Libnotes (Libnotes) charlesyoungi, Podenas, Sigitas, 2016

Podenas, Sigitas, 2016, The crane fly genus Libnotes Westwood, 1876 (Diptera: Limoniidae) for Korea including two new species and an identification key, Zootaxa 4158 (1), pp. 126-136 : 130-131

Libnotes (Libnotes) charlesyoungi n. sp.

Figures 4–9

Diagnosis. Large yellow species with clear wings patterned with small dark spots at branching points and along transverse veins. Mesonotal prescutum yellow with four brown stripes. Pleuron pale with longitudinal brown dashes, arranged into two widely broken narrow lines. Femur yellow with narrow brownish subapical ring. Abdomen yellow with broken line of five separate brown spots mid-dorsally. Male genitalia with rounded inner gonostylus bearing rostral lobe that is wide basally, nearly right-angled at middle and distinctly narrowed distally, armed with two long closely situated spines; additional narrow lobe at middle of gonostylus with few long apical setae. Cercus of ovipositor with subapical tooth.

Description. General body coloration yellow dorsally, pale ventrally. Body length of male 13.20 mm, female 12.83 mm. Wing length of male 17.3 mm, that of female 14.2 mm.

Head brownish yellow, covered with short sparse brown setae. Vertex dorsally not darker than remainder of head. Anterior vertex very narrow, yellow, narrowest area slightly infuscated. Area right above bases of antennae narrowly dark brown. Eyes large, ventrally and dorsally nearly reaching each other. Length of male antennae ( Fig. 4 ) 2.31 mm, if bent backwards, ending before wing base. Antenna of female 2.27 mm long. Scape nearly cylindrical, dark brown, distally medial surface slightly lightened. Segment covered with few short erect setae. Pedicel narrow at base, getting wider distally, twice as short as scape, brownish with narrowly pale base. Flagellum 12-segmented. Basal flagellomere brown, remaining flagellomeres gradually turning lighter, distal flagellomeres pale. Five basal flagellomeres with pale apical pedicels. Eight basal segments oval, decreasing in width towards distal end of antenna, remaining segments elongate. Apical flagellomere 1.7 times as long as preceding segment, wider at base and just slightly narrower at distal end. Most verticils shorter than respective segments, just on dorsal surface of 7–11 flagellomeres single verticil is 1.5–2.0 times as long as respective segment. Verticils dark brown and distinctly visible against lighter flagellomeres. Pubescence, covering segments short indistinct, brownish to grayish. Rostrum light brown, semi-polished. Palpus reaching to about end of fifth antennal segment, two basal palpomeres dark brown, third palpomere light brown with pale base, terminal palpomere distinctly narrower, elongate, obscure yellow with slightly darkened apex. Palpomeres covered with short, erect brown setae. Mouth parts yellowish, just distal margin narrowly blackened.

Thorax yellow dorsally ( Fig. 6 ), pale ventrally. Cervical sclerites pale laterally, slightly infuscated, brownish yellow dorsally. Pronotum large, yellow dorsally, pale laterally, indistinctly marked with brown postero-laterally. Mesonotal prescutum yellow with four brown stripes. Median stripes are narrower and darker posteriorly, getting wider and less distinct frontally. Area separating stripes is wide and distinctly pale posteriorly, getting narrower and yellow frontally. Median stripes not reaching frontal margin of sclerite. Lateral stripe looks like irregular short brown hatch frontally to pseudosutural fovea, behind fovea it is very indistinct and just before wing base it reappears as blurred brownish spot on very margin of sclerite and distal end of paratergite. Scutal lobe yellow with narrow brown stripe along median margin, which looks like extension of median prescutal stripe. Scutellum entirely pale. Mediotergite pale with distinct brown lateral stripe on both sides. Ground color of pleuron yellow fronto-dorsally, turning pale postero-ventrally. Pleuron with distinct pattern of longitudinal brown dashes, arranged into two widely broken narrow lines ( Fig. 7 ), occuring on dorsal and ventral margins of proepisternum, narrower and darker above fore coxae; then along the middle of anepisternum, behind it on anepimerite, along the middle of katepisternum and as an oval dot right above posterior coxae on metakatepisternum. Wing ( Fig. 5 ) tinged with pale yellow. Costal area yellow. Small but distinct brown spots surround base of Rs, veins Sc2 and R1, branching points of veins at distal margin of cell D, basal deflection of CuA1 and distal end of vein A2; very small and indistinct brownish spots surround vein h, tip of CuA2. Small cloudy spot present at base of cell a2. Veins of costal field yellow, remaining veins brownish in light areas, but dark brown in darkened areas and at branching points. Venation: Sc long, Sc1 reaching wing margin far beyond branching point of Rs, Sc2 close to Sc1 tip. Rs short, just slightly arched. Vein R2 transverse, starting at same point as R1. R1 short and oblique. Both branches of Rs long and parallel to each other, distal ends distinctly bent posteriorly. Cross-vein r-m distinct, at base of discal cell. Discal cell very long, slightly widened distally, 4.5 times as long as wide. Basal deflection of CuA1 twice its own length beyond branching point of M, at about one-third of discal cell‘s length. First anal vein nearly straight, second anal vein slightly bent towards posterior wing margin. Anal angle comparatively small, medium-wide. Length of male halter 2.40 mm, that of female 1.77 mm. Stem of halter pale, slightly infuscated subbasally, knob pale to obscure yellow with brown basal part. Fore coxa pale with brown fronto-dorsal surface, middle and posterior coxa pale yellow. Distal margin of all trochanters narrowly blackened. Femur pale yellow at base, turning yellow towards distal end, with incomplete narrow brownish subapical ring, which is interrupted on ventral side, and strong dorsolateral apical setae, which together under low magnification look like two strong spines. Tibia obscure yellow with distinctly but narrowly darkened distal end. Basal tarsomere brownish with narrowly darkened distal end. Remaining tarsomeres brown to dark brown. Very distal end of tarsomeres I–III yellow. Male femur I: 12.04 mm long, II: 13.20 mm, III: 13.43 mm; tibiae I: 8.03 mm, II: 8.80 mm, III: 11.89 mm; tarsus III: 8.95 mm long. Female femur I: 9.35 mm long. Claw dark brown, with large spine at the middle and six small spines arranged longitudinally at basal half.

