Tomosvaryella latistyla 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 : 122-124

Tomosvaryella latistyla Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:417D700A-555D-4B82-9CAF-D81A5B28F808

Figs 54A–E , 128

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having a keel and 2–3 short dark bristles proximally; elongated surstyli, left one flattened at apex in dorsal view ( Fig. 54A ); wide gonopods at base, pointed at apex, with a distinct projection on inner margin, their projections with small finger-like process in the middle; phallic guide with some dorso- dorsolateral spines, four same size spines longer than others ( Fig. 54B, D–E ); one of ejaculatory ducts with a short spine ( Fig. 54D ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 3.1–3.3 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 1.5 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, less so on upper 1/3. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 3–4 distinct pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) silvery pollinose, anterior part more grey, grayish also from the side. Scutellum silvery brown pollinose and with 10–12 bristles along distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles short, dark, longer in frontal half, numerous pale bristles around postpronotum present. Halter, knob pale, slightly brownish, stem brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–3 long dark bristles. Trochanters brown, femora black, 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 45 degree keel, and 2–3 short dark bristles proximally; ventrobasal spines absent on fore and mid femur. Hind femur without ventroapical spines, except 8–10 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 (short). Hind tarsomeres moderately flattened, hind metatarsus almost as long as 2–4 combined, with semi-erect dark bristles dorsally. Pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.4 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 more distal). 2–3 short dark setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites subshiny brown-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 1/4 the width of hind tibia at distal end. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 4–5 dark bristles up to as long as ¾ of hind femur’s width at base. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 1.2–1.3 times as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 small to medium sized, round, globular, brown and with distinct bristles, otherwise with velvet-like coverage; membranous area is slit-like, mostly directed posteriorly; epandrium brown, surstyli brown. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium longer than wide (MLE:MWE = 1.3). Surstyli elongated, broaden at base, left surstylus constricted after basal fourth and flattened at its tip, right surstylus curved towards left surstylus ( Fig. 54A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: both gonopods widened at base, extended towards surstyli, pointed at apex, equal in height, gonopods with a distinct projection on inner margin, both projections with an upwards small finger-like process in the middle; phallic guide with 5–6 dorso- dorsolateral spines, four same size spines longer than others; subepandrial sclerite widened in the middle ( Fig. 54B ); Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli straight, moderately broadened to apex, curved towards sternite apically; phallus with three ejaculatory ducts, one of ejaculatory ducts with a short spine ( Fig. 54D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent, with a bulb in its middle ( Fig. 54C ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: The name is derived from the Latin latus, broad or wide, in reference to the flattened tip of the left surstylus.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Barakula State Forest No. 302, Summit Round Mountain , 26°22’S, 150°58’E, hilltop, 8.I.2000, J.&A. Skevington & M. Mathieson, JSS7546 (1♂, QM) ; PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: same data as holotype, JSS7547–51 , JSS7557 , (6♂, QM); hilltop , 21– 25.II.2000, M. Mathieson, JSS9326 (1♂, CNC) ; Western Australia: Mount Magnet, Mount Waramboo , 28°2’S, 117°49’E, hilltop , 14.XII .1999 , J. Skevington, JSS7469 (1♂, CNC); ~ 3 km North of Denham , 25°55’S, 113°32’E, hilltop, 12.XII .1999 , J. Skevington, JSS7377 , JSS7393 (2♂, QM).

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

Notes: All specimens of this species have been collected at hilltops. Given the distribution it is presumably widespread but rare. Intraspecific genetic distance ranges from 0.0% to 2.4%. It is genetically most similar to T. cona sp. nov. (4.4–10.7% pairwise divergence) (Supplementary file 3).

Figures

FIGURE 54. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella latistyla sp. nov. (JSS7548, QM) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

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