Elaphropeza kona, 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 : 43-45

Elaphropeza kona sp. nov.

( Figs. 58–60 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: D.R. CONGO, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert, MS reference EC14); Holotype / Elaphropeza kona / Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov. ( RBINS). PARATYPES: 1 Ƥ, Yaekela , 2 May 2010, marsh land (reg. 30006, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 Ƥ, Yaekela , 7 May 2010, secondary forest (reg. 30020, leg. P. Grootaert) + one complete 3 in tray Congo at AB31515400 extracted for DNA, COI and 18s sequence available at genbank; 1 3, Kona , 11 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30032, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 3, Kona , 11 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30033, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 3, Lieki village area, 25 May –4 June 2010, Sweeping bush paths & village environs, (leg. A.H. Kirk-Spriggs; BECE 02889); 1 Ƥ, Likombo forest, 2 km SW Bomane, 20–22 May 2010, Malaise traps, lowland evergreen primary forest (disturbed), (leg. A.H. Kirk-Spriggs; BECE 00892); 1 Ƥ, Lieki village area, 25 May –4 June 2010, Malaise traps bush paths & village environs; (leg. A.H. Kirk-Spriggs; BECE 03550); 2 Ƥ, Bomane village area, 20–24 May 2010, Malaise traps bush paths & village environs; (leg. A.H. Kirk-Spriggs; BECE 01182).

Diagnosis. Species of E. ephippiata -group; recognised by yellow thorax but metapleuron brownish on upper part; legs yellow, hind basitarsus with long anteroventral spine-like seta basally.

Description. Length: body 2.7 mm, wing 2.6 mm. Male. Occiput entirely black, densely pollinose (including vertex); with black setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals hardly prominent. Anterior ocellars long proclinate and cruciate, posterior ocellars minute. Frons pollinose, 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, fine.

Thorax almost entirely yellow, with black setation; metapleuron brownish on upper part. Prothoracic episterna without long upturned seta just above fore coxa. Postpronotal seta not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 long notopleurals (posterior longer), 1 moderately long postsutural supra-alar, 1 short postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair long, cruciate; lateral pair minute); acrostichals short, arranged in 3 irregular rows on anterior part of mesonotum, becoming 2-serial posteriorly, lacking on notopleural depression; dorsocentrals short, multiserial on anterior half of mesonotum, becoming uniserial toward scutellum, 1 pair of prescutellars long (nearly as long as apical scutellars).

Legs long, slender, all femora of subequal width, with black setation, entirely yellow. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur with rows of short anteroventral and similar posteroventral setae, 1 long seta near base, and short subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with row of anteroventral and row of similar posteroventral spinule-like setae throughout, 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 short anteroventrals (1 near middle longer) and several short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia with 3 long anterodorsals, 1 similar dorsal and 1 short anterior subapical; apical projection small, subtriangular, brownish yellow. Hind basitarsus with several subbasal anteroventral spine-like setae of different length (1 longest nearly as long as basitarsus is wide basally).

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 moderately long, black. Costal index: 66/36/48. Vein Rs somewhat longer than 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 oblique. Crossvein r-m before middle of cell bm. Calypter brown, with black setae. Halter blackish.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 pale yellow; tergites 2–3 represented only by small subtriangular lateral patches, with unmodified setae; tergite 4 broad, brown, with numerous squamiform setae laterally; tergite 5 very narrow, brown, with squamiform setae; tergite 6 pale yellow, with short unmodified setae; tergite 7 largely pale yellow, narrowly brownish yellow posteriorly, with moderately long posteromarginal setae; tergite 8 unmodified. Sternites weakly sclerotised, with scattered, short, unmodified setae. Gland-like structure present between tergites 4–5, ampoulelike. Terminalia ( Figs. 58–60 ) small, brownish yellow. Cerci ( Fig. 59 ) separated; right cercus very narrow, digitiform, considerably shorter than left cercus, with long black subapical spines; left cercus unbranched, digitiform, broader and longer than right cercus, bearing 3 long black spines subapically, with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths; hypoproct not prominent. Epandrium ( Fig. 59 ) completely divided. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 58 ) rather subconical, with deep dorsal excision subapically, bearing row of 10 long black ventral spine-like setae, covered with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, lacking setation apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 60 ) narrow, rather subrectangular, with short unmodified setae. Phallus short. Two rod-shaped apodemes.

Female. Mid tibia lacking black ventral spinules. Tergites 1–4 as in male, tergites 4–5 with squamiform setae; segment 8 with separated tergite and sternite; cercus brownish yellow.

Etymology. The species name refers to the type locality Kona . The name is used as a noun.

Distribution. D.R. Congo.

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

Figures

FIGURES 58 – 60. Elaphropeza kona sp. nov. 58. Right epandrial lamella; 59. Epandrium with cerci; 60. Left surstylus.