Tomosvaryella pugiunculus Kehlmaier & Gibbs, 2019

Kehlmaier, Christian, Gibbs, David J. & Withers, Phil, 2019, New records of big-headed flies (Diptera: Pipunculidae) from the Mediterranean Basin, Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (1), pp. 31-60 : 37-40

Tomosvaryella pugiunculus Kehlmaier & Gibbs sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2C8CB334-3692-4A66-B0B8-0734D16AA9F2

Figs 4A–I , 5A–C .

Differential diagnosis. The species cannot be attributed to any specific species group at present. Important external features to diagnose this species are the shape of the flagellum in both sexes, with its filiform tip; the shape of the male hind leg with the hollow femur base and the bent tibia; the female ovipositor with its long, straight piercer having weak lateral flanges; and the male terminalia with a peculiar ventrocaudal aspect of the surstyli (rather angular, their distal margin forming a horizontal line; right gonopod larger than left one in ventral view; phallus with three short ducts, one baring a small hook at its base).

Description. MALE. Length from head to tip of scutellum: 2.1 mm (abdomen missing due to dissection). Head. Scape and pedicel dark brown, the latter with some minute dorsal and ventral bristles. Flagellum yellowish brown with a whitish filiform tip that is almost half the length of flagellum ( Fig. 4J ). Arista dark brown with broadened base. Eyes meeting for about twice length of ocellar triangle (7–8 facets). Frons shining black; face densely silver pollinose; palpus not assessable. Laterally, occiput weakly grey pollinose in lower and weakly brown pollinose in upper half; the latter twice as broad as lower half. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe yellowish white, weakly grey pollinose, without distinct longer hairs. Prescutum and scutum black, weakly brown pollinose, with two dorsocentral rows of short hairs. Scutellum black, weakly brown pollinose and with short hairs along posterior margin. Subscutellum black, laterally densely, centrally weakly silver pollinose. Pleura black, bare, weakly silver pollinose. Wing length: 3.8 mm; wing width: 1.2 mm. Length of third costal section (LTC) about 0.3 times length of fourth costal section (LFC). Pterostigma absent. Wing covered with microtrichia except partly bare in small basal cells, e.g., bc, and beginning of cells sc, c, r 1, br and bm. Crossvein r-m reaches cell dm at the middle of the cell′s length. Halter narrowly brown at base, otherwise white. Legs with coxae and trochanters dark brown. Hind trochanter without a distinct protuberance or spines. Femura dark brown except yellow at tip; silver pollinose except hind femur shining posteroventrally. Only mid femur with posterodorsal and posteroventral row of black ventral spines in apical half. Hind femur ventrally hollowed in basal third, about two-thirds the height as at its middle ( Fig. 5C ). Tibiae yellow but with a brown tinge medially, especially dorsally, and extending towards the apex, more extensive and blackish in one specimen. Hind tibia considerably bent ( Fig. 5C ). Tarsal segments yellow. Hind basitarsus flattened. Pulvilli slightly longer (front leg) or slightly shorter than distitarsus (mid and hind leg). Abdomen. Tergites black, shining but tergite 1 grey pollinosity; evenly covered with short black hairs, tergite 1 with hairs paler, especially laterally where thy form a distinct, mono-serial fan of longer bristly hairs. Tergite 3 latero-ventrally tapering to a point clearly extended below the adjacent tergites. Genitalia: Large, giving the abdomen a very clubbed appearance. Viewed caudally, membranous area placed to the right, narrow and sickle-shaped ( Figs 4B, 4D ). Viewed ventrocaudally, surstyli rather angular, their distal margin forming a horizontal line ( Fig. 4D ). Strictly dorsal, surstyli with broad base (broader on right surstylus) and fingerlike apex; left surstylus slightly longer and apically curved inwards ( Fig. 4B ). In lateral view base of right sustylus considerably broader than on left surstylus; fingerlike apex rather straight ( Figs 4A, 4C ). Epandrium small, only slightly longer than surstyli. Viewed ventrally, right gonopod larger than left one ( Fig. 4B ). Phallus with three short ducts, one baring a small hook at its base ( Fig. 4F ). FEMALE. Body length: 3.0 mm. Differing from male by eyes separated, with distinctly enlarged anterior facets. Frons entirely silver pollinose in lower half, but shining in upper half, broadest in its middle, four times largest ommatidial facet. Filiform tip of flagellum slighty shorter. Wing length: 3.3 mm. Wing width: 1.0 mm. Front femur with two white bristles at base. Hind leg with femur not hollowed basally and tibia less strongly bent. Pulvilli on fore and mid leg distinctly longer than distitarsus; on hind leg shorter than distitarsus. Tergite 1 dark brown, weakly silver pollinose; with lateral hair fan consisting of about twelve hairs reaching on dorsal surface but diminishing in length towards center. Tergite 2–6 dark brown, weakly silver pollinose, laterally with short pale hairs that extend onto dorsal surface along posterior margin. Genitalia: Ovipositor in dorsal view ( Fig. 4I ) with base (tergite 7) dark brown, ovate, longer than broad, weakly silver pollinose. Piercer (tergites 8 & 9) yellowish and shining. Transition between tergite 7 and 8 constricted. Tergite 9 with weak lateral flanges in its middle. Piercer almost three times length of base. In lateral view ( Fig. 4H ), piercer straight, reaching posterior margin of sternite 3.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, SPAIN: Mallorca , Cala Figuera, 39°56′56′′N 3°10′18′′E, 92 m, 21.v.2007, D.J. Gibbs [ SMTD] . PARATYPES: same data as holotype [1♂, PCDG; 1♂, BMNH; 1♂, OUMNH]; same data as holotype [1♀, PCDG] ; same data as holotype [1♀, SMTD]; Mallorca , Puig de Sant Martí, 39°49′29″N 3°05′51″E, 19.v.2007, D.J. Gibbs [1♂, PCDG] ; same data as previous, 23.iv.2006 [1♂, PCDG]; Mallorca , Sa Moleta, 712 m, 39°49′41″N 2°49′03″E, 21.v.2007, D.J. Gibbs [1♂, PCDG; 1♂, BMNH; 1♂, OUMNH]; Mallorca, Sa Coveta Negra, 39°47′24″N 2°53′28″E, 21.v.2007, D.J. Gibbs [1♂, PCDG; 1♂, BMNH] .

Etymology. The species epithet pugiunculus is Latin for ‘stiletto’, a little dagger, referring to the dorsal shape of the ovipositor. The specific epithet is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Figures

Fig. 4. Tomosvaryella pugiunculus Kehlmaier & Gibbs sp. n. A. Lateral view of right surstylus. B. Strictly dorsal view of surstyli. C. Lateral view of left surstylus. D. Dorso-caudal view of syntergosternite 8. E. Caudal view of syntergosternite 8. F. Left lateral view of phallus and phallic guide.G. Ventral view of syntergosternite 8 without phallus.H. Left lateral view of ovipositor.I. Dorsal view of ovipositor.

Fig. 5. Male T. pugiunculus Kehlmaier & Gibbs sp. n. A. Left lateral view; paratype. B. Dorsal view; paratype. C. Anterior view of left hind leg; holotype.