Preepiphallus nitidifacies, Papp, László, 2014

Papp, László, 2014, New genera of Afrotropical limosinine sphaerocerids (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae), Zootaxa 3764 (2), pp. 101-130 : 124-127

Preepiphallus nitidifacies sp. nov.

( Figs 93–106 )

Type material. Holotype male ( NMSA): MALAWI: Ntchisi forest reserve, 1334Ac 1500 m, Londt & Stuckenberg, 34. xii.1980. Montane forest & woodland—NATAL MUSEUM Pietermaritzburg, South Africa—NMSA-DIP 58701. Abdomen with genitalia in a microvial with glycerol and with the label: “find prep. ♂ postabdomen in 6 pieces.

Paratypes: 2 females ( NMSA): same data as for holotype; 3 females ( NMSA, 1 female in HNHM): SOUTH AFRICA: KZN, Royal Natal N. Park, 1450 m, 28° 41.362’ S, 28° 56.327’E, Malaise tr., stream y-wood. Date: 10– 13. XII. 2004. Coll: M. Mostovski. 1 female ( NMSA): S. AFRICA: Natal #45, Mhlatusana, 18. xii. ’90, 29° 48’ S: 30° 45’E, 500 m. Reared out: 18. i. 1991. Coll. A.E. Whittington, from Hyrax Faeces. 1 male 1 female ( BMSA): Malaise traps, Leucosedea -dominated scrub—RSA: KZN, Royal Natal N. Park, Thendele, 1600 m, 28° 41.378’ S, 28°56.083’E, 15–17. ii. 2010, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs—Entomology Dept. National Museum, B.O. Box 266, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa.

Description. Measurements in mm: body length 1.50 (holotype), 2.00–2.18 (paratypes); wing length 1.48 (holotype), 1.83–2.56 (paratypes); wing width 0.66 (holotype), 0.85–1.04 (paratypes).

Head. Frons reddish anteriorly, head mainly black (dark brown). Facial plate brilliantly shiny, cheek, lunule and frontal triangle strongly shiny. Frontal triangle close to an isosceles: broad posteriorly, narrowing anteriorly only narrowly rounded apically. Gena shiny but finely longitudinally dashed, like rest of frons. Anterior frontoorbitals seta 2/3 as long as posterior one but ca. half as thick. 4 moderately long interfrontal setae present. Both vertical setae long. Inner occipital seta 0.175–0.19 mm, outer occipital seta as long as anterior fronto-orbital. First flagellomere large conical with an almost sharp dorsal apex. Longest (medial) pedicel seta as long as medial one, 0.19 mm. Arista very long, 0.94–0.98 mm. Aristal cilia 0.02 mm, like cilia on first flagellomere. Genal seta upcurved, rather long 0.11–0.125 mm.

Thorax. Mesonotum blackish with grey microtomentum, i.e. moderately shiny. 2 dorsocentral pairs, anterior one as long as posterior one and much thinner. Posterior dorsocentral seta 0.45 mm long, apical scutellar seta 0.59 mm. No enlarged prescutellar acrostichal seta developed. Only 1 (posterior) katepisternal seta.

Legs very dark, blackish brown, fore tarsus lighter brown, mid and hind tarsi ochreous. No mid ventral seta on mid tibia. Male mid tibia with a ventral row of short and thick setae on its apical 1/3. Male mid femur in basal 1/3 to 3/7 with a row of 6 long, apically curved setae plus 1 subapical anterior seta. Mid basitarsus very long, 0.45 mm, with dense comparatively short anteroventral and posteroventral rows of setulae. Mid tibial armature: anterodorsals at 21/50, 36/50, a very long one more dorsally at 4/5, a thinner and shorter dorsal seta at 37/50; posterodorsals at 18/50, a very long seta at 36/50.

Wing membrane light brownish grey, veins light brown. 2 sub-basal seta on costal vein of 0.175 mm and 0.125–0.15 mm. Second costal section (0.65 mm) slightly shorter than third section (0.67 mm). Costa continued to the apex of R4+5 or only slightly overruns it. Vein R4+5 almost straight basally but slightly bent up in its apical half. Lower edge of discal cell distinctly more than 90°, with a small vein appendage. Alula very narrow. Halter light yellow. Inter-crossvein section of M1+2 0.35 mm, M-M crossvein 0.16 mm.

Abdomen. Abdominal sternites much broader than long, tergites shiny.

Male sternite 5 ( Fig. 93 ) broad and long with a broad medio-caudal emargination, setae mostly on caudal half, some more setae medio-caudally but in one row only. Synsternite ( Fig. 94 ) with very short sternite 8 part, sternite 6 part joins to a large right-side sclerite. Epandrium strongly convex and not short ( Fig. 95 ), epandrial complex broadly open ventrally, without any indication of cerci; i.e. cerci seem to be fused with epandrium forming its ventromedial corner. Hypandrium short and strongly fused to epandrium ( Fig. 95 ). Surstylus ( Figs 96–97, 99 ) without apical process, apical part blunt (high), tubules occupy only apical 2/3 of surstylus only, caudal part without long setae. Basiphallus ( Fig. 101 ) looks less high than in P. endrodyi , with a straight, long and thin preepiphallus. Distiphallus ( Fig. 101 ) with a cap-like dorsal subapical to apical structure and a perpendicular medial pair of sclerites, basal half comparatively narrow. Phallapodeme about as long as phallus. Postgonite ( Fig. 102 ) broadened subapically, with a small anterior apex.

Female. Hitherto I have not found any distinctive feature to separate its female from that of P. endrodyi .

Etymology. The specific epithet of the new species (Latin ‘nitidifacies’ = bright face, noun) refers to its polished shiny facial plate (= prefrons).

Figures

FIGURES 93 – 99. Preepiphallus nitidifacies sp. n., male postabdomen and genitalia. 93 = sternite 5, ventral view, 94 = synsternite with right side sclerites, 95 = epandrium and hypandrium, right lateral view, 96 = epandrium and surstylus, left sublateral view, 97 = epandrium and surstylus with subepandrial sclerite, caudal view, 98 = subepandrial sclerite, inner (anterior) view, 99 = surstylus, broadest (i. e. sublateral) view. (rs: right side sclerites, sscl: subepandrial sclerite). Scale bars: Figs 93 – 97 = 0.2 mm, Figs 98 – 99 = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 100 – 106. Preepiphallus nitidifacies sp. n., male and female postabdomen and genitalia. 100 – 102 = male paratype: 100 = phallus and phallapodeme, left lateral view, 101 = apical half of distiphallus in higher magnification, 102 = postgonite, broadest (sublateral) view, 103 – 106 = female paratype: 103 = sternite 8, ventral view, 104 = female terminalia in caudal view (left half of tergite 8 omitted, cerci sketchy), 105 = female terminalia in dorsal view, 106 = spermathecae (unpaired one slightly broken sub-basally). (BPh: basiphallus, ep: epiproct, hy: hypoproct). Scale bars: Figs 100, 103 – 105 = 0.2 mm, Figs 101, 105 = 0.1 mm.