Tomosvaryella unda Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia, 2023

Motamedinia, Behnam, Földvari, Mihaly, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2023, Revision of Australian Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) with description of 100 new species, Zootaxa 5599 (1), pp. 1-271 : 223-225

Tomosvaryella unda Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:68BDF8D8-92FC-46C9-A661-CA80DF39D71B

Figs 101A–D , 128 , 153F

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having dense short bristles; elongated surstyli, strongly bent at apex ( Fig. 101A ); phallic guide with 3–6 dorsolateral spines, one is sinuous and longer ( Fig. 101B– D ); elongated gonopods towards surstyli in ventral view ( Fig. 101B ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 3.0– 3.1 mm. Head. Flagellum acuminate; yellow-brown. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black; lower part distinctly silver pollinose; eyes touching for distance equal to 2–2.5 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, less so on upper 1/3. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 3–4 pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) brownish pollinose, anterior part more grey, grayish also from the side. Scutellum brownish pollinose and with 6–8 bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles distinct, dark, somewhat longer along frontal edge, numerous pale bristles around postpronotum present. Halter, knob pale, stem brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–4 long pale bristles. Trochanters and femora dark brown, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees and basal 1/6 of tibiae yellow (tibiae otherwise brown), tarsal segments yellow, ventrally paler, last segment brown. Hind trochanter with dense short bristles and no distinct bristles; ventrobasal spines (2) present on fore and weaker on mid femur. Ventroapical row of spines on fore femur absent; 4–5 small, black spines on mid femur; hind femur without ventroapical spines, except 12–14 equally spaced bristles posteroventrally on a slight keel, longer on distal half, longest up to the width of hind tibia at distal end. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae present (short). Hind metatarsus moderately flattened, almost as long as 2–3 combined, with dense short bristles ventrally (t1 only). Pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.0 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long dark bristle. Fourth costal section 2–2.5 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m slightly distal to middle of discal cell. 2–3 distinct brown setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites subshiny black, tergite 1 silvery grey, silvery pollinose spots on tergites 4 and 5 (spot on t5 larger). Dispersed strong dark bristles on all tergites present, longest on tergite 5 in length up to 1/3 the width of hind tibia at distal end. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 4–6 short dark bristles up to as long as hind femur’s width at base. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 1.5–1.7 times as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 medium sized, rounded-off square in dorsal view, brown and with a few distinct bristles, otherwise with velvet-like coverage; membranous area round, mostly directed posteriorly; epandrium brown, surstyli yellowish and long. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium longer than wide (MLE:MWE = 1.1). Surstyli rather symmetrical, elongated, moderately narrowed before apex, strongly bent to each other at apex, right surstylus with small depression in middle on inner margin ( Fig. 101A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods elongated towards surstyli, right one inclined to inner side, subepandrial sclerite widened distally; distinct hypandrial apodeme; phallic guide with 3–6 dorso-dorsolateral spines, one is sinuous and longer ( Fig. 101B ); Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli curved towards sternite, broadened at basal half, moderately narrowed to apex, phallic guide strong, pointed towards surstyli at apex ( Fig. 101C–D ).

FEMALE: Body length: 2.7–2.8 mm. As male except for the following characters. Frons, eyes separated, as wide as 1.5–1.8 times the width at antennae; completely silver-grey pollinose on lower 1/3, shiny black in front of ocellar triangle, smooth change in transition zone to shiny black. Enlarged ommatidia silvery shining. Pulvilli and claws about 1–2 times as long as last tarsal segment, smaller on metatarsi. Female abdomen with silver spots on sides of tergites 4–6. Ovipositor. Straight in ventral view, straight and robust in lateral view (yellow piercer, brown base), reaching proximal end of 4th segment; base brownish silvery pollinose with occasional bristles. LP:LB = 2.4. LDP:LPP = 2.5. ( Fig. 153F ).

