Gellergrimmellus Stuke 2019, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Stuke, Jens-Hermann
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Conopidae
Gellergrimmellus

description: Gellergrimmellus gen. nov.
(Figs 1−13)
Type-species: Gellergrimmellus fritzi spec. nov., designated herewith.
Diagnosis: Gellergrimmellus is easily identified by the combination of the following characters: three distinct ocelli (Fig. 4), frons and vertex smooth, lacking any obvious grooves (Fig. 4), proboscis shorter than head length (Fig. 3), arista reduced to only one visible aristomere (Fig. 2), wing completely covered with microtrichia, and tibiae dorsally with preapical setulae. At first glance Gellergrimmellus resembles some of the Australian Conopinae which may be very small, often have ocelli and can have a reduced and inconspicuous arista (although always of at least with two distinct aristomeres). Only Tanyconops SCHNEIDER, 2010 has a very short proboscis and lacks distinct grooves on the frons, but this has a very characteristic female postabdomen with an obviously prolonged and flattened tergite 7 (SCHNEIDER 2010: 241, Figs 321 & 242, Fig. 325). Tanyconops also lacks ocelli and has an obviously different wing venation (SCHNEIDER 2010: 241: 320).
Etymology: The genus Gellergrimmellus is derived from the name „Geller-Grimm“. The Latinized name is in the diminuative, as signified by the ending „-ellus“, which refers to the small body size of the fly. This patronym is dedicated to Fritz Geller-Grimm (Frankfurt) to whom I am very grateful for his long-standing support of my dipterological work. The name Gellergrimmellus is to be treated as masculine.
Description: Head: Arista with only one minute aristomere situated at tip of basal flagellomere (Fig. 2). Scape about two times longer than maximum width, apically and ventrally with black setae. Pedicel about four times longer than maximum width, completely covered with black setae, lacking a blunt ridge at base, and slightly expanded towards the apex. Basal flagellomere long, about three times longer than high, and almost as long as pedicel. Basal flagellomere pointed, ventrally lacking membranous area, dorsally lacking setae. Lunule between base of antennae and ptilinal suture distinct, distinctly shorter than width of scape. Eye reddish brown, lacking ommatrichia. Facets all of about the same size. Posterior margin of eye convex, lacking an indentation. Ratio of gena height / eye height (measurements are taken from head in lateral view) ≈ 0.1. Ocellar tubercle distinct, with three ocelli (Fig. 4). No ocellar triangle. No frontofacial spot. Vertex only about 2/3 width of frons, separated from latter by a ridge, distinctly rounded anteriorly, bulging posteriorly, and covered with scattered black setulae (Fig. 4). Gena with a few long black setulae, parafacial with line of regularly arranged minute white and black setulae. Distinct facial grooves reaching mouth edge. Distinct facial carina reaching from base of antennae to a barely developed frontoclypeal tubercle. Ptilinal suture stretching a short way on either side beneath the antennal bases. The area surrounding the ptilinal suture is blackish. Mouth opening slightly tapering dorsally. Postcranium obviously invaginated. Postgena not widened and therefore not separated from occiput. Bottom portion of postcranium distinctly separated. No palp. Proboscis geniculated once only, at base. Labium shorter than headlength, hardly projecting out of mouth opening, distinctly thickened basally, anterior section not fused into a tube. Labrum not recognised. Labellum short, completely divided, broad, white and covered with long yellow setulae. Labellum with 8 indistinct pseudotracheae on each side. Head lacking setae.
Thorax: Presternum distinct, about as wide as the compound basisterna. Presternum distinctly separated from basisternum. Basisternum broad, narrowed to a tip, lacking setulae. Proepisternum with 1 black seta ventrally, dorsally lacking setulae. Mediotergite convex, lacking setulae, and projecting distinctly over scutellum. Subscutellum not developed. Metakatepisternum, anepisternum and anepimeron lacking setulae. Subcostal-radial crossvein sc-r present (Fig. 6). Radial-medial crossvein r-m complete. Radius R 1 and R 2 terminate close together in costa, well beyond the end of the subcosta. Radius R 4+5 with a shallow and even curve in the distal section which is directed to a point beyond the wing tip. Radial cell r 4+5 pedunculate, with vein R 4+5 + M distinctly expressed and longer than radial-medial crossvein r-m. Cubital cell cup elongated (distinctly longer than vein A 1 +CuA 2) and pointed distally (cubitus CuA 2 and anal vein A 1 meet at an acute angle). Cubital vein CuA 1 and crossvein bm-cu distinctly separated. Alula minute, about 3 times broader than long, with white setulae on posterior margin. Vena spuria indistinctly evident only in cubital cell cup. Base and stem of haltere each with areas of sensillae. Knob of haltere with isolated white setulae. Posterior surfaces of fore and middle tibiae lacking obvious dusted fields distally. Areas with dense brown setulae ventrally at tip of fore tibia, and ventrally and posteriorly at tip of hind tibia. Middle femur posteriorly with regularly arranged, comb-like long setulae. Hind femur dorsally lacking outstanding long setulae. Tibiae dorsally with small preapical setulae. No setulae ventrally on tibiae. Femora ventrally lacking rows of short black setulae. Hind femur not obviously thickened in basal half. No lines of black, regularly arranged setulae ventrally on tarsi.
