Pseudolycoriella subtilitegmenta, Köhler, 2019

Köhler, Arne, 2019, The genus Pseudolycoriella Menzel & Mohrig, 1998 (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Zealand, Zootaxa 4707 (1), pp. 1-69 : 51

Pseudolycoriella subtilitegmenta sp. n.

( Fig. 53 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:NomenclaturalActs/ 7E7F889A-66DB-46DB-8B60-FB995BB62FC9

Material studied. Holotype male. New Zealand: South Island , Clutha , Catlins, Purakaunui Scenic Reserve, mixed podocarp/broadleaf/ Nothofagus forest, Malaise trap, 27.01– 05.03.2002, leg. M. & C. Jaschhof ( NZAC, SDEI-Dipt- 0001151) . Paratypes. 2♂♂ same locality and same date as holotype ( NZAC, SDEI-Dipt-0001136; SDEI, SDEI- Dipt-0001133) . 1♂ North Island , Ruapehu, Tongariro NP, Mangawhero River Valley 3 km NE Ohakune, altitude 690 m, mixed podocarp/broadleaf forest, Malaise trap, 26.11– 28.12.2002, leg. M. & C. Jaschhof & U. Kallweit ( SDEI) .

Description. Male. Head brown; eye bridge three facets wide, two at margin. Flagellomeres brown, concolourous with scape and pedicel; fourth flagellomere 2.5–2.8 times as long as wide; necks of flagellomeres differentiated; surface of flagellomeres rough with deep pits; sensilla of two different lengths present; setae sparsely scattered, approximately as long as flagellomere width, bases of setae on small elevations. Prefrons and clypeus slightly bulging. Maxillary palp three-segmented; first palpomere longest, third longer than second; first palpomere with two to five bristles and an inconspicuous patch of sensilla; one of the bristles on first and second palpomere robust and elongated. Thorax brown, concolourous with head. Posterior pronotum bare. Anterior pronotum with six to nine long bristles. Episternum 1 with five to nine long bristles. Mesonotum with five to six longer bristles among the lateral bristles; row of dorsocentral bristles well developed. Scutellum with two robust and some shorter bristles. Katepisternum slightly longer than high. Wing. Length 2.3–2.4 mm; width/length ratio 0.36–0.38. Membrane transparent and without macrotrichia, anal area present; all posterior veins distinct, all without macrotrichia; apical 25%–40% of R 5 with additional macrotrichia on ventral side; bM bare, r-m with one or two macrotrichia; R 1 short, 0.64–0.71 times as long as R; M-fork longer than M stem; c/w ratio 0.67–0.70; r-m/bM ratio 1.0–1.2. Haltere pale brown. Legs pale brown, trochanter slightly darker; coxal bristles dark. Fore tibia with one or two bristles among the vestiture; tibial organ comprising half of tibial apex, consisting of a transverse patch of bristles surrounded by a robust circular border. Mid tibia with seven to eight robust bristles among vestiture, located anterio- and posteriorventrally. Hind tibia with 16 to 22 robust bristles on anterioventral, posterior and posterioventral sides and a longitudinal row of robust bristles, which extends along two-thirds of the length of the tibia. Basal tarsomere of all legs with conspicuous robust bristles. All tibial spurs equal in length. Claws with one robust tooth and several minor teeth. Abdomen. Brown, with dark bristles. Hypopygium ( Fig. 53 ) brown. Gonocoxites wider than long, ventrally v-shaped and not fused, without a basal lobe of bristles. Gonostylus elongated, apex slightly angled and slightly tapered; without an angle at the base of the gonostylus, 2.7–3.2 times longer than wide; apically with dense setae and a group of approximately five to seven spines; subapically with two to three medium-sized whip-lash hairs. Tegmen wider than long, base very strongly sclerotized with medium-sized, robust parameral apodeme; lateral margin of tegmen with a fine sclerotized edge, which is separated into four fragments: one lateral fragment with a few lateral teeth and one apicolateral fragment (the paratype from the North Island shows fused fragments of each tegmen side); dorsal structures on tegmen developed, as long as half of the length of the tegmen. Area of teeth absent. Ejaculatory apodeme short, broad, and dark, with a broad and extended v-shaped base. Posterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme broad and brown. Anterior portion of gonocoxal apodeme broad.

Body size: 2.2–2.6 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Genetic distances. All three available COI sequences are identical and do not show any pairwise distance. These COI sequences are identical with that of Psl. gonotegmenta . One available 28S sequence is identical to those of Psl. frederickedwardsi, Psl. gonotegmenta, Psl. huttoni, Psl. jaschhofi, Psl. macrotegmenta, Psl. plicitegmenta, Psl. robustotegmenta, Psl. tonnoiri , and Psl. wernermohrigi .

Etymology. The epithet of the new species is composed of the two Latin words subtilis (fine, delicate) and tegmen (cover; technical term for a part of the sciarid hypopygium).

Distribution. New Zealand.

Discussion. Pseudolycoriella subtilitegmenta is the only species among the species of the Psl. macrotegmenta complex with lateral teeth and a very thin sclerotized margin on the tegmen. Furthermore, the area of teeth is absent, which is also only found in Psl. tonnoiri and Psl. breviseta . Pseudolycoriella subtilitegmenta is the only species in this group with a tapered gonostylus apex.

Figures

FIGURES 48–53. Pseudolycoriella macrotegmenta complex, hypopygia. 48. Pseudolycoriella macrotegmenta Mohrig 49. Pseudolycoriella plicitegmenta sp. n. 50. Pseudolycoriella wernermohrigi sp. n. 51. Pseudolycoriella huttoni sp. n. 52. Pseudolycoriella gonotegmenta sp. n. 53. Pseudolycoriella subtilitegmenta sp. n. Abbreviations: ba = basal angle; ds = dorsal structure on the tegmen; lt = teeth on lateral side of the tegmen.