Syndyas aterrima de Meijere, 1913

Grootaert, Patrick & Yang, Ding, 2009, A New Syndyas Loew, 1857 (Diptera: Hybotidae: Hybotinae) From Mangroves In Singapore, With A Review Of The Oriental And Australasian Species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 57 (1), pp. 17-24 : 18-19

Syndyas aterrima de Meijere, 1913

( Figs. 3 , 6 , 11 )

Syndyas aterrima de Meijere, 1913: 53 , Fig. 12 (wing).

Material examined. – Holotype female, INDONESIA, [Ceram, 25.II] [Mevr. De Beaufort leg. 1910] [ Syndyas aterrima det. de Meijere Type] Red label [ Syndyas aterrima de Meijere, 1913 ZMAN type DIPT.0473.1]. Female on pin, in bad condition: head missing, wings missing on thorax, but mid leg and one wing in a dry slide attached to pin.

Diagnosis. – Species with a brownish wing with a large brown stigma. Vein R 4+5 and M straight. Hind femur spindleshaped with a ventral row of interspaced bristles that are not spiny.

Redescription. – Female: length: 2 mm; wing: 2.5 mm.

Head (missing, description after de Meijere, 1913) Ocellar tubercle with 2 short black bristles. Eyes touching on frons, face very narrow, linear. Antenna black, medium-sized; third segment elongate oval, with a black, somewhat subdorsal arista that is much longer than the three antennal segments combined. Proboscis and palp shining black.

Thorax shining black, with a green metallic tinge when seen from behind. Hairs and bristles darkened but with a pale tinge. Posterior part of mesonotum covered with a brown dusting. Pleura also brown dusted. Dorsocentrals not distinct from other pilosity. Scutellum with a pair of black apical bristles and at least 4 black marginal hairs half as long as apicals, on the side (rubbed off on one side).

Legs shining black. Fore femur without ventral bristles. Fore tibia spindle-shaped ( Fig. 6 ), much swollen at basal third (opening of tibial gland not on a tubercle); a double row of long pale posteroventral bristles, twice as long as tibia is wide. The rows continue on the first tarsomere. Hind femur ( Fig. 11 ) slender in basal half, thickened in apical half, ventrally with a row of black interspaced bristly hairs, in basal half the bristles are a little longer than femur is wide; in apical half the bristles are a little shorter than femur is wide. A few long pale dorsal hairs near base. Hind tibia thickened on apical third. First tarsomere on hind leg swollen, shorter than apical four tarsomeres together.

Wing ( Fig. 3 ) brownish, a large stigma present (see discussion). Discal cell longer than basal cells, elongate rectangular, nearly 3 times as long as vein closing the discal

cell (dm-cu). Vein R 3+4 and M straight, ending parallel in costa. Halter black.

Abdomen shining black, with paler hairs than on mesonotum, from some point of view appearing whitish.

Comments. – As can be seen on Fig. 3 the stigma is very large, but it is not clear if the area before the tip of R 1 is also darkened. De Meijere (1913) indicates only a long oval stigma on his figure between R 1 and R 2+3.

Frey (1938) reports this species from the Philippines (3 females from Luzon and a male and female from Mindoro). These specimens should be re-examined to see if they are really conspecific with the female holotype of S. aterrima .

Figures

Figs. 1–4: Syndyas wings: 1, S. singaporensis, new species; 2, S. brevior de Meijere; 3, S. aterrima de Meijere; 4, S. elongata de Meijere.

Figs. 5–8. Syndyas fore tibia posteriorly: 5, S. singaporensis, new species; 6, S. aterrima de Meijere; 7, S. elongata de Meijere; 8, S. brevior de Meijere.

Figs. 9–12. Syndyas hind leg: 9, S. singaporensis new species; 10, S. brevior de Meijere; 11, S. aterrima de Meijere; 12, S. elongata de Meijere.