Curtonotum rinhatinana Kirk-Spriggs 2011, sp. n.
Creators: name: Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Curtonotidae
Curtonotum
Curtonotum rinhatinana

description: Curtonotum rinhatinana sp. n.   Figs 9, 22, 35, 73, 74, 74a, 74b, 75, 87, 100  
Etymology: The specific epithet is a combination of the names Rinha and Tina Harin’ Hala, in recognition of their contribution to Malagasy dipterology.  
Differential diagnosis: Although similar in external characters to other species of the genus occurring in Madagascar (inasmuch as the poor condition of the unique holotype allows comparison), the bizarre structure of the basiphallus and the presence of what is here interpreted as a sclerotised sperm pump, may preclude any direct association. This is the only know species worldwide to possess such a structure and this may be an ancient species, that has been retained as a relict on Madagascar. Associations with other species (if they exist), must await a detailed phylogenetic analysis.  
Description:  
 Male (based on unique field­pinned HT).   
 As redescribed for C. balachowskyi, differing in the following respects: Measurements: Overall length unknown; length of head and thorax combined 2.7 mm; length of thorax and scutellum combined 2.6 mm; wing length 4.1 mm.   
 Head (Figs 9, 22). Eye height/length ratio: 11:7 (HT); frons (Fig. 22), subparallel-sided, slightly wider than long, frons length/width ratio: 6:8 (HT), slightly wider at vertex than at ventral margin, ground colour pale dirty yellow, vittae conspicuous, reaching ventral margin; orbital plates and ocellar triangle silver-grey pruinose, ocelli clear brown; orbital plates extending from vertex of head to 0.8 length of frons; lateral margins with very narrow silver pruinose fascia (adjacent to eye margin), widest at midlength of face (posterior and anterior orbital setae, postocellar and vertical setae missing on unique HT and cannot be described); ocellar setae short, only extending ca 0.7 length of frons; antennal scape and pedicel dirty pale brown, silver-grey pruinose, flagellomere 1 concolourous with pedicel, darkened in apical ⅔, especially along anterior margin, slightly silver-grey pruinose, 2.5× as long as wide, apex evenly-rounded (right flagellomere 1 and left arista missing from HT and arista cannot be described); lunule brown, shiny; face uniform silver-grey pruinose throughout, with very narrow silver fascia (adjacent to eye margin), region between this fascia and ptilinal fissure yellow­silver pruinose, facial carina developed as a prominent ridge, extending ⅔ length of face, vibrissae strong; occiput grey pruinose; gena narrow, eye height/genal height ratio: 11:1 (HT), silver pruinose, abruptly dirty brown beyond basal angle; palpus thin, black, brown basally, brown microtrichose.   
 Thorax (Fig. 22). Mesonotum (badly rubbed on unique HT), as described for C. boeny, except: acrostichal setae slightly shorter than anterior dorsocentral seta (presutural and notopleural setae missing on HT and cannot be described); postalar setae, moderately strong, longer than acrostichal setae; postpronotum (postpronotal setae missing on HT, but socket size indicates two present), with 8 finer, black­brown setulae; anepisternum silver-grey pruinose, with yellow pruinose patch in centre, with 3 moderately strong anepisternal setae (the more ventral missing on HT, but size of socket indicates this to be smaller and finer than dorsal and medial setae), with 20 fine setulae, some larger and arranged in 2 groups of 3 and 2; katepisternum with ventral katepisternal seta strong, the more dorsal much smaller and finer, ca 0.3 length of ventral katepisternal setae, surface with 15 short, fine setulae at base and along posterior margin.   
 Scutellum. Uniform, golden-silver-grey pruinose (medial vitta not discernable on HT, basomedial area rubbed); weak intermediate scutellar setula inserted 0.8 distance between medial and lateral scutellar setae.   
 Legs. Fore coxa with 8 diminutive brown setulae on anterior surface; mid coxa with 2 very strong, lateral, ventrally-directed black setae, 1 very strong medial seta and 5 brown setulae; fore tibia with 4 strong setae on lateral margin, the second basal seta of similar length to other three, with ctenidium of 9 or 10 short, sharp, black spinules, separated from each other by one or more basal spinule widths.   
 Wing (as in Fig. 35). Relatively short and very broad, tip slightly angularly rounded; veins chestnut-brown, membrane very faintly infuscate brown throughout, very slightly darker in medial region of  r 1  and in region of dm–cu crossvein; dm–cu crossvein subvertical, with indentation in basal half; haltere pale yellow.   
