Tomosvaryella leipoa 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 : 128-130

Tomosvaryella leipoa Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8B615CEB-0BB7-4993-8D8B-E51B3B2A9682

Figs 57A–D , 127

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having a large triangular protuberance covered with numerous dark bristles; both surstyli strongly curved, hook- shaped in dorsal view ( Fig. 57A ); gonopods equal, elongated towards surstyli in ventral view; subepandrial sclerite wide ( Fig. 57B ); phallic guide with 5–6 dorso-dorsolateral spines (one is longer and sinuous-shaped) ( Fig. 57B–D ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 3.2–3.5 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, slightly less so on upper 1/3. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 10+ pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) brownish pollinose, anterior part more grey, grayish also from the side. Scutellum silvery pollinose and with 7–9 bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles distinct, dark, somewhat longer along frontal edge, numerous dark bristles around postpronotum present. Halter, knob pale, stem brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 3 long, broad, dark 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 dark brown), tarsal segments dark brown, ventrally yellow, last segment darker. Hind trochanter with a large triangle in posterior view, covered with numerous dark bristles; ventrobasal spines absent on fore and mid femora. Ventroapical row of spines on fore femur absent; 12–14 small, black spines on mid femur; hind femur without ventroapical spines, except 12–14 bristles posteroventrally, longer and closer to each other on distal half, longest up to 1/3 of the width of hind tibia at distal end. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae present (very short). Hind tibia bent in posterior view. Hind tarsomeres slightly flattened, metatarsus as long as 2–4 combined, ventrally with scrub-like bristles. Pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.5 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 distinctly distal to middle of discal cell. 2–3 distinct brown setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites slivery pollinose, tergite 1 silvery grey, silvery pollinose spots on tergites 4 and 5 (larger on tergite 5). Dispersed short dark bristles on all tergites, longest on tergite 5 up to 1/3 the width of hind tibia at distal end. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 5–6 dark bristles up to as long as hind femur’s width at base. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 2.3–2.5 times as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 medium sized, round in dorsal view, dark brown and with some distinct bristles, otherwise velvet-like coverage; membranous area rounded elongate, forming a ridge ventrally on ST8, mostly directed posteriorly; epandrium dark brown, surstyli yellow. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium slightly longer than wide (MLE: MWE = 1.07). Surstyli broadened in basal fourth and rectangular-shaped then strongly curved to each other, hookliked shaped, right surstylus smaller than left one ( Fig. 57A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods elongated towards surstyli, tapering at apex, equal in height; subepandrial sclerite wide, egg-like shaped ( Fig. 57B ); phallic guide with 5–6 dorso-dorsolateral spines (one is longer and sinuous-shaped). Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli curved towards sternite ( Fig. 57C–D ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: This species carries the genus name given to the monotypic mound-building bird, Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata). Leipoa is a Finnish word that refers to the alternating pressing motion with the two front paws of a cat, a behaviour like that of the Malleefowl as they tend to their mounds. All the specimens of this new pipunculid species were collected in in old growth mallee habitat where Malleefowl were plentiful. Mallee is a dry, semi-open habitat dominated by multi-stemmed Eucalyptus under 10m in height.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Yathong Nature Res [erve], Malleefowl conservation area, 32°35’S, 145°24’E, 155m, across sandy track in closed low mallee, 4–25.X.2003, C. Lambkin & N. Starick, Malaise trap, JSS16053 (1♂, ANIC) ; PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: same data as holotype, JSS16051–2 , JSS16054 (3♂, ANIC) ; South Australia: Gluepot Reserve , 33°47’S 140°13’E, 1.IX.2004, J. Skevington, CNCD1319–21 (2♂, CNC, 1♂, QM) .

Distribution: Australia (New South Wales, South Australia) ( Fig. 127 ).

Notes: All known specimens have been collected in mallee reserves that contain significant old growth mallee areas. This species is genetically most similar to T. cona sp. nov. (3.1–7.7% pairwise divergence) (Supplementary file 3).

Figures

FIGURE 57. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella limonias sp. nov. (JSS8499,ANIC) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 127. Distribution of Tomosvaryella latipoda sp. nov., T. leipoa sp. nov., T. lophia sp. nov. in Australia.