Microphorella acuminata, Brooks & Cumming, 2025

Brooks, Scott E. & Cumming, Jeffrey M., 2025, Revision of the Microphorella acroptera species group and establishment of the Microphorella arcana species group (Diptera: Dolichopodidae sensu lato: Parathalassiinae), Zootaxa 5661 (4), pp. 451-503 : 478

Microphorella acuminata lineage

This lineage includes the following five species: M. acuminata sp. nov., M. compacta sp. nov., M. cornuta sp. nov., M. elongata sp. nov. and M. tenuis sp. nov. Males of these species have the tubercle of the hind trochanter short and cylindrical with a stubby spine-like seta ( Figs 77, 73 ), scutum blackish with a metallic blue tinge ( Fig. 71 ), and distinctive male genitalic morphology ( Figs 74–85 ) characterized by the following features, of which, the last two are considered synapomorphies of the lineage: relatively compact hypopygium with small hypandrium, long narrow ventral epandrial lobe, broadly curved phallus, small simple cercus, left surstylus structure (i.e., with long narrow dorsal lobe and shorter narrow ventral lobe), digitiform apical projection of the left postgonite lobe.

Figures

FIGURES 71–77. Male habitus, hindleg and abdomen of M. acuminata sp. nov., M. compacta sp. nov. and M. cornuta sp. nov. 71. Habitus of M. acuminata sp. nov. holotype. 72. Habitus of M. compacta sp. nov. holotype. 73. Mid and hindleg of M. compacta sp. nov. holotype, arrow indicating trochanter tubercle. 74. Abdomen of M. compacta sp. nov. holotype, right lateral view. 75. Same, dorsal view. 76. Abdomen and hindlegs of M. cornuta sp. nov. paratype (Portola Valley, California), right lateral view. 77. Same, left lateral view, arrow indicating trochanter tubercle.