Empis (Empis) mediorossica, 2019

Shamshev, I. V. & Berezhnova, O. N., 2019, A new species and new records of dance flies of the subgenus Empis s. str. (Diptera: Empididae) from European Russia, Russian Entomological Journal 28 (1), pp. 86-90 : 87-89

Empis (Empis) mediorossica

Shamshev et Berezhnova, sp.n.

Figs 1–4 .

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype — ♂, labelled [printed in Cyrillic, Russian]: RUSSIA: “ 25 km N of Zadonsk / Galichya gora [52°36´N, 38°55´E] / Lipetskaya Prov. / Berezhnova 11. V.02”; “swarming near top of trees”; “ Empis (Empis) mediorossica Shamshev et Berezhnova , sp. n. ” ( ZIN, INS _DIP_0000694).

Paratypes. RUSSIA: Lipetskaya Prov. : 10 ♂♂, same data as holotype ( ZIN). 1 ♂, 25 km N of Zadonsk, Morozova gora, edge of oak wood, 1. VI . 02, Berezhnova ( VSU). 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 25 km N of Zadonsk, near Galichya gora, right bank of Don River, spring brook near swamp, 11. V .2002, Berezhnova ( VSU) .

DIAGNOSIS. Mid-sized species with body lengths about 4 mm; legs almost entirely yellow, only apical tarsomeres darkened; labrum moderately long, about 2 times of head height; thorax with black setation; halter yellow; abdomen mostly yellowish; wing with anal vein complete. Male: legs with simple tarsomeres, mid tibia with 2–3 long dorsal setae, abdominal sternite 7 with digitiform projection postero-medially; phallus slender, evenly bowed. Female: mid, hind femora and hind tibia pinnate.

DESCRIPTION. Body length: 4.0–4.3 (holotype 4.1) mm; wing length: 5.0–5.2 (holotype 5.1) mm. Male ( Fig. 1 ). Head black, mostly with black setation. Eyes holoptic; upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons reduced to small greyish triangular space above antennae, bare. Face broad, bare, densely greyish pollinose. Ocellar tubercle with 2 moderately long hair-like and 2 minute setae. Occiput densely greyish pollinose; with rather sparse setae of different lengths on upper part and pale hair-like setae on lower part behind mouthopening. Antenna black; scape and pedicel with short setulae; postpedicel conical, about 2.5 times longer than wide; stylus slightly shorter than postpedicel. Labrum brownish yellow; 1.6–1.8 times as long as head is high. Palpus black, with scattered black setulae.

Thorax black, densely greyish pollinose, with black setation. Scutum viewed dorsally with hardly prominent darker vittae between rows of acrostichal and dorsocentral setae, uniformly greyish viewed anteriorly. First cervical sclerite bare. Prosternum bare. Proepisternum with 4–6 short setae on lower portion (sometimes yellow setae present) and bare on upper portion. Antepronotum convex, with several short setae. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long and several short setae. Mesonotum with 1 long presutural supra-alar (sometimes with additional setulae), 3 notopleurals with several additional brownish yellow to yellow setulae anteriorly, 2–3 postsutural supra-alars of different lengths (posterior seta longest), 1 postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair distinctly longer and stronger); acrostichals arranged in 2 irregular rows, short, somewhat lateroclinate, ending before prescutellar depression; dorsocentrals mostly arranged in 2 irregular rows, short and somewhat lateroclinate, becoming uniserial on prescutellar depression (also sometimes on anterior part of scutum), 2 prescutellar pairs long (nearly as long as apical pair of scutellars).Laterotergite with several setae of different lengths (sometimes brownish yellow setae present). Anterior and posterior spiracles yellow.

Legs, including coxae, almost uniformly yellow, only apical tarsomeres darkened; with black setation. Coxae and trochanters with simple setae of different lengths. Fore femur covered with simple setulae. Fore tibia pubescent with fine setulae ventrally, lacking prominent setae (except circlet of short subapicals). Fore tarsomeres slender, pubescent with fine setulae ventrally, bearing circlet of short subapical setae. Mid femur whitish pubescent ventrally, with row of anteroventral setae, which are very short on apical 1\3 and long on basal 2/3 (longer than femur is wide), row of similar but shorter posteroventral setae and some prominent anterodorsal setae longer toward base of femur. Mid tibia usually with 2–3 dorsal setae on about basal 2/3 (anterior seta always nearly 2 times as long as tibia is wide, remaining setae varying in length and sometimes absent), rows of anteroventral and posteroventral setae of different lengths and circlet of mostly short subapical setae (1 anterodorsal seta very long). Mid tarsomeres slender, tarsomeres 1–4 bearing circlet of mostly short subapical setae, tarsomere 1 with ventral spinulelike setulae and 1 long anterodorsal subapical seta. Hind femur slightly narrowed on basal part, with row of thin anteroventral setae of different lengths (several longest setae somewhat shorter than femur is wide), numerous erect spinulelike setulae on apical part posteriorly and some moderately long yellowish brown setae closer to base posteriorly. Hind tibia somewhat narrowed near base, otherwise slightly thickened and nearly as wide as hind femur on apical portion; bearing numerous long (longer than tibia is wide) anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae, covered with short anteroventral and posteroventral setae. Hind tarsomere 1 slightly thickened on basal part but narrower than hind tibia at tip, with some longer setae dorsally and spine-like setae ventrally.

