Manota acris, Kurina, Olavi & Hippa, Heikki, 2015

Kurina, Olavi & Hippa, Heikki, 2015, A review of the South Pacific Manota Williston (Diptera, Mycetophilidae), with the description of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 4020 (2), pp. 257-288 : 260-262

Manota acris sp. n.

Figs 2 A–E

Male. Colour. Head brown, face somewhat paler. Antenna including scape and pedicel brown. Clypeus and mouthparts pale yellowish. Thorax light brown, medial part of scutum and scutellum darker. Legs yellowish, basal fourth of hind coxa light brown, basal half of midfemur and basal fourth of hind femur ventrally infuscated. Wing hyaline; haltere yellow with brown knob. Abdomen light brown, medial 2/3 of tergites darker. All setosity pale, yellowish or brownish, the thicker setae seeming darker than the finer ones. Head. Antennal flagellomere 4 tilted, similar to Fig. 4 A ( M. apentachaeta ). Palpal segment 3 of maxillary palpus with apicomedial thumb-like extension, with four apically curved and strongly flattened sensilla; palpomere 4 with parasegment; palpomere 5 more than 1.6 times longer than palpomere 4. Ten strong postocular setae. Thorax. Anepisternum with 48 setae; anterior basalare non-setose; preepisternum with 11 setae; laterotergite with 21 setae; metepisternum with 8 setae along its margin. Legs. Mid- and hind tibial organs absent. Wing. R1 meeting C within the basal half of the costal margin; the sclerotized part of M2 not extending to the level of the tip of R1; wing length 1.8 mm. Hypopygium, Figs. 2 A–E. Sternite 9 elongate, subtriangular, posteriorly attenuating to a narrow apex, more than half of the ventral length of gonocoxa, laterally separated from gonocoxa, anteriorly deeply incised, the setae similar to the ventral setae of gonocoxa except for two posterior most setae on both halves being double the others’ size. Ventromedial margin of gonocoxa simple. The ventral setae of gonocoxa unmodified. Parastylar lobe oblique, with a broader basal part and narrower finger-like apical part, the latter with 4 setae situated on marginal areas; the basal part with a small sub-lobe. Para-apodemal lobe distinct, clearly visible in ventral view of hypopygium. Dorsomedial margin rather straight, with a setiferous lobe on posterior half, paralleling the margin. The apicomedial corner of the gonocoxa with a large oblique lobe bearing ca. 3 apical setae, two small subapical setae, two setae at the middle of the medial margin and a couple of small setae in a more basal position on this margin; basoventrally on this lobe there is a thin subquadrangular lobe which is difficult to observe. The dorsal setosity of gonocoxa similar to the ventral one except for a couple of longer setae posteriorly. Gonostylus about half of the ventral length of gonocoxa, anteroposteriorly elongated, with convex lateral and concave medial surface, with a prominent setiferous lobe subapically on the ventromedial margin, a long megaseta apically, the ventromedial margin with 5 very long setae, the other unmodified setosity confined on lateral/ventral part; the microtrichia on the medial surface long and conspicuous. Two juxtagonostylar setae present as a shorter unmodified seta and a longer slightly sigmoid megaseta, both arising from a common basal body that is a little shorter than the megaseta. Aedeagus subtriangular, with lateral shoulders, the apex curved ventrally. Hypoproct posteriorly extending to the base of gonostylus, its ventral part (sternite 10) with ca. 15 scattered setae on each half, the setae conspicuously long. Cerci short, apically separated by a U-shaped notch and with apical setae only.

Female unknown.

Discussion. Following the key by Hippa (2007), M. acris runs to couplet 15 because of the 1) setose anepisternum and laterotergite, 2) sternite 9 laterally separated from the gonocoxa, 3) hypoproct without a pair of unusually strong setae at anteroventral margin, 4) gonocoxa dorsally with an apicomedial setose lobe, 5) gonostylus apically without 3 very strong divergent setae, and 6) parastylar lobe large, lobe-like. This couplet includes a large group of species having also 1) one or two juxtagonostylar setae on a long common basal body and 2) apparently very long microtrichia on the medial/dorsal surface of the gonostylus that are not always easily seen in the slide mounts. The group includes 6 previously described species ( M. pacifica , M. pentacantha , M. hamulata , M. bicuspis , M. orthacantha and M. parilis ) and 8 newly described species ( M. feminea , M. siciliculata , M. pentachaeta , M. apentachaeta , M. acris , M. nimia , M. unisetata , M. clivicola ). Manota acris differs from all of these by its long and posteriorly attenuating sternite 9, and the subquadrangular lobe subapically at the ventromedial margin of the gonostylus. Also the long setae on the ventromedial margin of the gonostylus are characteristic, but reminiscent setae do exist in some other species in the group ( M. apentachaeta , M. clivicola , M. feminea , M. pentachaeta ) and also in M. evexa and M. sicula . The ventral setae on the hypoproct (on sternite 10) are very long as in M. bicuspis , M. hamulata and M. parilis .

Etymology. The name is Latin [ acris : pointed] referring to the posteriorly pointed sternite 9.

Types. Holotype. Male, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, NE, Morobe District, Mt. Missim, 1300 m, 15–21.xii.1966, G. A. Samuelson (BPBM).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Manota acris sp. n. (holotype). A. Hypopygium, dorsal view. B. Hypopygium, ventral view. C. Gonostylus, dorsal view. D. Tergite 9, apex of aedeagus and cerci, dorsal view. E. Hypoproct and aedeagus, ventral view. Scale 0.1 mm. aed = aedeagus, ce = cercus, dm = dorsomedial margin of gonocoxite, gs = gonostylus, gsl = apical lobe of gonostylus, gsm = gonostylar megaseta, gx = gonocoxite, gxa = gonocoxal apodeme, hpr = hypoproct, jxs = juxtagonostylar setae, mlg = lobe on dorsomedial margin of gonocoxite, pal = paraapodemal lobe, plg = lobe on posterior dorsal margin of gonocoxite, psl = parastylar lobe, st 9 = sternite 9, tg 9 = tergite 9.

FIGURE 4. Manota apentachaeta sp. n. (holotype). A. Antennal flagellomere 4, lateral view. B. Hypopygium, dorsal view. C. Hypopygium, ventral view. D. Gonostylus, dorsal view. E Hypoproct and aedeagus, ventral view. Scale 0.1 mm.