Megaselia carminis García-Romera, 2014

García-Romera, Carlos & Barrientos, Jose Antonio, 2014, Nine new species of Phoridae (Insecta: Diptera) from Spain, Zootaxa 3857 (2), pp. 244-260 : 249-250

Megaselia carminis García-Romera sp. nov.

( Figs 7–8 )

Etymology. The species is named after Dr. Carmen Bach

Diagnosis. Antials bristles lower on frons than anterolaterals, but no situated nearly directly below these; longest bristle on palp clearly longer than maximum width of palp; mesopleuron bare; notopleuron with two bristles; scutellum with a posterior pair of bristles and an anterior pair of hairs; venter with a few short hairs on segment 3–6; left side of epandrium with hairs which are more robust than hairs of cerci, but a little shorter than those at rear margin of sixth abdominal tergite; anal tube about as long as dorsal face of epandrium; terminal hairs of proctiger as robust as strongest hairs on cerci; legs yellow brown; fore metatarsus not slender; know of haltere brown; with one short hair present at base of vein Rs; subcostal vein (Sc) not reaching R1; costal cilia (section 3) as long and strong as longest axillary bristle; costal index clearly less than 0.5.

Description (male). Head. Frons longer than broad, with 67 hairs. Upper supra-antennal bristles longer and stronger than lower pair and they are slightly closer together than pre-ocellars, which are at about the same level on frons than mediolaterals and as far apart as either is from a mediolateral bristle. Upper supra-antennals slightly higher than antials, which are lower on frons than anterolateral bristles, and a little closer to these than to upper supra-antennal bristles. Gena with two long bristles and four shorter ones. Antennal postpedicel subglobose, brown and relatively small (diameter 0.11 mm), without SPS vesicles. Palps dusky yellow, 0.21 mm long and 0.075 mm maximum width, with seven bristles, the longest bristle being longer than greatest width of palp. Labella enlarged, yellow, with only a few short spinules below and a few long hairs. Labrum brown, about 0.9 × as wide as an antennal postpedicel.

Thorax. Brown. Mesopleuron bare. Two notopleural bristles and no cleft in front of these. Scutellum with an anterior pair of small hairs and a posterior pair of bristles. Propleura with three hairs on posterodorsal edge and four on posteroventral one.

Abdomen. Tergites brown, with scattered short hairs, progressively longer from fourth to sixth terguite, with those of the rear margin of T6 a little longer than longest hairs of epandrium, but about the same thickness. Venter grey, with a few short hairs on segments 3–6, gradually increasing in size from anterior to posterior segments.

Hypopygium ( Figs 7–8 ). Left side of epandrium brown, without bristles, with some hairs stronger than those on cerci, which are as strong as those on proctiger. Anal tube yellow brown, about as long as dorsal face of epandrium. Hypandrium, yellow brown, with both posterior lobes developed and with minute hairs below.

Legs. Mainly yellow brown, slightly clearing from posterior to anterior legs, with fore tarse and tibia yellowish. Front legs with a posterodorsal hair palisade on tarsal segments 1–4 and metatarsus not enlarged. Length ratios of fore tarsal segments 2.8:1.4:1.2:0.9:1, with fifth segment as wide as fourth one. Mid legs with a dorsal hair palisade on tibia extends about 3/4 of its length. Longest hairs below basal half of hind femur clearly longer (1.5×) than those of anteroventral row of outer third. Hind tibia with 11–12 differentiated posterodorsal hairs and spinules of apical combs simple.

Wing. Length 1.84 mm. Membrane lightly tinged grey and veins light brown; with four axillary bristles. Subcostal vein not reaching R1. One hair present at base of vein Rs, 0.065 mm long. Costal index 0.36; costal ratios 4.7:1.5:1. Costal cilia (of section 3) as long as the longest axillary bristle (0.12 mm). Knob of haltere brown.

Recognition. In the keys to the males of the British species of Megaselia ( Disney, 1989) this species runs to couplet 283, to M. maura (Wood) . It’s distinguished from the new species by having the fore metatarsus longer and narrower, and by the hypopygium, which has an epandrium with a different shape and with some stronger hairs. M. wickerensis Disney , which run to couplet 285 in the British key, has a very similar hypopygium to the new species, but it differs from the new species, by having the hairs on epandrium about as strong as those on cerci, as well as in the costal index, costal ratios and relative length of costal cilia and axillary bristles ( Disney & Perry, 2000).

Material examined. Holotype ♂ Spain, Girona: Arbucias, Montseny Natural Park, beech forest, UTM 31TDG540279, 1250 m a.s.l., 19/ 05-02/06/1990. Window trap. J.A. Barrientos leg ( UAB).

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 8. Megaselia carminis García-Romera sp. nov. male. 7, left face of hypopygium. 8, right face of hypopygium. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.