Tomosvaryella birama 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 : 37-38

Tomosvaryella birama Motamedinia, Skevington & Földvari sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:531A021B-5B11-4B17-80F5-A1CA438ADB39

Figs 13A–E , 110

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by slender and long surstyli in dorsal view ( Fig. 13A ); long gonopods with a slender projection towards surstyli, phallic guide with 3–6 short dorso- dorsolateral spines; ejaculatory ducts biramous at apex; subepandrial sclerite elongated in ventral view ( Fig. 13B ); hind femur without long bristles posteroventrally.

Description: MALE: Body length: 2.5 mm. Head. Flagellum long tapering; brown pollinose. 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, with scattered short dark bristles. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 3–4 short pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) silvery pollinose, anterior part more grey. Scutellum silvery pollinose, without bristles along distal edge. Halter, knob pale, tip brownish, stem and base dark. Legs. Mid coxa with 3–4 long brown bristles. Trochanters brown, femora dark brown, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees and basal 1/6 of tibiae yellow (tibiae otherwise brown), tarsal segments bright yellow ventrally. Hind trochanter with a keel with some short teeth along its edge; ventrobasal spines absent on fore and mid femora. Hind femur without ventroapical spines and without bristles posteroventrally. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae present (short). Hind tarsomeres not flattened, hind metatarsus almost as long as 2–4 combined, dorsally all tarsomeres with shirt light brown erect bristles. Pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 2.5 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one medium and two short brown bristles. Fourth costal section 3 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m at middle of discal cell. 1–3 short dark setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites brown-black, tergite 1 silvery grey, silvery pollinose spots on tergites 4 and 5 (spot on tergite 5 larger). Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 4–5 brown 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 widened at base, then strongly slender and elongated, curved to each other at apex, left surstylus is longer, right one with a small bumper before its apex ( Fig. 13A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: both gonopods equal in height, extended towards surstyli with slender pointed projection at apex towards surstyli; phallic guide with 3–6 short dorso- dorsolateral spines, one is longer; phallus trifid; ejaculatory ducts biramous at apex;

subepandrial sclerite elongated ( Fig. 13B ); Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli straight in basal two thirds, bent towards sternite in apical third ( Fig. 13D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent ( Fig. 13C ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: From the Latin bi, two and ramus, branch, in reference to the double branched ejaculatory ducts.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Kurumba , 17°28’S, 140°53’], 18.IV.1983, J.F. Donaldson, D-Vac, JSS8967 (1♂, QDPC).

Distribution: Australia (Queensland) ( Fig. 110 ).

Notes: This species is known from a single specimen from coastal north central Queensland.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella birama sp. nov. (JSS8967, QDPC) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 110. Distribution of Tomosvaryella bicalcarata sp. nov., T. biloba sp. nov., T. birama sp. nov. in Australia.