Spilogona khrulevae, Sorokina, Vera S., 2012

Sorokina, Vera S., 2012, Two new species and new records of Muscidae (Diptera) from Wrangel Island, Russia, Zootaxa 3478, pp. 483-492 : 489-491

Spilogona khrulevae sp. nov.

Figs 4 A–C

Type material: Holotype male, RUSSIA, Wrangel Island, middle part of the River Mamontovaya, 71°13'N 179°46'W, 20.vii.2006, О. Khruleva ( SZNM). Paratypes 20 males and 23 females, same data as holotype, 8,9,12, 20.vii.2006; 1 male 6 females, same data as holotype, 6.viii.2006, around arctic fox burrow; 8 males 7 females, Wrangel Island, upper reaches of the River Neizvestnaya, 71º13'N 170º19'W, 2–8.vii.2006, O. Khruleva (3 males and 3 females each in ZMUM, OUMNH & ZIN, rest in SZNM). Type series is not in good condition. Many flies are without legs and thoracic setae.

Etymology. The species name is a patronym in honour of the entomologist Olga Khruleva (Moscow), who collected the type series.

Diagnosis. The new species is very different from all known Spilogona species. It is a small black species (3.5–5.0 mm), abdomen short, oval, without marks, shining, 3 or 4 dc, prementum shining, notopleuron haired, anepisternum without interspatial seta, calypters light yellow, haltere blackish-brown, mid tibia with 1 v and 1 pv–v, female postgenital plate haired.

If the examined specimen has 3 postsutural dc, then it can be incorporated into the key to males and females of Palaearctic Spilogona (Hennig 1959: 259, 265) by the following couplets:

Males:

24 (27) couplet as in Hennig

24a (24b) Haltere blackish-brown. Anepisternum without interspatial seta. Small species (body 3.4–4.5 mm)............................................................................................. S. khrulevae sp. nov.

24b (24a) Haltere yellow. Anepisternum with one interspatial seta. Larger species (body 5.5–6.5 mm).

25 (26) couplet as in Hennig

Females:

14 (13) couplet as in Hennig

15 (16) Haltere blackish-brown. Anepisternum without interspatial seta. Small species (body 4.5–5.0 mm)

15a (15b) Postgenital plate haired. Fronto-orbital plate silvery or brownish-silvery pruinose. Abdomen shining black...................................................................................... S. khrulevae sp. nov.

15b (15a) Postgenital plate with spines. Fronto-orbital plate dark brown dusted. Abdomen dark brown dusted S. caliginosa Stein 16 (15) Haltere yellow. Anepisternum with one interspatial seta. Larger species (body 5.5–6.5 mm) 17 (18) couplet as in Hennig

If the examined specimen has 4 postsutural dc, then it can be incorporated into the key to males and females of Palaearctic Spilogona ( Hennig, 1959a: 261, 265) by the following couplets:

Males:

112 (111) couplet as in Hennig

113 (114) Hind femur without elongated pv

113a (113b) Haltere blackish-brown. Katepisternal setae 1+2. Small species (body 3.4–4.5 mm)........... S. khrulevae sp. nov. 113b (113a) Haltere yellow. Katepisternal setae 1+1. Larger species (body 5.0– 6.5 mm)............. S. quinquesetosa Schnabl 114 (113) couplet as in Hennig

Females:

22 (25) couplet as in Hennig

23 (24) Fore tibia without p setae

23a (23b) Small species (body 4.5–5.0 mm). Mid tibia with 2 ad. Abdomen shining black, without any marks............................................................................................ S. khrulevae sp. nov.

23b (23a) Larger species (body 5.5–6.5 mm). Mid tibia with 1 ad. Abdomen dark brownish-grey dusted, with distinct sports on tergites 3–5.............................................................. S. depressiuscula Zetterstedt

24 (23) couplet as in Hennig

Description: Male: body 3.4–4.5 mm, wing 3.2–4.3mm.