Etymology: The Latin word unda means wave and is in reference to the long, sinuous spine on the phallic guide.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Karijini National Park: Juna Downs Road (between drying pools in rocky Turee Creek), 22°42’S, 118°25’E, 789m, 25.IV–14.V.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, CNCD3835 (1♂, WAM); PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 12 km E of Heathlands homestead, 11°45’S, 142°41’E, 17.III.1992, G. Daniels& M.A. Schneider, JSS8322 (1♀, QM); 2 km along Ridgepole Waterhole Road, 10 km ESE Musselbrook Resource Centre, Lawn Hill National Park, 18°38’S, 138°12’E, 220m, 12.V.1995, G. Daniels & M.A. Schneider, JSS8293 (1♂, QM); Bamaga-Captain Billy Creek Road Junction, 16 km NE Heathlands Homestead, 11°41’S, 142°42’E, 16.III.1992, G. Daniels & M.A. Schneider, JSS8269 (1♂, QM); Bertie Creek (pump), 1 km SE Heathlands Homestead, Cape York Peninsula, 11°45’S, 142°35’E, 16.III.1992, G. Daniels & M.A. Schneider, JSS8272 (1♂, QM); Brisbane, Mount Coot-tha, 27°29’S, 152°57’E, 170m, hilltop, 19.IV.1998, 13.IV.1997, 16.IX.1997, 26.X.1997, J. Skevington, hand collected, 9:15–9:45 am, 9:45–10:15 am, JSS3840, JSS3887, JSS3791, JSS3796, JSS3798, JSS3801–3, JSS3891 (9♂, QM); 170m, hilltop, 16.VIII.1997, J.&A. Skevington & C. Lambkin, hand collected, JSS3947–9 (3♂, CNC); 170m, hilltop, 15.V.1999, 8.II.1998, 25.IX.1997, 27.I.1998, J.&A. Skevington, hand collected, JSS3059, JSS3072, JSS3075, JSS3077, JSS3082, JSS3084, JSS3086, JSS3089–91, JSS3093, JSS3238, JSS3243–7, JSS3249–52, JSS3792, JSS5774, JSS5776–7, JSS5780, JSS5782–4 (29♂, QM); Brisbane, Mt. Coot-tha, 27°29’S, 152°57’E, 170m, hilltop, 16.VIII.1997, J.&A. Skevington & C. Lambkin, hand collected, JSS735–6 (2♂, USNM); 170m, hilltop, 7.XII.1997, 8.XI.1997, J.&A. Skevington, hand collected, JSS957, JSS962, JSS1008, JSS1032, JSS2329, JSS2332, JSS2341, JSS2350 (8♂, QM); Carnarvon National Park, Hilltop north of Tombs, 25°5’S, 147°52’E, 26.XI.1997, J. Skevington & C. Lambkin, hand collected, JSS2212 (1♂, QM); Carnarvon National Park, Mount Moffatt Section, 25°4’S, 148°3’E, 760m, in bottom land, 25.XI.1995, S.D. Gaimari, Malaise trap, JSS8836 (1♀, INHS); Carnarvon National Park, Mount Moffatt Section, 25°2’S, 147°58’E, 27.XI–2.XII.1997, J. Skevington & C. Lambkin, Malaise trap, JSS8414 (1♂, QM); Western Australia: Karijini National Park, Hamersley-Mount Bruce Road, 22°34’S, 118°18’E, 757m, dry rocky creek bed, Eucalyptus grassland, 25.IV–14.V.2003, C. Lambkin, T. Weir, Malaise trap, JSS15967, JSS16115, JSS16126 (2♂, 1♀, ANIC); Karijini National Park, Juna Downs Road, 22°44’S, 118°25’E, 798m, dry Turee Creek, grassy open Eucalyptus scrub, 14–19.V.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, JSS16112 (1♀, ANIC); Karijini National Park, Weano Gorge Road, 22°21’S, 118°15’E, 695m, grassy dry creek, Eucalyptus Acacia scrub, 20– 25.IV.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, JSS16035 (1♂, ANIC); Karijini National Park, off Karijini Drive , 22°35’S, 118°17’E, 724m, dry wash: closed Acacia scrub, 25.IV–14.V.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, JSS15590 (1♂, ANIC); Karijini National Park, Juna Downs Road (between drying pools in rocky Turee Creek), 22°42’S, 118°25’E, 789m, 25.IV–14.V.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, CNCD3845 (1♀, CNC); Junee State Forest; 9 NW of Marlborough Z55; 705229, 7476480, 22°48’S, 149°0’E, 4.X.2002, M. Mathieson, JSM 504, CNC484120 (1♂, CNC).

Distribution: Australia (Queensland, Western Australia) ( Fig. 128 ).

Notes: This species is commonly found hilltopping in Eucalyptus forest and is particularly common at Mount Coot-tha in Brisbane. Intraspecific genetic distance ranges from 0.0% to 0.8%. It is genetically most similar to T. patula sp. nov. and T. dolicholoba sp. nov. (4.0–4.4% pairwise divergence) (Supplementary file 3).

Figures

FIGURE 101. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella unda sp. nov. (JSS2231, QM) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C, D) lateral view.

FIGURE 128. Distribution of Tomosvaryella latistyla sp. nov., T. ledknapperensis sp. nov., T. unda sp. nov. in Australia.

FIGURE 153. A) Ovipositor of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. novaezealandiae, (CNC5074, QM), B) T. brancha sp. nov., paratype (JSS16060,ANIC), C) T. hirta sp. nov., paratype (JSS8907, QM), D) T. lanterna sp. nov., paratype (JSS15692, CNC), E) T. macrostyla sp. nov., paratype (JSS16094, QM), F) T. unda sp. nov., paratype (JSS16112, ANIC).