Thecophora submetallica, 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 : 126-128

Thecophora submetallica spec. nov.

( Figs 47–50 )

Type material. Holotype ♀: (1) Madagascar, Fianarantsoa Prov, 17 km / W Ramofana, Vohipara, / Ranomafana Natl Park, malaise in / rainforest, 6/ 15.V.2002, 1110m, R. Harin’Hala, ME Irwin, / 2113.57′S 4722.19E. MG 9A 28; (2) Holotypus / Thecophora / submetallica ♀ / spec. nov. / det. Stuke, 2013.

Holotype is deposited in the CAS. Abdomen dissected, macerated and stored in glycerine in a microvial pinned beneath the specimen. Both wings are slightly damaged, but otherwise the holotype is in good condition.

Description of holotype (female). Body length 5.6 mm. Wing-length 4.2 mm. Head-height 1.1 mm. Head. Antenna brown, basal flagellomere black distally and dorsally. Arista with 1 dark brown aristomere situated dorsally on basal flagellomere. Aristomere about as long as basal flagellomere, broad basally, becoming abruptly narrower in the apical 2/3. Scape slightly longer than broad, apically with a few bristles that are almost as long as the 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, slightly less than 1/2 of frons length. Frons yellowish brown. Obvious silver dusting laterally at eye margin and an indistinct more-or-less v-shaped golden patch in front of ocellar triangle. Black hairs all over frons which might represent frontal and orbital setae. Face yellow to light brown and slightly silver dusted, facial grooves shining. Gena and facial ridge with scattered black hairs. Postcranium black dorsally, becoming yellowish brown ventrally. Adjacent to ventral posterior margin of eye there is a strip 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 the postcranium and the median occipital sclerite. Proboscis brown to black. No spot between frontoclypeal membrane and mouth edge. Frontoclypeal membrane narrow, widened basally, light yellow and distinctly separated from the brown clypeus. Palp long (longer than scape) brown, hardly thickened distally, and covered with long black hairs. Labium obviously shorter than head-length, projecting out of mouth opening, hardly thickened basally, and with anterior section not fused into a tube. Labellum as long as labium, divided only at apex, slightly narrower than adjacent haustellum and with evenly scattered hairs apically. Head with distinct ocellar setae, postocellar setae, 1 distinct medial and at least 3 lateral postocular setae. Thorax. Thorax yellowish brown to dark brown. Scutum black with an obvious metallic blue reflection. Thorax lightly grey dusted all over except on katepisternum and dorsally on anepisternum where there are distinct patches of dense grey dusting. Basisternum narrow, narrowed to a point, and with 4 black hairs apically. Proepisternum with 1 black hair ventrally and a few hairs dorsally. Scutellum with a very few long black hairs and 1 pair of short scutellar bristles. Scutum with long black hairs, about as long as tibia diameter. 1 postpronotal, 2 notopleural, 1 supraalar, 3 postalar and no prescutellar dorsocentral bristles. The bristles are obviously stronger than the body pile, but may be broken off. 2 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. Basalmedial-cubital-crossvein bm-cu complete. Vein A1+CuA2 reaching hind margin of wing. Upper and lower calypters white, upper calypter with long white hairs on margin. Alula broad (about 2 times wider than long), with long hairs on posterior margin. Haltere yellowish white with a slightly darker yellowish brown base. Knob of haltere with short, indistinct, light yellow hairs. Legs uniformly light brown, slightly dusted to shining. Posterior surfaces of 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 which are about as long as diameter of basal hind tibia. Hind femur not obviously thickened in basal half. Pulvilli yellowish white. Claws brown with black tips. Empodium yellowish brown. Abdomen. Abdomen light brown, with black hairs only. Tergites 1–5 slightly dusted. Tergites 2–3 with grey dusted spots laterally on hind margins. Maximum width of abdomen is at segments 2–3. Length: maximum width of tergite 2 = 1.7; length: maximum width of tergite 3 = 1.1. Sternites 1–2 fused but still distinct. Sternite 4 slightly protuding ventrally. Shape of theca as shown in Fig. 50 . Anterior surface of theca with a few inconspicious black hairs only. Apical 1/3 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 5 horizontal lines. Sternite 7 about as long as broad, anteriorly rounded. Area between sides of syntergite 8+9 lightly sclerotised and without a distinct sternite 8. Sack-like ventral protrusion of vagina with an annular sclerotisation but not covered with bristles. No obvious sclerotisation at the base of either the accessory glands or spermathecal ducts. No dorsal sclerotisation evident on the sack-like ventral protrusion of vagina. 2 pairs of round spermathecae, with spermathecal ducts fused shortly after leaving spermathecae. Spermathecal ducts sclerotised at spermathecae.

Male unknown.

Etymology. The name is composed from the Latin sub (below, near) and the species name metallica to indicate its similarity to the more metallic shining Thecophora species.

Discussion. Thecophora submetallica can only be confused with Thecophora metallica due to its blue metallic scutum and small, elongate theca ( Fig. 50 ). It is differentiated from the latter by its non-shining pleurae and longer theca ( Fig. 50 ).

Distribution. Thecophora submetallica is only known from Madagascar to date.

Figures

FIGURES 47 – 50. Thecophora submetallica spec. nov. (♀, holotype). 47. Lateral view of habitus. 48. Anterolateral view of head. 49. Lateral view of antenna. 50. Posterior view of theca.