26027, leg. PG) .

Derivatio nominis. The epithet refers to the island of Singapore where the species is quite common.

Distribution and bionomics. Singapore. Forest species.

Singapore. The species is common with 21 records. It is present throughout the year with a marked peak of activity from mid August until the end of October. It is observed in different types of forest: primary and secondary rain forests as well as swamp forests. More males are recorded than females (sex ratio 0.25/1), indicating a different activity pattern .

Remarks. The relationships of E. singaporensis sp. nov. are unclear beyond inclusion within the E. biuncinata species group.

Figures

FIGURES 58–62. Elaphropeza singaporensis sp. nov. 58. antenna. 59. epandrium with cerci. 60. left cercus lateral view. 61. right surstylus. 62. left surstylus.

FIGURES 253-259. Wings. 253. Elaphropeza singaporensis sp. nov. 254. E. pluriacantha sp. nov. 255. E. yangi sp. nov. 256. E. spiralis sp. nov. 257. E. bicaudata. 258. E. biuncinata. 259. E. hirsutitibia. 260-261. E. palpata.