Megaselia montseniensis García-Romera, 2014

García-Romera, Carlos & Barrientos, Jose Antonio, 2014, Nine new species of Phoridae (Insecta: Diptera) from Spain, Zootaxa 3857 (2), pp. 244-260 : 253-255

Megaselia montseniensis García-Romera sp. nov.

( Figs 14–15 )

Etymology. The species is named after its type locality

Diagnosis. Longest bristle on palp clearly longer than maximum width of palp; labella enlarged, with numerous short pale spinules below; antennal postpedicel brown; mesopleuron with hairs, bristles absent; scutellum with an anterior pair of small hairs and a posterior pair of bristles; hairs of proctiger slightly weaker than hairs on cerci; left side of epandrium with hairs about as strong as those on proctiger; front legs with a posterodorsal hair palisade on tarsal segments 1–5; metatarsus of front leg not enlarged and without complete longitudinal rows of hairs reduced to short blunt spines; mid tibiae with a complete dorsal hair palisade, without a deflection onto posterior face; longest hairs below basal half of hind femur a little shorter than those of anteroventral row of outer third; knob of haltere yellow; costal index more than 0.44; costal cilia (section 3) about as long as longest axillary bristle; first costal section less twice longer than second.

Description (male). Head. Frons brown, about as broad as long, with 52 hairs. Upper supra-antennal bristles a little longer and stronger than lower pair, and they are slightly closer together than pre-ocellars, which are slightly lower on frons than mediolaterals and about as closer together as either is from a mediolateral bristle. Upper supraantennal bristles clearly higher on frons than antials, which are lower on frons than anterolaterales, and closer to these than to upper supra-antennal bristles. Gena with three long bristles and four shorter ones. Antennal postpedicel subglobose, brown and relatively small (diameter 0.12 mm), without SPS vesicles. Palps dusky yellow, 0.21 mm long and 0.04 mm maximum width, with five long bristles and four very short ones, the longest bristle being longer than greatest width of palp. Labella enlarged, dusky yellow, with numerous short spinules below and a few long hairs. Labrum brown, about 0.8 × as wide as an antennal postpedicel.

Thorax. Brown. Mesopleuron with nine hairs, bristles absent. Three notopleural bristles and no cleft in front of these. Scutellum with an anterior pair of small hairs and a posterior pair of bristles. Propleura with five hairs on posterodorsal edge, four on posteroventral one, two in middle of hind margin and one in middle, situated well forwards of hindmargin.

Abdomen. Tergites brown, with scattered short hairs with those of the rear margin only a little longer, gradually increasing from T4 to T6, with those of the latter longer and stronger than those on epandrium. Venter yellow, with a few short hairs on segments 3–6.

Hypopygium ( Figs 14–15 ). Left side of epandrium brown, without bristles, with hairs about as strong as those on proctiger, which are only slightly weaker than hairs on cerci; hypandrium brown, with both posterior lobes developed and with minute hairs below; anal tube clearly longer (1.5 ×) than dorsal face of epandrium; cerci yellow brown.

Legs. Mainly yellow brown, slightly clearing from hind to front legs, which are yellowish; hind femur paler than the rest of leg. Front legs with a posterodorsal hair palisade on tarsal segments 1–5 and metatarsus not enlarged. Length ratios of fore tarsal segments 3.6:1.6:1.4:1.1:1, with fifth segment as wide as fourth one. Mid legs with a complete dorsal hair palisade on tibia. Longest hairs below basal half of hind femur a little shorter (0.8 ×) than those of anteroventral row of outer third. Hind tibia with 15 differentiated posterodorsal hairs and spinules of apical combs simple.

Wing. Length 2.48 mm. Membrane lightly tinged grey and veins light brown; with six axillary bristles. Subcostal vein not reaching R1. One hair present at base of vein Rs, 0.06 mm long. Costal index 0.52; costal ratios 3.3:2.3:1. Costal cilia (of section 3) 0.15 mm long, about as long as longest axillary bristle. Knob of haltere yellow.

Recognition. In the keys to the males of the British species of Megaselia ( Disney, 1989) , this species runs to couplet 102, where neither option applies. It closely resembles to M. furva Schmitz (couplet 101), but it distinguishes from the new species by having different costal ratios, a deflection of the dorsal hair palisade of the mid leg onto posterior face and a different hypopygium. In the keys of Palaearctic Phoridae ( Schmitz et al, 1938 –81) this species runs to couplet 62 (Abteilung IV, Zweite Reihe, page 524), to M. luminifrons Schmitz , which has a similar hypopygium to the new species, but differs in the shape of epandrium and by having a shorter anal tube.

Material examined. Holotype ♂ Spain, Barcelona: Montseny, Montseny Natural Park, beech forest, UTM 31TDG532273, 1170 m a.s.l., 16/ 06–01/07/1990. Window trap. J.A. Barrientos leg ( UAB).

Figures

FIGURES 14 – 15. Megaselia montseniensis García-Romera sp. nov. male. 14, left face of hypopygium. 15, right face of hypopygium. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.