Suragina liberiaensis Muller 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Muller, Burgert S.
name: Swart, Vaughn R.
name: Snyman, Louwrens P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Athericidae
Suragina
Suragina liberiaensis

description: Suragina liberiaensis Muller sp. nov.
Figs 7, 22, 46, 81
Type material examined.
Holotype: Liberia • 1 ♀; [Margibi]; [Harbel], Roberts Field; [6°04.91'N, 10°20.96'W]; 23 Jul. 1945; R. F Lawrence leg.; Briscoe Collection; (NMSA - DIP 158443).
Paratypes: • 1 ♀; same data as holotype; (NMSA - DIP 158445) • 1 ♀; [Margibi]; [Harbel], Roberts Field; [6°04.91'N, 10°20.96'W]; 9 Jul. 1945; R. F Lawrence leg.; Briscoe Collection; (NMSA - DIP 158442) • 1 ♀; [Margibi]; [Harbel], Roberts Field; [6°04.91'N, 10°20.96'W]; 10 Jul. 1945; R. F Lawrence leg.; Briscoe Collection; (NMSA - DIP 158444).
Holotype and paratypes deposited in NMSA.
Diagnosis.
An overall dark brown almost black species with only the legs partially yellow (Fig. 22). The upper occiput of head with large black markings running down to occipital foramen (Fig. 7). The thorax pruinosity and wing colouration similar to species such as S. freidbergi Muller, sp. nov. and S. zombaensis Muller, sp. nov., but differs by the scutellum being blackish without any yellow margins (Fig. 7). Abdomen dark brown, somewhat more yellowish from sternite 5 onwards.
Description.
Measurements (♀ n = 3): Wing span: 7.1–7.9 mm (avg. 7.6 mm); body length: 8.3–9.0 mm (avg. 8.7 mm); wing span to body length ratio (avg.): 0.87.
Male. Unknown.
Female (Fig. 22).
Head (Fig. 7): Black ground colour, with bluish-grey pruinosity on majority of head; eye bare; dichoptic; ommatidia of similar size; lateral edge of eye without any indentation; ocellar tubercle elevated, visible in profile, dark setulose, bluish-grey pruinose; vertex bluish-grey pruinose, with pale setulae; anterior ocellus similar in size to posterior pair; ocellar tubercle in front of dorsal margin of eye; dorsal inner edge of eye without discernible paired dark markings, same bluish-grey pruinose as rest of head; occiput similarly bluish-grey pruinose; paired black markings with dark setulae on upper occiput running down to occipital foramen, abutting posterior margin of eyes, flanking vertex; upper occiput otherwise with pale setulae; lower occiput with lateral margins with long dark setulae, and long pale setulae medially, these continue ventrally on head to mouthparts that have mix of pale and dark ventral setulae; frons bluish-grey pruinose, velvety-black from ocellar tubercle to lower half of eye; frons running almost parallel, widening only slightly towards antennal base; frons with mixed pale and dark setulae; face and gena bluish-grey with pale and darker setulae respectively; clypeus black with bluish-grey pruinosity, bare; face separated anteriorly from clypeus by shallow transverse suture, deeper sutures laterally; face not appearing to bulge laterally when viewed in profile; clypeus visible in profile, face not; antennal bases separated ca 1 × width of scape, with slight longitudinal groove running between; scape, pedicel orange to orange-brown with white pruinosity; 1 st flagellomere entirely orange or at least orange at base, brown apically, 2 nd flagellomere brown; scape and pedicel of similar size; 1 st flagellomere reniform, 2 × size of pedicel; 2 nd flagellomere arista-like; pedicel with dark dorsal and ventral setulae, similar in size, scape with only dark dorsal setulae; palpus velvety-black on apical half with scattered white pruinosity, orange on basal half, with dark setulae throughout; palpus ca 0.5 × length of proboscis; proboscis ca same length as head height; proboscis brownish on apical half, orange on basal half with long pale setulae dorsally, dark setulae ventrally.
