Elaphropeza collini, Grootaert & Shamshev, 2012

Grootaert, Patrick & Shamshev, Igor V., 2012, The fast-running flies (Diptera, Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae) of Singapore and adjacent regions, European Journal of Taxonomy 5, pp. 1-162 : 107-109

Elaphropeza collini sp. nov.

Figs 161-164

Diagnosis

Occiput largely yellow, postpedicel about 2.5 times longer than wide, stylus about 4.0 times longer than postpedicel; thorax and legs entirely yellow; hind tibia with 1 black curved subapical anteroventral bristle. Male: right epandrial lamella with 3 very long unmodified subapical setae and 2 very long squamiform setae.

Description

Male LENGTH. Body 1.8 mm, wing 1.5 mm.

HEAD. Occiput largely yellow, broadly darkened above neck including ocellar tubercle and frons, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Anterior ocellars long, proclinate and cruciate; posterior ocellars minute. Inner verticals long, inclinate; outer verticals slightly prominent. Antenna ( Fig. 161 ) brownish yellow, scape and pedicel somewhat paler; pedicel with circlet of almost equally short setulae, 1 dorsal somewhat longer; postpedicel 2.7 times longer than wide; stylus normally pubescent, brown, 4.1 times longer than postpedicel and 2.4 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Proboscis brownish yellow. Palpus yellow, small, rounded; with scattered brownish yellow setulae, bearing 1 longer and darker subapical seta.

THORAX. Almost entirely reddish yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation; metanotum brownish yellow. Scutellum truncate. Prothoracic episternum with 1 long upturned bristle just above fore coxa and 1 short bristle in upper part. Postpronotal bristle minute. Mesonotum with 2 notopleurals, 1 very short postsutural supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 scutellars (apical pair very long, cruciate; lateral pair very short). Acrostichals and dorsocentrals multiserial, uniform (except for 1 pair of long prescutellars), extending to base of scutellum.

LEGS. Quite robust, entirely yellow, with yellow to brownish yellow setation. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation. Fore and hind femora and tibiae somewhat thickened. Fore femur with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles and 2 longer bristles near base. Fore tibia lacking prominent bristles (except subapicals). Mid femur with 2 rows of spinule-like, short ventral bristles (becoming shorter in apical part of femur), 1 long thin bristle near base and 1 anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with 1 row of black ventral spinules on about apical 2/3, lacking subapical, claw-like spine anteriorly and prominent bristles (except subapicals). Hind femur bearing 1 row of mostly short anteroventrals (4 subapicals longer) and 3-4 erect dorsal bristles near base. Hind tibia with 1 black, curved subapical anteroventral bristle; apical projection short, rounded, clothed in dense brownish setulae.

WING. normally developed, finely uniformly infuscate, covered with uniform microtrichia; veins yellowish to brownish yellow. Costal vein with moderately long setulae along anterior margin. Basal costal bristle long, brownish yellow. Costal index: 28/23/24/11. Vein Rs somewhat longer than crossvein bm-cu. R 4+5 and M 1+2 parallel near wing apex, somewhat sinuate. CuA 1 reaching wing margin. A 1 present as trace vein. Crossvein bm-cu oblique. Crossvein r-m near middle of cell bm. Calypter brownish yellow, with several long brownish setae. Halter darkened.

ABDOMEN. Tergite 1 with very narrow, slightly prominent brownish space. Tergite 2 narrow medially and broadened laterally. Tergite 3 broadest, with squamiform setae. Tergite 4 nearly as broad as tergite 2 and in middle about 2.0 times narrower than tergite 3, with squamiform setae. Tergite 5 narrowest, even somewhat narrower than tergite 2, with squamiform setae. Tergites 6-8 unmodified; tergite 6 with slightly prominent, tergite 7 with long posteromarginal bristles. Sternites 3-5 divided. Gland-like structures present between tergites 3-4 and 4-5.

TERMINALIA. Large, brownish yellow ( Figs 162-164 ). Cerci divided; right cercus short, narrow, with few short bristles, lacking spines; left cercus unbranched, digitiform, rather short, with numerous moderately long bristles, lacking spines. Epandrium completely divided. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 162 ) with 3 very long unmodified subapical setae and 2 very long squamiform setae. Right surstylus very small, subtriangular, with some minute setulae, lacking spines. Left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium, with several moderately long bristles apically. Left surstylus ( Fig. 164 ) with large, subglobular, with moderately long submarginal setae. Hypandrium with rod-shaped subapical projections (as in E. biuncinata ), bearing 2 short setae apically. Phallus very long, double spiralled [not showen on Fig. 163 ]. One rod-shaped apodeme present.

Female Unknown.

Material examined

Holotype ♂ SINGAPORE: Pulau Ubin (PU02), 2 June 2009, mangrove, Mal. (reg. 29135, leg. P.G.; in ZRC).

Etymology The species is dedicated to Mr. Tong Hor Yee (Collin) for his very enthusiastic help during fieldwork in 2009.

Distribution

Singapore.

Habitat and seasonal occurrence

This species occurs in mangroves, with single record from June.

Remarks

The new species belongs to the E. biuncinata group and in the male it can be readily distinguished from all representatives of this unit by the unique vestiture of the right epandrial lamella (3 very long unmodified subapical setae and 2 very long squamiform setae). Additionally, in the new species the right surstylus is markedly small.

Figures

Figs 161-164. Elaphropeza collini sp. nov., ♂. 161. postpedicel and stylus of antenna, lateral view. 162. right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 163. epandrium with cerci, dorsal view. 164. left surstylus, lateral view.