Tomosvaryella biflocca 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 : 32-34

Tomosvaryella biflocca Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1AE0A54A-D96E-4822-8F76-A37D3396D16B

Figs. 11A–E , 111 , 146D , 158B

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter with two tufts of bristles ventrobasally and ventroapically ( Fig. 146D ); shape of surstyli in dorsal view, both long, left surstylus longer than right one ( Fig. 11A ); subepandrial sclerite with a vertical protrusion in middle; gonopods with four projections in ventral view ( Fig. 11B ); phallic guide with some spines dorsolaterally covered by two short membranous sheath, each membranous sheath covered with small teeth-like projections in lateral view ( Fig. 11D–E ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 3–3.4 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, more brownish on upper half. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 4–5 distinct pale brown bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) brownish pollinose, anterior part silver pollinose; slightly grayish also from the side. Scutellum brownish pollinose and without bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles well developed, dark, longer on frontal part and numerous dark bristles around postpronotum. Halter, knob pale with a brownish tinge distally, stem dark brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–3 bristles. Trochanters and base of femora black, femora black, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees yellow, tibia otherwise dark brown, tarsal segments yellow ventrally, brown dorsally, last segment dorsally darker. Hind trochanter with tuft of dark longer bristles (4–6) ventrobasally in one group: “echidna-like” and 2–3 shorter bristles ventroapically ( Fig. 146D ). Ventroapical row of spines on fore femur, black spines on mid femur; no spines on hind femur, only 4–6 pale bristles posteriorly equally distributed on distal 1/3 (as long as 1/3 the width of hind tibia at the distal end); hind tibia bent at middle in posterior view. apical spurs on first four tibiae present (short). Hind metatarsus flattened (1 and 2 especially), first tarsomere slightly longer than 2–5 combined; ventral bristles scrub-like, yellow. Pulvilli as long as last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.0– 3.1 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with 1–3 long distinct bristles. Fourth costal section 2–2.5 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m proximal to middle of discal cell. 4–5 dark setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites subshining black, tergite 1 silvery grey, sides silvery pollinose on tergites 4 and 5 (the latter with larger spots), tergites 2 and 3 with faint gray side spots. Dispersed short dark bristles on tergites present, the longest on tergite 5 and ST8 and up to 1.5 times as long as width of hind tibia at base. Lateral spines on first tergite present, 5–6 brown bristles up to as long as width of hind femur at distal tip. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 1–1.2 times as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 medium sized, brownish, very hairy; membranous area slit-like, posteriorly directed; epandrium brown; yellow surstyli appear long and slim. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium wider than long (MLE:MWE = 0.7). Surstyli brown, rather symmetrical with broad base and finger-like apex, left slightly longer than right one; both tips bent inward apically ( Fig. 11A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: subepandrial sclerite covered with transverse streaks with a vertical protrusion in middle; gonopods with four projections, two longer projections elongated towards surstyli, reaching the basal third of subepandrial sclerite, two shorter projections bent inwards ( Fig. 11B ), phallic guide with 5–6 different-sized spines dorsolaterally (longer ones extended towards left surstylus) and surrounded by two membranous sheaths. Genital capsule in lateral view: surstyli straight, in apical third bent towards sternite, gradually narrowed to apex ( Fig. 11D–E ); phallus with three ejaculatory ducts, some small teeth-like projections arranged on its membranous sheath ( Fig. 11D–E ); ejaculatory apodeme flat, sperm pump elongated, linear ( Fig. 11C ).

FEMALE: Body length (excluding antennae and head): 3.4 mm. As male except for the following characters. Frons, eyes separated, as wide as 1.2–1.5 times the width at antennae; completely silver-grey pollinose until up to 3/4 of the frons, shiny black in front of ocellar triangle. Pulvilli and claws about 1–1.2 times as long as last tarsal segment. Fore and mid femora with 1–2 distinct dark spine-like bristles ventrobasally. Female abdomen with silver spots on sides of tergites 3–6. Ovipositor. Base dark brown with pale apical margin, piercer straight, slightly up curved in lateral view LP:LB = 2.1. LDP:LPP = 4.5. ( Fig. 158B ).