Head: Ground-colour black. Frons, fronto-orbital plate and parafacial shining silvery. Gena brownish-grey pruinose. In lateral view, facial edge not projecting beyond level of profrons. Eye large, sparsely and very short haired. Fronto-orbital plates touching in upper part of frons, each plate as wide as or rather wider than the diameter of anterior ocellus. Frons with 6–7 pairs of strong frontal seta. Width of parafacial at level of base of antenna as wide as width of postpedicel. Height of gena about 1/5 of height of eye and 1.5 times width of postpedicel. Antenna black, postpedicel ca. 1.5 times as long as wide. Arista black, very short pubescent, with longest individual hairs much shorter than basal diameter of arista. Palpus black. Proboscis short, prementum shining. Labella large.

Thorax: Ground-colour black, grey or brownish dusted when viewed from in front. Scutum with 3 indistinct brown longitudinal stripes (frontal view). Presutural ac in 2 uneven rows, 2+3(4) dc. Notopleuron haired. Anepisternum without interspatial seta. Katepisternal setae 1+2. Scutellum without downwardly-directed preapical setulae on upper border of declivities.

Wing dark, with brownish base. Costa with weak spinules, without costal spine. Calypters light yellow. Haltere blackish-brown.

Legs: Ground-colour black. Fore tibia without p setae. Mid femur with a row of weak pv and 2 strong v at base, without av, with 2–3 strong pd-p preapical setae. Mid tibia with 2 ad, 1-2 pd and 1 short p, with 1 v and 1 pv–v. Hind femur without pv, 1 strong and 1 short av on apical third, with a row of ad. Hind tibia with 2–3 av around middle, 2–3 ad, 2 short pd, without pv.

Abdomen: Black with brown dust in frontal view, but weakly shining when viewed from behind; short, oval. Tergites 3 and 4 with large black diffuse marks, more or less square or trapeziform, with an indistinct mid stripe. Sternite 1 bare, sternite 5 as in Fig. 4 C.

Terminalia: as in Figs 4 A, B.

Female: body 4.5–5.0 mm, wing 4.0– 4.7 mm. Similar to male but differing as follows:

Head: Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and gena silvery or brownish-silvery pruinose, rather dull. Frontal vitta matt black, contrasting with silvery fronto-orbital plate when viewed from above. Width of frontal vitta 2 times width of a fronto-orbital plate. Frontal triangle brown dusted, extending to lunule. Two pairs of orbital setae. Height of gena about 1/3 of height of eye.

Legs: Mid femur without pv, with only 1 fine v at base.

Abdomen: Black, shining, without any marks; with weak brownish dust in frontal view. Postgenital plate haired.

Habitats: Found in many different habitats ( Fig. 1 ), and one of most numerous species on Wrangel Island; the majority of specimens were recorded in dry sites with a hummocky, mixed grass-willow-moss-grassy ( Kobresia , Carex ) cover ( Fig. 2 B).

Methods of capture: By pitfall traps and sweep net. Distribution: Russia, Wrangel Island.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Muscidae collecting localities on Wrangel Island, Russia. A. South Plain of Wrangel Island and Somnitel’nye Mts. B. A tundra-steppe mixture of grass-sedge groupings on a border of a river terrace. C. Willow bed on a valley of river. D. River terrace with a dryad tundra. E. Рebbles on a river floodplain and the pitfall trap. F. Sand and pebbles on a river floodplain with a mixture of grass-cereal-willow-moss cover.

FIGURE 2. Muscidae collecting localities on Wrangel Island, Russia. A. Tundra-steppe vegetation on southern slopes. B. Dry sites with a hummocky, mixed grass-willow-moss-grassy cover. C. Mixed grass-sedge tundra-steppe on a river terrace. D. South Plain of Wrangel Island.

FIGURE 4. Spilogona khrulevae sp. nov., male. A. Terminalia, lateral view. B. Terminalia, posterior view. C. Sternite 5, ventral view.