Aphaniosoma lucidum, Ebejer, 2023

Ebejer, Martin J., 2023, The genus Aphaniosoma Becker, 1903 (Diptera: Chyromyidae) in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, with descriptions of new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 872, pp. 1-161 : 97-102

Aphaniosoma lucidum sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6D2BD028-57FD-4B80-89F7-5C49BCD5568C

Figs 53–55

Diagnosis

A shiny black species ( Fig. 53 ) with a pearly white scutellum and notopleuron, a pale frons in the male and most often with a dark pattern in the female; no long frontal setae in front of ocellar triangle; antenna yellow in the male, dark brown in females; scutum with a few scattered setulae in between the acrostichals and dorsocentral rows; all legs clear yellow. A. nitididorsum Ebejer, 2007 from Mongolia and A. nitidum Ebejer, 2018 from Morocco are both almost identical to the new species. There are no consistent reliable external characters to differentiate them. Females of the three species typically have a dark pattern on the frons quite different in shape from any dark frons in other species of Aphaniosoma . The three species only consistently differ in the shape of structures of the male hypopygium.

Etymology

The species epithet is from the Latin ‘ lucidus ’ meaning ‘shining’, and it refers to the lustrous thorax.

Material examined

Holotype

ISRAEL • ♂; Nahal Zin; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix negevensis ; SMNHTAU 405827 .

Paratypes

ISRAEL • 6 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 11 Oct. 1994; F. Kaplan and A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 7 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 3 Mar. 1998; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 31 May 1998; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 1 Feb. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 30 Mar. 1999; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 24 Nov. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 24 May 2000; SMNHTAU • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 30 Mar. 1999; on Tamarix jordanis ; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 24 Nov. 1999; SMNHTAU • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 24 May 2000; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 7 Jun. 1996; SMNHTAU • 15 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 25 Aug. 1995; SMNHTAU • 15 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 25 Jul. 1995; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 10 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀; Nahal Zin ; 6 Apr. 1998; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix negevensis ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 5 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 8 Jun. 1998; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂, 11 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 8 Jun. 1998; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 4 Apr. 1998; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; 5 May 1998; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; 7 Aug. 1998; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; ‘ Enot Samar ; 30 Mar. 1999; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 2 Jun. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 5 Oct. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 21 Jul. 1998; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; ‘ En Zin ; 8 Aug. 1998; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 12 Apr. 1999; on Tamarix parviflora ; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 13 Jul. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 14 Jan. 1999; on Tamarix negevensis ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 10 May 1999; SMNHTAU • 6 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 13 May 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 19 May 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 19 Jul. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 6 Sep. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 13 Nov. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; Nahal Neqarot ; 10 May 1999; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix nilotica ; SMNHTAU • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 10 May 1999; on Tamarix sp. ; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; Akko ; 29 Oct. 1994; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Ne’ot haKikkar ; 29 Mar. 1996; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 5 ♀♀; ‘ En Mor ; 11 Oct. 1994; F. Kaplan and A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; ‘ En Gedi ; 11 May 1995; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; Qalya ; 2 Jan. 1997; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Qalya ; 2 Jan. 1997; S. Paz leg.; SMNHTAU • 2 ♀♀; ‘ En ‘Iddan; 20 Jun. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; Iddan spring ; 19 Mar. 1995; B. Merz leg.; MHNG • 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Dead Sea , ‘ Enot Zuqim; 7 Jun. 1996; B. Merz and A. Freidberg leg.; MHNG • 7 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀; ‘ En Gedi / N. Arugot ; 31 May 2000; B. Merz leg.; MHNG • 5 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀; Dead Sea , ‘ Enot Zuqim; 31°43ʹ N, 35°27ʹ E; alt. - 400 m; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix sp. ; MJE .

Other material

JORDAN • 1 ♂, preserved in alcohol, 1 ♀; Azraq Reserve ; 8 Oct. 2000; W. Rossi leg.; NMWC .

SAUDI ARABIA • 1 ♀; Aseer, Maraba ; 1–17 Jun. 2003; H.A. Dawah leg.; Malaise trap in fruit farm; NMWC • 1 ♂; Najran, Alshurfa ; 7–28 May 2014; H.A. Dawah leg.; Malaise trap; NMWC .

Description

MEASUREMENTS. Body length: male 1.2 mm, female 1.4 mm. Wing length: male 1.3 mm, female 1.5 mm.

