Thecophora clementsi, Stuke, Jens-Hermann, 2015

Stuke, Jens-Hermann, 2015, New Conopid records from the Afrotropical Region (Diptera). Part 1: Paramyopa Kröber, Pseudoconops Camras, Stylogaster Macquart, Thecophora Rondani, and Zodion Latreille, Zootaxa 3963 (2), pp. 101-159 : 106-110

Thecophora clementsi spec. nov.

( Figs 1–10 )

Type material. Holotype ♀: (1) Madagascar: Province / Fianarantsoa, Parc National / Ranomafana, radio tower / at forest edge, elev 1130 m / 8–20 January 2006; (2) 2115.05′S, 4724.43′E / coll: M. Irwin R. Harin’Hala / California Acad of Sciences / malaise, mixed tropical / forest MA–02–09B–136; (3) Holotypus / Thecophora clementsi ♀ / spec. nov. / det. Stuke, 2014. Paratypes. MADAGASCAR: 1♂, 29.vi.–6.vii.2003, Fianarantsoa Province, 12 km w Ranomafana National Parc entrance, 1215 m, montane tropical forest [2115.05′S 4724.43′E], leg. R. Harin’Hala, M. E. Irwin, coll. CAS; 1♀, 22.–29.iv.2002, Fianarantsoa Province, 17 km w Ranomafana, Vohipara, Ranomafana National Park, malaise in rainforest, 1110 m [2115.05′S 4724′43′E], leg. R. Harin’Hala, M. E. Irwin, coll. CAS; 1♂, 16.–27.viii.2003, Fianarantsoa Province, Ranomafana NP, radio tower at forest edge, 1130 m, mixed tropical forest [2115.05′S 4724.43′E], leg. M. Irwin & R. Harin’Hala, coll. CAS; 1♂, 31.i.–12.ii.2004, ditto; 1♀, 5.–18.iii.2006, ditto; 1♀, 18.–30.xi.2004, ditto.

Holotype is deposited in the CAS. The left middle leg is missing, but otherwise the holotype is in good condition.

Description of holotype (female). Body length 5.2 mm. Wing-length 4.3 mm. Head-height 1.3 mm. Head. Antenna dark brown, basal flagellomere black distally and dorsally. Arista of 1 dark brown aristomere situated dorsally on basal flagellomere. Aristomere about as long as basal flagellomere, broad at base and becoming abruptly narrower in the apical 2/3. Scape slightly longer than broad, apically with a few bristles that are almost as long as scape. Pedicel about as long as maximum width, completely covered with short black setae. Basal flagellomere slightly longer than high, and about as long as pedicel. Ocellar tubercle with three distinct light yellow ocelli. Ocellar triangle evident, about 1/2 of frons length. Frons yellowish brown, with obvious silver dusting laterally at eye margin and an indistinct more-or-less v-shaped golden patch in front of the ocellar triangle. Black hairs all over frons which might represent frontal and orbital setae. Face yellow, a pair of indistinct brownish spots present on facial groove. Face slightly silver dusted, facial grooves shining. Gena and facial ridge with scattered black hairs. Postcranium black dorsally, becoming whitish yellow ventrally. Adjacent to ventral posterior margin of eye there is a stripe of dense silver dusting, postgena slightly silver dusted, remaining postcranium hardly dusted to shining. Postcranium with black hairs. No hairs on a small area adjacent to eye margin, the bottom portion of postcranium, and the median occipital sclerite. Proboscis light yellow to black. No spot between frontoclypeal membrane and mouth edge. Frontoclypeal membrane narrow, widened basally, light yellow and distinctly separated from the yellowish brown clypeus. Palps long (longer than scape) yellowish white, hardly widened distally, and covered with long black hairs. Labium obviously shorter than head-length, projecting out of the mouth opening, hardly thickened basally, and anterior section not fused into a tube. Labellum as long as labium, divided only apically, slightly narrower than adjacent haustellum, and covered apically with scattered hairs. Head with distinct ocellar setae, postocellar setae are broken in holotype, 1 indistinct medial and 3 lateral postocular setae. Thorax. Thorax yellowish brown to dark brown. Scutum black with slight metallic blue reflection. Thorax completely lightly grey dusted. Distinct patches of dense grey dusting only present dorsally on katepisternum and anepisternum. Basisternum narrow, narrowed to a point, with 1 long black hair apically. Proepisternum with 2–3 black hairs ventrally and dorsally. Scutellum with a few long black hairs and 1 pair of scutellar bristles. Scutum with long black hairs, slightly longer than tibia diameter. 1 postpronotal, 2 notopleural, 2 supraalar, 2 postalar, and no prescutellar dorsocentral bristles. The bristles are obviously stronger than the body pile. 3 black bristles posterodorsally and a few bristles ventrally on katepisternum. Metakatepisternum without bristles. Anepisternum and anepimeron hairless and without bristles. Wing tinged inconspiciously brownish. Veins yellowish white basally and black apically. Basal-medial-cubital-crossvein bm-cu complete. Vein A1+CuA2 reaching hind margin of the wing. Upper and lower calypters white, upper calypter with long white hairs on the margin. Alula broad (about 2 times wider than long), with long hairs on posterior margin. Haltere yellowish white with slightly darker yellowbrown base. Knob of haltere with short, indistinct, light yellow hairs. Legs uniformly light brown. Legs slightly dusted to shining. Posterior surfaces of the fore and middle tibiae without obvious dusted fields distally. Legs all with long, semiadpressed or erect black hairs. Hind femur anterodorsally and posterordorsally with single outstanding long hairs. 1 preapical bristle dorsally on tibiae. Fore- and middle tibiae basally on ventral surface with one distinct line of small thick adpressed black bristles. All femora distally on ventral surface with two parallel lines of small thick black bristles. Fore coxa without outstanding black bristle which is stronger than the surrounding scattered black hairs. Middle and hind coxae with some distinct strong lateral bristles that are about as long as diameter of basal hind tibia. Hind femur not obviously thickened in the basal half. Pulvilli yellow-whitish. Claws brown with black tips. Empodium yellow-brown. Abdomen. The holotype was not dissected and the description of internal structures of the female abdomen is based on a paratype. Abdomen light brown, and covered with black hairs only. Tergites 1–5 slightly dusted. Tergites 2–4 with grey dusted spots laterally on hind margins. Maximum width of abdomen is at segments 2–3. Length: maximum width of tergite 2 = 0.7; length: maximum width of tergite 3 = 0.6. Sternites 1–2 fused but still distinct. Sternites 3–4 slightly protuding ventrally, the posterior parts of the sternites conspicious. Shape of theca as shown in Fig. 6 . Anterior surface of theca with a few inconspicious black hairs only. Apical part of posterior surface of theca with 4 horizontal lines of close-set, short, blunt spicules. Sternite 6 almost completely covered with short, blunt spicules which are almost completely arranged in 7 horizontal lines. Sternite 7 longer than broad, slightly pointed anteriorly. Area between sides of syntergite 8+9 completely lightly sclerotised, and without a distinct sternite 8. Sack-like ventral protrusion of vagina neither with an annular sclerotisation nor covered with bristles. No obvious sclerotisation at base of either the accessory glands or spermathecal ducts. No dorsal sclerotisation evident on sack-like ventral protrusion of vagina. 2 pairs of round spermathecae, spermathecal ducts fused shortly after leaving the spermathecae. Spermathecal ducts sclerotised at spermathecae.

