Leptomorphus babai Sasakawa

Borkent, Christopher J. & Wheeler, Terry A., 2012, Systematics and Phylogeny of Leptomorphus Curtis (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) 3549, Zootaxa 3549, pp. 1-117 : 16-17

3. Leptomorphus babai Sasakawa

( Figures 2, 44, 93, 141, 150, 152)

Leptomorphus babai Sasakawa, 1961: 187 .

Leptomorphus (Leptomorphus) babai: Matile, 1977: 144 .

References: Matile 1977: 144 (subgeneric placement); Matile, 1988: 234 (catalogue); Matsumoto and Sasakawa, 2006: 16 (type specimens).

DIAGNOSIS: The only extant species of Leptomorphus with the following combination of characters: laterotergite and anepisternum brown; wing with pale brown apical wing spot reaching to wing tip, pale medial wing spot present ( Fig. 44); male genitalia with gonostylus a single blunt taper ( Fig. 93).

This species can be distinguished from all other Palaearctic and Oriental species by the striped abdomen ( Fig. 2) and/or the brown scutellum.

DESCRIPTION: Male. ( Fig. 2) Head: brown, sometimes with posterior margin yellow, circular in anterior view. Antenna with basal 2 flagellomeres yellow/light brown, brown apically; scape yellow, with light brown setae in single apical row extending from dorsum laterally into thick patch covering apicoventral process, basal third and entire medial surface bare, anterobasal patch of setulae present; pedicel yellow, with 1–2 large bristles, few setae on apicodorsal margin, none ventrally; flagellomere 1 with tapered base light brown remainder light brown; flagellomere 6 1.0X as long as broad. Clypeus yellow, dorsoventrally elongate oval; bristles on clypeus yellow, 4–6 strong bristles on ventral margin directed ventrally, remaining setae directed medioventrally, clypeus 2X as long as face. Face yellow; shape a just longer than wide triangle, bare. Frons light brown to brown; bare, frontal furrow running 3/4 distance from dorsal margin towards ventral margin, frontal cleft just anterior of median ocellus. Palpus yellow; segment 1 hidden behind eye, segments increasing in length, segment 5 subequal in length to segment 4 with even width from base to apex, segment 3 with apicolateral patch of fine yellow setae weakly encircled by strong dark setae. Labellum yellow. Eye with very few, short inter-ommatidial setulae scattered on surface. Occiput brown on anterior 1/2–2/3, remainder yellow with appressed, anteriorly directed setae. Ocelli with median slightly in front of laterals, space between ocelli less than diameter of laterals, lateral ocelli 2X their own diameter from eye margin, ocellar triangle dark brown/black with electric blue green specks. Thorax: Length 1.2 mm (1.19–1.27 mm, n = 2). Mostly brown, with anterolateral area yellow. Scutum dark brown with blue-green specks; surface of scutum bare; acrostichal setae absent; dorsocentral setae present as fine setae for most of length; double row of lateral setae present; patch of setae on scutum at wing base present. Scutellum dark brown; with 6 large bristles and many small bristles. Prescutum brown. Mediotergite brown with 8–10 bristles on posterolateral corners, absent. Laterotergite brown; anterior margin of laterotergite not reaching katepisternum. Anepimeron brown. Anepisternum brown. Katepisternum yellow. Antepronotum and proepisternum yellow. Margin of anterior and posterior spiracles yellow with yellow trichia. Metepisternum yellow. Anapleural suture with anterior portion slightly curved dorsally. Halter stem light brown, knob dark brown. Legs: principally yellow; hind femur with basal 1/3 and apex light brown; extreme anteroapical corner dark brown on all femora. Midfemur without apical spine-like process. Tibia with covering of yellow macrotrichia, foretibia without comb of short setae along length of anteroventral surface, tibial spurs light brown, foretibial spur length 2X apical thickness of foretibia, midtibia with faint, dorsal, bare patch of even thickness for 3/4 of its length, placed basally, shortest midtibial spur 0.75X length of longest, longest midtibial spur 4.5X apical thickness of midtibia, shortest hind tibial spur subequal to length of longest, longest hind tibial spur 5X apical thickness of hind tibia. Foreleg first tarsomere 1.5–1.6X length of foretibia. Wing ( Fig. 44): Length 5.3 mm (5.1–5.4 mm, n = 2). Hyaline; apical macula light, reaching wing tip, extending faintly along posterior wing margin into apex of cell cua 1, cup, not joining with medial macula; medial macula light, extending from R 1 to just beyond fork of M 1 and M 2. Macrotrichia in all cells. Setae on basal posterior margin of wing (along base of cell a) alternating long, short. Calypter with a few short setae. Vein sc-r present, apical end joining R at 2X its own length prior to origin of Rs. R 4 absent. R 5 straight, slight posterior turn near tip. M 1 reaching apex before R 5, apices of M veins thinning towards wing margin. M 4 -CuA fork arising at same level as r-m. A 2 absent. Abdomen: Tergites principally dark brown, T2–6 with anterolateral yellow spots. Tergite 8 smaller than all other abdominal sclerites and ~15 bristles laterally, centre bare. Genitalia ( Fig. 93): yellow. Sternite 9 not clearly visible. Tergite 9 longer than wide, rounded margins tapering into two short pointed lobes and shallow medial indentation. Gonocoxite placed basally on T9, medial margins almost touching near base due to triangular projection, a ventromedial lobe covering base of gonostylus, bearing gonostylus halfway to apex. Gonostylus a single broad-based lobe tapering towards rounded apex, gonocoxite III fused to dorsolateral margin. Aedeagus 2/3 length of gonocoxite, slightly tapering towards apex, apodemes 1/5 total length with small dorsally facing hook basally. Parameres a short, wide taper, apodemes ~4X length of parameres.

Female. Unknown.

Immatures. Unknown.

BIOLOGY: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: Japan ( Fig. 141), 40 masl.

DISCUSSION: As discussed below in the phylogeny section, the placement of Leptomorphus species in subgenera ( Matile 1977) is not supported by our phylogenetic results. This species is therefore removed from the subgenus Leptomorphus and placed solely in the genus Leptomorphus .

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype: adult male, pointed, with wing in separate glass and paper mount, all on same pin, genitalia missing, labelled “[translucent paper] Kurokawa / Echigo, Japan / 2.VII.1955 / Col. Kintaro; [pink label] HOLOTYPE ♂ / KPU 0163/ Leptomorphus / babai/ SASAKAWA” [ OMNH].

Paratype: labelled as for holotype except 7. VI .1955 (1♂, OMNH) .