Minettia (Minettiella) spinosa, Shi, Li & Yang, Ding, 2014

Shi, Li & Yang, Ding, 2014, Five new species of Minettia (Minettiella) (Diptera, Lauxaniidae) from China, ZooKeys 449, pp. 81-103 : 85

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Lauxaniidae

Minettia (Minettiella) spinosa sp. n. Figs 21- 25, 39- 40

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (CAUC), CHINA, Hubei: Shennongjia National Natural Reserve, Pingqian, 1650 m, 25. vii. 2007, Qifei Liu. Paratypes: 4 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ (CAUC), CHINA, Hubei: as holotype; 6 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ (CAUC), CHINA, Hubei: Shennongjia National Natural Reserve, Pingqian, 1650 m, 27. vii. 2007, Qifei Liu.

Etymology.

Latin, spinosa, meaning spinose or with spinules; referring to the aedeagus with many short ventral spinules; a feminine adjective.

Diagnosis.

Face with a yellow triangular median spot or only slightly yellow in center of face. Arista with microscopic setulae, longest rays shorter than 1/3 height of 1st flagellomere. All tibiae dark yellow and tarsi dark yellow with tarsomeres 3-5 pale brown (apex of fore tibia pale brown in a few specimens); mid femur with 3 a. Wing black at base.

Description.

MALE. Body length 3.4-4.0 mm, wing length 3.9-4.4 mm. FEMALE. Body length 3.5-4.1 mm, wing length 4.3-4.6 mm.

Head. Face with a yellow triangular median spot or only slightly yellow in center of face, and parafacial brown with dense whitish gray pruinosity. Frons with yellow anterior margin (sometimes with a wide yellow median stripe in a few of specimens). Gena about 1/6 eye height. Antenna yellow with pale brown on apical 2/3 of 1st flagellomere, 1st flagellomere nearly 1.7 times longer than high; arista with microscopic setulae, longest rays shorter than 1/3 height of 1st flagellomere. An indistinct brown spot present between eye and base of antenna. Proboscis black with dark yellow at apex and palpus black.

Thorax with sparse whitish gray pruinosity. Mesonotum 0+3 dc (anterior dc far behind transverse scutal suture), acr in 6 rows; prsc slightly longer than 1st post-sutural dc. Scutellum with dense yellowish brown pruinosity. Legs: all tibiae dark yellow and tarsi dark yellow with tarsomeres 3-5 pale brown (apex of fore tibia pale brown in a few specimens). Fore femur with 5 pv and 8 pd, fore tibia with 1 short preapical ad and 1 short apv. Mid femur with 3 a and 1 app; mid tibia with 1 strong preapical ad and 1 strong apv. Hind femura with 1 weak preapical ad, hind tibia with 1 weak preapical ad and 1 short apv. Wing slightly yellow with black at base; costa with 2nd (between R1 and R2+3), 3rd (between R2+3 and R4+5) and 4th (between R4+5 and M1) sections in proportion of 11:1.5:1; r-m at middle of discal cell; ultimate and penultimate sections of M1 in proportion of 1:1.2; ultimate section of CuA1 about 1/6 of penultimate section.

Abdomen with sparse whitish gray pruinosity. Male genitalia (Figs 21-25): syntergosternite circular with a setula near spiracle, epandrium with a small subapical incision in lateral view and acute apically in posterior view, and surstylus contorting with apical setulae and originating from inner side of epandrium in lateral view; hypandrium slender, nearly H-shaped and hypandrial apodeme indistinct; pregonite tiny, slightly curved with two setulae; aedeagus broad, with dorsal sclerite round apically, membranous parts beyond apex of dorsal sclerite with short spinules and a pair of long hook-like basal processes; aedeagal apodeme slender. Female terminalia (Figs 39-40): sternite 7 rectangular, slightly concave on prosterior margin, sternite 8 semicircular with a pair of processes on anterior margin and a wide groove between processes; spermathecae 2+1, round.

Remarks.

The new species is similar to Minettia (Minettiella) plurifurcata sp. n. from Hubei in the following characteristics: mesonotum 0+3 dc, acr in 6 rows; fore femur with 5 pv and 8 pd, but it can be separated from the latter in the epandrium having a small subapical incision in lateral view and acute apically in posterior view and the surstylus being contorting with apical setulae in lateral view. In Minettia (Minettiella) plurifurcata , the epandrium has a wide median incision on the dorsal margin in lateral view and the surstylus is short subuliform in lateral view and convergent apically in posterior view.

Distribution.

China (Hubei).