Brithura aureola, Liu, Qifei & Yang, Ding, 2010

Liu, Qifei & Yang, Ding, 2010, Four new species of the genus Brithura Edwards from China, with an updated key to world species (Diptera, Tipulidae), Zootaxa 2401, pp. 52-60 : 56

Brithura aureola sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 , 9–12 )

Diagnosis. Antennal flagellum yellowish brown, tip of vertical tubercle brownish yellow. Wing dark grayish brown with some light golden areas, costal border opposite stigma bulged and broken in male. Legs yellow with tips black. Tergites of abdomen velvet-yellow, black spots at lateral margins; sternites yellowish brown with lateral margins black. Outer lobe of outer gonostylus with three extensions at tip, the middle one sharp; inner lobe bent forward with a small point.

Description. Male. Body length 32.0–34.5 mm, wing 22.0–24.0 mm.

Head. Rostrum dark brownish black, with stout blackish brown nasus. Vertex and occiput blackish. Vertical tubercle dark brown with tip brownish yellow. Orbit brownish. Hairs on head light brown. Antenna 6 mm long; scape blackish brown; pedicel brownish; flagellum brownish yellow. Probocis dark reddish brown; first segment of palpus black, others blackish brown, joint yellow; setae short, brown.

Thorax. Ground color chestnut brown. Pronotum dark reddish brown; prescutum yellowish brown with three brown longitudinal stripes, lateral ones each with a line of yellow hairs; lateral margins of prescutum yellowish brown; scutellum yellowish brown; scutum black with long hairs; mediotergite blackish; pleura chiefly chestnut brown, pleurotergal tubercle small, pointed, with silvery pubescence on dorsal surface. Hairs on thorax long, brown. Coxae and trochanters brown; femora yellowish brown with tips black; tibiae yellowish brown; tarsi blackish brown; tibial spurs 1–1–2. Setae on coxae and trochanters yellow, on other segments of legs brown. Wing ( Fig. 2 ) dark grayish brown with costal region opposite stigma dilated and broken. Cells c and sc yellow; stigma brown. A black spot at origin of Rs; area from stigma to cell dm along cord yellowish brown, surrounded by light golden suffusion; cell br yellowish, with brown spots at base and center; cell bm brown with yellow strip in middle and yellow spot in outer end; cell dm yellow with brown spot at bottom; cell r4, cell m2, cell m3 with light yellow spot at margin of wing; cell cua2 and cell a1 with two yellow spots at middle. Veins yellow, margined with yellow. Halter with stem yellowish brown, knob more blackish but yellowish brown at tip.

Abdomen. Ground color velvet-like brownish yellow. Tergite 1 blackish brown, tergites 2–8 velvet-like brownish yellow with big blackish brown spots at lateral margins. Venter yellowish brown with brownish lateral margin. Setae on abdomen brown.

Hypopygium ( Figs. 9–12 ). Tergite 9 ( Fig. 10 ) as wide as long, caudal margin with a fairly shallow Vshaped incision that is fringed with the yellow setae, medially a pair of blades adhered to each other; sternite 9 ventrally with a light brown knob and a small process at each side; outer gonostylus ( Fig. 12 ) thick, laterally with three extensions at tip, middle one pointed, medially with a relative long extension bent forward with a small dorsal pointed spine; inner gonostylus ( Fig. 11 ) bent at middle, tip relative flat with two small processes, a long sulcus on outer surface, setae on inner gonostylus long, yellowish brown.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male, Sichuan: Meigu, Wahou (1900 m), 2008. VII. 16, light, Jinjing Wang. Paratype 1 male, same data as holotype.

Distribution. China (Sichuan).

Remarks. This new species is similar to B. shii in having the similar color pattern of the abdomen. It can be easily separated from B. shii by the color pattern of the wing and structure of the hypopygium. In B. shii , the wing is yellowish, and the outer gonostylus has only one spine at tip.

Etymology. The species name is based on the golden patterned wing.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Wing (male). 1. Brithura shii sp. nov.; 2. Brithura aureola sp. nov.; 3. Brithura flaviflagellum sp. nov.; 4. Brithura stigmosa sp. nov.;

FIGURES 9 – 12. Brithura aureola sp. nov. Male. 9. Hypopygium, lateral view; 10. ninth tergite, dorsal view; 11. inner gonostylus, lateral view; 12. outer gonostylus, lateral view. Scale bar of 9, 10 = 0.5 mm, 11, 12 = 0.25 mm.