Tipula (Vestiplex) hasiya, Pilipenko & Starkevich, 2020

Pilipenko, V. E. & Starkevich, P., 2020, Tipula (Vestiplex) hasiya sp. nov., a new crane fly species (Diptera, Tipulidae) from Nepal, Zoosystematica Rossica (China) 29 (2), pp. 335-346 : 336-340

Tipula (Vestiplex) hasiya sp.nov.

( Figs 1–3)

Holotype. Male , Nepal, Kathmandu Valley, 12 km E of Kathmandu, hilltop of Changu Narayan, 27°42 ʹ 54.0 ʺ N 85°27 ʹ 39.6 ʺ E, 1400–1500m, 23.IX.2012, coll. V. Pilipenko ( ZISP).

Paratypes. 3 males, 1 female, with same labels as in holotype: male ( ZMUM) , female (ZISP), male (NRC), male (VPC).

Diagnosis. A medium-sized crane fly with head and thorax yellow to brownish yellow, abdomen with basal segments yellow, trivittate, and terminal segments brownish black. Antenna if bent backward reaching almost the base of wing, with weak bicolor appearance. Wings yellowish brown. Prescutum and presutural scutum with four brown stripes. Tergite 9 divided at midline by pale membrane, posterior margin with two finger-shaped lobes directed caudally. Ventral side of tergite 9 with a pair of blackened, microscopically roughened lobes. Gonocoxite apically produced into two spines; outer spine slender, black, slightly curved with acute tip; inner spine shorter, yellowish with blackened obtuse tip. Sternite 9 with dorsal lobe of A9S curved nearly at right angle.

Description. Male ( Figs 1A, C–E, 2). Body length 13.5–14.2 mm, wing length 19.2–19.5 mm, length of antenna 3.8–3.9 mm (n = 4).

Head ( Fig. 1D). Coloration mainly yellow, with dark median line. Rostrum yellowish brown with distinct yellow nasus. Antenna relatively short, 13-segmented, if bent backward reaching almost the base of wing. Scape and pedicel yellow; first flagellomere brownish yellow; succeeding flagellar segments dark brown, apically narrowly pale, giving indistinct bicoloured appearance; terminal segments dark brown. Apical flagellomere very small, light brown. Verticils slightly longer than corresponding segments. Proboscis and palpus brown.

Thorax ( Fig. 1E). Coloration mainly brownish yellow. Pronotum yellowish with median line. Prescutum and presutural scutum with four brown stripes. Intermediate pair apically fused into a broad brown median stripe. Postsutural scutum brownish yellow; scutal lobe each with two dark brown spots. Scutellum and postnotum yellow with narrow median dark brown line. Pleura yellow. Halter yellow with the base of knob dark brown. Coxae and trochanters yellow, femora brownish yellow with tip dark brown ( Fig. 1A). Tibiae and tarsal segments dark brown. Tarsal claws with a tooth. Wing yellowish brown, variegated by brown and whitish subhyaline areas ( Fig. 1C). Cells c and sc darker than ground colour; stigma brown.

Abdomen. Abdominal segments 1–5 yellow, trivittate; remaining segments brownish black. Tergites 6–7 laterally pale; sternites 6–7 with posterior margin pale.

Hypopygium ( Fig. 2A–K). Coloration yellowish brown. Tergite 9 short, divided at midline by pale membrane ( Figs 2C, 2D). Dorsal portion of tergite 9 covered with setae, its posterior margin with two finger-shaped lobes directed caudally and provided with abundant setae. Ventral portion of tergite 9 yellow, with a pair of blackened, microscopically roughened lobes; the lobes broadened at base, with narrowed tip. Gonocoxite entirely cut off from sternite 9, apically produced into two spines ( Figs 2B, 2E). Outer spine slender, black, slightly curved with acute tip, inner spine shorter, yellowish with blackened obtuse tip. Outer gonostylus narrow, elongate, finger-shaped ( Fig. 2F). Inner gonostylus elongated ( Figs 2F, 2G). Upper beak short and obtuse; lower beak in shape of black narrow lobe; dorsal crest with margin sloping, middorsally expanded into a hump. Medial surface beneath the lower beak with a narrow blackened lobe ( Fig. 2G). Sternite 9 with ventral lobe of A9S nearly triangular with narrowed tip, covered with setae ( Fig. 2B). Dorsal lobe of A9S curved nearly at right angle, basally flattened, with setae, apically in shape of straight acute spine ( Figs 2B, 2H). Adminiculum triangular in ventral view, apically with rounded tip ( Fig. 2B). Sperm pump with central vesicle swollen ( Fig. 2I). Compressor apodeme with a broad and deep median incision ( Figs 2I, 2K). Posterior immovable apodeme narrowed. Anterior immovable apodeme in shape of rounded plate. Aedeagus yellow, about 2.8 times as long as sperm pump ( Fig. 2I). Distal part of aedeagus funnel-shaped, with two round- ed microscopic formations; margin extended at tip into a narrow strip ( Fig. 2J).