Thorax (Figs 7): Scutum shining black with two feint dorsocentral bluish-grey pruinose vittae running from pronotum to before scutellum; pronotum bluish-grey pruinose with long pale setulae; postpronotal lobe orange-brown, slight bluish-grey pruinose with long pale setulae; notopleuron bluish-grey pruinose with long pale setulae just behind postpronotal lobe and rest of surface with dark setulae; postalar wall and postalar callus brown with bluish-grey pruinosity; scutellum brown with bluish-grey pruinosity, apical margin yellow; scutum generally with short dark setulae with postsutural setulae longer than presutural setulae, especially prescutellar setulae; majority of pleura bluish-grey pruinose, except for anatergite, anepimeron, part of meron brown; all pleura that are bluish-grey pruinose have long pale setulae; anepimeron with long pale setulae, anatergite and meron bare; proepisternum and proepimeron with long pale setulae; anterior and posterior spiracles and surroundings brownish-yellow, bare; postspiracular scale yellow-brown; postscutellum brown.
Legs: Fore coxa yellow with brown anterior surface, mid and hind coxae brown, all coxae with some degree of bluish-grey pruinosity on surface; fore coxa with dark setulae anteriorly and some interspersed with some pale setulae especially on posterior surface; mid coxa with long dark setulae on anterior surface, sparsely setulose along posterior margin; hind coxa with long dark setulae on anterior edge surrounding well-developed anterior apical point, lateral apical edges with long pale setulae; all trochanters yellow-brown with short pale setulae; fore femur yellow with apical dorsal surface dark brown, some brown markings at base; mid and hind femora dark brown, both yellow at extreme base and apex; fore and hind tibiae and tarsi dark brown, mid tibia and tarsi yellow; fore tarsal claws and pulvilli symmetrical, pulvilus and empodium of similar size; fore tarsi with long, somewhat curved sensory setulae along antero- and posteroventral surfaces, sensory setulae ca 2 × as long as tarsal segment is wide; all femora with pale setulae, some darker setulae on dorsal surface of fore femur; all femora with long pale setulae on apical ventral and posteroventral surfaces; mid femur with long pale setulae on ventral surface; all tibiae with short dark setulae; hind leg overall stouter than remaining legs; hind tarsal segments 0.9–1.0 × as long as hind tibia; tibial spur formula 0: 2: 2.
Wing (Fig. 46): Brown suffused on apical half starting at R 4 + 5 fork, continuing along edge of wing to anal lobe; darker brown stigma and substigmal marking over apex of veins R 1 and R 2 + 3 and cells sc, r 1, base of cell r 2 + 3, crossvein r – m, bases of discal cell, cell m 3 and apex of cell br; cell bm hyaline; veins dark brown; costa without distinct downward flexure over stigma; cell cua closed a short distance from wing margin; cell m 3 open, veins M 1, M 2, M 3 present; haltere stalk yellow, knob brown, with some short and dark setulae.
Abdomen: Entirely dark brown, tergites and sternites without apparent darker markings; tergites with short black setulae on dorsal surface, long pale setulae laterally; tergite 1 with bluish-grey pruinosity, medially with a longitudinal suture, remaining tergites with similar pruinosity when viewed at an angle; sternites with long pale setulae similar to those on tergites.
Terminalia (Fig. 81): Cercus dark brown with dark setulae; genital fork with distal apodeme ending broadly with shallow fork; median lobe with evenly curved edge; paired apical lobes slender, wider than arms, inner surface with clustered microtrichia at apex; arms gradually rounded; three shortly oval and sclerotized spermathecae.
Etymology.
Named after the type locality country, Liberia. Feminine adjective in the nominative singular case.
Distribution.
Liberia.
description: Published as part of Muller, Burgert S., Swart, Vaughn R. & Snyman, Louwrens P., 2024, Revision of Afrotropical Suragina Walker, 1859 (Diptera, Athericidae), pp. 247-327 in African Invertebrates 65 (2) on pages 247-327, DOI: 10.3897/afrinvertebr.65.140524