Disciphus humeralis, Nartshuk, 2010

Nartshuk, E., 2010, Grassflies Of The Tribe Elachipterini (Diptera: Chloropidae) From Vietnam And Thailand, With Description Of A New Species, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 56 (3), pp. 265-272 : 270-271

Disciphus humeralis sp. n.

Holotype male Thailand, Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon NP, campground pond, 18°32.657’N

98°31.482’E, 1200 m, 30.viii.2006 – 6.ix.2006, Malaise trap, Y. AREELUCK ( T 237 ) .

The holotype is deposited in the Entomology section of QSBG (Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden), P.O. Box 7, Mae Rim Chiang Mai 50180, Thailand .

Differential diagnosis. The specimen has clear wing, only slightly tinged in 1st posterior cell, dark yellow postpronotum, distinctly pubescent arista, scutellum black, fore tibia and fore tarsus black, hind tibia slightly darkened. It distinguishes from other species of the genus by wing without black spots and dark yellow postpronotum. It is similar to D. alatus BECKER by its pubescent arista.

Description. Head yellow, wider than thorax. Frons nearly parallel-sided, yellow. Ocellar triangle with oval black spot, leaving yellow apex and hind corners. Gena and face yellow, gena narrower than fist flagellomere. Occiput with black spot, not extends eyes and with semicircular upper border. Five orbital setae, two posterior ones long, slightly shorter than outer vertical seta. First flagellomere yellow, about 1.5 times as broad as long. Arista entirely black, strongly pubescent. Palpi yellow.

Thorax black except for dark yellow postpronotum. Scutellum and its projection black, projection as long as scutellum. Notopleural setae 1+1. Postnotum black. Wing hyaline, longer than abdomen, only slightly tinged in 1st posterior cell. All veins yellow. Ratio of costal sectors 2:3:4 as 30:25:13. Veins R 3+4 and M 1+2 parallel. Legs mostly yellow, fore tibia and tarsus black, hind tibia darkened. Abdomen brown, two first tergites white.

Body length 1.8 mm.

Notes to Disciphus . KANMIYA (1983) indicated in his key that the scutellum of D. peregrinus is black, scutellum of D. flavitarsis was described as entirely black with yellow projections. All examined specimens of D. flavitarsis (1 m, 4 f) have black scutellum with yellow projections. The colour of scutellum and projections and fore and hind tibia of D. peregrinus significantly vary. Fore tibia coloured from darkened to entirely black and the hind tibia entirely yellow or darkened. Fore tarsus always entirely black. Among Vietnam’s specimens 1 female has scutellum and projections black; 1 female scutellum black, projections dark yellow; 2 males and 2 females scutellum yellow darkened, projections yellow. Other specimens (11 males, 8 females) with scutellum and projections yellow. Among the Thailand’s specimens only one (Rayong, Khao Chamao. 10.12.2007) has black scutellum and tubercles, all the other specimens having yellow scutellum and projections.

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Acknowledgements – I thank Dr B. BROWN and the “ Thailand Inventory Group for Entomological Research ( TIGER) project”, which was funded by U. S. National Science Foundation grant DEB-0542864, and to M. SHARKEY and B. BROWN for interesting material. The project was supported by the National Research Council of Thailand and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Thailand, which gave permission for research and the collection of specimens. Financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grants 08–04–00186), the grant of the President of the Russian Federation of support of the leading scientific schools (N Sh 2329. 2008.4), and the Programmes of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Origin and Evolution of Biosphere” are also thanked.