Rinhatiana latifestuca Irwin & Winterton 2024, gen. et sp. nov.
Creators: name: Irwin, Michael E.
name: Winterton, Shaun L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Therevidae
Rinhatiana
Rinhatiana latifestuca

description: Rinhatiana latifestuca gen. et sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 43F805DB-3FBE-4E56-B935-A4995BD93673
Figs 7–8, 9G–H, 15C, 16E–F, O, 18
Diagnosis
Frons entirely matte black and silver pubescent, without tan pubescence dorsally (Fig. 9G–H); male eyes nearly contiguous; single row of postocular macrosetae in both sexes; dorsocentral macrosetae absent; one pair of supra alar macrosetae (Figs 7–8); abdomen yellow with silver pubescence laterally.
Differential diagnosis
Rinhatiana latifestuca gen. et sp. nov. differs from all other members of the genus by a distinctive pattern of frontal pubescence (Fig. 9G–H) and predominantly yellow abdomen. Amongst other characters, it differs from R. cracentis gen. et sp. nov. by the bright silver pubescence around the base of the antennae (silver-tan in R. cracentis), from R. distincta by the presence of a single pair of supra alar macrosetae (two pairs in R. distincta), and from R. arctifestuca gen. et sp. nov. by the absence of tan pubescence dorsally on the frons (present in R. arctifestuca). In addition, the matte black pubescence on the dorsal portion of the female frons is wider in this species than in that of R. arctifestuca.
Etymology
The specific epithet is derived from the Latin ʻ latus ʼ (ʻbroadʼ) and ʻ festuca ʼ (ʻstalkʼ). Gender is female.
Material examined
Holotype MADAGASCAR – Tulear Province (Atsimo-Andrefana Region) • ♂; Ambohimahavelona; 23.4408° S, 43.8996° E; 45 m a.s.l.; 27 Dec. 2008 – 2 Jan. 2009; M.E. Irwin and R. Harin’Hala leg.; Malaise in spiny forest dry wash; CASC.
Paratypes MADAGASCAR – Tulear Province (Atsimo-Andrefana Region) • 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; various dates: 27 Dec. 2008 – 2 Jan. 2009, 17–24 Nov. 2015, 27 Dec. 2015 – 6 Jan. 2016; Malaise traps in hillside wash and deciduous dry forest; CASC • 13 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀; 4 km N of Manombo; 22.9036° S, 43.4755° E; 30 m a.s.l.; various dates: 12–27 Nov. 2001, 3–13 Oct. 2002, 8–19 Feb. 2002, 6–17 Mar. 2003, 2–12 Oct. 2003, 14–28 Nov. 2002; M.E. Irwin and R. Harin’Hala leg.; Malaise in Mikea deciduous dry forest; CSCA • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; 4 km NNW of Manombo; -22.9133, 43.4821; 37 m a.s.l.; 6–17 Jan. 2002; M.E. Irwin and R. Harin’Hala leg.; Malaise in spiny forest; CASC • 1 ♂; 5 km SE of Manombo; 22.9863° S, 43.5022° E; 17 m a.s.l.; 20–30 Oct. 2008; M.E. Irwin and R. Harin’Hala leg.; Malaise on path in dense forest; • 1 ♀; 3 km E of Itampolo; 24.6578° S, 43.9562° E; 45 m a.s.l.; 18– 27 Mar. 2010; M.E. Irwin and R. Harin’Hala leg.; Malaise across path in Androimpano dry forest; CASC • 1♂, 1♀; 27 km N of Tongobory; 23.3461° S, 44.3581° E; 289 m a.s.l.; 22–30 Oct. 2008; M.E. Irwin and R. Harin’Hala leg.; Malaise in damp wash with spiny scrubland; CASC. – Tulear Province (Androy Region) • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; 5 km N of Ampotaka; 25.0303° S, 44.6915° E; 86 m a.s.l.; 27 Oct.–5 Nov. 2008; Malaise on trail on Vitambany gallery forest; CASC.
Other material
MADAGASCAR – Tulear Province (Atsimo-Andrefana Region) • 27 ♂♂, 19 ♀♀; Ambohimahavelona; 23.4408° S, 43.8996° E; 45 m a.s.l.; various dates: 27 Dec. 2008 – 2 Jan. 2009, 17–24 Nov. 2015, 27 Dec. 2015 – 6 Jan. 2016; M.E. Irwin and R. Harin’Hala leg.; Malaise traps in hillside wash and deciduous dry forest; CASC.
Description
BODY LENGTH. 5.5–7.0 mm (male), 6.5–8.0 mm (female).
HEAD. Frontal pubescence with matte black band medially, extending dorsally and ventrally (female), matte black dorsally (male), silver ventrally; male frons width at narrowest point with eyes nearly contiguous; frontal vestiture absent; ocellar tubercle gray pubescent, without setae; black postocular macrosetae in single row immediately laterad of ocellar tubercle in both sexes; occiput pubescence silver-gray, brown suffusion medially; genal setae pale; antennal scape shorter than flagellum, cylindrical, dark yellow-orange, overlain with gray pubescence, sparsely covered with short, dark macrosetae; flagellum conical, tapered distally, style elongate, orange-yellow, terminus dark.
THORAX. Scutum uniform gray-tan or with brown markings, sparse short pale setae; scutellum concolorous with scutum; pleuron with dense silver-gray pubescence, darker in male; katatergite setae pale; scutal and scutellar macrosetae black; coxae yellow, overlain with silver-gray pubescence, minor setae white, macrosetae black, few in number; femora yellow, short dark setae admixed with longer pale setae and white adpressed scale-like setae, especially on hind leg; hind femur with single subapical anteroventral macroseta, subapical series of short posteroventral macrosetae; tibiae yellow, dark gray-brown suffusion apically, darker on hind leg; tarsi brown; wing smoky infuscate; venation yellow basally along major veins, darker distally; scutal chaetotaxy (pairs): notopleural, 3; supra alar, 1; post alar, 1; dorsocentral, 1; scutellar, 2.
ABDOMEN. Male dark yellow, silver velutum present posterolaterally on tergites 1–5 in both sexes, pale elongate setae, darker on posterior segments and terminalia in male, female abdomen dark yellow, intersegmental membrane distinctly pale, especially on tergite 2; terminalia dark yellow in both sexes.
MALE GENITALIA. Epandrium quadrangular, strongly arched along midline; gonocoxites with elongate macrosetae laterally; outer gonocoxal process well developed and narrowly subtriangular; ventral lobe elongate, membranous apically; gonostylus narrow; distiphallus very narrow and recurved; sternite 8 sub-quadrangular, emarginate medially, setae along posterior margin.
Remarks
Rinhatiana latifestuca gen. et sp. nov. is very similar in appearance to R. arctifestuca gen. et sp. nov., especially in the frontal pubescence pattern. This species appears restricted to southern Madagascar where it has been collected in spiny thicket habitats (Fig. 18; inset).
description: Published as part of Irwin, Michael E. & Winterton, Shaun L., 2024, New genera of stiletto flies endemic to Madagascar (Therevidae: Therevinae), pp. 1-33 in European Journal of Taxonomy 932 (1) on pages 14-17, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.932.2507, http://zenodo.org/record/11001504