Elaphropeza angulata Grootaert et Shamshev

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor, 2013, The flies of the family Hybotidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) collected during the Boyekoli Ebale Congo 2010 Expedition in Democratic Republic of Congo, Zootaxa 3603 (1), pp. 1-61 : 21-23

Elaphropeza angulata Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov.

( Figs. 23–25 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 3 labelled: D.R. CONGO, Yaekela , 2 May 2010, marsh land (reg. 30006, leg. P. G root aert, MS reference EC3); Holotype / Elaphropeza angulata / Grootaert et Shamshev sp. nov. ( RBINS).

PARATYPES: D.R. CONGO: 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Yaekela , 2 May 2010, marsh land (reg. 30006, leg. P. Grootaert); 10 3, 6 Ƥ, Kona , 13 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30038, leg. P. Grootaert) + one 3 specimen in tray Congo at AB31515274 extracted for DNA, COI sequence available at genbank; 1 3, 2 Ƥ, Kona , 11 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30032, leg. P. Grootaert); 1 Ƥ, Kona , 16 May 2010, forest, Malaise trap 3 (leg. P. Grootaert); 1 3, Kona , 11 May 2010, primary swamp forest (reg. 30033, leg. P. Grootaert) ( RBINS).

Diagnosis. A species of E. biuncinata -group; recognised by its black thorax and hind femur entirely yellow.

Description. Length: body 1.6 mm, wing 1.5 mm. Male. Occiput entirely black, densely pollinose (including vertex); with yellowish brown to yellow setation; inner verticals long inclinate, outer verticals short. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate and cruciate; posterior ocellars short. Frons shining, above antennae about 2.0 times as broad as anterior ocellus. Antenna with brownish yellow scape and pedicel and brownish postpedicel and stylus; pedicel with circlet of subequally short setulae; postpedicel subtriangular, short, nearly 2.0 times longer than wide; stylus with short pubescence, long, nearly 4.0 times longer than postpedicel, about 2.0 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded, bearing scattered setulae, subapical seta short, thin.

Thorax black, longer setae yellowish brown. Prothoracic episterna with long upturned seta just above fore coxa. Postpronotal seta not prominent. Mesonotum with 2 notopleurals, 1 short postsutural supra-alar, 1 minute postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair very long, cruciate; lateral pair minute); acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated, scutum evenly covered with short setae, 1 pair of long prescutellars (nearly as long as notopleurals).

Legs quite robust, entirely yellow, hind femur somewhat paler basally. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore femur thickened, with rows of short anteroventral and similar posteroventral setae, 2 long setae near base, and short subapical seta anteriorly. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur slender, with row of very short yellowish anteroventral and row of similar posteroventral spinule-like setae becoming longer basally, 1 long pale seta near base and 1 long subapical seta anteriorly. Mid tibia with hardly prominent black ventral spinules on about apical half, lacking prominent setae (except subapicals). Hind femur and tibia somewhat thickened. Hind femur with short anteroventrals and 3 short erect dorsal setae near base. Hind tibia lacking prominent setae; apical projection small, rounded, brownish yellow. Tarsi of all legs unmodified, with unmodified setation.

Wing normally developed, finely infuscate, somewhat deeper infuscate near base of R2+3 and R4+5, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins mostly yellowish brown, basal section of M1+2 (including short area beyond crossvein bm-cu) and crossvein r-m pale; basal section of vein CuA1 thicker than basal section of vein M1+2. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Costal bristle moderately long, brownish. Costal index: 19/25/18. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. R1 somewhat thickened meeting costa. Vein R2+3 somewhat angulate. Veins R4+5 and M1+2 divergent near wing apex, both slightly bowed. Vein CuA1 reaching wing margin. Vein A 1 lacking. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Halter blackish.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 represented by very narrow, divided dorsally, brownish stripe; viewed laterally tergites 2, 5–7 of subequal width, tergites 3–4 somewhat broader; tergite 2 broadly concave dorsally, with unmodified short setae, subtriangular viewed laterally; tergites 3 and 4 of subequal width, both with squamiform setae, subrectangular viewed laterally; tergite 5 with sparser squamiform setae; tergites 6 and 7 subrectangular viewed laterally, with unmodified setation; tergite 7 with short posteromarginal setae; tergite 8 unmodified. Sternites 3–5 broadly divided medially, sternite 6 deeply concave anteriorly. Gland-like structures present between tergites 3–4 (ampoule-like, with 2 reservoirs) and 4–5 (plate-like). Terminalia ( Figs. 23–25 ) moderately large, brownish. Cerci separated; right cercus very narrow, weakly sclerotised, digitiform, considerably shorter than left cercus, with several unmodified setae of different lengths; left cercus unbranched, long, viewed dorsally digitiform, with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths; hypoproct not prominent. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 23 ) subtriangular viewed laterally, covered with numerous unmodified setae of different lengths. Right surstylus not prominent. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several short setae apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 25 ) broadened basally and digitiform apically, with 3 strong dorsal setae near base and some short unmodified setae. Phallus long. One rod-shaped apodeme.

Female. Mid tibia lacking black ventral spinules. Abdominal tergites 2–7 of subequal width. Gland-like structure between tergites 3–4 similar to that between tergites 4–5 (not ampoule-like as in male). Otherwise as in male. Tergite 8 with deep excision posteriorly. Cercus yellowish brown.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the angulate vein R4+5.

Distribution. D.R. Congo.

Remarks. Smith (1969) recorded only one species with an entirely black thorax from South Africa, E. oribiensis Smith, 1969 , which differs from E. angulata sp. nov. primarily by the presence of an anterodorsal bristle on the hind tibia. Of the species of Elaphropeza described by G. Raffone from Sierra Leone, E. sinikorensis Raffone, 1990 is perhaps most similar to E. angulata sp. nov in having an entirely black thorax and no bristles on the hind tibia. It differs from E. angulata sp. nov in having Vein R2+3 almost straight and the left cercus has a very slender tip. Other Afrotropical species of Elaphropeza have a yellow thorax. It is interesting to note that E. angulata sp. nov. exhibits sexual dimorphism of the abdominal gland-like structures; a rare condition in Elaphropeza .

Figures

FIGURES 23 – 25. Elaphropeza angulata sp. nov. 23. Right epandrial lamella; 24. Epandrium with cerci; 28. Left surstylus.