Thinophilus medvedevi, Grichanov, 2023

Grichanov, Igor Ya., 2023, A review of the Afrotropical Thinophilus Wahlberg, 1844 (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), with the descriptions of ten new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 878, pp. 1-52 : 41-43

Thinophilus medvedevi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EC22CD6D-73BB-4F90-86A9-D84A2BEB8E8A

Fig. 14

Diagnosis

Thinophilus medvedevi sp. nov. is very close in size and habitus to T. quadrisetus known by female holotype from Tanzania (Dar Es Salam), differing from the latter in lateral bristles on scutellum, ⅓ to ½ as long as median bristles. The scutellum of T. quadrisetus bears two pairs of scutellars of almost equal length ( Parent 1936). There are some fine differences between the species in colour characters and leg setation that may relate with individual variability. Thinophilus medvedevi keys to T. subpalpatus sp. nov., differing in mid femur with rows of ventral setae, half as long as femur height; tarsomere 5 of all tarsi deep black; tarsomeres 1–4 of fore and mid tarsi yellow. The male of T. subpalpatus has mid femur with row of ventral setae on distal half, 2 × as long as femur height; tarsi gradually darkened towards tips.

Etymology

The species is named after the collector, Andrey Medvedev (ZMUM).

Material examined

Holotype MADAGASCAR • ♂; “ Toliara Region, near Ifaty ; 23.12° S, 43.37° E; 13 Nov. 2012; A. Medvedev leg.”; ZMUM.

Paratypes MADAGASCAR • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZMUM • 1 ♂; “ Toliara Region, Toliara env.; 23.20° S, 43.62° E; 12–19 Nov. 2012; A. Medvedev leg.”; ZMUM .

Description

Male ( Fig. 14A )

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 5.8 mm; antenna length 0.9 mm; wing length 5.0 mm; wing width 1.6 mm.

HEAD ( Fig. 14B ). Postcranium blackish blue, white pollinose; frons, face and clypeus green-violet, grey pollinose; face under antennae 2 × as wide as height of postpedicel; clypeus half as long as epistoma, about 2 × as wide as long; palp yellow, bearing black bristly hairs; proboscis dark brown; 2 diverging ocellars; 1 strong vertical, 1 postvertical, stronger and longer than, and not in row with upper postoculars; upper postoculars iniseriate, black; middle and lower postoculars multiseriate, white, long; antenna almost entirely orange-yellow ( Fig. 14C ); scape subtriangular; pedicel simple, convex on inner side; postpedicel browned at base of arista, rounded, with short pubescence, slightly higher than long (19/15); arista-like stylus dorsal, black and thick basally, white and thin distally, shortly pubescent; length ratio of scape to pedicel to postpedicel to stylus, 0.14/0.07/0.15/0.59.

THORAX. Monochrome, black, whitish grey pollinose. No acrostichals; 7 dorsocentrals decreasing in length anteriorly; scutellum with 2 strong marginals and 2 laterals, ⅓ to ½ as long as median bristles; about 4 upper and about 11 lower, white propleural bristles of different length.

LEGS. Fore coxa mostly yellow, black at base; mid and hind coxae black, yellow at apex, whitish grey pollinose; legs mostly yellow; segment 5 almost entirely black; hind tarsomeres 1–3 dark at apex; hind tarsomere 4 brown.

FORE LEG. Coxa with white setae, with at most 1 dark apical seta; femur slightly thickened, with fine white ventral setae on basal half, with about 5 fine short black anteroventral setae at base, with about 5 posteroventral preapical black setae, as long as femur height; tibia bearing 2 anterodorsal, 2 posterodorsal and 3–4 apical short setae, devoid of black setulae anteriorly on distal ⅓; tarsomeres weakly thickened, with elongated setulae; tarsomeres 2–4 with white ventral pile; tarsomere 5 distinctly flattened; length of femur, tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 1.8/1.57/0.63/0.33/0.2/0.18/ 0.2.

MID LEG. Coxa with many black setae; femur with rather short black ventral setae; 1 anterior preapical bristle, posteroventral row of 5 black preapical setae; tibia bearing 2 anterodorsal; 2 posterodorsal, 1 anteroventral, 1–2 posteroventral, 4 apical bristles; tarsomere 4 slightly thickened; tarsomere 5 distinctly flattened ( Fig. 14D ); length of femur, tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 1.82/1.74/1.05/0.39/0.26/0.19 /0.24.

HIND LEG. Coxa with 1 black exterior bristle; femur with 2–3 anterodorsal setae on distal half and 2 preapical posteroventral short setae, without ventrals; tibia bearing 3 anterodorsal, 3 posterodorsal, 2 ventral bristles, 3 apicals; tarsomere 4 slightly thickened; tarsomere 5 distinctly flattened; length of femur, tibia and tarsal segments (in mm): 2.1/2.26/0.66/0.61/0.37/0.25/0.27.

WING ( Fig. 14E ). Hyaline, without darker shades; veins yellow-brown, more yellowish at base; distal part of M 1+2 convex; tip of R 4+5 parallel with M 1+2; ratio of part of costa between R 2+3 and R 4+5 to that between R 4+5 and M 1+2 (in mm), 0.42/0.30; crossvein dm-m straight; ratio of dm-m to distal part of M 4, 0.43/0.61; anal vein distinct; halter yellow; lower calypter yellow, with white cilia.

ABDOMEN. With setae and hind-marginal bristles on tergites black, short; sternites with very short setulae. Hypopygium ( Fig. 14F ) black, cercus yellow; epandrial lobe fingerlike, with strong apical bristle; hypandrium short, apically concave; phallosoma broad, split at apex, not reaching apex of surstyli; phallus coiled, long and flat, band-like; surstylus slightly curved, widened distally ( Fig. 14G ) with pointed apex, several short preapical bristles and setae; cerci dorsally fused at base, free and narrow distally, with long marginal bristles ( Fig. 14G ).

Female

Similar to male except lacking male secondary sexual characters. Posteroventral preapical setae on fore femur weakly developed; fore tarsus without white ventral pile.

Figures

Fig. 14. Thinophilus medvedevi sp. nov. A–E. Holotype, ♂ (ZMUM). F–G. Paratype, ♂ (ZMUM). A. Habitus. B. Head. C. Antenna.D. Mid tarsus, dorsal view. E. Wing.F. Hypopygium after maceration, lateral view. G. Distal appendages of hypopygium after maceration, lateral view.