 Abdomen (Tergites 1–2 damaged on macerated abdomen of HT): Ground colour of tergites unknown; tergites 3–5 with narrow, V-shaped concolourous median fascia and well separated and greatly reduced concolourous T-shaped dorsolateral macula, apparently not merging with fascia, lateral margin of tergites 2–5 with subelliptical concolourous macula in basal half; sternite 4, quadrate, evenly rounded laterally, with straight apical margin; sternite 5 rectangular, evenly-rounded at sides, slightly less that twice length of sternite 4, with faint lateral macula, both unmodified, with sparse brown setulae arranged in irregular rows, those along lateral and apical margins of sternite 4 slightly longer and stronger; sternite 6 (Fig. 87) subquadrate (may appear narrower than Fig. 87 in undissected specimens), narrowed basally, evenly rounded laterally, with very shallow, broad excision apically, with indistinct medial macula and fascia laterally, clothed in short, brown, regular setulae in apical ⅔, those at apical margin spare, longer and more prominent.   
 Terminalia (Figs 73, 74, 75). Hypandrium (Fig. 73, hy) long, with broad-based rounded-truncate dorsobasal lobe, posterior bridge dorsally and ventrally produced (rounded to slightly angulate in profile); hypandrial arms narrow basally, expanded apically (viewed laterally), with 2 setulae proximal to postgonite, the more lateral ventrally directed, the medial ventromedially directed (obscured by epandrium on Fig. 73), sclerotised area of medial lobes (viewed dorsally), parallel-sided, well separated; postgonite (Fig. 73, pg) very short, relatively broad, with slight undulating anterior margin; epandrium (Fig. 73, ep) slightly broader dorsally than ventrally (viewed laterally), evenly rounded on dorsal margin, posterior margin angled, ventral margin with row of long regular to irregular, apically-directed setae; cercus (Fig. 73, ce) not prominent, longest setae longer than setae on dorsal margin of epandrium; surstylus (Fig. 73, ss) very short, widest basally, slightly curved in apical half; phallus (as in Figs 74, ph, bp, dp, 75, bp, dp) highly modified, heavily sclerotised, brown, especially along anterior margin; phallapodeme (Fig. 74, ph) fused to basiphallus, subtriangular and flat, with heavily­sclerotised region basally (viewed laterally); ejaculatory apodeme detached during dissection (Fig. 75, ea) but free, with duct probably inserted at junction of phallapodeme and basiphallus; basiphallus (Fig. 74, bp) grossly expanded, forming extensive, extremely wide, sclerotised, half-moon-shaped plate, strongly concave on left side, arm of basiphallus discernable through plate cuticle for basal half and apical ⅔; distiphallus (Figs 74, 75, dp) extremely short, with relatively broad, sclerotised basal section (viewed laterally, Fig. 75, dp), right margin indented laterally, with crenulated margin, right lateral margin with membrane with short forked process (may have become detached from lateral margin during dissection), blade ending in acute point, left margin with black-brown sclerotised, apically recurved bar, with curved, downwardly-directed process at point of bend; sperm pump (Figs 74a, 74b) heavily sclerotised, brown, with rugose surface, capsulate, ovoid, with apical extension and distinct sclerotised lip around apical opening (this became detached during dissection and its position in relation to the rest of the terminalia complex cannot be accessed).   
Variation: Insufficient material is available to assess variability.  
 Holotype: ♂ “ MADAGASCAR: / Ankarafantsika / (Forest Reserve) / near Marovoay / XII­1­1959 // E. S. Ross / Collector // HOLOTYPE ♂ / Curtonotum / rinhatinana sp. n. / A.H. Kirk-Spriggs 2010 [red card]” (CAS). In fair condition, mesonotum rubbed, some head setation missing and tarsi damaged; one wing detached and glued to card; card-pointed; dissected, abdomen and terminalia in micro-vial pinned beneath specimen.   
Distribution (Fig. 100): Apparently confined to the Western Dry Forest vegetation type in the Dry Deciduous Forest biome. In the North West biogeographical zone and Dry bioclimatic zone (Figs 105–107; Tables 1–3; Appendix II).
description: Published as part of Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H., 2011, A revision of Afrotropical Quasimodo flies (Diptera: Schizophora; Curtonotidae). Part III - the Malagasy species of Curtonotum Macquart, with descriptions of six new species, pp. 391 in African Invertebrates 52 (2) on pages 428-431, DOI: 10.5733/afin.052.0212, http://zenodo.org/record/8342930