Tomosvaryella eremia 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 : 90

Tomosvaryella eremia Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0B9CD8FE-0473-4405-A8D3-5AFDD4D6809F

Figs 38A–E , 118

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the line of bristles at the base of the hind trochanter; elongated surstyli in dorsal view ( Fig. 38A ); extended gonopods towards surstyli, right one with a triangular lobe on inner margin in ventral view; phallus with a small membranous sheath at base of ejaculatory ducts, one of ejaculatory ducts divided into branches ( Fig. 38D ); gonopods with a small hump-like projection dorsally in lateral view ( Fig. 38E ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 2.9–3.1 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 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, less so on upper 1/3. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 2–3 indistinct bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) greyish pollinose, anterior part more grey, grayish also from the side. Scutellum brownish silvery pollinose and with 4–6 weak bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles indistinct, pale, longer along frontal edge, numerous short pale bristles around postpronotum present. Halter, knob pale with brown tinge, stem brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–3 long brown bristles. Trochanters brown, femora dark brown, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees and basal 1/4 of tibiae yellow (tibiae otherwise brown), tarsal segments yellow-brown dorsally, yellow ventrally, last segment darker. Hind trochanter with a shiny band ventrally (like a helix) and a line of bristles gradually turning into small bristles at the base; weak ventrobasal spines (2) present on fore and absent 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 10–12 equally spaced bristles posteroventrally, longer on distal half, longest up to 1/2 the width of hind tibia at distal end. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae present (distinct). Hind tibia bent in posterior view. Hind metatarsus not flattened, almost as long as 2–4 combined, all segments with semi-erect bristles dorsally. Pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.0– 3.1 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long dark brown bristle. Fourth costal section 2–2.5 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m at middle of discal cell (can be slightly distal to middle). 3–4 distinct, dark setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites brown pollinose, tergite 1 silvery grey, large silvery pollinose spots on tergites 4 and 5 (spot on t5 larger). Dispersed strong dark bristles on all tergites present, short and indistinct. Lateral spines on first tergite present, 4–6 dark bristles up to as long as hind femur’s width at base. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 0.9–1.1 times as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 large, rounded in dorsal view, brown and with a few distinct bristles, otherwise with velvet-like coverage; membranous area with round part extended dorsally and narrow part approaching epandrium, mostly directed posteriorly; epandrium dark brown, surstyli brown, broad. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium longer than wide (MLE:MWE = 1.5). Surstyli elongated, curved to each other at apex ( Fig. 38A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: both gonopods widened at base, extended towards sternite, right one with a small triangular lobes on inner margin; phallic guide with 3–4 dorso- dorsolateral spines, one spine longer than others, subepandrial sclerite distinct, phallus with a small membranous sheath at the base of ejaculatory ducts, one of ejaculatory ducts divided into branches ( Fig. 38B ); Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli broadened at basal two thirds and moderately narrowed to apex, gonopods with a small hump-like projection dorsally, curved towards sternite ( Fig. 38 DE). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent, with a bulb in its middle ( Fig. 38C ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: Eremia is Greek for desert and refers to the desert habitat that this species occurs in.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: ~ 3 km N[orth] of Denham , 25.909°S, 113.531°E, hilltop, 12.XII.1999, J. Skevington, JSS7340 (1♂, WAM) ; PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Mount Magnet, Mount Waramboo , 28°2’S, 117°49’E, hilltop , 14.XII .1999 , J. Skevington, JSS7481 (1♂, QM); ~ 3 km North of Denham , 25.909°S, 113.531°E, hilltop, 12.XII .1999 , J. Skevington, JSS7322 , JSS7326 , JSS7328 , JSS7330 , JSS7332–5 , JSS7341–2 , JSS7344 , JSS7346 , JSS7349 , JSS7351 , JSS7354 , JSS7355 , JSS7358- 9 , JSS7361 , JSS7364 , JSS7382–5 , JSS7391–2 , JSS7395 , JSS7399 , JSS7403 , JSS7410–1 (2♂ CNC, 26♂, QM, 1♂ USNM; 2♂ WAM).

Distribution: Australia (Western Australia) ( Fig. 118 ).

Notes: This is another possible Western Australian endemic. All known specimens have been encountered on hilltops. It is genetically most similar to T. brancha sp. nov., T. bulbosa sp. nov. and T. cona sp. nov. differing by 6.2–7.6% pairwise divergence (Supplementary file 3).

Figures

FIGURE 38. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella eremia sp. nov. (JSS7322, CNC) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 118. Distribution of Tomosvaryella cona sp. nov., T. divaricata sp. nov., T. eremia sp. nov. in Australia.