Trichoclinocera elongata, Saigusa & Sinclair, 2025

Saigusa, Toyohei & Sinclair, Bradley J., 2025, Revision of the Trichoclinocera systenognatha species subgroup from eastern Asia (Diptera, Empididae, Clinocerinae), Evolutionary Systematics 9 (1), pp. 39-47 : 39-47

Trichoclinocera elongata sp. nov.

Figs 7 , 10

Type material.

Holotype • ♂, labelled: “ YUNNAN: Yongping / Meihuapu [25°29'N 99°36'E; 2198 m] (2300 m) / 83 km from Xiaguan / 7. Jun. 1996 / T. SAIGUSA col. ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Trichoclinocera / elongata / Saigusa & Sinclair [red label] ” ( KUMF).

Etymology.

This species name is derived from the Latin elongatus (prolonged), in reference to the very long, narrow hypandrium.

Diagnosis.

This species is distinguished by one stout anterior subapical seta on the fore femur and males of this species are distinguished by their very long hypandrium (1.1 mm) (Figs 7 , 10 ) and lacking stout posteroventral setae on the apical fourth of the fore femur.

Description.

Wing length (n = 1): 4.6 mm. Male. Bright blue pruinescence laterally, with dark brown vertex of head, scutum and dorsum of abdomen. Head rounded; compound eyes large, rounded. Face convex, narrowest at middle, ca. 1.5 × width of antennal sockets, entirely clothed in bright whitish blue pruinescence; lower margin of face with slight cleft with small carina or swelling; gena one-fourth as wide as height of eye. Vertex and ocellar triangle dark brown, lower postocciput and gena lightly pruinescent. Ocellar setae longest among cranial setae; occiput with 1 pair of setae posterior to ocellar triangle; above ‘ neck’ row or crown of supracervical setae, setae in middle longest, decreasing in length laterally; postocular with row of short setae along margin of eye, upper 6 setae dark, stouter than lower setae. Arista stout, shorter than width of eye; slightly tapered apically. Palpus cylindrical, length less than one-third height of eye; labellum with ventral triangular projection.

Pleura and lateral margin of scutum, including postpronotal lobe, extending toward 1 st dc and notopleuron with bright blue pruinescence (viewed laterally); scutellum, postalar ridge and region medial to postalar light brown. Thoracic setae shorter than width of eye; several acr anterior to 1 st dc; 5 pairs dc; 1 slender short pprn, one-half length of dc; 1 slender presut spal; 2 npl; 1 psut spal; 1 pal; 1 pair sctl and several pale marginal setulae; several pale setulae on postpronotal lobe and notopleural depression. Laterotergite with patch of pale setae; prothoracic episternum, posteromedial margin of katepisternum and hind margin of metepisternum with long pale setulae.

Wing narrow, infuscate; narrow, faint, elliptical pterostigma present. One basal costal seta, two-thirds length of posterior dc. Row of setulae from base of R to just beyond origin of Rs, basal setulae longer than apical setulae, subequal to basal costal seta; cell dm produced apically; R 4 + 5 curved; R 4 and R 5 divergent throughout. Halter knob dark with base of shaft orange-brown.

Legs dark brown, except coxae with blue pruinescence concolourous with pleura. Coxae with long pale marginal setae; anterior face of fore coxae densely clothed in long, pale setae, outer basal not longer than other setae. Fore femur with 1 stout, black anterior subapical seta, shorter than width of femur; anteroventral margin with row of 4 stout, black setae on apical third and row of 6 setae on basal half, separated by wide median gap, basal setae ca. one-sixth width of femur; basal half with posteroventral row of ca. 8 long golden setae, longer than width of femur, apical half with several shorter pale setae, less than width of femur, lacking stout, black setae. Fore tibia with biserial row of short setae beneath, ca. one-third to one-half width of tibia. Foreleg tarsomeres lacking white ventral pubescence. Mid femur with long, erect anterior setae, slightly longer than width of femur. Mid and hind femora with 2–4 pairs of slender antero- and posteroventral preapical setae; antero- and posterodorsal bristles absent. Hind tibia generally lacking setae except for several erect, stout dorsal and ventral setae on apical fourth. Tarsi much shorter than corresponding tibiae. Empodium pulvilliform, slightly shorter than claw, more than one-half length of tarsomere.

Hypandrium long and narrow, 1.1 mm, more than 3 × longer than epandrium (Figs 7 , 10 ); anterior margin rounded. Phallus not extending beyond clasping cercus; gently curved, apex with small membranous sac; ejaculatory apodeme small relative to hypandrium, arched anteriorly. Surstylus small, much shorter than clasping cercus with pair of 4 teeth-like projections on anterior margin. Clasping cercus finger-like, gradually tapered to rounded apex; anteroventral margin with several setae, longer than width of cercus; inner face with short peg-like setae; posterodorsal margin with fine setulae.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

This species is known only from Yunnan Province of China (Fig. 14 ).

Figures

Figure 14. Known distribution of the Trichoclinocera systenognatha species subgroup.

Figures 7–9. Male terminalia of Trichoclinocera systenognatha species subgroup, lateral view. 7. T. elongata sp. nov.; 8. T. subelongata sp. nov.; 9. T. systenognatha sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: cl cerc – clasping cercus; epand – epandrium; hypd – hypandrium; ph – phallus; sur – surstylus.

Figures 10, 11. Male terminalia of Trichoclinocera systenognatha species subgroup, lateral view. 10. T. elongata sp. nov.; 11. T. subelongata sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.