Hydropeza intricata, 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 : 15

Hydropeza intricata sp. nov.

Figs 4 , 20, 24

Type material. Holotype ♂, labelled: “AUST: N.QLD:/ 14.7km / up Mt. Lewis Rd. , 860m / 22.iv.1994, cascading/ creek, B. J. Sinclair / 16°30'S 145°17'E ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Hydropeza / intricata/ Sinclair [red label]” (AMS) . Paratypes: Queensland: 2♂♂, 4♀♀, same data as holotype (AMS) ; 3♂♂, 1♀, 31.6 km up Mt. Lewis Rd. , 1000 m, 21.iv.1994, cascading ck, 16°30'S 145°17'E, B. J. Sinclair (CNC) .

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from other Queensland species by acrostichal setae extending to between first and second dorsocentral setae; male scutellum with 1 pair of elongate discal setae; male mid femur with row of short basal posteroventral setae and mid tibia with short row of spine-like setae on apical third; male hind trochanter with 2 spine-like anteroventral setae; and male cercus unmodified and apex of the phallus is inflated and highly complex. Females are distinguished from all other species by 1 pair of discal setae on the scutellum and segment 8 broad and inflated, not flattened.

Description. Head and abdomen dark brown, thorax brown with paler patches; coxae brownish yellow, legs progressively darker towards tips. Wing length 3–3.3 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, 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 half-length 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 extending to between 1st and 2nd dorsocentral setae, less than 0.5× length of dc; pprn with 1 seta and several short setulae; 1 long presut spal; 5 uniserial dc, about subequal in length with several setae interspersed; 3 npl; 1 long psut spal and 1–2 finer setae; 1 pal seta; 1 pair of sctl, with 1 pair of finer outer marginal setae; disc of scutellum with 1 pair 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 mid femur), with row of 2 stout anterior setae at apical fifth; 5–7 posterodorsal setae, apical 2 setae distinctly stouter. Fore tibia with 3 anteroventral setae on apical third; 2 anterodorsal and 2 posterodorsal setae; 1 anterodorsal preapical seta. Fore tarsomere 1 with 1 basal anteroventral and 1 preapical anterovental seta, more than 2× width of segment; 1 long basal ventral, 2 shorter ventral setae at middle and apex. Mid femur with row of 3–4 anterodorsal setae stouter towards apex; 1 anterior and 1 posterior seta on apical third; basal half with row of 4–5 short, stout posteroventral setae, less than width of femur; apex with 1 anterior, 1 dorsal and 1 posterior preapical seta. Mid tibia with width reduced on ventral apical third, with row of 5–8 short spine-like setae; apex with short spur-like ventral seta; 2 posterodorsal setae; apex with 1 dorsal seta. Mid tarsomere 1 with 1 long anteroventral basal seta. Hind femur inflated, nearly 1.5× broader than fore or mid femora, 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 2 spine-like anteroventral setae. 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. Fore and mid tarsomeres slightly 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. 24 ). Cercus projected horizontally, shorter than epandrium, not forked or subdivided; apex sharply pointed ventrally. Epandrium broad with scattered setae. Surstylus slightly tapered, apex broadly rounded, not arched medially. Hypandrium subrectangular broad; apical margin shallowly notched; gonocoxal apodeme broad, rounded; postgonite absent. Phallus broad with complex apical half, inflated with 2 pairs of elongate, anteriorly projecting processes; apex of phallus arrowhead-shaped, projecting posteriorly; ejaculatory apodeme L-shaped, longer than gonocoxal apodeme.

Female. Similar to male except as follows: scutellum with 1 pair of discal setae; mid femur lacking row of stout posteroventral basal setae; mid tibia not narrowed apically, lacking row of spine-like setae; hind femur not strongly inflated, lacking anteroventral row of stout setae. Terminalia (not dissected): segment 8 inflated, broad; cercus slightly longer than epiproct, nearly 2× longer than wide; broad with rounded apex.

Distribution. This species is recorded from above 800 m on Mt. Lewis, Queensland (Fig. 20).

Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin intricatus (entangled, complicated), in reference to highly complex and unusual apex of the phallus.

Remarks. Female segment 8 is apparently inflated and not flattened as in related species. It is uncertain whether this is an artefact of drying, but other distinguishing features (e.g., acrostichals and scutellar setae) are consistent among specimens.

Figures

Figures 3–6. Habitus images of dried mounted male species of Hydropeza, lateral view. (3) H. aptera. (4) H. intricata. (5) H. tasmanica. (6) H. unguicula. Scale bars = 1.0 mm, except Fig. 3 where scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figures 23–25. Male terminalia of Hydropeza, lateral view. (23) H. divaricata. (24) H.intricata. (25) H. queenslandensis.Abbreviations:cerc, cercus; ph, phallus; pgt, postgonite; sur, surstylus. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.