Hydropeza cornuta, Sinclair, 2016

Sinclair, Bradley J., 2016, Revision of the Australian species of Hydropeza Sinclair (Diptera: Empididae: Ragadinae subfam. nov.), Records of the Australian Museum 68 (1), pp. 1-22 : 11-12

Hydropeza cornuta sp. nov.

Figs 8, 11

Type material. Holotype ♂, labelled: “AUST: N.QLD:/ 31.6km / up Mt. Lewis Rd. , 1000m / 21.iv.1994, cascading/ creek, B. J. Sinclair / 16°30'S 145°17'E ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Hydropeza / cornuta/ Sinclair [red label]” (AMS) . Paratypes: Queensland: 1♂, 14.7 km up Mt. Lewis Rd. , 860 m, 22.iv.1994, cascading ck, 16°30'S 145°17'E, B. J. Sinclair (CNC) ; 1♂, 25 km up Mt. Lewis Rd. , 1000 m, 22.iv.1994, roadside pools, 16°32'S 145°17'E, B. J. Sinclair (CNC) ; 7♂♂, 31.6 km up Mt. Lewis Rd. , 1000 m, 21.iv.1994, cascading ck, 16°30'S 145°17'E, B. J. Sinclair (AMS, CNC) .

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from other Queensland species by acrostichal setae confined anteriad of an imaginary line connecting the first (anteriormost) dorsocentral setae; male scutellum with at most 1–2 pairs of elongate discal setae; male mid femur with short row of basal posteroventral setae and mid tibia with short row of spine-like setae on apical third; male hind trochanter with spine-like anteroventral seta; and male cercus long, projecting and antler-like.

Description. Head and abdomen dark brown, thorax brown with paler patches; coxae brownish yellow, legs progressively darker towards tips. Wing length 2.6–3 mm.

Male. Head. Ocellar setae very long, erect, divergent, inserted posterior to anterior ocellus; ocellar tubercle with some long setulae; postocellar seta stout and dark; upper postocular setae stout and dark, lower setae fine and slender; postgenal setae similar to lower postoculars. Face without setulae. Scape and pedicel slightly paler than postpedicel; scape short and slender, slightly longer than length of globular pedicel; postpedicel not greatly prolonged, more than 3× longer than scape, basal portion elongate-oval, slightly longer than slender, straight apical portion; arista-like stylus distinctly longer than postpedicel, concolorous with postpedicel. Proboscis stout and robust, extended beyond mid-length of fore coxa, directed posteriorly; palpus halflength of proboscis, clothed in long pale and dark setae; apex of palpus rounded; apical third of palpus somewhat flattened with dense pubescence.

Thorax. Clothed in fine pruinescence; mesonotum brown, with postpronotal lobe, lateral margin and postalar ridge pale brown; pleura paler than notum, pale along sutures. Setae generally long and stout; 2–3 acrostichal setulae confined anterior to 1st dorsocentral seta, less than 0.5× length of dc; pprn with 1 seta and several short setulae; 1 long presut spal; 5–6 uniserial dc, about subequal in length; 3 npl; 1 long psut spal and 1–2 finer setae; 1 pal seta; 1 pair of sctl, with 1–2 pairs of finer outer marginal setae; disc of scutellum with 1–2 pairs of long setae. Antepronotum with pair of pale setulae.

Legs. Coxae and femora ventrally yellowish-brown; remaining segments increasingly darker apically. Inner anterior margin of fore coxa with some 15–20 dark variously lengthened and thickened spine-like setae, mostly concentrated apically; basal most seta longer than width of coxa. Anterior surface of mid and hind coxae with long brown setae. Legs clothed in very long setae as typical for genus, especially ventral faces. Fore femur straight, inflated (subequal in thickness to hind femur), with row of 2 stout anterior setae at apical fifth; 5–7 posterodorsal setae, stouter towards apex. Fore tibia with 2 anteroventral setae on apical third; 2 anterodorsal and 2 posterodorsal setae; 1 anterodorsal and 1 ventral preapical seta. Fore tarsomere 1 with 1 basal anteroventral and 1 preapical anterovental seta, more than 2× width of segment; 1 long basal ventral and 2 shorter ventral setae on basal half. Mid femur with row of 5–6 anterodorsal setae, stouter towards apex; 1 anterior, 1 dorsal and 1 posterior seta on apical third; basal half with row of 4–5 stout posteroventral setae; apex with 1 anterior and 1 posterior preapical seta. Mid tibia with width reduced on ventral apical third, with row of 5 short spine-like setae; apex with short spur-like ventral seta; 1 anterodorsal and 1 posterodorsal seta near mid-length; 1 basal posterodorsal seta; apex with 1 dorsal and 1 posterior seta. Mid tarsomere 1 with 1 long anteroventral basal seta. Hind femur inflated, subequal in thickness to fore femur, without erect dorsal setae; with anteroventral row of stout setae along entire length; apical fourth with 2 anterodorsal, 1 posterodorsal, 1 anterior and 1 posterior seta. Hind trochanter with spine-like anteroventral seta. Hind tibia with 2 anterodorsal, 1 anteroventral and 4–5 posterodorsal setae; 1 preapical anterodorsal and 1 apical anteroventral seta; apical fourth with dense posterior setae. Hind tarsomere 1 without erect setae. All tarsomeres longer than tibia; ventral apical margin of tarsomere 4 of fore and midlegs somewhat pale, flattened and expanded; tarsomere 4 of hindleg not laterally compressed ventrally; tarsomere 5 of each leg lacking dorsoapical extension.

Wing. Infuscate with 1 long basal costal seta, longer than sctl; all veins lacking setulae; R 4 and R 5 distinctly divergent apically; bm-m complete; cell dm slightly produced, longer than cell bm; CuA + CuP reduced to streak. Halter brown.

Abdomen. Tergites and sternites clothed in setae; setae of posterior margin overlapping more than half length of following tergite. T8 broad, nearly one-half length of T7; posterior marginal setae slender, some twice length of tergite.

Terminalia ( Fig. 11 ). Cercus long, projected and antlerlike, deeply forked, U-shaped; apex of upper branch with broad notch and long seta, arched medially, 3× longer than lower branch; lower branch with rounded apex, bearing several long setae. Epandrium broad, tapered apically with long setae in vertical row. Surstylus strongly tapered, apex hook-shaped, strongly arched; posterior margin with row of stout setae. Hypandrium keel-like, not greatly prolonged; apical margin with deep medial notch; gonocoxal apodeme short, rounded; postgonite recurved, sickle-shaped. Phallus elongate, upright, broad, apically flattened and spoon-shaped; ejaculatory apodeme L-shaped, longer than gonocoxal apodeme.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. This species is recorded from above 800 m on Mt. Lewis, Queensland (Fig. 8).

Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin cornutus (bearing horns, horned), in reference to the antler-shaped and upright projecting cerci.

Figures

Figures 9–12. Male terminalia of Hydropeza, lateral view. (9) H. angulata (inset showing inner apex of cercus). (10) H. aptera. (11) H. cornuta. (12) H. curvata. Abbreviations: cerc, cercus; ej apod, ejaculatory apodeme; goncx apod, gonocoxal apodeme; pgt, postgonite; ph, phallus; sur, surstylus. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.