Suragina semiobscura 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 semiobscura

description: Suragina semiobscura Muller sp. nov.
Figs 34, 53, 86
Type material examined.
Holotype: Uganda • 1 ♀; Kibale National Park, Kanyawara Makerere University Biological Field Station; 00°33.960'N, 30°21.267'E; 1495 masl; 12–26 Aug. 2008; S. van Noort leg.; UG 08 - KF 1 - M 11; Malaise trap, secondary mid-altitude Rainforest, marshy area; (SAM-DIP-A 018385).
Paratypes: Central African Republic • 1 ♀; Prefecture Sangha-Mbaéré; Réserve Spéciale de Foret Dense de Szanga-Sangha, 12.7 km 326 ° NW Bayanga; 03°00.27'N, 16°11.53'E; 420 masl; 12–13 May 2001, S. van Noort leg.; Malaise trap, CAR 01 - M 109, Lowland Rainforest; (SAM-DIP- 018431). Kenya • Western Province; Kakamega Forest, nr. KFS HDQTRs; 00°14.2452'N, 34°51.9642'E; 1620 masl; 2–16 May 2017; R. Copeland leg.; Indigenous forest; Malaise trap; (ICIPE 4020-26) • Western Province; Kakamega Forest, nr. KFS HDQTRs; 00°14.2452'N, 34°51.9642'E; 1620 masl; 9 Apr. – 3 May 2017; R. Copeland leg.; Indigenous forest; Malaise trap; (ICIPE) • Western Province; Kakamega Forest, nr. Rondo Guest House; 00°13.6602'N, 34°53.1198'E; 1630 masl; 13–27 Aug. 2006; R. Copeland leg.; across small permanent stream; Malaise trap; (ICIPE) • Western Province; Kakamega Forest, nr. Rondo Guest House; 00°13.6602'N, 34°53.1198'E; 1630 masl; 8–22 Oct. 2006; R. Copeland leg.; across small permanent stream; Malaise trap; (ICIPE).
Holotype deposited in SAM and paratypes deposited as per listed institutional codens in citations above: ICIPE, SAM.
Diagnosis.
Suragina semiobscura Muller, sp. nov. has its thorax dark brown to blackish with varying levels of bluish-grey pruinosity throughout, except for a yellow scutellum. The wing, uniquely, has its anterior half dark brown suffused, and posterior half light brown suffused, giving a two-toned appearance (Fig. 53). The species is most similar to S. bezzii (See S. bezzii diagnosis), but the latter has the scutellum brown and tergites 4–6 orange, compared to dark brown in S. semiobscura Muller, sp. nov.
Description.
Measurements (♀ n = 2): Wing span: 9.9–10.5 mm (avg. 10.2 mm); body length: 9.2–9.5 mm (avg. 9.4 mm); wing span to body length ratio (avg.): 1.1.
Male. Unknown.
Female (Fig. 34).
Head: 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, same velvety-black as upper half of frons, with short dark setulae; vertex bluish-grey pruinose, with dark setulae; anterior ocellus larger than posterior pair; ocellar tubercle in front of dorsal margin of eye; dorsal inner edge of eye with bluish-grey markings; occiput with silver-grey pruinosity; paired narrow black markings with short dark setulae on upper occiput, abutting posterior margin of eyes, flanking vertex; upper occiput otherwise with pale setulae; lower occiput lateral margins and medial surface with long pale setulae, these continue ventrally on head to mouthparts that have mix of pale and dark ventral setulae; lower half of frons bluish-grey pruinose, velvety-black from ocellar tubercle to lower half of eye; frons running almost parallel, widening towards antennal base; frons setulae dark on upperhalf, pale on lower half; face and gena with silver-grey pruinosity, face with pale setulae, gena with dark setulae; clypeus with bluish-grey pruinosity, bare; face barely separated anteriorly from clypeus by shallow transverse suture, with deeper sutures laterally; face much reduced in appearance, bulging laterally when viewed in profile; clypeus visible in profile; antennal bases separated ca 1 × width of scape, with slight longitudinal groove running between; scape, pedicel, and 1 st flagellomere orange-yellow with some whitish pruinosity; pedicel in some specimens browner dorsally; 2 nd flagellomere dark brown; scape and pedicel of similar size; 1 st flagellomere reniform, ca 1.5 × as tall as pedicel; 2 nd flagellomere arista-like; pedicel with dark dorsal and ventral setulae, similar in size, scape with only dark dorsal setulae; palpus orange-brown with dense dark setulae ventrally and whitish pubescence dorsally; ca 0.5 × length of proboscis; proboscis ca same length as head height; proboscis orange-brown to dark brown, setulae dark with some scattered short pale setulae.
