Helina tigrisipedisa Xue and Tian, 2012

Xue, Wanqi & Tian, Xu, 2012, Thirteen new species of the genus Helina R. - D. (Diptera: Muscidae) from China, Journal of Natural History 46 (9 - 10), pp. 565-598 : 593-595

Helina tigrisipedisa Xue and Tian sp. nov.

( Figure 12A–D )

Type material

Holotype. One male ( IESNU), China, Benxi , Liaoning province, 41 ◦ 24 ′ N, 124 ◦ 17 ′ E, altitude 1325 m, 26 June 2005, H. Ao.

Paratypes. Three males ( IESNU), same data as holotype .

Etymology

The name of this species is based on the hind ventral surface and the ventral surface of the male’s hind femur of the hind legs having rows of thin and of long hairs, respectively; long super-medially, becoming shorter apically, the longest hair about one-quarter of its length; putting together the Latin words pedis plus tigris.

Distribution

China, Liaoning Province, Benxi.

Remarks

The new species is similar to Helina obscuratoides (Schnabl, 1887) , but differs from the latter as follows: parafacial broader than postpedicel in width; postpedicel about 3.5 times as long as broad, the longest aristal hairs about half the postpedicel in width; katepisternal setae 2+2; hind ventral surface and the ventral surface of hind tibia with a row of thin, long hairs respectively. The latter as follows: parafacial about one-quarter of postpedicel in width; postpedicel about 2.5 times as long as broad, the longest aristal hairs about one-third of postpedicel in width; katepisternal setae 1+2; hind tibia with av 3–4.

Description (based on holotype)

Male. Body length 6.5 mm.

Colour: Frontal vitta black, fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and gena covered with grey pruinosity, antenna black, genal and postgenal hairs black, palpus black. Thorax black in ground-colour, with sparse grey pruinosity, scutellum black in ground-colour. Wing brown, veins brown, basicosta black, calypters light yellowish, haltere brown. Legs all black. Abdomen ground-colour black, covered with dark grey pruinosity, tergite 3 to 5 with a pair of long and black spots.

Head: Eye covered with light and medium ciliae; frons sparsely broad, about 2.0–2.5 times as wide as anterior ocellus, frontal vitta about one-half of fronto-orbital plate in width, seven to eight pairs of frontal setae, without ors; parafacial subequal with or broader than postpedicel in width; postpedicel about 3.5 times as long as broad, arista short plumose, the longest aristal hairs about one-half of postpedicel in width; lower facial margin not projecting, vibrissal angle situated behind frontal angle in profile; genal height about one-quarter of eye height, anterior margin of gena with one or two rows of upcurved subvibrissal setulae; proboscis short, prementum about 2.3 times as long as broad, palpus longer than prementum.

Thorax: Scutum with four broad vittae, the inner vitta reaching scutoscutellar suture; acr 0+1, dc 2+3, ial 0+2, pra long and strong, about 1.3 times as long as posterior notopleural seta; notopleuron, lateral margin and lower surface of scutellum, prosternum, meron and katepimeron all bare; katepisternal setae 2+2.

Wing: Costal spine subequal with cross-vein r-m, Sc curved and arc-shaped, r-m and dm-cu cross-vein clouded sometimes.

Legs: Fore tibia without median p; mid-femur with a row of hair-like av; hind femur with pv row, only three or four strong basally, mid-tibia with three p; hind femur with av row in apical two-thirds, with two or othree pd in sub-basal part, hind tibia with six or seven av, two ad, hind ventral surface and the ventral surface of hind tibia with a row of thin and of long hairs, respectively, in the super-medial is long, becoming shorter apically, the longest hair about 1 / 4 of its length, c about 1.8 times as long as broad apically; all tarsi longer than tibiae in length, claws and pulvilli big.

Abdomen: Cone-shaped in dorsal view, sternite 1 bare.

Female. Unknown.

Figures

Figure 12. Helina tigrisipedisa sp. nov. (A) Male, abdomen in dorsal view; (B) male, sternite 5 in ventral view; (C) male, cerci in posterior view; (D) male, terminalia in profile. Scale bars: A, 1 mm; B, 0.5 mm; C,D, 0.2 mm.