Suragina copelandi Muller 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Muller, Burgert S.
name: Swart, Vaughn R.
name: Snyman, Louwrens P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Athericidae
Suragina
Suragina copelandi

description: Suragina copelandi Muller sp. nov.
Figs 16, 17, 40, 58, 62, 79
Type material examined.
Holotype: Togo • 1 ♂: Plateaux; Kuma Tokpli; 06°58.30'N, 00°34.15'E; 486 masl; 21–24 Jan. 2016; A. H. Kirk-Spriggs leg.; well-vegetated stream bed; Malaise trap; (BMSA (D) 83426) (BMSA).
Paratypes: 9 ♂ 8 ♀; same data as holotype; (♂: BMSA (D) 83421, 83425, 83427, 83428, 83429, 83430, 83431, 83432, 83435; ♀: BMSA (D) 83422, 83423, 83424, 83433, 83434, 83436, 83437, 83438). Togo • 3 ♂ 9 ♀; Plateaux; Dzogbegan Monastary; 07°14.27'N, 00°41.56'E; 762 masl; 24–25 Jan. 2016; A. H. Kirk-Spriggs leg.; vegetated stream bed; Malaise trap (♂: BMSA (D) 84681, 84682, 84691; ♀: BMSA (D) 84684, 84683, 84685, 84686, 84689, 84690, 84687, 84688, 84697) • 2 ♀; Plateaux: Zogbégan-Carrière, (SE von Badou), Région des Plateaux; 07°34.8333'N, 00°40.05'E; 650 masl; 23–26 Apr. 2008; A. Ssymank leg.; NN MF, FO: 7093 (CSCA). Kenya • 3 ♀; Western Province; Kakamega Forest, nr. Rondo Guest House; 00°13.6602'N, 34°53.1198'E; 1630 masl; 13–27 Aug. 2006; R. Copeland leg.; across small permanent stream; Malaise trap; (ICIPE) • 1 ♀; Western Province; Kakamega Forest, nr. Rondo Guest House; 00°13.6602'N, 34°53.1198'E; 1630 masl; 24. Sep – 8. Oct. 2006; R. Copeland leg.; across small permanent stream; Malaise trap; (ICIPE) • 1 ♀; Western Province; Kakamega Forest, nr. Rondo Guest House; 00°13.6602'N, 34°53.1198'E; 1630 masl; 8–22 Oct. 2006; R. Copeland leg.; across small permanent stream; Malaise trap; (ICIPE) • 1 ♀; Western Province; Kakamega Forest, behind W. Okeka house; 00°14.13'N, 34°51.87'E; 1550 masl; 10–24 Feb. 2007; R. Copeland leg.; just inside forest; Malaise trap; (ICIPE) • 1 ♀; Western Province; Kakamega Forest, behind W. Okeka house; 00°14.13'N, 34°51.87'E; 1550 masl; 24 Feb. – 10 Oct. 2007; R. Copeland leg.; just inside forest; Malaise trap (ICIPE) • 1 ♀; Western Province; Mt Elgon Lodge; [1°23.309'S, 34°48.322'E]; 1–6 Nov. 1983; A. Freidberg leg.; Malaise trap (NMSA - DIP 158399). Uganda • 1 ♀; Kibale National Park, Kanyawara Makerere University Biological Field Station; 00°33.823'N, 30°21.490'E; 1505 masl; 12–26 Aug. 2008; S. van Noort leg.; UG 08 - KF 3 - M 13; Malaise trap, primary mid-altitude Rainforest; (SAM-DIP-A 018415) • 1 ♀; Kibale National Park, Kanyawara Makerere University Biological Field Station; 00°34.806'N, 30°21.874'E; 1491 masl; 2–12 Aug. 2008; S. van Noort leg.; UG 08 - KF 6 - M 06; Malaise trap, secondary mid-altitude Rainforest, marshy area; (SAM-DIP-A 018390).
Holotype deposited in BMSA and paratypes deposited as per listed institutional codens in citations above: CSCA, ICIPE and SAM.
Diagnosis.
Suragina copelandi Muller, sp. nov., is most similar to S. agramma (see S. agramma diagnosis) in its general appearance. It differs from it by having the fore and hind tibiae dark brown to black compared to the mostly yellow to orange-yellow appearance of S. agramma. Additionally, S. agramma has the lateral margins of tergites 2–4 concolorous to the rest of the abdomen compared (apart from a slight darkened margin on tergite 2 in some specimens) to the dark lateral margins in S. copelandi Muller, sp. nov. It is widely distributed from western Kenya to Togo, compared to S. agramma which occurs from eastern Kenya down to northeastern South Africa, seemingly without any known overlap in distribution.
