Hemerodromia attenuata Plant, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Plant, Adrian R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Empididae
Hemerodromia
Hemerodromia attenuata

description: Hemerodromia attenuata sp. nov.
(Figs 6, 18, 19, 77)
Diagnosis. A black species with vein M2 absent (fork M1+2 not present) and a single row of spinose setae ventrally on the front tibia. R2+3 is short, joining C only about 0.5X the distance between end of R1 and R4 and cell bm+dm is long, ending beyond level of R1. Male terminalia with cercus strongly curved dorsally on distal part and surstylus very broad, its tip strongly reflexed dorsally.
Description. Male: Body length 3.0 mm; wing length 2.8 mm. Head. Black, dusted brownish grey. Antenna and mouthparts entirely whitish. One pair reclinate ocl; two pairs small vtl distinguishable from smaller fine hairs on vertex and upper occiput; postocular and lower occipital setulae minute. Antenna with postpedicel ~2.5X long as wide, stylus rather shorter; scape with distinct fine dorsal seta. Thorax. Black, very slightly paler in postpronotal area, dusted greyish (Fig. 6). All setae yellowish white; minute apart from one npl and one pair small sct. Legs. Ground colour whitish yellow, becoming more distinctly yellowish on distal tarsomeres. C1 ~1.1X longer than distance between C1 and C2, all setulae minute except a few slightly longer apicals. F1 ~ 1.2X long as C1, ~ 5X long as wide, not at all constricted 0.3 from base; femoral formula ~ 7/16/17 +1/7, denticles black, rows converging apically; spines yellow, shorter than limb is deep, longest basally, av row longer than pv row especially proximally. T1 ~ 0.6X long as F1, evenly curved, ventral face shallowly concave; with one row of ~15 sharply pointed spinose setae ventrally; a strong ventroapical erect black spinose seta present; ventroapical spur hardly developed. Mid and hind legs slender with only small setulae. Wing. Membrane darkened with greyish microtrichia but hyaline basally. Veins greyish to brownish black but whitish near base. Marginal setulae greyish. R2+3 sublinear, short, joining C ~ 0.5–0.6X distance between end of R1 and R4; length of C between ends of R2+3 and R4 ~1.9–2.0X long as R4. R4 slightly S-shaped, angle with R5 at extreme base ~ 75°; R5 ~2.0X long as R4; R5 and M1 almost linear, parallel; M2 absent, represented at most by a slight fold in wing membrane; cell bm+dm long, ending beyond level of R1. Halter; knob with anterior face black sharply demarked from yellowish white posterior face, stem yellowish white. Abdomen. Brownish black dorsally, paler below, tergite 7 and sternite 7 paler still, dusted greyish; all setulae, small except posteriorly on sternite 7 and tergites 7 and 8, pale but darker on tergites 7 and 8. Terminalia. Brownish black with dark setae. Cercus moderately elongate in lateral view, extending well beyond tip of epandrium, strongly curved dorsally on distal part with narrow tip directed posteriorly (Figs 18, 19); broad on proximal part in dorsal view with distal part narrow, curved inwards, bearing conspicuous strong setae. Epandrium (Fig. 18) rather narrow, bluntly pointed apically with 2–3 strong setae apically. Hypandrium small and narrow, strongly divided ventrally on proximal 0.5, with a few distinct setae posteroventrally. Two internal process present; upper one (probably posterior process of subepandrial sclerite) narrow, incurved on distal part, a cluster of distinct short black spinose setae at tip; lower process (surstylus) broader, its tip strongly reflexed dorsally, bearing numerous fine setae along posterior margin. Female: similar to male but basal spines on F1 rather stronger, abdomen with sternites whitish but with sternites 7 entirely and usually sternites 1 along margins darker.
Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, THAILAND: Kamphaeng Phet Province, Mae Wong NP, Chong Yen, 1,306 m, 16°5.212'N, 99°6.576'E, 11–18.ii.2008, MT, C. Piluek [T3631[(QSBG). PARATYPES: 1♂, Chiang Mai Province, Doi Suthep Pui, stream in evergreen forest, 28.xi.2012, netted, A.R. Plant (terminalia removed, stored in vial attached to specimen vial); 1♀, Doi Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary, Nature Trail, 491 m, 19°24.278'N, 98°55.311'E, 30.ix.–7.x.2007, MT, Songkran & Apichart; 1♂, Loei Province, Phu Ruea NP, Huay Taey ditch, 1,233 m, 17°30.128'N, 101°20.339'E, 5–12.viii.2006, MT, Nukoonchai Jaroenchai; 1♀, Phu Ruea NP, Nature Trail, 1,253 m, 17°30.74'N, 101°20.65'E, 26.ix.–2.x.2006, MT, Nukoonchai Jaroenchai; 1♀, Lampang Province, Chae Son NP, Doi Laan unit-2, 1,413 m, 18°51.815'N, 99°22.122'E, 9–15.v.2008, MT, B. Kwannui & A. Sukpeng; 1♂ 1♀, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Namtok Yong NP, behind campground lavatory, 80 m, 8°10.434'N, 99°44.508'E, 15–22.vii.2008, MT, K. Uprai; TV aerial, 952 m, 8°14.262'N, 99°48.289'E, 23.ii.–2.iii.2009, MT, Paiboon; 1♀, Nakhon Nayok Province, Khao Yai NP, Lum Ta Kong View Point, 744 m, 14°25.82'N, 101°23.754'E, 5– 12.iv.2007, MT, Pong Sandao; 1♀, Surat Thani Province, Khao Sok NP, Headquarters, 115 m, 8°54.896'N, 98°31.81'E, 31.viii.–8.ix.2008, MT, B. Kwannui & A. Sukpeng; 3♀, Chanthaburi Province, Khao Khitchakut NP, Campground/Prabaht Unit, 99 m, 12°48.852'N, 102°9.204'E, 4–11.viii.2008, MT, Suthida & Charoenchai; 2♀, 50 m NE/Prabaht Unit, 107 m, 12°48.779'N, 102°9.181'E, 11–18.viii.2008, 28.vii.–3.viii.2008, MT, Suthida & Charoenchai (QSBG & NMWC).
Additional material. 1♀, Chanthaburi Province, Khao Khitchakut NP, Campground/Prabaht Unit, 99 m, 12°48.852'N, 102°9.204'E, 14–21.vii.2008, MT, Suthida & Charoenchai (INPA) [Selected for DNA sequence analysis].
Etymology. The specific epithet attenuata (Latin) meaning lessened or diminished, in reference to the simplified wing venation. It is used as a noun in apposition.
Remarks. Hemerodromia attenuata sp. nov. shares with H. deminuta sp. nov. the apomorphic loss of vein M2 and presence of only a single row of denticles ventrally on the fore tibia. The two species are clearly closely related and may be separated most readily by differences in shape of the cercus, posterior process of the subepandrial sclerite and surstylus. Hemerodromia attenuata sp. nov. has anterior and posterior faces of the knob of halter more strongly defined than in H. deminuta sp. nov. In H. deminuta sp. nov. cell bm+dm ends closer to the level of R1 than in H. deminuta sp. nov. In H. deminuta sp. nov. tergite 7 and sternite 7 are pale and tergite 1 is dark whereas in H. attenuata sp. nov. tergite 7 and sternite 7 are dark and tergite 1 is pale. Hemerodromia attenuata sp. nov. is evidently widespread in Thailand (Fig. 77) occurring in the north (Chiang Mai, Kamphaeng Phet and Lampang provinces), northeast (Loei Province), south (Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani provinces) and in the southeast (Nakhon Nayok and Chantaburi Province). It occurs in a variety of lowland and mid elevation (99–1,413 m) forest biotopes between February and October (mostly July and August) during the Southwest Monsoon period.
description: Published as part of Plant, Adrian R., 2015, Diversity of Hemerodromia Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Empididae) in Thailand, the tip of a tropical iceberg?, pp. 1-56 in Zootaxa 4039 (1) on pages 15-16, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4039.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/289932