Limnophora alta Couri & Pont, 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Couri, Márcia
name: Pont, Adrian
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Muscidae
Limnophora
Limnophora alta

description: Limnophora alta sp. nov.
(Figs 13–16)
Type material. Holotype male, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: Drakensberg Mts, 19.xi.2006, A.C. Pont & D. Werner / Royal Natal Nat. Park, Gudu Falls, 5590 ft, S28.40.971, E028.55.778 (BMNH). Paratypes, 2 males, same labels as holotype (NMSA & MNRJ)
Diagnosis. In the group with a broad male frons and 2 pairs of orbital setae, dorsocentrals 2+3, mid femur with 1 posterior preapical seta, and mid tibia with 2 posterodorsal setae, L. alta sp. nov. can be recognised by the high insertion of the antenna and by the scutal pattern, combined with the brown haltere knob.
Description. Male. General coloration. Ground-colour dark brown with grey-bluish dusting. Frontal vitta brown dusted; fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, face and gena silvery-white pruinose. Antenna, arista and palpus dark brown. Proboscis shining dark brown. Scutum brown with 2 grey-bluish vittae between acrostichal and dorsocentral rows of setae; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron, pleura and postalar callus light grey dusted with bluish reflexions. Scutellum brown, grey-bluish on disc. Anterior spiracle grey-bluish, yellow at centre. Wing clear. Calypters white, haltere with knob brown. Legs dark brown, coxae and femora grey-bluish dusted; a small apical area on fore femur, trochanters and femoro-tibial joints yellow. Abdomen dark brown, tergites 3–5 each with a triangular area of grey-bluish dust in anterolateral corners, syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3–5 with a narrow greybluish median vitta.
Male. Body length: 4.0 mm; wing length: 4.2 mm
Head. Eye bare, frons at level of anterior ocellus about one-third of head-width, margins parallel; 4 pairs of inclinate frontal setae and 2 pairs of reclinate orbital setae, and with some fine setulae outside the frontal setae; inner vertical seta long and outer one short; ocellar seta moderate. Antenna inserted above the mid-level of eye, postpedicel very long, almost reaching mouth-margin, about 4 times the length of pedicel; arista a little enlarged at basal fourth, short pubescent. Palpus very slightly enlarged to tip.
Thorax. Dorsocentrals 2+3; acrostichal setulae in 2 rows, prescutellar pair not differentiated; 2 postpronotals; 1 presutural and 2 postsutural intraalars similar in size; 1 presutural and 1 postsutural supraalar; 2 postalars, the posterior one very long; prealar absent. Prosternum setulose. Notopleuron with two setae similar in size. Scutellum with one sub-basal pair of setae and one long apical pair, lateral and ventral surfaces bare. Anepisternum with a series of 4 setae, the second and the last longer. Katepisternals 1+2, the lower posterior seta fine. Lower calypter about 1.5 times the length of the upper one.
Legs. Fore femur with rows of posterodorsal and posteroventral setae; fore tibia with 1 dorsal preapical and 1 posteroventral apical seta, both short; mid femur with 1 posterodorsal preapical; mid tibia with 2 short posterodorsals and 1 strong apical ventral; hind femur with an anterodorsal row of setae, and 1-3 anteroventral setae on apical fifth; hind tibia with 1 median anterodorsal seta, 1 submedian anteroventral seta; dorsal preapical seta and 1 ventral apical short.
Wing. Veins bare except for vein R4+5 which has 1–3 setulae on the node at base; veins R4+5 and M parallel at wing-tip; costal spine not differentiated.
Abdomen. Tergites 3–5 with medium-sized setae, mostly lateral marginals. Sternite 1 bare. Sternite 5 as in Fig. 13.
Terminalia. Cercal plate and surstylus as in Figs 14–15. Aedeagal complex as in Fig 16.
Female. Unknown.
Distribution. Republic of South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal).
Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin adjective “altus”, meaning “high”, and refers to the high insertion of the antenna.
Remarks. In Emden’s (1951) key to Limnophora, the new species runs to L. pluripila Emden, which is a small and entirely fuscous species.
description: Published as part of Couri, Márcia & Pont, Adrian, 2017, Afrotropical Limnophora Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera, Muscidae) with the description of four new species, pp. 501-536 in Zootaxa 4216 (6) on pages 503-504, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.242395