Scaptomyza peleae Rampasso & O’Grady, 2025

Rampasso, Augusto Santos & O’Grady, Patrick Michael, 2025, Review of Hawaiian Elmomyza species (Diptera, Drosophilidae, Scaptomyza). I. The cyrtandrae, exigua, and obscuricornis species groups, with the descriptions of nine new species, Zootaxa 5729 (1), pp. 1-42 : 30

Scaptomyza peleae Rampasso & O’Grady , sp. nov.

( Fig. 21 )

Diagnosis. Surstylus is large and semi-circular, with a well-developed ventral lobe in posterior view. A row of four surstylar teeth is distributed in the dorsal portion of the surstylus, with another tooth located more internally.

Description. Male (n = 1). Head. Pedicel dark brown, tinged with brown. First flagellomere dark brown. Arista with 2 dorsal, 0 ventral, and about 6 short inner branches, plus terminal fork. Terminal fork deep, about 50% as long as basal segment of arista. Eyes dark red and face dark brown. Frontal vitta, in the region around the ptilinal suture is light brown, becoming dark brown in the interorbital area. Frontal triangle, fronto-orbital plates, and ocellar triangle dark brown in ground color and densely gray pollinose.Anterior reclinate is inserted posterolaterally from the proclinate and posterior reclinate orbitals, close to the proclinate. Anterior reclinate broken. Proclinate 52% length of posterior reclinate. Gena and mouthparts brown. Subvibrissal setae 47% length of vibrissae. Palps brown with two apical black setae. Thorax. Scutum and scutellum brown in color and densely gray pollinose. 2 pairs of dorsocentral setae. Acrostichal setae in 4 irregular rows when counted between anterior dorsocentral setae, becoming sparse posteriorly. Basal scutellar setae and apical scutellar setae broken. Pleura brown in color and densely gray pollinose. 1 postpronotal and 3 katepisternal setae present. Posterior katepisternal seta damaged. Legs. Predominantly light brown. Most legs are partially or entirely broken. Wings. Hyaline without distinct pattern.

Abdomen. Previously dissected. Male terminalia ( Figs. 21 C-E). Epandrium broad, with a ventral lobe. Surstylus is large and semi-circular, with a well-developed ventral lobe in posterior view. A row of four surstylar teeth is distributed in the dorsal portion of the surstylus, with another tooth located more internally. A group of long bristles is found in the ventral lobe. Cerci densely setose. Bristles of cerci and surstyli are very long. Measurements. TL = 1.01 mm; WL = 2.20 mm; TL/WL = 0.45; HW/TL = 0.55; CI = 3.65; 4V = 1.40; 5X = 1.59; 4C = 0.63; M = 0.43.

Distribution. Hawaiian Islands : Hawaiʻi.

Ecology. Unknown.

Types. The holotype male ( UHIM2016.48350 ) is deposited in the University of Hawaiʻi Insect Museum .

Material Examined. Holotype. 1 ♂ ( UHIM2016.48350 ). Pauahi , Hawaiʻi, 4,300 ft. [ 1,310 m], Aug 1952, D. E. Hardy col.

Etymology. This species is named after Pele, the fiery and passionate goddess of volcanoes and creation, residing in Kīlauea, in close proximity from where this species was collected.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Habitus of Scaptomyza peleae Rampasso and O’Grady, sp. nov. (specimen UHIM2016.48350), in dorsal (A) and left lateral (B) views. Scale bar = 1 mm. Male terminalia of the respective individual in posterior (C), oblique posterior (D) and left lateral (E) views. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.