Helina harrisorum Couri & Pont, 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Couri, Márcia
name: Pont, Adrian C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Lonchaeidae
Helina
Helina harrisorum

description: Helina harrisorum sp. nov.
Figs 3, 13–17.
Type material. Holotype ♂, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: Free State, Harrismith, Mooihoekkop, 28°10′50.0′S, 29°10′51.1′E, ca. 1800 m, Malaise traps, Leucosedea -dominated scrub, 14–16.ix.2009 (A.H. Kirk- Spriggs), BMSA (D)08761 (BMSA).
Paratypes, 56♂ 41♀. REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: 48♂ 33♀, same data as holotype, except: BMSA (D)08760, 0 8763, 0 8764, 0 8782, 0 8788, 0 8797, 0 8799, 0 8800, 0 8806, 0 8808, 0 8818, 0 8819, 08821–08824, 0 8828, 0 8832, 0 8834, 0 8839, 0 8863, 0 8865, 0 8866, 0 8868, 0 8871, 0 8883, 0 8887, 0 8922, 0 8981, 0 9101, 0 9105, 0 9106, 0 9109, 0 9110, 0 9113, 0 9135, 0 9138, 0 9139, 0 9141, 0 9145, 0 9151, 0 9156, 09158–09165, 0 9167, 09169–09176, 0 9178, 0 9179, 09181–09183, 0 9189, 0 9190, 0 9195, 0 9201, 0 9202, 0 9206, 0 9208, 0 9215, 09225–09229, 10026, 10044, 10057, 10066” (all BMSA); 1♂, 2♀, same, except: BMSA (D)08762, 0 9111, 0 9180 (all MNRJ); 1♂, same, except: BMSA (D)10265 (BMNH); RSA: Free State, Harrismith, Nesshurst farm, 28°26′53.3′S, 29°09′14.2′E, Malaise traps, Leucosedea -scrub & stream bed, 17–18.ix.2009 (A.H. Kirk-Spriggs), 2♂, 2♀, BMSA (D)10739, 10760, 10795, 10849 (all BMSA); RSA: Free State, Harrismith, Scotland farm at: 27°58′59.5′S, 29°37′09.8′E, Malaise traps, dense Leucosedea -dominated scrub, 10–12.xi.2009 (A.H. Kirk- Spriggs), 4♂, 5♀, BMSA (D)11453, 11504, 11542, 11561, 11607, 11616, 11660, 11687, 11740 (all BMSA); same, except: BMSA (D)11648, 1♂ (MNRJ); RSA: Free State, Harrismith, Geluksdal farm at: 27°54′7.05′S,29°23′31.9′E, Malaise traps, sparse Leucosedea -dominated scrub, 9–10.xi.2009 (A.H. Kirk-Spriggs), 1♂, BMSA (D)13230 (BMSA); RSA: Eastern Cape, Tsitsikamma N.P., below Sleepkloof hut at: 33°56.974′S, 23°54.926′E, Malaise trap, indigenous forest, 20–22.i.2009 (A. Kirk-Spriggs & S. Otto), 1♀, BMSA (D)03159 (BMSA).
Diagnosis. Distinguishable by the colour patterning of the notum, the bare meron and presence of 2 postsutural intra-alars. Morphologically similar to H. icterica (Séguy, 1937) and H. scutellaris Zielke, 1971, but H. icterica has virtually clear crossveins and the dark abdominal maculae obsolescent, whilst H. scutellaris differs from the new species, according to Zielke’s (1971) description, by the wings having a strong yellowish brown tinge.
Description. General colouration. Ground colour brown and yellow, with grey to whitish grey pruinosity; head with frons black; fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and face silvery pruinose; gena grey; antenna brown, scape with yellow areas, arista brown; palpus yellow; notum with patterning as in Fig. 3; pleura mostly yellow, with large grey-brown areas on anepisternum, anepimeron and meron; spiracles yellow; wing with black infuscations over r–m and dm–cu crossveins, the latter more intense at its ends; bifurcation of veins R2+3 and R4+5 dark brown; veins otherwise yellow; calypters white; haltere light yellow, knob white; legs yellow, tarsi brown; abdomen brown, with grey pruinosity and some yellow marks, especially in female; syntergite 1 + 2 of male mostly yellow; syntergite 1 + 2 and tergites 3–4 with light brown lateral infuscations; tergite 5 with median fascia, not reaching the posterior margin, bases of setae in female with small brown round marks.
♂. Measurements. Body length: 6.0 mm; wing length: 5.6 mm.
Head. Eye bare; eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by distance equal to ¼ head-width; frons narrowed medially; 3 pairs of frontal setae close to lunule; medial vertical seta long, lateral vertical short; ocellar setae short; antenna inserted at mid-level of eye, postpedicel ca. 3 × length of pedicel; arista long-plumose, the longest combined plumosity equal to length of postpedicel; palpus filiform.
Thorax. Dorsocentrals 2 + 3; acrostichal setulae in 3–4 irregular rows presuturally, arranged in 5–6 irregular rows postsuturally, prescutellar pair fine; 2 postpronotals; 1 presutural and 2 postsutural intra-alars; 1 presutural and 2 postsutural supra-alars, posterior one short; 2 postalars; prealar present, but short, barely 3 × as long as ground-setulae; notopleuron with 2 setae, the posterior slightly shorter than anterior, otherwise bare; anepisternum with series of 4 long setae, with finer one between third and fourth, and setula in upper anterior corner; katepisternals 1 + 2 (some specimens with short, but distinct, lower anterior seta). Scutellum with 1 long basal and 1 long apical pair of setae, similar in length; margins and ventral surface bare.
Legs. Fore femur with rows of posteroventral, posterior and posterodorsal setae; fore tibia with posterior median seta and dorsal preapical seta; apical posteroventral long; mid femur with series of anterodorsal setae in basal ½ and 1 preapical, 3 posteroventral setae in basal ⅓, but no anteroventrals; 3 posterior preapicals, 1 short; mid tibia with 2–3 posterodorsal setae, without anterodorsals; anterior, anteroventral, ventral and posteroventral apical setae, the ventral one longer; hind femur with complete row of anterodorsal setae and well-spaced row of 4–6 anteroventrals, anterodorsal, dorsal and posterodorsal surfaces with preapical setae; hind tibia with 1–2 anterodorsal setae on median ⅓, 1 submedian anteroventral, 1 dorsal and 1 anterodorsal preapical, and 1 long ventral apical.
Wing. Veins bare; veins R4+5 and M parallel at wing-tip; costal spine developed; lower calypter large, ca. 2 × length of upper calypter.
Abdomen. Syntergite 1 + 2 and tergite 3 with lateral setae; tergites 4–5 each with marginal and discal row of setae; sternite 1 bare.
Terminalia. Cercal plate virtually as high as wide; surstylus large (Figs 13–14); aedeagus as in Fig. 15.
♀. Measurements. Body length: 6.2 mm; wing length: 5.9 mm.
Similar to male, differing in the following respects: frons with 5 pairs of setae (frontals and orbitals) along entire length (not confined to area close to lunule as in males); ovipositor long, with microtrichia on both sides (Figs 16–17); spermathecae round, as in Fig. 17.
Distribution. Republic of South Africa (Free State, Eastern Cape).
Etymology. The species is dedicated to Sandra and John Harris and is a Latinized noun in the genitive plural.
description: Published as part of Couri, Márcia & Pont, Adrian C., 2014, New species of Afrotropical Muscidae (Diptera: Muscoidea), pp. 301-320 in Zootaxa 3852 (3) on pages 307-309, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3852.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/229938