Description of male abdomen. Tergite 1 with black hairs laterally which are slightly shorter than the lateral hairs on tergite 2. Tergite 2 not elongate and about as long as broad. without obvious lateral hair tufts but with slightly longer hairs than laterally on tergite 3. Tergite 3 not widened posteriorly. Sternites 1–5 present, sternites 1 and 2 to some extent fused but still distinguishable. Sternite 4 slightly broader than long and obviously smaller than sternite 5, with several long black hairs. Sternite 5 apically with a small field of thick black bristles and long hairs. Ventrally the lateral edges of the protandrium are fused by a narrow strip. Epandrium fused behind cerci. Posterior surstylus slightly pointed distally. Dense field of strong black bristles at base of posterior surstylus reaching up to anterior surstylus. Two inner bristles elongated, about as long as posterior surstylus. Subepandrial plate distinctly sclerotised and not divided. Phallus sheath slightly fused dorsally; apically without obvious evagination and without any tooth or bristles, dorsomedially without a notch. Postgonite more or less distinct. Postgonite evagination minute, hardly sclerotised, not projecting above the distiphallus, and no microtrichia evident. Two plates present at inner side of postgonite evagination, the inner one obvious and clearly larger than the u-shaped ring sclerite. Outer plate much smaller and therefore hardly evident. Both plates partly fused together. U-shaped ring sclerite obvious. Epiphallus distinct, covered with microtrichia. Distiphallus short, about 1/2 of length of epandrium, densely covered with blunt microtrichia, without any evaginations but with indisinct sclerotised dorsolateral plates. Ejaculatory apodeme elongate, distinctly sclerotised, attachment to the sperm sac evident.

Variability. Wing length 3.7–5.4 mm. Colouration varies from light brown to darker reddish brown. Postpronotal bristle can be absent. The grey dusted spots on tergite 4 may be absent. Posterior surface of theca may have 4 or 5 horizontal lines of close-set, short, blunt spicules.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to David Clements (Cardiff) who patiently discusses taxonomic and morphological problems with me, and never gives up trying to explain the English language.

Discussion. Thecophora clementsi is easily distinguished from all other Thecophora species due to the metallic blue scutum and the broad abdomen with tergite 3 obviously wider than long. The large theca distinguishes females of this species from the other Thecophora species known from Madagascar.

Distribution. Thecophora clementsi is an endemic species of Madagascar.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Thecophora clementsi spec. nov. 1. Lateral view of habitus (♀, holotype). 2. Dorsal view of habitus (♀, holotype). 3. Lateral view of head (♂, Ranomafana NP). 4. Lateral view of antenna (♂, Ranomafana NP).

FIGURES 5 – 6. Thecophora clementsi spec. nov. 5. Lateral view of tip of postabdomen (♀, holotype). 6. Posterior view of theca (♀, Ranomafana NP).

FIGURES 7 – 10. Thecophora clementsi spec. nov. (♂, 12 km w Ranomafana). 7. Ventral view of epandrium. 8. Lateral view of epandrium. 9. Lateral view of hypandrium and phallus. 10. Lateral view of tip of hypandrium and phallus. ce—cercus; dpdistiphallus; eja—ejaculatory apodeme; ep—epandrium; epp—epiphallus; hya—hypandrial arms; hym—hypandrial membrane; hyr—hypandrial bars; hys—anteriorly – directed phallus sheath of hypandrium; ipoe—inner plate of postgonite evagination; pa—phallus apodeme; psu—posterior surstylus; sp—sperm pump.