Molophilus (Molophilus) soldani, Stary, Jaroslav & Obona, Jozef, 2019

Stary, Jaroslav & Obona, Jozef, 2019, Two new species of Molophilus Curtis from the Mediterranean and Transcaucasia (Diptera, Limoniidae), ZooKeys 871, pp. 49-53 : 51-53

Molophilus (Molophilus) soldani sp. nov. Figs 3 , 4

Diagnosis.

Medium-sized species within Molophilus . Body dark brown, suffused with dense greyish pruinosity, restrictedly patterned with yellow. Male terminalia with outer (dorsal) gonostylus pale, inner (ventral) gonostylus darkly pigmented, latter longer than former, with three distinct teeth on dorsal surface. Aedeagus slender, sinuous, with its tip down-curved. Aedeagal plate short, triangular in ventral aspect, without microsetae, with its tip pointing to ca. one third length of aedeagus.

Description.

Male. Head. Antenna of both holotype and male paratype broken off, but probably much same as that of female paratype, of moderate length, extending to approximately wing base, dark brown throughout. Flagellomeres ovoid, with longest verticils subequal to length of their respective segments.

Thorax in general dark greyish brown. Prescutum and scutum mostly dark brown, suffused with dense greyish pruinosity, slightly paler laterally, yellowed lateral to prescutal pit and around wing base, pale yellow on paratergite anteriorly. Scutellum yellow, dark greyish brown anteriorly, postscutellum dark greyish brown, narrowly yellowed laterally. Pleuron mostly dark greyish brown, restrictedly paler, especially on anepimeron. Wing length 4.2-4.9 mm. Wing membrane slightly infuscate; venation as for genus. Halter pale yellow. Legs yellowish brown, with tips of femora indistinctly darkened and tarsi dark brown.

Abdomen dark greyish brown. Male terminalia ( Figs 3-4 ) dark brown. Dorsal portion of gonocoxite moderately long, quadrangular in lateral aspect, slightly narrowed distally, almost straight at posterior margin, with tiny membranous process at ventral corner. Lateral excision moderately deep and rather wide. Ventral lobe of gonocoxite moderately broad and rather short, its narrowly rounded apex extended shortly beyond base of outer gonostylus. Both gonostyli slightly arched medially. Outer gonostylus pale, gradually tapered distally into slender, obtuse tip, extending to ca. three fourths length of inner gonostylus. The latter darkly pigmented, powerful, sharply sinuous, exceeding ventral lobe by ca. two thirds its length, gradually tapered at ca. mid-length into slender distal part, with three distinct teeth on dorsal surface. Aedeagus moderate in length, generally slender, slightly sinuous, with its tip down-curved. Aedeagal plate smooth, without any microsetae, generally triangular in ventral aspect, when preserved under natural configuration of other structures of aedeagal complex, pointing with its rounded apex to ca. one third length of aedeagus ( Fig. 4 ).

Female. Female resembling male in general appearance. Female terminalia with cercus very slender, gently upturned, subacute at tip, approximately twice length of tergite 10. Hypogynal valve straight, reaching to ca. three fourths length of cercus.

Material examined.

Holotype ♂: Azerbaijan, Qabala district, S of Durca, nr. tributary of Qaraschay R. (1236 m), 41°02'11.2"N, 47°53'13.6"E (light trap), 30.5.2017 (Ľ. Hrivniak leg.) (SMOC). Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as for holotype (JSO).

Etymology.

The new species is named in honour of the late Prof. Dr. Tomáš Soldán, an outstanding Ephemeroptera specialist. A noun in genitive singular.

Discussion.

The new species is distinctive by the combination of the quadrangular outline of its dorsal portion of gonocoxite and an unusually shaped inner gonostylus with three distinct teeth on the dorsal surface. The type specimens were dried from ethanol; hence, their body colouration might be darker in a normal dried state.

Figures

Figures 1 - 4. Male terminalia. 1 - 2 M. (M.) rohaceki sp. nov. (holotype) 1 general view, lateral 2 aedeagal complex, lateral 3 - 4 M. (M.) soldani sp. nov. (holotype) 3 general view, lateral 4 aedeagal complex, lateral. Scale bar: 0.25 mm. Abbreviations: aed - aedeagus; aedpl - aedeagal plate; dp - dorsal portion of gonocoxite; ig - inner gonostylus; le - lateral excision; og - outer gonostylus; vl - ventral lobe of gonocoxite.