Male (holotype)

HEAD. Yellow except for black ocellar triangle and entire occiput; frons as broad as long, narrowed anteriorly, at level of antennae about 0.5 × as wide as at level of anterior ocellus; gena narrow in front, deeper behind, in profile, below middle of eye, about 0.2 × as high as round eye, with numerous white setulae; occiput in profile narrowly visible behind eye below middle, with postocular setulae irregularly in one row, black dorsally and yellow ventrally; 3 vibrissal setulae well differentiated from buccal row of setulae; face short and narrow, depressed and poorly sclerotized; median carina very narrow, almost reaching clypeus; antenna yellow; pedicel with short seta dorsally; basal flagellomere with fine pubescence along anterior margin shorter than diameter of basal segment of arista; arista black to base, with fine pubescence; chaetotaxy: 2 posterior moderately developed orbitals with 3 very short setulae anterior to them; ocellars short; paraverticals short and convergent; 1 medial vertical and 1 lateral vertical; about 14 short brown setulae across middle of frons, all of uniform length.

THORAX ( Fig. 53 ). Black, appearing lustrous even though there is a thin microscopic greyish microtomentum that is thickest on pleura; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and scutellum pearly white except at anterior margin and around base of basal scutellar seta, which is broadly black; mediotergite black; pleura black with pale yellow dorsal margin of katepisternum; chaetotaxy: 1 postpronotal, 1 short inconspicuous intra-postpronotal setula, and similar presutural, 2 notopleurals, 0+4 intra-alars, 1 postalar, 2+6 dorsocentrals, only prescutellar strong, 6 acrostichals with prescutellars not developed and several setulae outside each acrostichal row, 4 scutellars, 1 anepisternal, 1 katepisternal at upper posterior corner with short and fine pale setula in front.

WING. Veins all brown except at extreme wing base where all root veins are pale yellow; distance on costa between R 2+3 and R about 0.7 × that between R 4+5 and M 1; distance between cross veins about 1.3 × as long as posterior crossvein, which lies only slightly oblique and is about 0.3 × as long as apical section of M 4. Haltere creamy white.

4+5

LEGS. Yellow, not modified except for slightly thicker femora; legs with numerous scattered pale setulae that are darker on femora; longer setulae present on fore femur; apico-ventral seta on mid tibia present; claws black in apical half, short, about ⅔ length of tarsomere, pulvilli normal; hind trochanter not modified.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 53A ). Tergites black with narrow yellow hind margins that are often broader on apical segments; with relatively long black setae on sides of tergites, especially towards apex of abdomen; sternite 5 and 6 modified ( Fig. 54B ).

HYPOPYGIUM ( Figs 54 , 55A, C ). Epandrium small, bicoloured; surstylus large, dark, tri-lobed, with the two dark lobes closely opposed to each other and placed medial to larger paler lobe; hypandrium bearing a translucent curved pregonite apically setulose; phallapodeme of heavy build; postgonites short, not easily seen next to large, shiny, black, pointed epiphallus; distiphallus short and mostly membranous with asymmetrical bilobed apex; cercus very pale with apical seta.

Female

Similar to male but basal flagellomere of antenna all dark brown. Most females have a variable dark pattern on the frons ( Fig. 55D ).

Variation

The dark triangular lateral borders at the base of the scutellum may join narrowly across the midline of the sclerite ( Fig. 53B ). The scutal setulae between the acrostichal and dorsocentral rows are sometimes missing. Both sexes sometimes have pale brown basal tergites more or less over the middle dorsal section of each.

Distribution

Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia.

Figures

Fig. 53. Aphaniosoma lucidum sp. nov. A. ♂, holotype (SMNHTAU 405827), habitus, lateral view. B. ♀, paratype (SMNHTAU), head, lateral view and thorax, dorsal view.

Fig. 54. Aphaniosoma lucidum sp. nov., ♂, paratype (SMNHTAU), hypopygium in situ. A. Posterior view. B. Lateral oblique view.

Fig. 55. Aphaniosoma lucidum sp. nov. A–C. ♂, paratype (SMNHTAU). A. Hypopygium, lateral view. B. Pregenital sternites, ventral view. C. Hypopygium, part, ventral view. D. ♀♀, paratypes (MJE), heads showing range of pattern on frons, frontal view. Abbreviations: See Material and methods. Scale bar: D = 0.25 mm.