Wing membrane hyaline. Costal seta present, short. Pterostigma indistinct. Veins largely brownish, paler closer to base, well sclerotised. Radial fork rather broad. Anal vein complete. Cell dm short, truncate. Anal angle acute, anal lobe well developed. Calypter yellow, with concolorous fringe. Halter yellow.

Abdomen mostly dirty yellow to yellow, densely greyish pollinose; segment 1 entirely, segments 2 and 5–7 anteriorly, sternites 5–7 entirely more or less darkened. Tergites with moderately long yellowish setae laterally, covered with black short setae dorsally. Segments 7–8 modified ( Figs 2–3 ); tergite 7 slightly convex posteriorly, sternite 7 with long, digitiform projection postero-medially; sclerites of segment 8 fused (traces of pleural area distinct), tergite 8 very narrow, flattened dorsally, in situ partly hidden by tergite 7, sternite 8 concave on about middle anterolaterally, with anteroventral margin somewhat projected, subtriangular in ventral view. Terminalia ( Fig. 4 ) small; cerci and epandrium yellowish brown, with short black unmodified setae, hypandrium tomentose basally and shining apically. Cerci narrowly fused anteriorly, mostly covered with moderately long setae; cercus broadly concave dorsally (lateral view), rounded posteriorly, with small internal lobe covered black spinules. Epandrial lamella subtriangular (lateral view), with rather scattered long setae along lower margin and closer to apex. Hypandrium bare, subtriangular (ventral view). Phallus yellow, thin, long, evenly arcuate.

Female. Eyes dichoptic, with ommatidia equally small. Frons broad, densely greyish pollinose, with minute marginal setulae, almost parallel-sided. Fore tibia and tarsus with ordinary setulae ventrally. Mid femur pinnate anterodorsally (except extreme apex and base) and posteroventrally (except extreme base); mid tibia with some flattened ventral setae closer to base. Hind femur with longer flattened setae; pinnate dorsally (except extreme apex) and ventrally (except extreme base); hind tibia pinnate on basal half ventrally and along dorsal face. Wing membrane slightly brownish infuscate. Abdomen largely dusky yellow, segments 6–8 dark, entirely greyish pollinose; covered mostly with short black setae, with some yellowish setae near base laterally. Cercus brown, elongate, covered with dark minute setulae. Otherwise as in male.

ETYMOLOGY. The name of the new species refers to the whole region of its origin.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. The new species in the structure of the male postabdomen is similar to E. malleola Becker, 1887 known from Alps [ Syrovátka, 1991]. However, E. mediorossica sp.n. is somewhat smaller (body lengths 4– 4.3 mm versus 5.3–5.6 mm in E. malleola ), it has almost entirely yellow legs (vs. dark brown), clear wings (vs. brownish), black setae on laterotergite (vs. whitish yellow) and different structure of the male postabdomen.

DISTRIBUTION. PALAEARCTIC: Russia (Lipetskaya Prov.).

HABITAT AND SEASONAL OCCURRENCE. According to observations of O.N. Berezhnova E. mediorossica sp.n. probably is an early spring species (like many other members of Empis s.str.), flying for a short period at the beginning of May. Most part of the males of the type series was collected from a swarm near top of trees.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Empis (Empis) mediorossica sp.n., male: 1 — habitus, lateral view, holotype; 2, 3 — postabdomen, lateral view; 4 — terminalia, lateral view. Abbreviations: cerc — cercus; ej apod — ejaculatory apodeme; epand — epandrium; hypd — hypandrium; ph — phallus; S7 — sternite 7; S8 — sternite 8. Scale bar: 0.1 mm. Рис. 1–4. Empis (Empis) mediorossica sp.n., самец: 1 — габитус, сбоку, голотип; 2, 3 — постабдомен, сбоку; 4 — терминалии, сбоку. СокраЩениЯ: cerc — церк; ej apod — ЭЯкулЯторнаЯ аподема; epand — Эпандрий; hypd — гипандрий; ph — фаллус; S7 — 7- й стернит; S8 — 8-й стернит. МасШтаб: 0,1 мм.