Ptecticus subaurifer, Rozkošný, Rudolf & Hauser, Martin, 2009

Rozkošný, Rudolf & Hauser, Martin, 2009, Species groups of Oriental Ptecticus Loew including descriptions of ten new species with a revised identification key to the Oriental species (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), Zootaxa 2034, pp. 1-30 : 15-16

Ptecticus subaurifer sp. nov.

(Figs 22–24)

Type material. Holotype male, LAOS: Phongsaly Province, Phongsaly environs, 21°41–42´N, 102°06–08´E, 1500 m, 28.v –20.vi.2003, V. Kubáň, in MMB.

Etymology. The name of the new species indicates the overall external similarity to P. aurifer .

Diagnosis. A species from the aurifer species group with a predominantly yellow head and bicoloured wings. The pleura, the mid and hind coxae, the basal halves of the mid and hind femora and the abdominal venter are mainly black. The gonostylus is bicuspidate apically.

Description. Male. Head yellow but ocellar tubercle and concave posterior part black. Also a small droplike spot at eye margin on lower surface of frontal callus blackish. Yellow vertex continuing as yellow median occipital sclerite. Frons narrowed toward frontal callus, just above it narrower than anterior ocellus. Antenna ochre yellow, arista dark with yellowish base. Scape barely longer than broad, pedicel with usual subtriangular projection on inner side. Flagellar complex subquadrate, transverse at distal margin. Head pile fine, maximally as long as scape, mainly erect and yellow, only on lower surface of frontal callus, face and vertex more reddish yellow.

Thorax predominantly brown to black. Prothorax including propleuron reddish yellow, somewhat darkened above fore coxa. Scutum and scutellum pale brown, mediotergite slightly paler. Pleura dark brown to black, only broad posterior margin of anepisternum and greater part of anepimeron paler. Thoracic pile golden yellow, semi- appressed to erect, on anterior scutum about as long as on frons but much shorter on rest of scutum and scutellum. Longest hairs visible on propleuron and katatergite.

– Ptecticus subaurifer , male terminalia. 22, epandrium, proctiger and cerci. 23, aedeagal

complex. 24, genital capsule and gonostyli. Scale: 1.0 mm.

Wing intensively reddish yellow infuscated but apex and posterior margin broadly greyish. Apical darkening barely extending beyond distance between wing apex and discal cell. Radial triangle (r2+3) relatively high, Rs distinctly longer than R2+3 which arises at crossvein R-M. Both crossveins well developed, upper posterior margin of discal cell arched and postcubitus (CuP) pigmented. M3 slightly sinuate, nearly reaching wing margin. Knob of halteres blackish, hair bunch on posttegula black.

Legs reddish yellow but partly darkened. Fore leg pale, only last two tarsomeres brown. Coxae of mid and hind legs as well as basal halves of femora on same legs blackish. Pile on legs golden yellow but predominantly dark on darkened parts.

Abdomen reddish brown and black. Tergites 1–5 with large, black transverse markings occupying greater part of tergites leaving only lateral margin and corners of tergites reddish brown. Spot on tergite 5 partly reduced, more diffuse. Apical segments ochre yellow. Sternites 1–6 subshining black. Abdominal pile short, appressed and mainly black on larger segments, much longer and erect, golden yellow on sides of segments 1 and 2.

Male terminalia (Figs 22–24) ochre yellow, cerci large, longer than epandrium. Medial process of genital capsule bifid, rather low, gonostylus bicuspidate apically. Gonocoxal apodeme ending below middle of genital capsule. Aedeagal complex more sclerotized only in basal third, other parts predominantly membraneous.

Length: body 19.7 mm, wing 19.8 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Remarks. This large species with bicoloured wings resembles P. aurifer at first glance though even external characters provide sufficient number of distinct differences. Fist of all, the pleura, the mid and hind coxae and femora and abdominal venter in P. aurifer are never as extensively black as in P. subaurifer sp. nov. Some structural differences are distinct also in the male terminalia: the cercus is unusually long, distinctly longer than the epandrium and the epiproct of the proctiger is considerably reduced. The gonostylus is bicuspidate apically (and this character is visible even in situ). Also the aedeagal complex is unusually long and predominantly membraneous in the distal two thirds.