Empidideicus (Anomaloptilus) nanus Evenhuis & Gharali, 2022

Evenhuis, Neal L. & Gharali, Babak, 2022, The subgenus Empidideicus (Anomaloptilus) (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae) in Madagascar, Zootaxa 5222 (5), pp. 401-426 : 412-413

Empidideicus (Anomaloptilus) nanus Evenhuis & Gharali , n. sp.

( Figs 10 , 24 , 32, 33 , 44 , 57 , 71, 72 )

Types. Holotype ♂ and 5♂, 3♀ paratypes from: MADAGASCAR: Majunga Province: Ampijora (Andranofasika) National Park, 16°19.16′S, 46°48.90′E, 46 m, 22/ 28 Sep 2003, M.E. Irwin, R. Harin’Hala, hand net in deciduous forest, MG 25–16 ( CAS). Other paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 9♂, 4♀, topotypic, 7–14 Sep 2003 R. Harin’Hala, Malaise in deciduous forest ( CASLOT 018549 ); Tulear Province: 1♀, Zombitse National Park, near ANGAP Office, 22°53.19′S, 44°41.53′E, 840 m, 29 Dec 2001 – 5 Jan 2003, M.E. Irwin, F. Parker & R. Harin’Hala, Malaise in deciduous spiny forest ( CASLOT 019832 ); 10♂, 6♀ Mahafely Reserve , Parcel I, 23°41.19′S, 44°35.46′E, 164 m, 5–20 Oct 2002, M.E. Irwin, R. Harin’Hala, Malaise across trail in gallery forest ( CAS).; Toliara Province: 2♂, 2♀, Parc National de Tsimanampetsotsa , Forêt de Bemanateza , 20.7 km E. Efoetse, 23°59′32″S, 43°52′50″E, 90 m, 22–26 Mar 2002, Fisher, Griswold et al., Malaise trap in spiny forest thicket, coll. code: BLF6257 ( CAS); Ambilobe Province: 1♂, 4♀, Ankarana [12.95°S, 49.14°E], Aug, Sep 1986, S. V. Fowler ( BMNH) . Holotype in CAS . Paratypes in BMNH, CAS , and BPBM.

Diagnosis. This species is easily distinguished from other species of the subgenus in Madagascar by the short second flagellomere (one fifth length of the first flagellomere), a brown spot on halter knob, the brown scutellum with a yellow apex, and the deep apical invagination of the spermatheca (depth about half the reservoir height).

Description

Male ( Fig. 10 ). Length: 0.95–1.12 mm. Wing: 1.00– 1.21 mm. Head: longer than high; eyes dichoptic, separated at vertex by 1.7× distance between lateral ocelli; occiput and postgena black; front slightly depressed medially, white with subtriangular light brown area immediately below ocellar tubercle; face white; antennae ( Fig. 24 ) with scape and pedicel yellow, flagellomeres dark brown; scape short, subtrapezoidal; pedicel subconical, wider than long; first flagellomere lanceolate, length 2× width; second flagellomere one-fifth length of first flagellomere, with minute transparent apical style; mentum white; clypeus white, basally light brown, length subequal to labrum height; proboscis dorsally yellow ventrally brown, shorter than head length; labrum sclerotized, stiff, pointed apically, length subequal to clypeus, yellow basally, brown apically; palpus not evident.

Thorax ( Fig. 32 ). Mesonotum matte brown, with admedian yellow longitudinal vittae not reaching to scutellum, leaving two small yellow marks in prescutellar area, with two brown spots just behind transverse suture; yellow dorsolaterally from humeral callus to postalar callus and two interhumeral marks yellow; scutellum brown except posterior margin narrowly yellow; pleura yellow with dark brown on following: anteroventral corner of anepisternum and anepimeron, lower half of meron, and lower three-fourths of katepisternum; propleuron white; halter stem yellow, knob yellow with light brown spot dorsally.

Leg. Fore coxa yellow, mid and hind coxae brown; femora and tibia yellow; basitarsus yellow, remainder of tarsus brown.

Wing ( Fig. 44 ). Elongate, length 2.7× width; hyaline; veins brown, well sclerotized except vein separating basal cells and A 1; costa ends slightly beyond end of R 4+5; vein Sc incomplete; Rs evanescent at connection with R 1; R 4+5 slightly bowed; vein M 1 curved; M 2 straight; cell dm closed by apical crossvein; A 1 effaced, straight to wing margin; anal cell open very slightly at wing margin; fringe of hair on posterior margin of wing well shortest at wing tip becoming longer and more sparse toward base.

