Empis (Coptophlebia) acris Daugeron & Grootaert 2005
Creators: name: Daugeron, Christophe
name: Grootaert, Patrick
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Empididae
Empis
Empis acris

description: EMPIS (COPTOPHLEBIA) ACRIS CLADE   
 Monophyly: The monophyly of this clade is supported by two characters: first fore tarsomere swollen, with strong, long apical bristles [character 10 (1)], and cercus enlarged at base [19 (1)].   
 Distribution (Fig. 11): This clade is found only in New Guinea (with E. parvula distributed in Irian Jaya). Most species are from mountainous areas except for the two sister-species E. (C.) missai and E. (C.) parvula, as well as E. (C.) submetallica found on the coast.   
 EMPIS (COPTOPHLEBIA) ACRIS SP. NOV.   
(FIG. 2)  
 Type material: Holotype: male, Papua New Guinea, Woitape, Wharton Range, 10.x.1963, D.K.McAlpine (AMS). Paratype: 1 female, same data except 20.x.1963 (AMS).   
 Etymology: From the Latin word acer meaning pointed in reference to the shape of the phallus at tip.   
 Description: Medium-sized species with yellowish femora, numerous long bristles on fore tarsomeres, pointed phallus. MALE: HEAD. Occiput black covered with grey dusting. Scape and pedicel dark brown, flagellum missing. Face blackish. Palpus blackish. Labrum yellowish, length c. 1.8× head height; labium yellowish to dark brown with short bristles. THORAX dark brown, scutum subshiny, strongly dusty grey in prescutellar depression. All bristles black. Antepronotum with some distinct short lateral bristles. Proepisternum and prosternum with 3 and 2 bristles, respectively. Acrostichals apparently uniserial, fine, rather short. Dorsocentrals uniserial, rather strong, long ending with 2 stronger, longer bristles in prescutellar depression. Anterior and posterior spiracles blackish. LEGS with coxae and femora yellowish, tibiae and tarsi brownish. Fore tibia with 1 strong, long antero- and posterodorsal bristles apically, 6 strong, long anterolateral bristles on apical half; first fore tarsomere strongly swollen, with numerous strong, long posterolateral and apicodorsal bristles; remaining fore tarsomeres with strong, long dorsal bristles. Mid femur with some fine ventral bristles; mid tibia with 1 strong, long ventral bristle at basal third, 3 strong, long dorsals (basally, at middle, apically); first mid tarsomere with 1 strong, long anterodorsal bristle apically; remaining mid tarsomeres missing. Hind femur with ventral and dorsal rows of fine, rather short bris- hyp tles; hind tibia with ventral row of strong, slightly longer than tibia depth bristles, dorsal row of 4 strong, long bristles (basally, at basal and apical third, apically); hind tarsus thick; first hind tarsomere with 5 strong, long dorsal bristles; remaining tarsomeres with dorsal pair of strong, long bristles. WING clear (length = 3.1), feebly tinged with brown, veins well sclerotized, brownish, M1, A1 less distinct. A1 abbreviated. Halter black to dark brown at base. ABDOMEN dark brown-blackish, shiny, with distinct bristles at base. Tergites and sternites with fine lateral and ventral bristles, respectively. Segment 8 with strong, long posterior bristles; tergite 8 somewhat more sclerotized anterolaterally. HYPOPYGIUM (Fig. 2). Cercus with dorsal brush of fine bristles, minute spines at tip. Epandrium with 2 small anterodorsal protuberances bearing some fine bristles, a dozen strong, long bristles at tip and ventrally. Hypandrium well sclerotized, not very long, pointed at tip. Phallus rather short, straight ahead, pointed at tip.  KEY TO SPECIES OF THE EMPIS (COPTOPHLEBIA) ACRIS CLADE (MALES ONLY) 1. Brownish, very small species (length of wing not more than 2 mm).............................................................................. 2 Blackish or submetallic, larger species (length of wing more than 2 mm).....................................................................3 2. Epandrium with less than 10 bristles at posterior projection and ventral margin (Fig. 7)................................................................................................................................................................  E. (C.) missai sp. nov.  (Papua New Guinea) Epandrium with c. 12 bristles at posterior projection and ventral margin (Fig. 8).......................................................................................................................................................................  E. (C.) parvula sp. nov.  (Indonesia: Irian Jaya) 3. Epandrium with a very long subapical bristle (Fig. 10)...............  E. (C.) woitapensis sp. nov.  (Papua New Guinea) Epandrium without a very long subapical bristle............................................................................................................ 4 4. Long postocular bristles, pedicel with 1 strong, long lateral bristle, wing tinged of brown..................................................................................................................................................  E. (C.) longiseta sp. nov.  (Papua New Guinea) Postocular bristles shorter, pedicel with short bristles of equal size, wing clear...........................................................5 5. Abdomen almost metallic, epandrium subrectangular (Fig. 9)..................................................................................................................................................................................................  E. (C.) submetallica sp. nov.  (Papua New Guinea) Abdomen not metallic, only shiny, epandrium subtriangular or truncate......................................................................6 6. Labrum as long as head, epandrium vertically narrowed, truncate (Fig. 4).................................................................................................................................................................................  E. (C.) lamellalta sp. nov.  (Papua New Guinea) Labrum longer than head, epandrium subtriangular (Figs 2, 3, 5)................................................................................7 7. Cercus divided into two arms (Fig. 3)......................................................  E. (C.) duplex sp. nov.  (Papua New Guinea) Cercus not divided into two arms (Figs 2, 5)....................................................................................................................8 8. Coxae and femora yellowish........................................................................  E. (C.) acris sp. nov.  (Papua New Guinea) Legs brownish................................................................................................  E. (C.) lata sp. nov.  (Papua New Guinea)  
FEMALE: Similar to male except for the following characters: lower ommatidia enlarged, frons somewhat wider than face. Flagellum black, first flagellomere conical, second and third flagellomeres aristiform. Left fore, left mid and right hind legs missing. First fore tarsomere with long dorsal pennation; second and third fore tarsomeres with long dorsal pennation except apically. Hind femur with some ventral pennate bristles apically; hind tibia with dense, long ventral and dorsal pennation. Abdomen shiny except last three segments dusty grey; cercus dusty grey.
description: Published as part of Daugeron, Christophe & Grootaert, Patrick, 2005, Phylogenetic systematics of the Empis (Coptophlebia) hyalea-group (Insecta: Diptera: Empididae), pp. 339-391 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 145 (3) on pages 347-349, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2005.00189.x, http://zenodo.org/record/5435260