Chelipoda laisoma, Plant, 2009

Plant, Adrian R., 2009, Diversity Of Chelipoda Macquart, 1823 (Diptera: Empididae: Hemerodromiinae) In Northern Thailand With Discussion Of A Biodiversity ‘ Hot Spot’ At Doi Inthanon, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 57 (2), pp. 255-277 : 263-265

Chelipoda laisoma , new species

( Fig. 8 )

Material examined. – Holotype. Male, THAILAND: Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon National Park, Checkpoint 2, 18°31.559'N 98°29.941'E, 1,700 m, Malaise trap, coll. Y. Areeluck, 2–10 Nov.2006 ( QSBG, T389 ).

Paratypes. Same data as holotype, 1 male ( NMWC, T383 ) ; Kew Mae Pan Trail, 18°33.162'N 98°28.810'E, 2,200 m, 1 male, 2–9 Mar.2007 ( QSBG, T1777 ) ; Kew Mae Pan, 18°33.163'N 98°28.8'E, 2,200 m 2 males, 8–15 Jul.2006 ( QSBG & NMWC, T66 ) .

Diagnosis. – Similar to C inthawichayanona with head and thorax black, propleuron contrastingly dark yellowish; C 1 with distinct anterobasal spine; posterior dc (in line with npl) minute. Male cercus with two pointed processes.

Description. – Male. Body length 2.5 mm. Head blackish brown; strongly dusted; larger setae black; vt, ocl and upper upo equally strong; other upo smaller; lpo small, multiserial, pale. Antenna brown, stylus whitish distally; poped 2.5–2.8× long as wide, stylus 2.5× as long.

Thorax brownish black; strongly dusted especially dorsally where indications of broad darker stripe on scutum; propleuron contrastingly dark yellowish or dark orange; all setae dark including one npl, one sa and pair of sct all strong; anterior dc strong, posterior dc (in line with npl) minute; small anterior postpronotal and posterior postpronotal setae usually present

Legs yellow, often noticeably darker on F 2, F 3 and tarsomeres 4–5. C 1 0.9× as long as thorax, slightly inflated basally; a distinct short dark anterobasal seta present, clearly stronger than anterior ciliation of minute yellowish setulae. F 1 almost as long as C 1, moderately inflated, about 4x as long as wide, widest 0.4 from base. Femoral formula 5(5–5)/19(19–20)/15(12–16)/4(4–5) +1 ( Table 1), spines and denticles blackish. T 1 0.7× as long as F 1.

Abdomen brown; tergite 5 with strong dark seta dorsally on posterior margin; tergite 8 very narrow, inconspicuous. Epan and Hypan fused, rather posteriorly pointed in lateral view ( Fig. 8 ), blackish but less strongly sclerotized and yellowish immediately posterior of cercus, bearing a few dark setae posteriorly; left and right lamellae very narrowly separated by unpigmented densely micropilose membrane. Cercus dark brown, rather paler posteriorly and below; fused with Epan + hypandrium; anteriorly directed, with a cluster of small setae dorsally; bilobed; upper lobe pointed bearing a few small subterminal setae; lower lobe slightly spathulate distally with extreme apex weakly pointed upcurved, a cluster of short setulae near base below. Subepandrial process dark, closely parallel with and of similar length to inner surface of upper lobe of cercus, apically pointed and upcurved. Phallus apically slender, yellowish.

Wing membrane very faintly darkened, veins brown. Squamae with dark fringes. Halter with grey knob and paler stem.

Female. Similar to male. Antenna with basal segments yellowish, poped paler brown than in male, stylus apparently brownish (apical part missing). Legs similar to male but F 2 and F 3 rather lighter and all tibiae obscurely darker. Femoral formula 4.5(4–5)/21.5(20–25)/14.5(14–16)/5(4–5) +2; spines yellowish, a small pv basal spine present in addition to a stronger av spine also present in male. Wing veins and membrane slightly yellowish compared with male. Cercus moderately long.

Etymology. – The specific epithet is contraction of the Thai words for shoulder, lai, and the colour orange, see som, This is in reference to the dark orange colour of the propleuron in this species.

Remarks. – This species is only known from predominantly hill evergreen forest at 1,700 –2,200 m on Doi Inthanon during July, November and March.

Figures

Figs. 7–11. Male genitalia of Chelipoda species in lateral view: 7. C. kameawuta new species; 8. C. laisoma new species; 9. C. macrosceles new species; 10. C. manggawna new species; 11. C. meenamluang new species.