Female ( Fig. 1B). Body length 20.1 mm, wing length 20.0 mm, length of antenna 2.3 mm (n = 1). Generally similar to male. Antenna short, if bent backward reaching pronotum. Scape and pedicel yellow; first flagellomere brownish yellow; succeeding flagellar segments cylindrical, dark brown, apically broadly yellow, giving bicoloured appearance. Abdomen reddish yellow; dorsal abdominal stripe broad, dark brown.

Female terminalia ( Fig. 3A–E). Tergite 10 shining brown. Cercus brown, narrow and slen- der, its tip narrowed, dorsal and ventral margins with distinct fine serration ( Figs 3A, 3B). Sternite 8 light brown, with posterolateral margin darkened ( Fig. 3C). Hypovalva in shape of short brown plate, with lateral edge darkened, tip with distinct incision. Posterolateral angle of sternite 8 sclerotised, nearly triangular with tip obtuse. Median incision between hypovalvae with serrat- ed edge. Posterior part of sternite 9 covered with short filaments, shovel-shaped, medially with a broad groove, posterior margin with U-shaped incision and small medial point ( Fig. 3D). Anterior parts of sternite 9 narrow and straight. Furca posteriorly oblong and broadened, its anterior part short and narrow ( Fig. 3D). Posterior part of furca frontally splitted into two layers ( Fig. 3E). Spermathecae spherical, three in number.

Comparison. Tipula (V.) hasiya sp. nov. is considered here as a member of T. subtincta species-group, which was proposed by Savchenko (1964) for T. (V.) subtincta Brunetti, 1912 , T. (V.) distifurca Alexander, 1942 and T. (V.) optanda Alexan- der, 1935; the list of species was later revised by Starkevich (2012). The males of T. subtincta species-group are characterised by the dorsal portion of tergite 9 with paired extensions on posterior margin and ventral portion with a pair of blackened, microscopically roughened lobes, the gonocoxite with one or two spines, and dorsal lobe of the appendage of sternite 9 long, with the tip acute or splitted ( Starkevich, 2012).

Tipula (V.) hasiya sp. nov. is the closest species to T. (V.) subtincta ( India, Nepal) based on the body coloration, wing pattern and the shape of the male and female genitalia. The two species can be separated by the thoracic stripes, which are not bordered in T. (V.) hasiya sp. nov., while T. (V.) subtincta has stripes bordered by darker brown. Both species can be also separated by a set of genital features discussed below.

The males of both species are characterised by the narrow tergite 9, which has two finger-shaped lobes on the posterior margin and black roughened lobes on the ventral side, the gonocoxite with two apical spines and the shape of the inner gonostylus. They can be separated by the dorsal lobe of A9S, which is specifically curved nearly at a right angle in T. (V.) hasiya sp. nov., the feature being distinctly visible in undissected specimens. Contrastingly, T. (V.) subtincta has a slightly curved dorsal lobe of A9S. The two species can be also separated by the following features: T. (V.) hasiya sp. nov. has black lobes of tergite 9 distinctly broadened at the base, while in T. (V.) subtincta they are much slenderer. The inner gonostylus in T. (V.) hasiya sp. nov. has a middorsal hump, while in T. (V.) subtincta the hump is located more basally. In T. (V.) hasiya sp. nov., the medial surface of the inner gonostylus beneath the lower beak has a relatively long narrow blackened lobe, which is short and medially broadened in T. (V.) subtincta . Tipula (V.) subtincta has a specific adminiculum with the tip distinctly slender and acute, while in T. (V.) hasiya sp. nov. the tip is rounded.

The females of both species are characterised by the narrow slender cerci and specific shape of sternite 8. They can be separated by the following details: in T. (V.) subtincta , the median incision between the hypovalvae is finely toothed, while in T. (V.) hasiya sp. nov. it has no teeth; in T. (V.) subtincta , the posterolateral angles of sternite 8 are acute and incision between the angle and hypovalva is deep and narrow, while in T. (V.) hasiya sp. nov. the lateral angles are obtuse and incision is shallower.

Etymology. The new species has a specific shape of the appendage of sternite 9, resembling a hasiya, a Nepalese sickle with a curved blade, which is used as an agricultural tool.

Distribution. Nepal.

Habitat. Four males and one female were collect- ed in Kathmandu Valley , Nepal, in late September 2012. The new species was collected with an entomological net at altitudes of approximately 1400– 1500 metres in a tropical forest dominated by various deciduous trees, bamboo and bushes ( Fig. 6) .