Amblypsilopus ibiscorum, 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 : 208-209

Amblypsilopus ibiscorum n. sp.

( Figs 14, 15)

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B0BF79D0-5128-4299-A8C4-908DDAE7BE41 .

Etymology: Amblypsilopus ibiscorum is named after all members of the IBISCA Mt Wilhelm expedition (see Leponce et al. 2016).

Description: Male. Length 5.4 mm, wing: 5.5× 1.6 mm ( Fig. 14).

Similar to A amnoni except as noted:

Head. Major head setae black.

Thorax. Entirely metallic blue-green with bronze reflections, with yellowish cuticle along sutures and with dusting of yellowish pruinosity, denser over pleura, and giving dull appearance to cuticle; setae black; metepimeron pale yellow.

Legs. All coxae, trochanters, femora, tibiae, and basal tarsomeres yellow, with distal tarsomeres becoming infuscated, coxae with similar pale yellow setation; legs with short black vestiture; I: 6.0, 7.4, 10.7/2.7/1.8/0.9/0.7; TI slightly bowed, and very slightly flattened with whitish ventral pile along length (MSSC) and without distal posterior seta, It 1 elongate, longer than to TI; It 5 unmodified; II: 6.5, 11.2, 9.7/2.2/1.7/0.7/0.4; FII with short subapical pv seta; TII with 4 spaced short ad setae and 5 shorter pd setae along length, with apical corona of ad, av, pv and dorsal setae; III: 8.7, 14.1, 6.0/2.3/1.2/0.7/0.5; TIII with strong ad at ⅛, short av setae, 4 short spaced anterior setae along distal two-thirds, 5 spaced short dorsal seta along length, and with corona of short ad, av and pv setae; IIIt 1 with pair of short ventral setae near base.

Wing. CuAx ratio 1.0; lower calypter pale yellow with fan of pale yellow setae; haltere yellow.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 metallic blue-green; tergites 2–4 mostly yellow, with matt brown posterior margin before tergal edge; tergites 5 and 6 yellow, but with metallic blue-green coloration dorsally and on posterior quarter; tergite 7 metallic blue-green; sternite 8 yellow; hypopygium ( Fig. 15) almost entirely yellow with basal hypandrium infuscated; epandrium tapering triangular; surstylus curved, digitiform about half length of epandrium; cercus basally swollen, with distal cercus digitiform arm recurved against base, and with yellow hairs.

Female. Similar to male, except as noted: face not bulging; clypeus wider and almost adjacent to sides of eyes; antenna brownish; 2 strong posterior dc and 3 weaker anterior hair-like dc; TI bare, unbowed lacking ventral pile; TI distinctly longer than It 1; IIIt 1 also with pair short ventral setae near base.

Holotype: ♂ Papua New Guinea: Chimbu Province, Mt Wilhelm , 5.8150°S 145.1580°E, 2700 m, Malaise trap, 28–29.x.2012, P2977, Gewa, Damag, Novotny & Leponce ( MNHN).

Paratype: 1♀, same as holotype bUt 26–27.x.2012 ( MNHN) .

Other specimens examined: Papua New Guinea: 1♂, Morobe Province, Mt Kaindi , 2350 m, Malaise trap, Nothofagus environment, 2.viii.1971, Tawi ( BPBM) .

Remarks: Amblypsilopus ibiscorum is known from mixed montane Nothofagus forest sites, near 2700 m in Chimbu Province and 2350 m in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. Of note is the strong contrast between the yellow coxa I and the adjacent dark metallic blue-green mesothoracic pleura. Males have a long basitarsus I but leg I tarsomere is simple, without flags or other modifications. The recurved cercus is diagnostic for this species.