Abdomen ( Fig. 57 ). Tergites dark brown, posterior margins narrowly yellow, brown mark laterally interrupted with wide yellow band; last tergite with two long dark brown bands; tergites with sparsely scattered minute yellowish white hairs; sternites yellow.

Genitalia ( Fig. 71 ). Epandrium in lateral view subquadrate, with long, narrow apicoventral process, slightly clubbed and darkly sclerotized apically ( Fig. 71A ); cerci small, not exerted; gonocoxa in lateral view linear-ellipsoid, with small circular gonostylus, in ventral view with relatively short medial cleft, basally with sclerotized band ( Fig. 71B ); lateral arms of parameral sheath extending well beyond gonocoxa, longer than aedeagal bulb, flared apically; apical portion of parameral sheath cylindrical with sharp bulge subapically; aedeagal bulge spheroid, half length of lateral parameral arms ( Fig. 71C ); aedeagal apodeme in lateral view peanut-shaped, truncate ventrally, with relatively small downturned lateral rami.

Female. Similar to male; the mesonotal vittae ( Fig. 33 ) are more evident than in male. Genitalia ( Fig. 72 ) with genital fork U-shaped with two inwardly directed processes on lateral arms, lateral arms much more sclerotized than medial portion; spermatheca spheroid, sclerotized brown, with striations externally, apical invagination deep, about half length of reservoir height; apical spermathecal duct ca. 6.5× length of spermatheca, thin, transparent, basally (0.1× its length) slightly sclerotized, brown; sperm pump 0.8× length of apical duct, transparent, not sclerotized apically or basally; basal duct confluent with sperm pump, common spermathecal duct absent.

Etymology. The specific epithet derives from the Latin nanus = small; referring to the small size.

Figures

FIGURES 5–10. Malagasy Empidideicus (Anomaloptilus), habitus, lateral view. 5, E. (A.) andriambahomananii, n. sp., male; 6, E. (A.) andriambahomananii, n. sp., female; 7, E. (A.) contrasticus, n. sp., male; 8, E. (A.) hauseri, n. sp., male; 9, E. (A.) irwini, n. sp., male; 10, E. (A.) nanus, n. sp., male.

FIGURES 23–24. Malagasy Empidideicus (Anomaloptilus), antennae. 23, E. (A.) andriambahomananii, n. sp.; 24, E. (A.) nanus, n. sp.

FIGURES 25–33. Malagasy Empidideicus (Anomaloptilus), thoraces, dorsal view. 25, E. (A.) andriambahomananii, n. sp., male; 26, E. (A.) contrasticus, n. sp., male; 27, E. (A.) contrasticus, n. sp., female; 28, E. (A.) hauseri, n. sp., male; 29, E. (A.) hauseri, n. sp., female; 30, E. (A.) irwini, n. sp., male; 31, E. (A.) irwini, n. sp., female; 32, E. (A.) nanus, n. sp., male; 33, E. (A.) nanus, n. sp., female.

FIGURES 40–47. Malagasy Empidideicus (Anomaloptilus), wings. 40, E. (A.) andriambahomananii, n. sp.; 41, E. (A.) contrasticus, n. sp.; 42, E. (A.) hauseri, n. sp.; 43, E. (A.) irwini, n. sp.; 44, E. (A.) nanus, n. sp.; 45, E. (A.) regius, n. sp.; 46, E. (A.) rhinoclypeatus Evenhuis; 47, E. (A.) rinhai, n. sp.

FIGURES 50–58. Malagasy Empidideicus (Anomaloptilus), abdomens, dorsal view. 50, E. (A.) andriambahomananii, n. sp., female; 51, E. (A.) contrasticus, n. sp., male; 52, E. (A.) contrasticus, n. sp., female; 53, E. (A.) hauseri, n. sp., male; 54, E. (A.) hauseri, n. sp., female; 55, E. (A.) irwini, n. sp., male; 56, E. (A.) irwini, n. sp., female; 57, E. (A.) nanus, n. sp., male; 58, E. (A.) regius, n. sp., male.

FIGURES 71–72. Empidideicus (Anomaloptilus) nanus, n. sp., genitalia. 71, male, A, lateral view, B, gonocoxae, ventral view, C, phallic complex, dorsal view; 72, female.