Phyllolabis eiroae, Mederos & Martín-Vega & Baz, 2021

Mederos, Jorge, Martín-Vega, Daniel & Baz, Arturo, 2021, When unexpected guests come to eat: two new species of Phyllolabis Osten Sacken (Diptera: Limoniidae) collected with carrion-baited traps in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, Zootaxa 5039 (2), pp. 222-240 : 226-231

Phyllolabis eiroae sp. nov.

( Figs 2–5 )

Diagnosis. General body coloration light brown to pale yellow (specimens from 2006-2007 killed with an ethylene glycol solution and preserved in 80% ethanol). Male gonostylus with ventral lobe (vl) broad and complex, webbed shape, with five acute projections and deeply creased spaces between each projection. Female with two small, slightly oval, spermathecae and tergite 10 as wide as long in dorsal view.

Type material. HOLOTYPE 1♂ Chapinería , Madrid, España. 00/01/ 2007, 544 m a.s.l., UTM: 397145, 4465864; MZB 2021-0144 [ MCNB] . PARATYPES: 6♂♂ 4♀♀ Villamanta , Madrid, España. 00/12/ 2006, 599.6 m a.s.l., UTM: 404260, 4464245; MZB 2021-0145 to MZB 2021-0147 , MZB 2021-0149 to MZB 2021-0154 [ MCNB] . 1♂ idem, IG : 34297 [ RBINS]. 1♂ ibidem 00/01/2007, MZB 2021-0148 [ MCNB] . 1♀ same data as for holotype, IG : 34297 [ RBINS]. 1♂ same data as for holotype, MZB 2021-0155 [ MCNB] . 1♀ Lozoya , Madrid, Es- paña. 00/02/2007, 1.279 m a.s.l., UTM: 436780, 4533579; MZB 2021-0156 [ MCNB] . 1♀ ibidem 00/01/2007, MZB 2021-0157 [ MCNB] .

Other material examined. 1♂ Villaviciosa de Odón , Madrid, España. 00/01/ 2007, 602.7 m a.s.l, UTM: 419855, 4473962; MZB 2021-0158 [ MCNB] . 7♂♂ Villamanta , Madrid, España. 00/01/ 2007, 599.6 m a.s.l., UTM: 404260, 4464245; MZB 2021-0159 , MZB 2021-0161 , MZB 2021-0162 [ MCNB] . 2♀♀ ibidem 00/02/2007, MZB 2021- 0160 [ MCNB] . 1♀ same locality as for holotype, 00/01/2007, MZB 2021-0163 [ MCNB] . 3♀♀ Lozoya , Madrid, España. 00/02/2007, 1.279 m a.s.l., UTM: 436780, 4533579; MZB 2021-0164 , MZB 2021-0165 [ MCNB] .

Description. Medium-sized species.

Male. Body length 8.5–9.4 mm, wing length 9–9.3 mm.

Head. Brown to pale-brown. Palpus paler, covered with dense and short whitish pubescence ( Fig. 2e ). Antenna 2.3–2.4 mm ( Fig. 2f ), pale yellowish throughout, 16 segmented, not extending beyond the wing base. Scape cylindrical, approximately twice as long as wide, thicker than pedicel. Flagellomeres elongated, decreasing; last two flagellomeres smaller than the previous ones, subglobular shape; flagellomere 13 smaller than 14. Verticils short, about at base of their respective flagellomeres. Dense, short, suberect, whitish pubescence apparent on all flagellomeres.

Thorax. Pale brown to yellowish brown, dull, prescutum and scutellum pale brown ( Figs 2b, c ). Pleuron paler to yellowish, pale brown on katepisternum and meron. Wing unpatterned ( Fig. 2a ), without macrotrichia in cells, slightly infuscated, pterostigmal region slightly darkened. Venation as usual for the genus, with the following significant details: Sc ending approximately opposite half the length (or at level of distal 1/3) of R 2+3+4; Rs angulated proximally, with a spur vein; R 2+3+4 as long as Rs; R 4 angulated proximally and also with a spur vein; veins R 4, R 5, M 1+2 and M 3 straight, nearly parallel to each other; cell r 3 a little less than twice R 2+3+4, with supernumerary cross vein in holotype ( Fig. 2a ); cell dm hexagonal, more than 2.5 times as long as high; bt CuA 1 joining cell dm well before his apical margin; A 2 slightly sinuous; anal angle well developed. Halter pale. Legs yellowish to pale throughout (except coxae), covered with short, semi-erect, pale hairs. Mid and hind coxa yellowish brown to pale, fore coxa pale brown.