Abdomen: Tergites 1−3 fused but distinctly separated from each other (Fig. 5). Lateral margins of tergites almost straight.
♂ abdomen with 5 tergites. Tergite 1 with obvious black setulae laterally on the bulbous projections. Tergite 2 distinctly elongated and parallel-sided, about 5 times as long as broad when viewed dorsally, and lacking obvious lateral tufts of setulae. Tergite 3 distinctly widened posteriorly, about 3.8 times as wide posteriorly than anteriorly. Sternites 1-5 present, sternites 1 and 2 not fused and distinctly separated. Tergite 5 and sternite 5 distinctly separated. Sternite 5 apically with a small field of thick setulae and several long black setulae.
♂ postabdomen with protandrium obviously broader than epandrium and therefore projecting over it. Sternite 8 distinctly delimited from protandrium. Ventrally the lateral edges of the protandrium are fused by a narrow sclerotised strip, which is not widened medially. Cercus distinct, completely sclerotised and covered with setulae (Fig. 8). No hypoproct evident. Posterior and anterior surstyli absent. No obvious strong black setae nor long black setulae which would indicate the base of a surstylus. Subepandrial plate not sclerotised nor covered with microtrichia and therefore not evident. Hypandrium slightly sclerotised or hyaline with the exception of two unique dorsolateral bars (Fig. 9: dbhy). These bars are curved upwards apically, bear a broad tooth basally and are connected by a small, slightly sclerotised hypandrial bridge (Fig. 9: hybr). No hypandrial lobe evident. Hypandrial bars fused distally to a hypandrial arm (Fig. 10: hya, hyr). Hypandrial membrane reduced, lacking microtrichia. Phallus sheath not fused dorsally; lacking any evagination or setulae. Postgonite small. Postgonite evagination not sclerotised, not projecting above distiphallus and lacking obvious microtrichia (Fig. 9: poe). No plate on inner side of postgonite evagination. Ring sclerite developed (Fig. 10: rs). No epiphallus recognised. Phallus apodeme longer than hypandrium arm. Ejaculatory apodeme elongate, lacking distinct attachment to sperm sac (Fig. 10: ea).
♀ abdomen with sternites 1−2 fused. Sternites 3−4 not protruding ventrally, posterior parts of sternites inconspicuous. Tergites 3 and 4 lacking any protuberances. Tergite 5 and sternite 5 fused laterally to form a syntergosternite with obvious theca below (Fig. 12). Posterior part of sternite 6 conspicuous sclerotised, slightly bent dorsally, and distinctly divided medially (Fig. 11: pS6). Tergite 7 distinctly bent ventrally, without a longitudinal gap, and with a hardly protruding blunt tooth in middle of posterior margin. Sternite 8 not fused with syntergite 8+9 and therefore not connecting on its sides. Tooth on syntergite 8+9 distinct, its base elongated anteriorly. Sternite 9 slightly bulging posteriorly, lacking strong long black setae but with several long setulae. Paired cerci distinct. Sack-like ventral protrusion of vagina with distinct annular sclerotisation. Sack-like ventral protrusion is hardly larger than annular sclerotisation and no evagination or additional sclerotisations are recognised. 2 pairs of round spermathecae, spermathecal ducts fused some distance before reaching spermathecae. Spermathecal ducts sclerotised a long distance before reaching spermathecae, this sclerotised part winding (Fig. 13).
Distribution: The genus Gellergrimmellus is only known from the locus typicus of Gellergrimmellus fritzi. This location is placed in the Min Mountains (Minshan). The biogeographical classification of this location is not clear. Sensu HEISER & SCHMITT (2013) the locus typicus belongs to the transition zone of the Oriental and Palaearctic regions, whilst sensu CHEN et al. (2008) or KREFT & JETZ (2010) the locus typicus lies in the Oriental region.
Biology: Nothing is known about the biology of this genus.
Phylogenetic placement of Gellergrimmellus: Gellergrimmellus belongs in the subfamily Conopinae due to the following characters: Stylate arista placed apically on basal flagellomere (Fig. 2); no ocellar triangle; lunule distinct (Fig. 4); facial grooves reaching to mouth opening, divided by a central carina which widens ventrally; mouth opening tapering dorsally; postgena not widened and therefore not separate from the narrow occiput; chaetotaxy reduced, no obvious setae on the head; radial cell r 4+5 petiolate and R 4+5 + M distinct (Fig. 6); subcosta-radial crossvein sc-r well developed (Fig. 6); ♂ protandrium obviously broader than epandrium and therefore projecting over it. As discussed in detail under Hauserimyia a more detailed phylogenetic classification is not possible at the time of writing. Within the Conopinae Gellergrimmellus is an isolated genus with no related or similar genera known.
description: Published as part of Stuke, Jens-Hermann, 2019, Two new genera and two new species of Conopidae (Diptera) from China, pp. 301-317 in Contributions to Entomology 69 (2) on pages 302-307, DOI: 10.21248/contrib.entomol.69.2.301-317, http://zenodo.org/record/3713216