Abdominal tergites yellow with narrow brown line along lateral margin on both sides and distinct large brown spots, making median stripe, which is broken on posterior margins of tergites. Spots getting smaller towards distal end of abdomen. Spot on eight tergite indistinct. Sternites pale with indistinct brownish spots medio-frontally. Tergites and sternites covered with very short, indistinct, pale to brownish setae. Male genitalia ( Fig. 8 ) yellow. Ninth tergite simple, posterior margin widely rounded with three small blunt emarginations. Lateral emarginations blackened, central brownish. Gonocoxite slightly elongate, wider at base, narrower at apex, with elongate, bluntapexed, setose ventro-mesal lobe. Outer gonostylus narrow, sclerotized, point-apexed, distal part distinctly arched. Inner gonostylus rounded; rostral lobe wide basally, nearly right-angled at middle, distal part distinctly narrowed, blunt-apexed, posterior margin with two long slightly arched and closely situated spines; additional narrow lobe starts at the middle of segment and bears few long apical setae, extending beyond posterior margin of outer gonostylus. Paramere smoothly narrowing towards distal end, apex hook-shaped. Penis simple, elongate, smoothly narrowed distally. Ovipositor ( Fig. 9 ) with tenth tergite pale yellow, distal end brownish. Cercus reddish brown, long and narrow, bidentate at tip. Hypogynial valve reddish brown with blackened subbasal spot on ventral surface; long, reaching subapical teeth of cercus, distal part narrow, apex sharp-pointed.

Elevation range. Both specimens were collected at altitudes less than 30 m.

Period of activity. Adults are flying only at the end of August.

Habitats. The species was collected by the author in grassy vegetation along an artificial pond and on the slope of a small creek surrounded by mixed forest.

Examined material.

Holotype, male (in ethanol, claw of posterior leg slide-mounted), South Korea, Gyeongsangnam-do, Masanhappo-gu, Jindong-myeon, Dagu-ri , N35.11149, E128.53142, altitude 11 m, 2014.08.31, S. Podenas.

Paratype, female (in ethanol), South Korea, Byeonsanbando National Park , N35.67249, E126.56445, altitude 26 m, 2014.08.26, S. Podenas.

Etymology. This species is named after entomologist Charles Young, who spent more than 20 years studying Korean robber flies. He led us to many beautiful and interesting localities and only because of his knowledge of Korean nature we were able to find these “pockets of nature”, which yielded new species.

Discussion. Judging on body size and coloration Libnotes charlesyoungi n. sp. is most similar to L. regina Alexander, 1920 , which is known from Honshu island, Japan. L. regina was described from a single female, thus comparison of male genitalia is not possible at the moment. Despite similarities, L. charlesyoungi n. sp. has distinct differences from L. regina . In general, the body coloration of L. charlesyoungi n. sp. is lighter than that of L. regina ; the head of L. regina is reddish brown, wheras that of L. charlesyoungi n. sp. is brownish yellow, the antenna of L. charlesyoungi n. sp. is yellow, whereas the antenna of L. regina is reddish brown. Mesonotal prescutum of L. regina reddish brown, pleuron with three longitudinal stripes, prescutum of L. charlesyoungi n. sp. yellow, pleuron with two broken longitudinal stripes. Femur of L. regina with broadly brownish black distal end, wing with small dots on longitudinal veins, femur of L. charlesyoungi n. sp. with indistinct subapical brown ring, wing without small dots.

Figures

FIGURES 4 – 9. Libnotes (Libnotes) charlesyoungi n. sp. 4: Male antenna; 5: Wing; 6: Body of female, dorsal view; 7: Head and thorax of female, lateral view; 8: Male genitalia, dorsal view; 9. ovipositor, lateral view.