Platypalpus commutatoides, Barták, Miroslav & Shamshev, Igor, 2015

Barták, Miroslav & Shamshev, Igor, 2015, Species of Platypalpus Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) from Uzbekistan, with descriptions of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 3926 (3), pp. 351-376 : 355-356

Platypalpus commutatoides sp. nov.

( Figs 7–9 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ UZBEKISTAN, Amankutan, pasture, 39°19'N, 66°55'E, 1300 m, 23.v.1989, M. Barták” ( CULSP). PARATYPES: UZBEKISTAN: 20♂, 25♀, same data as holotype (18♂, 24♀ in CULSP; 2♂, 1♀ in ZIN); 1♀, Zeravshan res., deciduous wood, 39°38´N, 67°08´E, 21–22.v.1989, M. Barták ( CULSP).

Diagnosis. Black species with two pairs of vertical setae; postpedicel 2.3–3.0X longer than broad, stylus subequally long; mesoscutum lustrous in central area, katepisternum with large lustrous patch, all setae pale yellow; legs yellow with very short apical spur on mid tibia and without posteroventral setae on mid femur.

Description. Male. Head black, rather thinly grey microtrichose, face including clypeus denser silvery microtrichose, frontal triangle lustrous including usually upper part of frons and V-shaped area just behind eyes (very rarely entire upper part of head thinly microtrichose, probably in immature specimens). Frons » 0.05 mm broad on lower part (about as broad as pedicel) and 0.09 mm broad on upper part (at level of anterior ocellus). Face » 0.04 mm broad at middle. Gena lustrous, narrow. Antenna brown, often both basal segments and sometimes also base of postpedicel slightly lighter, reddish-brown; postpedicel 2.3–3.0X longer than broad, stylus subequally long as postpedicel (0.8–1.1X longer). Clypeus microtrichose. Palpus narrowly ovate, dusky yellow, small (about 1/4th as long as proboscis), with long pale subterminal seta. Ocellar setae pale, » 0.09 mm long (ocellar triangle and vertex with 3 or more pairs of additional shorter setae behind anterior pair of ocellars). Two pairs of pale vertical setae, inner pair » 0.15 mm long, rather widely separated (» 0.20 mm apart). Occiput sparsely covered with pale, short setae dorsally and somewhat longer setae ventrally. Proboscis almost 2/3rds as long as height of head, brownish-black. Thorax blackish-brown, mesoscutum largely lustrous (in central part up to extreme front), leaving following microtrichose areas: postalar calli including nearby part of mesoscutum, notopleuron, scutellum and entire prescutellar area; pleura more densely microtrichose leaving large lustrous patch occupying katepisternum up to extreme posterior margin, with only narrow microtrichose stripe in anterior part. All setae pale yellow. Chaetotaxy: postpronotal seta moderately long and strong; acrostichals usually mostly irregularly quadriserial, short (» 0.04 mm), exact number of setae in one row difficult to state but about 8–12, very rarely (in two specimens only) acrostichals almost regularly biserial; dorsocentrals irregularly biserial to nearly triserial, subequally long as acrostichals, outer row(s) somewhat divergent, last 1–2 pairs strong and long; notopleuron with two long setae on posterior part; 1 postalar and 1 pair of scutellar setae (with 2 small hairs). Wing clear, with pale veins. R4+5 and M1 nearly straight and parallel. Crossveins very narrowly separated. Cu slightly recurrent. Costal seta yellow, moderately long. Squama yellow with yellow fringes. Halter pale yellow. Legs yellow including all coxae and tarsi (except usual dark spot on all trochanters), hind tarsus rarely darkened apically. All setae pale (except ventral spines on mid femur and tibia). Fore femur thickened on basal third, with short pale setae both dorsally and ventrally (scarcely 1/3rd as long as depth of femur). Fore tibia very slightly thickened, short setose (no dark setae dorsally). Mid femur slightly swollen just on base, not much broader than fore femur, without posteroventral setae, but spine-like setae longer in posterior row. Mid tibia with very short apical spur. Hind femur 3/4 as broad as mid femur, short setose. Hind tibia thin without dark setae. Abdomen blackish-brown, lustrous, only lateral parts of tergite 1 and narrow base of tergite 2 microtrichose; sparsely covered with short pale setae, somewhat longer setae on ventral part of terminal segments. Genitalia ( Figs 7–9 ) with very short digitiform cerci, left cercus very narrow, right cercus about twice broader but somewhat shorter than left cercus; left epandrial lamella with deep dorsal excision on subapical part, with straight ventral margin bearing several short ordinary setae on about middle; right epandrial lamella as in Fig. 9 , with 3–4 spines on apical part. Female. Similar to male except as follows: last two abdominal segments microtrichose. Length: body 1.8–2.3 mm, wing 2.0– 2.3 mm.

Etymology. The species specific name stresses similarity with P. commutatus .

Distribution. Uzbekistan.

Remarks. The species described above is in fundamental characters (two pairs of vertical setae, partly lustrous mesoscutum, very short mid tibial spur, lacking posteroventrals on mid tibia, yellow legs) similar to P. commutatus (Strobl) , but it differs from the latter in the following characters: ocellar setae shorter and finer than verticals (subequally as long and strong in P. commutatus ), ocellar tubercle lustrous (microtrichose in P. commutatus ), prescutellar area largely microtrichose (lustrous in P. commutatus ), anterior part of mesoscutum lustrous (microtrichose in P. commutatus ), mid femur without dark anterior setae (with dark setae in P. commutatus ), katepisternum lustrous up to hind margin (hind margin microtrichose in P. commutatus ), left epandrial lamella deeply incised dorsally and square-shaped apically (narrowly ovoid in P. commutatus ).

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 9. Platypalpus commutatoides sp. nov., male terminalia. 7. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 8. cerci, dorsal view. 9. left epandrial lamella, lateral view. Scale bars = 0.10 mm.