Tomosvaryella danielsi Motamedinia, Skevington & Földvari, 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 : 71-73

Tomosvaryella danielsi Motamedinia, Skevington & Földvari sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A06616B0-29BA-4BE3-98F0-19214F9B154D

Figs 29A–E , 119 , 144A

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having some ventrobasal bristles and some shorter bristles in a row towards the apical margin; hind femur with 8–10 long bristles posteroventrally; surstyli elongated, with a patch of distinct bristles in its middle ( Fig. 29A ); both gonopods extended towards surstyli, pointed at apex in ventral view ( Fig. 29B ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 2.9–3.1 mm. Head. Pedicel with two short dark upper bristles and one lower bristle. Flagellum yellow-brown, long tapering. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black; lower part distinctly silver pollinose; eyes touching for distance equal to 1.5 times the length of ocellar triangle. Vertex dark, lacking pollinosity. Occiput silvery pollinose with scattered sort dark bristles. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with two long and one short dark bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) silvery brown pollinose, posterior part more brown. Scutellum silvery brown pollinose and with 5–8 bristles along distal edge. Halter, knob pale, tip brownish, stem dark. Legs. Mid coxa with three long and 3–5 short dark bristles. Trochanters and femora black; knees and basal 1/6 of tibiae and tarsomeres yellow. Hind trochanter with some longer black ventrobasal bristles and some shorter bristles in a row towards apical margin; ventrobasal short spines present on all femora. Fore and mid femora with two distinct bristles ventrobasally. Hind femur without ventroapical spines, except 8–10 equally spaced sort bristles posteroventrally. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae present (short). Hind metatarsus flattened, almost as long as 2–4 combined, dorsally all tarsomeres with erect bristles. Pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.1 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long dark bristle. Fourth costal section 3 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m at middle of discal cell. 3–4 long dark setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites black, all tergites silvery grey pollinose covered with short brown bristles. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 5–7 dark bristles up to as long as ¾ of hind femur’s width at base. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium longer than wide (MLE:MWE = 1.5). Surstyli elongated, both surstyli with a patch of distinct bristles in the middle ( Fig. 29A ), left surstylus broadened in the middle. Genital capsule in ventral view: both gonopods extended towards surstyli, pointed at apex; phallic guide with 3–4 short dorso- dorsolateral spines, one is longer than others; subepandrial sclerite short, with a fin-shaped projection in its center ( Fig. 29B ); Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli curved towards sternite ( Fig. 29D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent, with a bulb in its middle ( Fig. 29C ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: This species in named in honour of Greg Daniels. Greg is one of the best collectors in Australia and has contributed massively to our understanding of the continental fauna. He contributed 56 specimens and 22 species to this revision (Supplementary file 2).

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Lake Broadwater n[ea]r Dalby , site B, 27°21’S, 151°6’E, feeding on blossom, Acacia spectabilis , 30.VIII.1986, G.&A. Daniels, JSS8924 (1♂, QM) ; PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Brisbane , 27°28’S, 153°1’E, 28.III.1952, J. Davis, JSS8278 (1♂, QM); Kholo, 27°29’S, 152°48’E, 9.III.1973, Colbo, JSS9708 (1♂, QM); Charleville, 26°24’S, 146°14’E, 15.II.1970, A.L. Dyce, car net, ex. spirit via ethyl acetate, JSS8618 (1♂, ANIC) ; Western Australia: 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, JSS16114 (1♂, ANIC) .

Distribution: AUSTRALIA (Queensland, Western Australia) ( Fig. 119 ).

Notes: Although the holotype specimen notes that the specimen was feeding on an Acacia blossom, it was more likely simply sitting on it. There is no confirmed evidence of nectar feeding in Pipunculidae despite a paper to the contrary ( Kehlmaier 2014). The paper documents two cases of pipunculids on flowers but does not conclusively document nectar feeding. JHS has observed Pipunculidae on flowers in a few instances and close observation confirmed that they were not feeding. Although we failed to obtain a sequence of JSS16114 from Western Australia, its external and genitalia features are the same as the holotype and support treatment of these widely disjunct specimens as a single species. More samples are needed to test the species concept.

Figures

FIGURE 29. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella danielsi sp. nov. (JSS8278, QM) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 119. Distribution of Tomosvaryella creagra sp. nov., T. danielsi sp. nov., T. exigua sp. nov. in Australia.

FIGURE 144. Hind legs of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. danielsi sp. nov., paratype (JSS9708, QM), B) T. gaimarii sp. nov., holotype (JSS16633, QM), C) T. melaleuca sp. nov., holotype (CNC59696, QM), D) T. miltocentra sp. nov., holotype (JSS9239, ANIC), E) T. wyperfeldensis sp. nov., holotype (CNC373426, QM), F) T. bounites sp. nov., paratype (JSS2217, QM).