Empidideicus socotrae Greathead &amp; Evenhuis 2001, sp.nov.
Creators: name: Greathead, D. J.
name: Evenhuis, N. L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2001
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Bombyliidae
Empidideicus
Empidideicus socotrae

description: <i>Empidideicus socotrae</i> sp.nov. This new species belongs in the group of species (mostly undescribed) that is distinguished by having the mesonotum without contrasting pale and dark longitudinal vittae. Undescribed species of <i>Empidideicus</i> from Yemen and Oman fit in this group and are similar to <i>E</i>. <i>socotrae</i>, but have the colouration of the mesonotum solid black (as opposed to the mostly brown colour in <i>socotrae</i> with black restricted to the lateral areas of the mesonotum). <i>Female</i>. Length: 0.96­1.08 mm. Head longer than high, occiput well developed posteriorly; eyes dichoptic, separated at vertex by 1.5 x distance between lateral ocelli; occiput and postgena black; front slightly depressed medially, white; face and tip of oral margin white; antennae (Fig. 1) black; scape short, subtrapezoidal; pedicel subconical, wider than long; first flagellomere ovoid­triangular, length slightly longer than width; second flagellomere slightly shorter than first flagellomere, with small transparent apical style; mentum black; proboscis black, length slightly longer than head length; labrum sclerotised, stiff, pointed apically; palpus not evident. <i>Thorax</i> (Figs. 2­3). Mesonotum pale yellowish, uniformly brown dorsally, darker brown only above postalar calli; scutellum brownish with paler brown colour apically; pleura yellow except for brown on lower anepisternum, anterior portion of anepimeron, most of katepisternum, and lower portion of meron; coxae and legs yellow; halter stem and knob white. <i>Wing</i> (Fig. 4). Subhyaline; veins brown, well sclerotised except vein separating basal cells, M 1, M 2, M 1 + 2, and CuA 1; costa ends slightly beyond end of R 4 + 5; vein Sc incomplete; Rs evanescent at connection with R 1; R 4 + 5 slightly curved to wing margin; vein M 1 curved toward wing margin; M 2 slightly sinuous to wing margin; length of M 2 slightly longer than M 1 + 2; crossvein dm­cu closing cell dm absent; A 1 slightly sinuous to wing margin; fringe of hair on posterior margin of wing well developed. <i>Abdomen</i>. Dorsum brown, concolorous with central mesonotal colour, posterior margins of tergites pale yellow to white, dorsal brown colour of tergites gradating to pale yellow laterally; tergites with sparsely scattered minute hairs; venter yellowish white. <i>Genitalia</i> (Fig. 11). Spermatheca spheroid­ellipsoid with large indentation, length subequal to height of spermatheca; spermatheca with basal conical area leading to apical duct; apical spermathecal duct ca. 1.5 x length of spermatheca, thin, transparent; sperm pump subequal in length to apical duct, transparent, not sclerotised apically or basally; basal duct slightly sclerotised brownish, thin, length slightly less than apical duct. <i>Male</i>. Unknown. <i>Remarks</i>. Upon wetting, a mesonotal pattern becomes apparent in which there is a short longitudinal median dark stripe from the midpoint of the mesonotum to the prescutellar area and a dark spot of brown lateral to the median stripe leading toward the postalar callus; otherwise the rest of the mesonotum is a pale brownish yellow colour. <i>Types</i>. Holotype female and 1 female paratype from <b>SOKOTRA</b>: Noghed, cca. 13 °N 54 °E, 27.ii– 1.iii. 2000, K. Stástny &amp; V. Bejcek. Holotype in NMSA. Paratype in NLE. <i>Etymology</i>. The specific epithet derives from the type locality.
description: Published as part of <i>Greathead, D. J. &amp; Evenhuis, N. L., 2001, Bombylioidea (Diptera: Bombyliidae; Mythicomyiidae) from the island of Sokotra, pp. 1-11 in Zootaxa 14</i> on pages 3-4, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4620128