Elaphropeza yaekela, Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013, The flies of the family Hybotidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) collected during the Boyekoli Ebale Congo 2010 Expedition in Democratic Republic of Congo, Zootaxa 3603 (1), pp. 1-61 : 54-55

Elaphropeza yaekela sp. nov.

( Figs. 73–75 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: D.R. CONGO, Yaekela , 7 May 2010, secondary forest (reg. 30020, leg. P. Grootaert, MS reference EC10); Holotype / Elaphropeza yaekela / Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov. ( RBINS). PARATYPES: 1male, Yaekela , 7 May 2010, secondary forest (reg. 30020, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 3, Yaekela , 2-7 May 2010, secondary forest, Malaise trap 1 (reg. 30025, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 Ƥ, Kona , 11 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30033, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 Ƥ, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert) + one complete female in tray Congo at AB31515309 extracted for DNA, COI and 18s sequence available at genbank; 1 Ƥ, Kona , 16 May 2010, secondary forest, Mal. 3 (leg. P. Grootaert); 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Kona , 15 May 2010, primary forest (leg. P. Grootaert).

Diagnosis. A species of the E. ephippiata -group; recognised by pleura almost entirely and scutellum wholly dark brown; hind femur brownish on about apical 1/3; hind tibia with 2 anterodorsal bristles.

Description. Length: body 2.3 mm, wing 2.2 mm. Male. Occiput entirely black, subshining; with brownish yellow setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals hardly prominent. Anterior ocellars long proclinate and cruciate, posterior ocellars minute. Frons subshining, narrow, above antennae nearly as broad as anterior ocellus. Antenna with yellow scape and pedicel and brownish postpedicel and stylus; pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae; postpedicel subtriangular, short, nearly 2.5 times longer than wide; stylus with short pubescence, long, nearly 4.0 times longer than postpedicel, about 2.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded, covered with numerous black setulae, subapical seta short, thin.

Thorax partly yellow, with brownish setation; katepisternum and anepisternum with small yellow spot anteriorly, otherwise pleura brown; scutellum and metanotum brown; scutum with hardly prominent brownish markings above wings. Prothoracic episterna without long upturned seta just above fore coxa, with minute seta on upper part. Postpronotal seta not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 long notopleurals (posterior longer), 1 moderately long postsutural supra-alar, 1 minute postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate; lateral pair minute); acrostichals short, arranged in 2 broad almost regular rows, lacking on prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals short, 1–2 serial anteriorly, uniserial posteriorly, ending in 1 pair of long prescutellars (nearly as long as apical scutellars).

Legs long, slender, all femora of subequal width, with black setation, largely yellow, hind femur brownish on about apical 1/3, tarsomere 5 of all legs brownish. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with rows of short anteroventral and similar posteroventral setae, 1 long seta near base, short subapical seta anteriorly, and some stronger short setae anteriorly near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur covered with spinule-like setae ventrally, bearing 1 long seta near base and 1 long strong subapical seta anteriorly. Mid tibia with black ventral spinules, lacking prominent setae (except subapicals). Hind femur with subequally short anteroventrals and several short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia with 2 short anterodorsals; apical projection small, rounded, brownish yellow. Fore tarsomeres 2–5 with short anteroventral and posteroventral cilia; hind basitarsus with several subbasal subequally short spine-like setae.

Wing normally developed, finely infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins mostly yellowish brown, basal section of M1+2 (including short area beyond crossvein bm-cu), crossveins r-m and bm-cu pale; basal section of vein CuA1 thicker than basal section of vein M1+2. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Costal bristle long, black. Costal index: 44/29/40. Vein Rs nearly as long as crossvein bm-cu. R1 uniform throughout. Vein R2+3 evenly bowed, uniformly sclerotised. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 somewhat divergent near wing apex, almost straight. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A1 lacking. Crossvein bm-cu somewhat oblique. Crossvein r-m before middle of cell bm. Calypter brown, with black setae. Halter blackish.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 pale yellow; tergites 2–3 broadly deeply concave dorsally, subtriangular viewed laterally, with unmodified setae; tergite 4 broadest, dark brown, with numerous squamiform setae laterally; tergite 5 narrow, brownish, with squamiform setae; tergites 6–7 broad, brownish, with unmodified setation; tergite 6 divided medially; tergite 7 with moderately long posteromarginal setae; tergite 8 unmodified. Sternites weakly sclerotised, undivided, with scattered, short, unmodified setae; sternites 5–7 broader, subrectangular; sternites 3–4 deeply concave posteriorly. Gland-like structure present between tergites 4–5. Terminalia ( Figs. 73–75 ) small, brownish. Cerci separated; right cercus very narrow, digitiform, longer than left cercus, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; left cercus unbranched, rather subrectangular, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; hypoproct prominent, digitiform. Epandrium ( Fig. 74 ) completely divided. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 73 ) rather subconical, somewhat concave ventroapically, covered with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with 2 moderately long setae apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 75 ) large, subglobular, somewhat attenuated apically, bearing spine-like dorsal subbasal setae, otherwise with short unmodified setae. Phallus short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Abdominal gland of different structure, narrow, lacking opening; tergites 5–6 and 10 divided medially; cercus brownish.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality Yaekela . The name is used here as a noun.

Distribution. D.R. Congo.

Remarks. Elaphropeza yaekela sp. nov. is most similar to E. congoensis sp. nov. The main differences between these species have been noted in the key.

Figures

FIGURES 73 – 75. Elaphropeza yaekela sp. nov. 73. Right epandrial lamella; 74. Epandrium with cerci; 75. Left surstylus.