Mohelia chandleri, Oliveira, Sarah Siqueira, 2015

Oliveira, Sarah Siqueira, 2015, On Afrotropical Mohelia Matile (Diptera, Mycetophilidae): new species and phylogenetic comments, Zootaxa 3947 (2), pp. 251-263 : 258-259

Mohelia chandleri sp.n.

( Figures 4 , 10 , 13 , 16 )

Differential diagnosis. Brown body with yellow legs. Hind femur brown apically. Gonocoxite with inner digitiform projection well sclerotized, with a long bristle medially, directed towards the gonostylus. Ventral projection of gonostylus with a medial bifid projection, well sclerotized, directed towards the inner gonocoxite. Dorsal projection ovoid. This species is very similar to M. matilei sp.n. regarding the general body coloration and to M. nigricauda because of the tergite 9 with long marginal bristles not well sclerotized and the digitiform gonocoxite projection.

Material examined. Holotype, adult male. MAURITIUS, Black River, upper mountains, 17.vi.1971, A.M. Hutson, B.M. 1971-346, BMNH (E)# 1240863 (double-pinned, NHM). Paratypes: same data as holotype, BMNH (E)# 1240864 (1♂ double-pinned, NHM); same data as holotype, except La Pouce, 10.vi.1971 BMNH (E)# 1240865-75 (2♂ double-pinned, MZUSP; 11♂ double-pinned, NHM).

Description. Male ( Fig. 4 ). Total length 2.9 mm (n=7).

Head ( Fig. 4 ). Head brown, triangular. Vertex with scattered setae. Three ocelli forminga straight line, median ocellus smaller, lateral ocelli more than twice their diameter from the eye margin. Frons covered with setulae. Face bare, narrow rectangular, larger than clypeus; clypeus bare, almost triangular, not protruding below the ventral margin of the head; labrum triangular, elongated, almost twice length of clypeus. Labellum yellowish, elongate, almost the same as head height. Maxillary palp yellowish, with four segments, fourth segment almost twice the length of third, first and second segments shorter and rounded, strongly fused. Scape shorter than pedicel, rounded; scape and pedicel brown, with dense setae on their apicodorsal margin; antennal flagellomeres petiolate, brown, longer than broad, covered with setulae. Thorax ( Fig. 4 ). Thorax brown, legs yellow. Pronotum brown, two strong setae dorsally. Scutum covered with short scattered setae and bearing supra-alar bristles. Scutellum with four bristles. Proepisternum brown, setose at margins; proepimeron brown, bare. Pro-, meso- and metapleuron brown, entirely bare, except the laterotergite, bearing some setae on its posterior margin. Haltere whitish, setose. Foreleg smaller than mid- and hind legs. Hind femur brown apically. Tibia notably enlarged at apex. Tibial setae arranged in regular longitudinal rows on mid- and hind tibia, hind tibia with a posterior line of spines, spurs 1:2:2, almost twice length of tibial diameter at apex. Hind tibia apex bearing many regularly arranged setae. Wing ( Fig. 10 ). Length: 2 mm, width: 1.1 mm. Membrane without macrotrichia, hyaline; sc-r absent; C extending well beyond apex of R5, almost reaching wing tip; Sc short, free, inclined toward R. R1 1.5 times the r-m length, reaching C at medial third of wing; Rs perpendicular to R5; R5 reaching C well before wing tip, almost straight; r-m transverse, about five times length of base of Rs. M1+2 almost 4.5 times longer than r-m, as long as the medial fork; M1 and M2 parallel; M1 insconspicuous at its base; cubital fork twice the length of basal segment of CuA; A1 inconspicuous. M1, M2, M4, and apical third of second sector of CuA with macrotrichia apically. Abdomen ( Fig. 4 ). Tergites 1–7 brown; sternites 1–5 yellowish, S6–7 brown. Terminalia ( Fig. 13 ). Terminalia brown. Tergite 9 broader than long, setose, with long bristles at its lateral margins, connected laterally with the gonocoxite by a lateral projection, bare; gonocoxite with extensions posterodorsal to the base of the gonostylus, digitiform distally, setose; gonocoxite with inner digitiform projection well sclerotized, with a long, medially-directed, bristle; gonostylus with two main projections, dorsal projection ovoid, with setae at its margins, ventral projection well developed with a mediallydirected, bifid and well sclerotized projection towards the inner gonocoxite, with a line of setae at surface, three spine-like setae and a long bristle at inner apical margin; ejaculatory apodeme rounded at apex and bifid at base; parameres well developed, enclosing the aedeagus; aedeagus elongated and thin; cercus rounded, covered with setulae.

Female. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 16 ). Mauritius Islands.

Etymology. The species name is a masculine genitive, named after the English dipterist Peter Chandler (Melksham, UK). He has been studying the Mycetophilidae fauna in Palaearctic region and is always pleasant in helping me with taxonomic questions, species identification, and the English language.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Mohelia chandleri sp. n., ♂ paratype, terminalia. A. Tergite 9 and cerci, dorsal view. B. Dorsal view, T 9 and cerci removed. C. Gonostylus, ventral view. D. Lateral view. Abbreviations: ae, aedeagus; ce, cercus; ej ap, ejaculatory apodeme; gc ap, gonocoxal apodeme; gcx, gonocoxite; gs, gonostyle; par, parameres; T, tergite; T 9 proj, T 9 projection.

FIGURE 16. Distributional map of Mohelia in Afrotropical region.

FIGURES 1 – 4. Mohelia habitus, lateral view. 1. M. nigricauda, ♂ holotype. 2. M. matilei sp. n., ♂ paratype. 3. M. amorimi sp. n., ♂ paratype. 4. M. chandleri sp. n., ♂ holotype.

FIGURES 9 – 10. Mohelia wings. 9. M. amorimi sp. n., ♀ paratype. 10. M. chandleri sp. n., ♂ paratype.