Litoleptis kiiensis Imada & Kato, sp. n.
Creators: name: Imada, Yume
name: Kato, Makoto
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Rhagionidae
Litoleptis
Litoleptis kiiensis

description: Litoleptis kiiensis Imada & Kato sp. n.
[Japanese name: kii-jingasa-shitone-abu] (Figs. 3 c, 3d, 4b, 6)
Description. Body length: 2.6 mm (n=6) in male, 3.0 mm (n=7) in female. Wing length: 2.6 mm (n=7) in male, 2.8 mm (n=7) in female. Head Frons bare in male, bare or having a pair of setae in female. Antenna 0.55 mm (n=3). Antenna 1.0 times in male and 1.3 times in female as long as diameter of eye. First flagellomere with enlarged base; with distinctive depression at middle part (at basal 1/3–2/3) of anterior margin; apex slightly enlarged (wider than midpoint width) (Fig. 6 a). Antenna covered with short setae consistently. Male (Fig. 6 b) Gonostylus with semicircle-shaped extension apically, pointed inwardly at apex; smooth in posterior edge of basal major part. Sperm sac bulbous hardly visible. Lateral ejaculatory process integrated into sperm sac basally, but freely elongate apically. Ejaculatory apodeme short, round at anterior margin of gonocoxite. Less than four bristles at inner corner of ventral surface of gonocoxite. Base of aedeagus connected with paramere at thick and wide joint. Paramere widest at connection with aedeagus, approximately three times as wide as narrowest point. Apex of aedeagus flat with shallow incision at apex. Female (Fig. 6 c) Spermatheca membranous, cone-shaped. Spermathecal duct accessory gland with short, straight sclerotized columnar duct, arising at less than two-thirds distal length from genital chamber to spermatheca. Common spermathecal duct absent. Genital chamber small.
Type material. Holotype. JAPAN [HONSHU] 1♂, emerged on 28.III.2011 from larva collected by MK on 22.XI.2011 at Akabanegawa, Mie Pref (Fig. 1:18), “Rh 0109”, NMNS. Paratypes. 2♂, 9♀ (Rh 0110–0132) emerged from 27.III–30.IV.2011, from the larvae collected by MK on 22.XI.2011 at same locality as holotype, KUHE.
Additional materials. In total, 58 specimens were collected. All following materials were obtained as larvae. All specimens are stored in Kyoto University (KUHE). JAPAN [HONSHU] 13♂, 15♀ (Rh 0133–0161) emerged on 30.III.2014 from larvae collected by YI on 9.III.2014 at Nanataki, Wakayama Pref (Fig. 1:12). 7♂, 7♀ (Rh 0162–0175) emerged during 3.IV.2014 from larvae collected by YI on 9.III.2014 at Hyakkennzannkeikoku, Wakayama Pref (Fig. 1:13). 4♂, 2♀ (Rh 0176–0181) emerged on 30.III.2014 from larvae collected by YI on 10.III.2014 at Takinohai, Wakayama Pref (Fig. 1:15). 2♂ (Rh 0 182, 0183) emerged during 7–9.IV.2009 from larvae collected by MK on 1.IV.2009 at Youjigawa, Wakayama Pref (Fig. 1:16). 4♂, 4♀ (Rh 0212–0223) emerged during 9–11.IV.2010 from larvae collected by MK on 3. IV 2010 at Shimajigawa, Mie Pref (Fig. 1:19).
Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition, taken from the Kii peninsula where this species exists.
Distribution. Japan (Honshu: Wakayama and Mie Prefectures) in Japan (Fig. 1).
Natural history. Larvae of this species are thallus miners of Reboulia hemisphaerica (Marchantiales: Aytoniaceae) growing on rocky or clayey slopes in both evergreen and deciduous forests (Fig. 11 f). This species prefers sunny and relatively arid microhabitats compared to the habitat of L. japonica, depending on the microhabitat preference of its host-plant. Adults emerged in spring (March-July, in laboratory condition).
Diagnosis. Litoleptis kiiensis resembles L. niyodoensis and himukaensis, and can be distinguished from them by the following characters: first flagellomere with distinctive depression at basal one-third to two-thirds of dorsal margin and swollen at apex; gonostylus with semicircle-shaped extension at apex (as opposed to square-shaped in the other two species), and smooth posterior edge of basal part (as opposed to undulate dorsal edge in the other two species); less than four bristles at posteromedial margin of ventral surface of gonocoxite; spermatheca conicalshaped in female (as opposed to round-shaped in L. niyodoensis).
description: Published as part of Imada, Yume & Kato, Makoto, 2016, Bryophyte-feeding of Litoleptis (Diptera: Rhagionidae) with descriptions of new species from Japan, pp. 41-58 in Zootaxa 4097 (1) on pages 47-48, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4097.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/271005