Hurleyella cumberlandensis Runyon & Robinson, 2010

Runyon, Justin B. & Robinson, Harold, 2010, Hurleyella, a new genus of Nearctic Dolichopodidae (Diptera), Zootaxa 2400 (1), pp. 57-65 : 60-61

Hurleyella cumberlandensis Runyon & Robinson , sp. nov.

Description. Male: Body length approximately 1.0 mm; wing approximately 1.0 mm x 0.4 mm. Habitus ( Fig. 1).

Head: dark metallic blue-green ground color nearly to wholly concealed with ochre to gray pollen. Face with ventral half very narrow (narrowest width less than width of first flagellomere), with nearly parallel sides; covered with moderately dense to dense gray to gray-ochre pollen; frons covered with dense ochre pollen. Dorsal postcranium with sparse to moderately dense ochre pollen. Vertical setae small, approximately equal to ocellar setae (subequal in length to first flagellomere); postocular setae very short, sparse, white ( Fig. 2A ). Palpus gray pollinose, small, ovate, with a few black setae ( Fig. 2A ). Proboscis dark yellow-brown, sclerotized, shining, not enlarged; with short white hairs at apex. Antenna ( Figs. 2A, B ) wholly black; first flagellomere subtriangular with round apex, a little longer than wide, with rather long hairs; arista apical, about as long as height of face.

Thorax: scutum dark metallic blue-green, covered with dense ochre pollen. Setae of thorax rather short, black; 1 presutural supra-alar seta; 2 postsutural supra-alar setae; 1 postalar seta; proepisternum with 1 small white hair. Pleura metallic blue with sparse to moderately dense gray-brown pollen.

Legs: without major setae. Coxae concolorous with pleura. Coxa I with very sparse, short, white anterior hairs; 1–2 longer white hairs at apex ( Fig. 2A ). Coxa III with minute, white lateral hair. Femora mostly dark brown; without preapical setae. Tibia I, II, and III dark yellow. Tarsi dark brown from apex of basal tarsomere. Ratios of tibia: tarsomeres for leg I: 9–5–3–2–2–2; for leg II: 12–7–3–2–2–2; for leg III: 12–4–3–2–2–2.

Wing ( Fig. 3 ): hyaline, usually with brownish clouding at very base, especially in costal cell. Vein R 2+3 short, fusing with costa about midway between termination of R 1 and R 4+5, still ending closer to termination of R 1. Halter knob yellow to yellow-brown; stem brown. Calypter very small, brown, without evident setae.

Abdomen: with very short, rather sparse, stiff black setae ( Fig. 4A ); dark metallic blue-green covered with moderately dense to dense ochre-brown pollen. Abdominal sternite 8 with setae, rather small and mostly hidden under tergite 7 ( Fig. 4B ). Hypopygium ( Figs. 4-5 ). Epandrium rather ovate with dorsoapical margin smooth, strongly sclerotized, projecting; with basal, long, narrow epandrial lobe bearing long seta near base and long seta at apex. Hypandrium with 2 broad, asymmetrical lobes that are ventroapically directed. Phallus abruptly arched and pointed ventrally between hypandrial lobes. Cercus roughly oval-shaped, covered with small hairs and several longer setae, especially along margin. Surstylus loosely attached to epandrium (at least ventrally), large, with many lobes, 2 large blade-like setae directed medially; with large, membranous, rugose, tapering, distolateral flange directed dorsomedially.

Female: Similar to male.

Etymology: Specimens were collected in Cumberland Mountains physiographic region of southwestern Virginia.

Holotype: ♂, VIRGINIA: Wise Co., Phillips Creek , 3 mi. SW of Pound, 442 m (1450 ft), N37º06.54’ W82º40.25’, VI–2–2008, J.B. Runyon ( USNM).

Paratypes: 6 ♂, 2 ♀, same data as holotype ; 2 ♂, VIRGINIA: Buchanan Co., Hunts Creek, 1 mi. SW of Breaks, 320 m (1050 ft), N37º18.37’ W82º17.72’, VI–12–2008, J.B. Runyon ( USNM, CNC, MTEC). Two male paratypes from Phillips Creek were permanently slide mounted .

Remarks: The specimens at Phillips Creek were collected by sweeping open, dry, sandy soil with some very sparse vegetation at edge of an artificial beach where Phillips Creek flows into North Fork of Pound Lake. Those from Hunts Creek were collected near junction with Garden Creek from open, dry, bare areas of horizontal shale over which the creek flows. The two collection sites are in extreme southwest Virginia, near the Kentucky border, and about 40 km apart.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Hurleyella cumberlandensis, head. A. head, front coxae and thorax ca. anterolateral view; B. antenna, medial view; C. close-up of ommatidia showing hairs between facets. Abbreviation: cx—front coxae.

FIGURE 3. Hurleyella cumberlandensis, male wing.

FIGURE 4. Hurleyella cumberlandensis. A. abdomen and hypopygium, left lateral view; B. hypopygium, left dorsolateral view; C. hypopygium, dorsal view. Abbreviations: epd - epandrium, fsur - lateroapical flange of surstylus, S8 - abdominal sternite 8, T7 - abdominal tergite 7.