Amblypsilopus ialibu, Bickel, 2019

Bickel, Daniel J., 2019, The Amblypsilopus amnoni and megastoma groups in New Guinea (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Sciapodinae), Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 49 (2), pp. 195-214 : 213-214

Amblypsilopus ialibu n. sp.

( Figs 22–24)

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CF1C6DF5-3652-4783-BF7A-F6BA3F6BAAE7 .

Etymology: The specific epithet ialibu is a place name of indigenous origin and a noun in apposition.

Description: Male. Length 5.9 mm, wing 5.8× 1.9 mm ( Fig. 22).

Similar to A. megastoma except as noted:

Head. Clypeus yellow with metallic green reflections; labella comprising two elongate yellow tapering blades with pseudotracheae visible externally.

Thorax. Scutellum entirely shining metallic blue-green dorsally.

Legs. Coloration, coxae, setation and relative podomere ratios similar; It 1 also longer than TI; It 5 black, flattened and expanded into more open apical pinnate flag (MSSC).

Abdomen. Preabdominal coloration similar; epandrium ( Fig. 23) entirely dark brown; but surstylus and phallus yellowish; epandrium subrectangular; surstylus as short projecting arm; cercus yellow and flagelliform, with fine yellow hairs.

Female. Similar to female A. megastoma but proboscis yellow and blade-like as in male.

Holotype: ♂ Papua New Guinea: Southern Highlands Province, Mt IalibU [6°16'S 143°59'E], 2550 m, no date, J.L. Gressitt ( BPBM).

Paratype: 1♀, same as holotype bUt “IalibU ”, 2600 m, 8–14.iv.1968, J. Gressitt & T. Maa.

Other material examined: Papua New Guinea: 1♂, Oro Province, Myola 2, 2100 m, forest, 16.ix.1985, J.W. Ismay ( AMS) .

Remarks: Amblypsilopus ialibu is known from elevations above 2000 m in the Southern Highlands and Oro provinces, Papua New Guinea. It is close to the lower elevation of A. megastoma , and the two species have similar male genitalia and leg MSSC. However, A. ialibu is distinctly larger, has elongate tapering labella, the scutellum entirely dark metallic blue-green dorsally, the clypeus has metallic green reflections, and the epandrium entirely dark brown.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank the following curators for information and the loan of specimens: D. Grimaldi (AMNH), D. Smith and R. Cox (AMS), Alan Landford (ANIC), N. Evenhuis and K. Arakaki (BPBM). John Martin provided the excellent photographs and Natalie Tees prepared the plates in Photoshop.

REFERENCES

BICKEL, D.J. 1994. The Australian Sciapodinae (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), with a review of the Oriental and Australasian faunas, and a world conspectus of the subfamily. Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 21: 1–394.

https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0812-7387.21.1994.50

––––– 2006. The Amblypsilopus pulvillatus species group (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Sciapodinae), a radiation in the western Pacific. In: Evenhuis, N.L. & Bickel, D.J. (Eds.), Fiji Arthropods VI. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 90: 51–66.

http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/fiji/fiji-arthropods/pdf/FAVI-04.pdf

––––– 2009 a. Amblypsilopus (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Sciapodinae) from the Southwest Pacific, with a focus on the radiation in Fiji and Vanuatu. In: Evenhuis, N.L. & Bickel, D.J. (Eds.), Fiji Arthropods XIII. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 103: 3–61.

http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/fiji/fiji-arthropods/pdf/FA-XIII-01.pdf

––––– 2009 b. Biogeography of Diptera in the Southwest Pacific. In: Pape, T., Bickel, D.J. & Meier, R. (Eds.), Diptera diversity: Status, challenges and tools. Brill, Leiden, pp. 257–275.

CUMMING, J.M. & WOOD, D.M. 2017. Adult morphology and terminology. In: Kirk-Spriggs, A.H. & Sinclair, B.J. (Eds.), Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. Vol. 1. SANBI, Pretoria, pp. 89–133.

LEPONCE, M., NOVOTNY, V., PASCAL, O., ROBILLARD, T., LEGENDRE, F., VILLEMANT, C., MUNZINGER, J., MOLINO, J.-F., DREW, R., ODEGAARD, F., SCHMIDL, J., TISHECHKIN, A., SAM, K., BICKEL, D., DAHL, C., DAMAS, K., FAYLE, T.M., GEWA, B., JACQUEMIN, J., KELTIM, M., KLIMES, P., KOANE, B., KUA, J., MANTILLERI, A., MOGIA, M., MOLEM, K., MOSES, J., NOWATUO, H., ORIVEL, J., PINTAUD, J.-C., ROISIN, Y., SAM, L., SIKI, B., SOLDATI, L., SOULIER-PERKINS, A., TULAI, S., YOMBAI,J., WARDHAUGH,C. & BASSET,Y. 2016. Land module of Our Planet Reviewed – Papua New Guinea: aims, methods and first taxonomical results. In: Robillard, T., Legendre, F., Villemant, C. & Leponce, M. (Eds.), Insects of Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea. Mémoires du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle 209: 13–48.

PARENT, O. 1939. The Diptera of the Territory of New Guinea. VIII, Dolichopodidae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 64: 155–168.

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35123394#page/205