Abdomen. Pale to white, tergites six and seven slightly brownish, tergite eigth brown. Sternite seven slightly brownish, sternite eighth brown. Whole abdomen covered with sparse, short, pale hairs. Male terminalia complex, as usual in the genus ( Figures 3 , 4a, b ), voluminous, almost as large as thorax. Epandrium (ninth tergite) fused with hypandrium (ninth sternite) forming a brown, strongly dilated and rounded genital chamber. Dorsum of epandrium covered with medium length, erect, pale hairs; posterior margin of hypandrium with robust, darkly pigmented, horn-like appendage ventrally on each side of median interruption. Gonostylus extremely complicated, apparent single articulated; a bird-head shape dorsal lobe (dl), projected from basal margin, curving some inward, more or less acute-apexed, covered with long hairs dorso-laterally and directed caudally. Lower part of the gonostylus interpreted here as having three lobes: inner, middle and ventral. Ventral lobe (vl) broad and complex, webbed shape, with five acute projections and deeply creased spaces between each projection ( Figures 4c, d ). Middle (ml) lobe elongate (protruding), fleshy and slightly bent, covered with short hairs. Inner lobe (il) elongate, narrow, curved and slightly bilobed at apex. Apical half of aedeagal guide curved sharply in its apical half, rising above the aedeagus and curved again posteriorly, more softly, at the apex ( Figures 4e, f ); aedeagus bifid.

detail of wing venation, showing spur vein in R 4 and supernumerary cross vein in r 3; E. head and first segments of antenna; F. antenna of male and female.

Female. Body length 8.8–9.8 mm, wing length 7.5–7.6 mm.

Similar to male, both in dimensions and body coloration. Antenna shorter than in male, with shorter, ovoid flagellomeres. Wing well developed, wing venation as in male. Abdomen pale to white throughout, covered with sparse, short, pale hairs. Sternites slightly grayish. Ovipositor ( Fig. 5 ). Hypogynial valve pale brown, cercus brownish yellow to brown. Tergite 10 brownish yellow, covered with sparse pale hairs and as wide as long in dorsal view. Apice of cercus pointy. Hypogynial valve paler toward apex, weakly sclerotised and ending slightly before tip of cercus. Spermathecae two, slightly oval, small to medium-sized and weakly sclerotised.

Distribution. Spain (centre of the Iberian Peninsula).

Etymology. This species is named after Dr. Eulalia Eiroa, outstanding specialist on the craneflies of the Iberian Peninsula. Name in genitive, invariable.

Remarks. In relation to wing venation, the new species much resembles P. theowaldi Mannheims ( Greece) and P. golanensis Starý and Freidberg ( Israel) in having the spurred veins Rs and R 4. All three species differ in other external characters, such as body size (larger in P. theowaldi ). The male terminalia of P. theowaldi and P. eiroae sp. nov. are similar in general structure but differ in nearly every detail: in P. theowaldi , the anterior part of sternite 9 bears a pair of stout, polished brown, hook-like appendages, conspicuously inflated proximally. These hooks are considerably less developed both in P. golanensis and in P. eiroae sp. nov. Very marked differences between P. golanensis and P. eiroae sp. nov. can be observed both in the shape of segment 9 (basal ring) as well as in the ventral lobe (vl), broad and with five acute projections in P. eiroae sp. nov. (less developed in P. golanensis ). Although female terminalia has not been described for most species of Phyllolabis , some differences can be observed in P. eiroae sp. nov., both in the size and shape of the spermathecae and the length of hypoginial valve. P. eiroae sp. nov. has a relatively small spermatheca compared to P. parvihalterata Starý, Wizen and Freidberg , and P. peniculifer Starý , but similar to P. golanensis . However, the most remarkable feature that differentiates P. eiroae sp. nov. of these species is to have the hypoginial valve shorter than the cercus, a trait shared with P. hemmingseni Nielsen and to a lesser extent with P. mannheimsiana Nielsen and P. macroura (Siebke) . The most remarkable characteristic that separates the females of P. eiroae sp. nov. from those of P. martinhalli sp. nov. is the shape of tergite 10, as long as wide in P. eiroae sp. nov. (giving a square appearance) but longer than wide (rectangular) in P. martinhalli sp. nov. In addition, the spermatheca of P. eiroae sp. nov. are smaller and slightly oval compared to those of P. martinhalli sp. nov., slightly larger and rounder.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Holotype male of Phyllolabis eiroae sp. nov. A. wing venation; B. thorax, dorsal view; C. thorax, lateral view; D.

FIGURE 3. Male terminalia of Phyllolabis eiroae sp. nov. A. lateral view; B. dorsal view; C. ventral view.

FIGURE 4. Male terminalia of Phyllolabis eiroae sp. nov. showing aedeagal complex, after cleared in KOH. A. dorsal view; B. lateral view; C. gonocoxite and gonostylus, lateral view; D. gonocoxite and gonostylus, dorsal view; E. aedeagal complex, lateral view; F. aedeagal complex, dorsal view.

FIGURE 5. Ovipositor of Phyllolabis eiroae sp. nov. A. lateral view; B. dorsal view; C. ovipositor after cleared in KOH, indicating the spermathecae, lateral view; D. ovipositor after cleared in KOH, indicating the spermathecae, ventral view.