Description.
Measurements (♂ n = 2, ♀ n = 2): Wing span: ♂ 7.0– 7.4 mm (avg. 7.2 mm); ♀ 8.8–9.4 mm (avg. 9.2 mm); body length: ♂ 9.4–9.5 mm (avg. 9.5 mm); ♀ 10.0– 10.6 mm (avg. 10.3 mm); wing span to body length ratio (avg.): ♂ 0.76; ♀ 0.90.
Male (Fig. 16).
Head: Orange-yellow colour, with silver-white pruinosity on majority of head; eye bare; holoptic; ommatidia of similar size; lateral edge of eye with slight indentation (absent in ♀); ocellar tubercle slightly more elevated than frons, black with dark setulae, shorter than pale setulae on vertex; vertex silver-white pruinose, with long pale setulae; ocelli similar in size; ocellar tubercle in front of dorsal margin of eye, margin less indented than in ♀; vertex narrower than in ♀; dorsal inner edge of eye without discernible paired dark markings; occiput with same silver-white pruinosity as rest of head, except for paired narrow dark brown, almost black (taller in ♀) markings with extreme dorsal edge with short dark setulae on upper occiput, abutting posterior margin of eyes, flanking vertex; upper occiput with short pale setulae on dorsal margin and on rest of upper surface, lower occiput with long pale setulae, these continue ventrally on head to mouthparts that have similar pale ventral setulae (with some scattered dark setulae); frons silver-white up to narrow area before eyes touch, when viewed dorsally, dark velvety-brown when viewed anteriorly; frons at narrowest where eyes touch, widening towards antennal base; frons bare; face and gena silver-white with pale setulae, clypeus orange with silver-white pruinosity, bare; face separated from clypeus by a prominent, deep suture on anterior and lateral edges; face not appearing to bulge laterally when viewed in profile; clypeus visible in profile, face not; antennal bases separated ca 0.5 × width of scape, with slight longitudinal groove; scape, pedicel, 1 st flagellomere orange-yellow, 2 nd flagellomere brownish; 1 st flagellomere reniform, only slightly larger than pedicel and scape; 2 nd flagellomere arista-like; scape with pale dorsal setulae, pedicel with dark dorsal and ventral setulae, similar in size, palpus orange-yellow, well-developed, ca 0.5 × length of proboscis; proboscis more slender than that of ♀, comparatively same length as that of ♀ in relation to head; proboscis mostly orange-yellow, except for ventral surface that is light brown, proboscis with long pale setulae, with some setulae ventrally; some scattered small dark setulae on proboscis and palpus.
Thorax: Majority of surface orange-yellow, dorsal surface of scutum and scutellum with dark setulae, pleura with longer pale setulae; scutum with postsutural setulae similar to presutural setulae, except for longer prescutellar setulae; postpronotal lobe slightly lighter orange-yellow colour compared to rest of thorax, with pale setulae; area behind postpronotal lobe brownish; scutum and scutellum uniformly orange-yellow without any vittae; pleura generally orange-yellow in colour with except for anepisternum that has a dark brown marking; anepisternum, katepisternum and katatergite lightly silver-white dusted; notopleuron with long pale and dark setulae; area surrounding posterior spiracle orange-yellow, postspiracular scale orange-yellow, same colour as rest of thorax; proepisternum, pronotum orange-yellow; anterior spiracle bare posteriorly; proepimeron, proepisternum with pale setulae, anepisternum with pale setulae; katatergite with pale setulae; rest of pleura bare.
Legs: Coxae orange-yellow; fore and mid coxae with long pale setulae on surface, hind coxa with long pale setulae on anterior and lateral apical edges, and with well-developed anterior apical point; all trochanters same orange-yellow colour as rest of body with some scattered short pale setulae; all femora uniformly orange-yellow, with hind femur with darker colouration medially; mid and hind femora with small anterior apical dark mark; fore and hind tibiae dark brown, mid tibia darker orange-yellow than mid femur; hind basal tarsus proximally and hind tibia apically lighter orange-brown; fore and hind tarsi dark brown, similar in colour to respective tibia, mid tarsi darker orange-yellow than mid tibia; fore tarsal claws asymmetrical, outer claw much larger than inner claw, foreleg empodium ca 2 × size of inner pulvillus, outer pulvillus ca 2 × length of inner, approaching size of outer claw; fore and mid femora covered with pale setulae on all surfaces except for dorso-apical surface with short dark setulae, hind femur with mixed long pale and dark setulae on dorsal and ventral surfaces, distoventrally with long pale setulae; hind leg overall stouter than remaining legs; fore tarsi covered with long sensory setulae along antero- and posteroventral surfaces, sensory setulae ca 2 × as long as tarsal segment is wide; fore and mid tibiae covered in short dark setulae, hind tibia with longer dark dorsal setulae; hind tarsal segments 0.9–1.0 × as long as hind tibia; tibial spur formula 1: 2: 2.
