Helina nudusimacula Xue and Tian, 2012

Xue, Wanqi & Tian, Xu, 2012, Thirteen new species of the genus Helina R. - D. (Diptera: Muscidae) from China, Journal of Natural History 46 (9 - 10), pp. 565-598 : 588-590

Helina nudusimacula Xue and Tian sp. nov.

( Figure 10A–I )

Type material

Holotype. One male ( IESNU), China, Luding , Sichuan province, 30 ◦ 10 ′ N, 102 ◦ 25 ′ E, altitude 2600 m, 17 July 2006, J.Y. Liu.

Paratypes. One male and two females ( IESNU), same data as holotype .

Etymology

The name of this species is based on the black spots on the exposed scutum, and on the scutum being without hair and pruinosity, linking the Latin words nudus plus macula.

Distribution

China, Sichuan Province, Luding.

Remarks

The new species is similar to Helina subbrunneigena Fang and Fan, 1992 , but differs from it as follows: frontal vitta about half of fronto-orbital plate in width, the scutum without hair and pruinosity, tibia and femur brown apically.

Description (based on holotype)

Male. Body length 9.0– 9.2 mm.

Colour: Frontal vitta black, parafacial, fronto-orbital plate covered with grey pruinosity, antenna black, lunule brown, genal and postgenal hairs black, palpus black. Thorax black in ground-colour, the back two-thirds of postsutural area of scutum with one brown median vitta, anterior spiracle and posterior spiracle brown. Wing light brown, basicosta black, calypters light yellowish, haltere brown. Tibia and femur brown apically, otherwise black. Abdomen ground-colour black, covered with dark, dense grey to grey brown pruinosity, tergite 3 and tergite 4 with a pair of dark brown lateral patches,

Head: Eye bare; frons subequal with the distance between posterior ocelli in width, frontal vitta about half of fronto-orbital plate in width, six or seven pairs of frontal setae on lower three-fifths of frons, without ors; ocellar setae thin, about four-fifths of the longest frontal setae in length; parafacial about 1.2 times as wide as postpedicel; postpedicel about 2.5–2.8 times as long as broad, arista short plumose, the longest aristal hairs about five-sixths to four-fifths of postpedicel in width; lower facial margin not projecting, vibrissal angle situated behind frontal angle; anterior margin of gena with one row of upcurved subvibrissal setulae, genal height about onequarter of eye height, the upper lateral area of the occiput with hairs, prementum covered with pruinosity, about 2.5 times as long as broad, palpus about 1.3 times as long as prementum; labella long and large, about four-fifths of prementum in length.

Thorax: Scutum with four broad spots, the scutum without hair and pruinosity, the middle black spot subequal with inner vitta in width, the inner spot not reaching scutoscutellar suture, outboard spot large; acr 0+1, dc 2+4, ial 0+2, pra short and hair-like, about one-third of posterior notopleural seta in length; notopleuron, lateral margin and lower surface of scutellum, basisternum of prosternum, proepisternum hollow in centre, anepimeron, katepimeron and meron all bare; upper proepisternal seta 1, upper proepimeral seta 2+2.

Wing: Costal spine distinct, Sc curved and arc-shaped, radial node bare, R 4+5 and M straight, diverging apically, r-m and dm-cu cross-vein not clouded, calypters light yellowish, the lower calypter ligule-shaped.

Legs: Fore tibia with one median p, with fine short setae in apical one-third to two-fifths; mid-femur without distinct av, with three or four pv in basal two-fifths, one preapical a, three pd, mid-tibia three p, hind femur with short seta-like av row in apical half, without pv, hind tibia with three av, three ad, without pv apically, all tarsi longer than tibiae in length, claws and pulvilli large, longer than fifth tarsomere in length.

Abdomen: Cone-shaped in dorsal view, both sides without shifting patches, tergite 4 and tergite 5 with a complete post margin setae row, with one row of discal bristles, with dense and short hairs, tergite 6 and sternite 1 bare.

Female. Body length 8.7–8.9 mm. Frons about two-fifths of head in width, frontal vitta about 3.0 times as wide as fronto-orbital plate, frontal triangle reaching frontal angle, two or three pairs of frontal setae, upper orbital setae 2, parafacial about 1.5 times as wide as postpedicel, the longest aristal hairs subequal with postpedicel in width; pra hair-like, one side absent; mid-femur with two pv in apical half, one side of midtibia with one short pv, the distal part of abdomen thin, the other characters as male.

Figures

Figure 10. Helina nudusimacula sp. nov. (A) Male, abdomen in dorsal view; (B) male, sternite 5 in ventral view; (C) male, cerci in posterior view; (D) male, terminalia in profile; (E) female, abdomen in dorsal view; (F) female, sternites 1–5; (G) female, ovipositor in dorsal view; (H) female, ovipositor in ventral view; (I) female, spermatheca. Scale bars: A,E–H 1 mm; B, 0.5 mm; C,D, 0.2 mm; I, 0.1 mm.