Tomosvaryella dolicholoba 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 : 85-87

Tomosvaryella dolicholoba Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D939F6BB-3E50-4CA9-93F0-DE1134E7F0B0

Figs 36A–E , 123

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having a distinct keel covered with spines on the edge; distal half of hind femur with long bristles; elongated surstyli with an extended lobe in middle in dorsal view ( Fig. 36A ); elongated gonopods with two small triangular lobes on inner margin ( Fig. 36B ); phallic guide with 4–6 dorso- dorsolateral spines ( Fig. 36B, D ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 3.3 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 2–2.2 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, slightly less so on upper 1/3. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 5–6 pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) brownish pollinose, anterior part more grey, grayish also from the side. Scutellum brown pollinose and with 8–10 bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles distinct, dark, somewhat longer along frontal edge, numerous long bristles around postpronotum present. Halter, knob pale, stem brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–3 strong, dark bristles. Trochanters and femora dark brown, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees and basal 1/5 of tibiae yellow-brown (tibiae otherwise dark brown), tarsal segments yellow-brown, ventrally paler, last segment darker. Hind trochanter with a distinct keel, short spines on the edge; ventrobasal spines present on fore and absent on mid femur. Ventroapical row of spines on fore femur 3–4; 5–6 short dark spines on mid femur; hind femur without ventroapical spines, except 10–12 long bristles posteroventrally, bent towards distal tip of femur (sometimes adpressed), equally spaced on distal half, longest up to 2 times the width of hind tibia at distal end. Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae present (short). Hind tibia bent in posterior view. Hind metatarsus flattened (especially distal half), metatarsi almost as long as 2–5 combined, with scrub-like bristles along posterior edge. Pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.2 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long dark bristle. Fourth costal section 2 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m at middle of discal cell. 5–6 distinct brown setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites brown pollinose, tergite 1 silvery grey, silvery pollinose spots on tergites 4 and 5 (larger on tergite 5). Dispersed short dark bristles on all tergites present, longest on tergite 5 up to 1/3 of the width of hind tibia at distal end. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 4–5 dark bristles up to as long as hind femur’s width at base. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 0.9–1.1 times as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 medium sized, round in dorsal view, pale brown and with some distinct bristles, otherwise velvet-like coverage; membranous area round dorsally, narrow and approaching epandrium ventrally, posteriorly directed; epandrium brown, surstyli yellow, long. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium longer than wide (MLE:MWE = 1.5). Both surstyli elongated, broadened in basal third, narrowed in middle, bent apically to each other; both surstyli with extended lobe in middle ( Fig. 36A ). Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods elongated towards surstyli with two small triangular lobes on inner margin, equal in height, subepandrial sclerite distinct and long; phallic guide with 4–6 dorso-dorsolateral spines, one is longer than others ( Fig. 36B ); Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli curved towards sternite, right one is wider than left one ( Fig. 36D–E ). Ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent, with a bulb in its middle ( Fig. 36C ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: The name is derived from the Greek word dolichos, long and lobos, lobe, in reference to the extended lobe in the middle of the surstylus.