Wing: Slight light brown suffused appearance; with a slightly yellow-brown stigma over area of veins R 1 and R 2 + 3 and cell r 1; veins dark brown; costa without distinct downward flexure over stigma; cell cua closed a short distance from wing margin; cell m 3 open, veins M 1, M 2, M 3 present; haltere almost entirely orange-yellow, with very short dark setulae.
Abdomen: Orange-yellow, tergites 2–4 with dark lateral margin, rest unmarked; sternites without any markings; tergites with black setulae on median-dorsal surface, with long pale setulae on lateral surface; sternites covered in long pale setulae; tergite 1 with weak median longitudinal suture.
Terminalia (Figs 58, 62): Epandrium and cercus orange-yellow with dark setulae, epandrium with a dark brown dorsal mark; cercus dark brown dorsally; hypoproct and hypandrium with pale setulae, gonostylus tapering with truncated apex, outer ventral surface of gonostylus base with 3 short setulae, inner edge with a protrusion with 4 setulae, apical third of gonostylus with microtrichia; gonocoxite widening and appearing more rounded on apical half, apex somewhat flattened, gonocoxite outer and ventral medial surface with long setulae, inner surface of upper half with short setulae; gonocoxite with microtrichia between setulae; parameral apodeme short, not reaching base of gonocoxite in ventral view, parameral sheath including parameral apodeme ca 0.7 × length of gonocoxite; gonocoxal apodeme ca 1.2 × length of gonocoxite and similar in length to ejaculatory apodeme; aedeagal tine curvature extending down past gonocoxites, endoaedeagal process widening apically with a slight bilobed appearance.
Female (Fig. 17): Similar to ♂ except for the following:
Head: Dichoptic; lateral edge of eye without indentation (slight in ♂); ocellar tubercle with shorter dark setulae than in ♂; dorsal margin of eye more indented than in ♂; vertex wider than in ♂, dark directly behind ocellar tubercle up to posterior of eye margin (in anterior view), appearing silver-white when viewed dorsally; dorsal inner edge of eye with paired dark markings, but only visible when viewed anteriorly, otherwise area similarly silver-white pruinose; occiput with same silver-white pruinosity as rest of head, except for paired dark brown, almost black (taller than in ♂) markings on upper occiput, abutting posterior margin of eyes, flanking vertex, running down to occipital foramen; frons velvety-black from ocellar tubercle down to lower half of eye, silver-white down to antennal base; frons dark setulose on velvety-black area, pale setulose on silver-white pruinose area (♂ bare), at narrowest 1.86 × width of ocellar tubercle, widening slightly towards antennal base; face separated anteriorly from clypeus by shallow transverse suture, deeper sutures laterally; proboscis stout compared to ♂, with dark ventral colour; 1 st flagellomere comparatively much larger than in ♂.
Thorax: Scutum more densely setulose than in ♂.
Legs: Fore tarsi symmetrical; setulae of femora overall shorter (compared to ♂) except for preapical area of fore femur that has long pale setulae; hind femur with mix of short pale and dark setulae; hind tarsal segments 0.9 × as long as hind tibia.
Wing (Fig. 40): Slightly darker suffused compared to ♂; vein CuA with some slightly darker suffusion around it.
Abdomen: Tergites with short dark setulae more widely spread, including on later setulae, interspersed between long pale setulae; tergites 2–8 with a dark lateral marking, much darker on terminal segments; tergites 7 and 8 densely dark setulose.
Terminalia (Fig. 79): Cercus orange-yellow with pale setulae; genital fork with distal apodeme narrow, forked; median lobe with gradual emargination; paired apical lobes with somewhat slender appearance, widening towards apex, inner surface with clustered microtrichia at apex; arms gradually rounded; three oval and sclerotized spermathecae.
Etymology.
Named after the collector Dr Robert (Bob) Copeland, for his contribution to Dipterology in the Afrotropical Region. Noun in the genitive case.
Distribution.
Kenya, Togo, Uganda.
description: Published as part of Muller, Burgert S., Swart, Vaughn R. & Snyman, Louwrens P., 2024, Revision of Afrotropical Suragina Walker, 1859 (Diptera, Athericidae), pp. 247-327 in African Invertebrates 65 (2) on pages 247-327, DOI: 10.3897/afrinvertebr.65.140524