Triphleba beatricis 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 : 257-259

Triphleba beatricis García-Romera sp.nov.

( Figs 18–19 )

Etymology. The species is named after CG-R’s wife, Beatriz.

Diagnosis. Hairs of arista longer than maximum width of base of segment 3 of arista; scutellum with an anterior pair of small hairs and a posterior pair of bristles; epandrium with left epandrial process only slightly longer than right; legs and palps yellow brown; knob of haltere yellow; vein Rs forked (R2+3 present); vein A2 incomplete; second and third costal sections, gradually broadens to the end; first costal section about as long as second and third together; vein M1+2 very curved.

Description (male). Head. Frons brown, clearly broader than long, with 35–50 hairs. Only a pair of supraantennal bristles, weaker than antials, and they are clearly closer together than pre-ocellar bristles and about as far apart as either is from a mediolateral bristle, which is lower on frons. Antials closer to supra-antennals than to anterolateral bristles and lower on frons. Gena with a long bristle and with 3–4 shorter bristles ones. Antennal postpedicel subglobose (diameter 0.15–0.17 mm), dark brown, with subcuticular pit sensilla (SPS) vesicles, each about diameter of basal socket of antial bristle (0.010 mm); longest hairs of arista 0.020 mm long, with the second segment 0.8–0.9 × as long as the first one, which is clearly shorter than the swollen base of the third segment. Palps yellow brown, 0.18–0.25 mm long and 0.050–0.065 mm maximum width, with 6–7 bristles, at least, as long as greatest width of palp, and 4–8 shorter and weaker. Labella enlarged, yellow, with only a few long hairs, five pairs of pseudotrachea and a few short spinules below. Labrum pale brown, about 0.6–0.8 × as wide as an antennal postpedicel.

Thorax. Brown. Mesopleuron bare. Four notopleural bristles. Scutellum with an anterior pair of small hairs and a posterior pair of bristles.

Abdomen. Tergites brown, with scattered short hairs, which are longer at rear margins, especially on T6. Venter dusky yellow, with only hairs on segment 6.

Hypopygium ( Figs 18–19 ). Epandrium brown or yellow brown, with left epandrial process only slightly longer than right. Hypandrium yellowish, clearest than epandrium. Anal tube dusky yellow.

Legs. Yellow brown. Front legs with a posterodorsal hair palisade on tarsal segments 1–4 and metatarsus not enlarged. Length ratios of fore tarsal segments 2.8–3.1:1.6–1.9:1.2–1.6:1–1.2: 1. Fore tibia with a dorsal bristle, 0.075–0.10 mm long, at end of second fifth. Mid legs with three bristles on tibia, an antero-dorsal (0.09–0.12 mm long), near end of basal third of tibia, a dorsal one longer (0.17–0.22 mm long), lower on tibia, 0.025–0.050 mm far apart from the antero-dorsal, and a short anterior apical one (0.050–0.095 mm long) placed 0.32–0.40 mm from the first bristle. Hind legs with two antero-dorsal bristles on tibia, upper one (0.15–0.18 mm long), near end of basal third, and a preapical one shorter (0.065–0.085 mm long), 0.42–0.52 mm far apart from each other.

Wing. Length 2.52–2.88 mm. Membrane tinged grey-brown and veins brown. Subcosta (Sc) reaching R1. Vein Rs forked (R2+3 present). One axillary bristle. Costal index 0.53–0.62; Costal ratios 2.3–2.7:1.4–1.6:1. One hair present at base of vein Rs, 0.07 mm long. Vein A2 incomplete, without apical third. Second and third costal sections, gradually broadens to the end. Costal cilia (of section 3) 0.09–0.10 mm long, shorter than axilar bristle (0.15–0.19 mm). Knob of haltere yellow.

Recognition. In the keys to Triphleba species of the British Isles ( Disney, 1983) it runs to couplet 10, to Triphleba luteifemorata (Wood) , with a similar hypopygium to the new species but the shape of epandrial processes (left and right) and the cercus size differs in both species. In the keys of Palaeartic species of Triphleba ( Schmitz et al, 1938 –81) it runs to couplet 49, on page 142, to T. luteifemorata too.

Material examined. Holotype ♂ Spain, Girona: Arbucias, Montseny Natural Park, beech forest, UTM 31TDG540279, 1250 m a.s.l., 27/12/1990 - 20/01/1991. Window trap. J.A. Barrientos leg ( UAB).

Paratypes 3 ♂, one same date, locality and habitat as holotype and two others Barcelona: Montseny, Montseny Natural Park, beech forest, UTM 31TDG530274, 1130 m a.s.l., 05–17/11/1990. Window trap. J.A. Barrientos leg ( UAB and CCG-R).

Note. Another species of Megaselia was going to describe in this paper when R.H.L. Disney comunicated us which this species is currently described in a paper based on specimens from Italy (Disney, Weber & Prescher, in press). The data of captured specimens in our survey is cited below.

Material examined: Spain, Barcelona: Montseny, Montseny Natural Park. 2 ♂ Juniperus scrubland, UTM 31TDG530256, 1620 m a.s.l., 27/ 06–07/07/1990, one window trap and one water trap; 1 ♂ Calluna scrubland, UTM 31TDG542245, 1520 m a.s.l., 27/06/1990, water trap; 2 ♂ beech forest, UTM 31TDG530274, 1130 m a.s.l., one water trap (17/06/1990) and one window trap (01–14/07/1990); 4 ♂ beech forest, UTM 31TDG532273, 1170 m a.s.l, window trap, one 02–16/06/1990 and three 16/ 06–01/07/1990. J.A. Barrientos leg ( UAB).

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 19. Triphleba beatricis García-Romera sp. nov. male. 18. left face of hypopygium. 19, right face of hypopygium. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.