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: Freycinet National Park, 42°8’S, 148°19’E, in heath with scattered eucalypts, 26.XII.1998 – 10.I.1999, J.&A. Skevington, Malaise trap, JSS4665 (1♂, QM); PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Carnarvon National Park, Mount Moffatt Summit, 25°4’S, 148°3’E, 1097m, hilltop, 2.XII.1997, J. Skevington & C. Lambkin, hand collected, JSS1824 (1♂, QM); 18.XI.2014, J.H., A.M. & A.W. Skevington, CNC374959, CNC374980, CNC374995, CNC375003 (4♂, CNC); Culgoa Floodplain National Park, 11.8km N Headquarters (CG2AM), 28°54’S, 147°8’E, 151m, Brigalow, 20.I–18.III.2010, C. Kelly & A. Coward, Malaise trap, CNC576680, CNC576683 (2♂, QM); Hilltop ~ 21 km South of Coen, 14°8’S, 143°14’E, 945m, Eucalyptus forest, 2.XII.2014, J.H., A.M. & A.W. Skevington, CNC373639 (1♂, CNC); Western Australia: Lochada, 5.5km Southeast of Bolada Camp, 29°14’S, 116°33’E, 293m, Callitris Acacia woodland, 18–24.IX.2009, Lambkin & Monteith, Malaise trap, CNC575166 (1♂, QM); Heinsmen Rock, Mt Ragged Track, 30°7’S, 123°28’E, 145m, woodland near drying pools, 30.X–18.XI.2003, C. Lambkin & J. Recsei, Malaise trap, JSS16244 (1♂, ANIC); New South Wales: Culgoa National Park, 13.5km SW Cawwell Homestead (CGN1M), 29°7’S, 146°56’E, Callitrus, 21.XII.2009 – 30.I.2010, B. Schiebaan, Malaise trap, 19314, CNC576559–60, CNC576562, CNC576566, CNC576569, CNC576573–4, CNC576583–4, CNC576586–7, CNC576589 (12♂, QM); Culgoa National Park, 13.5km SW Cawwell Homestead (CGN1M), 29°7’S, 146°56’E, Blackbox, 22.XI–21.XII.2009, C. Lambkin, B. Shiebaan, N. Starick, Malaise trap, 11 DB, 19300, CNC576659 (1♂, QM); Blackbox, 22.XI–21.XII.2009, C. Lambkin, B. Shiebaan & N. Starick, Malaise trap, 11 DB, 19300, CNC576654, CNC576656, CNC576660–3 (6♂, QM); Callitris , 30.I–18.V.2010, QM Team, B. Shiebaan, R. Ohlsen, Malaise trap, 19325, CNC576599, CNC576603, CNC576607, CNC576611, CNC576613, CNC576616, CNC576622, CNC576627, CNC576632, CNC576642–3 (11♂, QM); Culgoa National Park, 8km West-Northwest Cawwell Homestead, Diemunga Lagoon (CGN2M), 29°3’S, 146°60’E, Coolibah, 30.I–18.V.2010, C. Lambkin, R. Olsen & B. Shieban, Malaise trap, 19322, CNC575121, CNC575124, CNC575131 (3♂, QM); 29°3’S, 146°1’E, 136m, Coolibah, 21.XII.2009 – 30.I.2010, B. Schiebaan, Malaise trap, 19312, CNC574752 (1♂, CNC); Queensland: Culgoa Floodplain National Park Headquarters, 11.8km N, 28°55’S, 147°8’E, 150m, Brigalow, 9.XII.2007 – 16.I.2008, N. Starick, C. Lambkin & R. Raven, Malaise trap, 15683, CNC591839 (1♂, QM); Culgoa Floodplain National Park, 10km NE Toulby Gate (CG3), 28°56’S, 147°0’E, 140m, Brigalow, 16.IX–1.X.2008, Simpson, Coward, Malaise trap, 4 DB, 17220, CNC576529 (1♂, QM); Culgoa Floodplain National Park, 11.8km N Headquarters (CG2AM), 28°54’S, 147°8’E, 151m, Brigalow, 20.I–18.III.2010, C. Kelly & A. Coward, Malaise trap, 19271, CNC576674, CNC576693 (2♂, QM); Lonesome National Park, near Lookout (LNP4M), 25°30’S, 148°49’E, 585m, closed Eucalyptus woodland on rocky ridge, 26.XI.2010 – 11.I.2011, D. Beard & B. Sigley, Malaise trap, 19382, CNC575014 (1♂, QM).

Distribution: Australia (New South Wales; Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia) ( Fig. 123 ).

Notes: This widespread species has been collected in a variety of habitats ( Acacia , Callitris , Eucalyptus ) and also collected hilltopping. The distribution is suggestive that this is a species complex of as many as four species. We were unable to obtain DNA barcodes from populations in the different locations. Although the surstyli and the inner lobe of New South Wales specimens are longer, we have elected to treat this as a single species for now. Based on the terminalia characters and features of the hind trochanter, this species is similar to T. patula sp. nov. Both species have identical surstyli in dorsal and ventral view and similar keel on hind trochanter. Tomosvaryella dolicholoba sp. nov. differs by having long bristles on the hind femur. This species is genetically close to T. unda sp. nov. and T. patula sp. nov. differing by 2.6–5.0% and 3.1–4.0% pairwise divergence, respectively (Supplementary file 3).

Figures

FIGURE 36. Male genitalia of Tomosvaryella dolicholoba sp. nov. (JSS1824, QM) A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) ejaculatory apodeme, D, E) lateral view.

FIGURE 123. Distribution of Tomosvaryella dolicholoba sp. nov., T. gaimarii sp. nov., T. hirta sp. nov. in Australia.