Etymology: From the Latin bi, two, and floccus, tuft of wool or hair, in reference to the two tufts of bristles on the hind trochanter.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 3 km NE of M[oun]t Webb , 15°3’S, 145°9’E, 2.v.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap, JSS8594 (1♂, ANIC) ; PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Culgoa National Park, 8km West-Northwest Cawwell Homestead, Diemunga Lagoon ( CGN2 M) , 29°3’S, 146°60’E, Coolibah , 30.i–18.v.2010, C. Lambkin, R . Olsen & B. Shieban, Malaise trap, CNC575155 (1♂, CNC) ; Queensland: 1 km W of Cooktown , 15°28’S, 145°15’E, ~ 13.v.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap, JSS8587–8 (2♂, ANIC); 3 km NE of Mount Webb , 15°3’S, 145°9’E, ~ 1.v.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap, JSS8599 , JSS8603–4 (3♂, ANIC); 2.v.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap, JSS8593 , JSS8595–7 , JSS8605 , JSS8607–8 (7♂, ANIC); 30.iv.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap, JSS8600 (1♂, ANIC); 3.5 km SW by S Mount Baird , 15°10’S, 145°7’E, 3.v.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap, JSS8579 , JSS8582 (2♂, ANIC); 4.v.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap, JSS8584 (1♂, ANIC); 5.v.1981, D.H. Colless, Malaise trap, JSS8572 (1♂, ANIC); Brisbane, Mount Coot-tha , 27°29’S, 152°57’E, 170m, hilltop, 15.v.1999, J.&A. Skevington, hand collected, JSS5772 , JSS5775 , JSS5778 (3♂, QM); ~ 170m, hilltop, 19.iv.1998, J. Skevington, hand collected, 11:45–12:15pm, 11:15–11:45am, 12:15–12:45pm, JSS3857 , JSS3861 , JSS3864–5 , JSS3874 , JSS3879 , JSS3882 (7♂, QM); 4.ix.1999, J.&A. Skevington, hand collected, 10:00 am to noon, JSS7192 (1♂, QM); ~ 170m, hilltop, 7.iii.1998, J.&A. Skevington, hand collected, JSS3632 , JSS3634 , JSS3638 , JSS3643–4 , JSS3648–9 (7♂, QM); 170m, hilltop, 7.xii.1997, J.&A. Skevington, hand collected, JSS2343 (1♂, QM); 8.xi.1997, J.&A. Skevington, hand collected, 10:15am–10:45am, 9:15am–9:45am, JSS982 , JSS994 (2♂, QM); Coorado homestead near Expedition Range National Park , 24°30’N, 149°5’E, 3–9.iii.2001, M. Mathieson, Malaise trap, JSS13983–5 (3♂, CNC); Proserpine, Thompson Creek , 20°31’S, 148°34’E, 30m, 3–10.v.2007, J. Stanisic, CNCD159596 (1♀, CNC) .

Distribution: Australia (New South Wales, Queensland) ( Fig. 111 ).

Notes: This species is mostly restricted to eastern Queensland, with one outlier from Culgoa in NSW. Some specimens have been captured hilltopping. This species is genetically most similar to T. angelikae sp. nov. (3.4– 4.8% pairwise divergence) and intraspecific genetic distances range from 0.0% to 3.2% (Supplementary file 3). The specimens JSS8593, JSS8600, JSS8604, JSS8607 and JSS8846 have 2–3.2% pairwise divergence from other specimens in this species. It is likely these specimens belong to a new species, but we could not find any morphological characters to support this hypothesis. For now, they are treated as a single species until more specimens can be collected and additional molecular work can be conducted to improve discrimination of the species.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella biflocca sp. nov. (JSS8594, ANIC) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 111. Distribution of Tomosvaryella biflocca sp. nov., T. ngarrbekiota sp. nov., T. parkeri sp. nov. in Australia.

FIGURE 146. Hind legs of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. atraspina sp. nov., paratype (JSS8448, CAS), B) T. trispina sp. nov., holotype (JSS2352, QM), C) T. spinivaria sp. nov., paratype (JSS7390, QM), D) T. biflocca sp. nov., holotype (JSS8594, ANIC), E) T. planca sp. nov., paratype (JSS8585, QM), F) T. tetraloba sp. nov., holotype (JSS16037, ANIC).

FIGURE 158. Ovipositor of Tomosvaryella species in lateral view A) T. scapania sp. nov., paratype (CNCD159595, CNC), B) T. biflocca sp. nov., paratype (CNCD159596, CNC), C) T. setaria sp. nov., paratype (CNCD3867, CNC), D) T. boomerang sp. nov., paratype (CNCD159453, CNC), E) wing of T. patula sp. nov..