Tephrochlamys wuyishanensis, Zeng & Ma & Yang, 2024

Zeng, Wei, Ma, Fangzhou & Yang, Ding, 2024, Three new species of Tephrochlamys Loew (Diptera: Heleomyzidae: Heteromyzinae) from Oriental China, with a key to the Oriental species, Zootaxa 5493 (5), pp. 577-589 : 578-582

Tephrochlamys wuyishanensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–15 )

Diagnosis. Mesonotum without obvious stripes. Crossveins r-m and dm-m lighter in color compared to the longitudinal veins, without obvious dark markings on the membrane. Calypter and alula nearly hyaline, with pale grey hairs. Hind femur slightly thickened. Abdominal tergites 2–5 with narrowly darkened apical band.

Description. Body length 4.9–5.6 mm, wing length 4.7–5.2 mm [Holotype ♂, body length 4.9 mm, wing length 4.7 mm; Paratypes 3♀, body length 5.0– 5.6 mm, wing length 5.1–5.2 mm].

Male. Head ( Figs. 3–4 ) brownish yellow with pale pruinesence; ocellar triangle brown, frons brownish orange with pale dark markings, front half paler than posterior, occiput almost brown; gena pale yellow, but posteriorly slightly brownish yellow. Eyes brownish orange. Hairs and setae on head dark brown. 2 pairs of fronto-orbital setae much shorter than ocellar seta, anterior one 0.75 times as long as posterior one. Gena with 7–9 postgenal setae extended to lower gena. Antenna rounded, brownish yellow except first flagellomere orange yellow to yellow; scape with black short setae dorsoapically; pedicel with 1 black dorsoapical seta and several black ventroapical setae. First flagellomere long and oval with pale grey velvet, 0.29 times as long as head height (exact ratios present in both the holotype and paratypes); arista pubescent, brownish, with brownish yellow base segment, thickened at base, 2.37 times longer than first flagellomere (exact ratios present in both the holotype and paratypes). Proboscis brownish yellow, with dark brown vibrissa and short thin sub-vibrissa; hairs on proboscis pale grey; palpus brownish yellow with one pair of apical setae and one pair of subapical setae nearly same in length.

Thorax ( Fig. 2 ) dark brown, mesonotum with pale grey pruinescence. Mesonotum without obvious stripes. Hairs and setae on thorax dark brown. Postpronotum with one pair of setae. 1 well developed postpronotal seta and 3–4 short setae; 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae, anterior one shorter than posterior two, 1 st dorsocentral seta closer to 2 nd than to suture, 4 irregular rows of acrostichal setae between them after suture; katepisternum and propleuron each with 1 seta, katepisternum with an irregular row of several short setae. A pair of prescutellar setae present. Scutellum reddish brown with dark brown margin, rounded apically, with two pairs of scutellar setae.

Wing ( Fig. 1 ) nearly hyaline, slightly brownish, anteriorly tinged with brown; veins brownish yellow, crossveins r-m and dm-m without obvious dark markings on the membrane; costal spines inconspicuous. Calypter and alula nearly hyaline, with pale grey hairs. Halter whitish yellow.

Legs yellowish except femora brownish with pale extreme apex, mid femur paler than fore and hind femora, all tibiae and tarsi darkened towards apex, hind tibia tinged with brownish dorsally. Hairs and setae on legs dark brown. Hind femur slightly thickened. Fore femur with a row of 6 long anterodorsal setae and a row of 4 long anteroventral setae.

Abdomen brownish dorsally, but tergites 2–5 with narrowly darkened posterior band. Hairs and setae on abdomen dark brown. Tergites 2–5 with a row of longer setae at posterior margin.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 5–11 ): Epandrium ( Figs. 5–7 ) small, dark yellow, with sparse black thick setae of various lengths. Hypandrium ( Figs. 10, 11 ) symmetrical. Surstylus ( Figs. 8, 9 ) almost trapezoidal in lateral view, about 0.9 times as long as basal width, with distinctly thickened and obtuse process at apex, posterior margin slightly raised, 4 setae along central edge only near apex on outer surface, several irregular sparse rows of setae run along edge on inner surface, with central area nearly bare, and 1 seta near central base. Cercus ( Figs. 6, 7 ) symmetrical, apically rounded, dark yellow, slightly transparent.

Female. Externally as in male. Body length 5.0– 5.6 mm, wing length 5.1–5.2 mm.

Female terminalia: Tergite 9 ( Figs. 12–14 ) with 3 short setae in a triangular array. Cerci ( Figs. 12–14 ) brownish, symmetrical, separated, with consistent width from proximal end to base, rounded at apex, with sparse hairy and several long brown setae at apex. Two spermathecae, dark brown and well sclerotized ( Fig. 15 ), one of them “8”- shaped, while the other one arranged in a triangular shape with three oblate structures; spermathecal ducts colorless, transparent, or slightly tinged with pale brown.

Type material. Holotype ♂, Fujian, Wuyishan, Huanggangshan [27°50'15.3"N, 117°46'43.23"E], 1925 m, 2022. VI-VII, Lingfei Peng (Malaise trap) ( CAU) . Paratypes: 1♀, same data as holotype ( CAU) ; 1♀, Fujian, Wuyishan, Huanggangshan [27°50'15.3"N, 117°46'43.23"E], 1930 m, 2022. VI-VII, Lingfei Peng (Malaise trap) ( CAU) ; 1♀, Fujian, Wuyishan, Tianyoujingqu [27°39'6.84"N, 117°35'39.12"E], 220 m, 2022. V. 2, Lingfei Peng (Malaise trap) ( CAU) .

Distribution. China (Fujian).

Remarks. The new species resembles both T. javanensis Frey, 1934 ( Figs. 16–19 ) and another new species, T. pengi sp. nov. However, it can be distinguished from them by the following characteristics: (1) The length of the anterior pair of fronto-orbital setae is at least 0.5 times longer than that of the posterior pair (while in T. javanensis , the anterior pair is at most 0.25 times shorter than the posterior pair ( Figs. 17, 18 )); (2) the antenna is rounded in shape (while in T. pengi sp. nov., it is flattened with a slight protrusion on the dorsal side); (3) crossveins r-m and dm-m lack obvious dark markings on the membrane (in contrast to T. pengi sp. nov., where such markings are evident); (4) the abdomen is yellowish brown (whereas in T. javanensis , the abdomen is entirely black, dusted with greenish-gray ( Frey, 1934) ( Fig. 16 )).

Etymology. The specific name refers to the type location, Wuyishan Mountain.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Tephrochlamys wuyishanensis sp. nov., male. Habitus, lateral view (1). Mesoscutum, dorsal view (2). Head, lateral view (3) and dorsal view (4). Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 5–15. Tephrochlamys wuyishanensis sp. nov., male genitalia and female terminalia. Male genitalia, epandrial complex in lateral view (5). Male genitalia, epandrium and cerci, dorsal view (6), lateral view (7). Male genitalia, outer surface (8) and inner surface (9) of left surstyus. Male genitalia, hypandrial complex in dorsal (10) and ventral (11) view. Female postabdomen, dorsal (12), ventral (13) and lateral (14) view. Spermatheca (15). Abbreviations: see Material and methods.

FIGURES 16–19. Tephrochlamys javanensis Frey, female holotype (Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, photo taken by Sarah Müller). Habitus, lateral view (16). Head, lateral view (17) and dorsal view (18). Wing (19). Scale bar = 1.0 mm.