Thorax: Scutum dark brown, median vittae unknown due to damage from preservation method; pronotum orange-yellow dorsally, with lateral margins dark brown; postpronotal lobe yellow, slightly whitish pruinose, setulae pale; notopleuron dark brown with bluish-grey pruinosity with long pale setulae; postalar wall yellowish-brown with ridge dark setulose, postalar callus brown; scutellum yellow with long pale setulae, apical margin with long dark setulae; scutum setulae unknown, rubbed bare; all pleura dark brown with bluish-grey pruinosity, except for meron and anepimeron markedly less dusted; anepimeron with long pale setulae, anatergite and meron bare; proepisternum with pale setulae and proepimeron with dark setulae; anterior and posterior spiracles and surroundings yellowish and dark brown respectively, bare; postspiracular scale dark brown; postscutellum dark brown with slight bluish-grey pruinosity.
Legs: Fore coxa yellow with apex brown, mid and hind coxae brown with slight bluish-grey pruinosity on surface; fore coxa with long pale setulae anteriorly and apically with short dark setulae apically; mid and hind coxae with dark setulae on anterior surfaces, mid coxa with pale setulae at base; hind coxa with dark setulae on anterior edge surrounding well-developed anterior apical point, lateral apical edges with longer pale setulae; all trochanters yellowish-brown with short dark setulae; fore femur yellow on at least basal half, dorsally with dark brown apex, some specimens with apical half to third dark brown; mid femur with apical third and extreme base dark brown, yellow medially; hind femur with dark brown medial band, basal quarter yellow, apical quarter orange-yellow; fore tibia dark brown, mid tibia yellow, hind tibia brown with apical third yellowish-brown; fore tarsi dark brown, mid and hind tarsi yellowish-brown with basal segments lighter; fore tarsal claws, empodium and pulvilli symmetrical; fore tarsi with long, somewhat curved sensory setulae along antero- and posteroventral surfaces, sensory setulae ca 2 × as long as tarsal segment is wide; fore femur with long pale setulae on antero- and posteroventral surface, dorsally with short pale setulae, apically with dark setulae on dark dorsal marking; mid femur with short pale setulae and some longer pale setulae on ventral surface; hind femur with a mix of pale and dark setulae, setulae longer on ventral apex; 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. 53): Upper half of wing dark brown suffused, lower half light brown suffused; dark brown stigma over apex of veins R 1 and R 2 + 3 and cells sc, r 1, base of cell r 2 + 3; entirety of cells r 2 + 3 and r 4 dark brown suffused, rest of radial and marginal cells and veins light brown suffused, including discal cell; 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 orange-brown with knob darker brown, with some short and dark setulae.
Abdomen: Tergite 1 yellow, posterior margin with a dark brown marginal band, narrowing around medial longitudinal suture; tergite 2 yellow with dark brown median longitudinal band appearing to extend from dark marginal band on tergite 1 and continuing down to tergite 3, additionally tergite 2 with paired narrow dark brown lateral markings; tergite 3 with some yellow markings on anterior margin; remaining tergites entirely dark brown; sternites 1–3 yellow, sternite 3 dark brown on posterior third, rest of sternites dark brown; tergite 1 with long pale setulae anteriorly and short dark setulae on dark posterior markings, tergite 2 with short dark setulae; remaining tergites with a mix of short pale and dark setulae on dorsal surfaces, all tergites laterally with long pale setulae; sternites with pale setulae on yellow segments, dark setulae on dark segments.
Terminalia (Fig. 86): Cercus dark orange-yellow with pale setulae; genital fork with distal apodeme ending broadly truncated and sharply bilobate; median lobe with deep and wide emargination; paired apical lobes with somewhat slender appearance, inner surface darkened with clustered microtrichia at apex; arms gradually rounded, wide, similar to apical lobes in width; three ovate and sclerotised spermathecae.
Etymology.
From the Latin semi “ half ” and obscurus “ dark or shady ”, describing the species’ wing that has its anterior half of wing dark brown suffused, contrasting with the lighter brown suffused posterior half. Feminine noun in the nominative singular case.
Distribution.
Central African Republic, Kenya, Uganda.
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