Tomosvaryella ngarrbekiota Foldvari, Skevington & Motamedinia 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Motamedinia, Behnam
name: Földvari, Mihaly
name: Skevington, Jeffrey H.
name: Kelso, Scott
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Pipunculidae
Tomosvaryella
Tomosvaryella ngarrbekiota

description: Tomosvaryella ngarrbekiota Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 44D4E052-E6A4-45B5-B03D-0BD9CD9DF811
Figs 69A–E, 111, 145F, 157B
Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter lacking a keel, but having a distinct spur at the distal end and a group of 10–12 dark short spines ventrobasally (reminiscent of the spiny fur of echidnas (Fig. 145F); short subepandrial sclerite, covered with transverse streaks in ventral view (Fig. 69B); phallic guide with three different-sized spines dorsally (Fig. 69B); hypandrial apodeme divided into two projections distally in ventral view (Fig. 69B); gonopods elongated with a small projection towards phallic guide in ventral view (Fig. 69B).
Description: MALE: Body length: 2.6–2.9 mm. Head. Flagellum acuminate, brown. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black, lower part distinctly silver pollinose; eyes touching for distance equal to 2–3 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, including upper half. Thorax. Postpronotum brownish, with 3–4 distinct pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) subshining black, anterior part silver pollinose, slightly grayish also from the side. Scutellum silvery pollinose and with a few indistinct pale bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles developed, dark, longer on frontal part and numerous dark bristles around postpronotum. Halter, knob pale with a brownish tinge distally, stem dark brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–3 stronger bristles at inner apical corner. Trochanters and base of femora brown, femora brown, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees, basal 1/6 of tibiae yellow (otherwise brown), tarsal segments yellow-brown, last segment dorsally darker. Hind trochanter without keel, but distinct spur at the distal end and a group of 10–12 dark short spines ventrobasally (Fig. 145F). Fore femur with two long spines ventrobasally and without ventroapical row of spines, mid femur with 4–6 short, black ventroapical spines and 1–2 long ventrobasal bristles, no spines on hind femur, only 6–8 pale bristles posteriorly equally distributed on distal ¼ (half as long as width of hind tibia at the distal end). Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae present (short); ventrobasal spines (2) present on fore and mid femora. Hind metatarsus flattened (all 5), first tarsomere as long as 2–3 combined; ventral bristles scrub-like, yellow. Pulvilli as long as 2/3 of last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.0– 3.2 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long distinct bristle. Fourth costal section 4–5 times as long as third costal section (3 rd costal section very short). Cross-vein r-m at middle of discal cell. 5–6 dark bristles on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites brownish pollinose, tergite 1 silvery grey, sides silvery pollinose on tergites 4 and 5 (the latter spots are larger). Dispersed short dark bristles on tergites present, the longest on ST8 and up to twice as long as width of hind tibia at base. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 8–10 black bristles up to twice as long as width of hind femur at base. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 large, shiny black; membranous area roundish, mostly positioned posteriorly; epandrium paler, narrow; surstyli yellow. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium dark brown, wider than long (MLE:MWE = 0.7). Surstyli light brown, rather symmetrical, elongated with broad base and inward bent tips, left surstylus longer than right one (Fig. 69A). Genital capsule in ventral view: subepandrial sclerite short, covered with transverse streaks; gonopods elongated towards surstyli with a small projection towards phallic guide (Fig. 69B), phallic guide with three different-sized spines dorsally (longer one closer to apex); hypandrial apodeme divided into two projections distally (Fig. 69B). Genital capsule in lateral view: surstyli rather curved toward sternite (Fig. 69D–E); phallus with three ejaculatory ducts, one bearing a small spine; ejaculatory apodeme flat, sperm pump elongated, linear (Fig. 69C).
FEMALE: Body length: 3.6 mm.As male except for the following characters. Frons, eyes separated, as wide as 1.2–1.5 times the width at antennae; completely silver-grey pollinose until up to 1/3 of the lower frons, shiny black in front of ocellar triangle, somewhat pollinose in the middle. Enlarged ommatidia silvery shining. Hind trochanter with two patch of spines, ventrobasal spines denser than ventroapical ones, without spur at the distal end. Pulvilli and claws about 1–1.2 times as long as last tarsal segment on metatarsi. Female abdomen with silver spots on sides of tergites 3–6. Base of ovipositor dark, gray pollinose with scattered bristles, piercer light brown. Viewed laterally, piercer straight, reaching middle of 3 rd segment. LP:LB = 2.0. LDP:LPP = 2.2. (Fig. 157B).
Etymology: Named in reference to the spiny native mammal, Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus (Shaw 1792)), which comes to mind when looking at the dense, spiny area of the trochanter of males of this species. The Kunwinjku people of Western Arnhem Land have a lovely name for echidna: ngarrbek. We add the Greek ‘iota’ to the ending of the name as it refers to anything small.
Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: ~ 3 km N[orth] of Denham, 25°55’S, 113°32’E, hilltop, 12.xii.1999, J. Skevington, JSS7379 (1♂, WAM); PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Karijini National Park, Weano Gorge Road, 22°22’S, 118°15’E; 775m, on hilltop, open Eucalyptus, 25.iv–14.v.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, JSS16151 (1♀ ANIC); 22°24’S, 118°15’E, 718m, JSS16219 (1♂ ANIC); Mount Magnet, Mount Waramboo, 28°2’S, 117°49’E, hilltop, 14.xii.1999, J. Skevington, JSS7435, JSS7453, JSS7464, JSS7466, JSS7470–1 (1♂, CNC; 5♂, QM); ~ 3 km North of Denham, 25°55’S, 113°32’E, ~hilltop, 12.xii.1999, J. Skevington, JSS7318, JSS7321, JSS7323, JSS7327, JSS7329, JSS7336, JSS7347–8, JSS7366–8, JSS7372–3, JSS7388–9, JSS7394, JSS7401, JSS7404–5, JSS7408-9, JSS7483 (1♂, CNC; 20 ♂, QM; 1♂, USNM).
Distribution: Australia (Western Australia) (Fig. 111).
Notes: All known specimens were collected at hilltops in Western Australia, most of them at one hilltop north of Denham. See the note for T. minychoma sp. nov. for more information on this remarkable little hilltop. Intraspecific genetic distance ranges 0.5–2%. This species is genetically most similar to T. cona sp. nov. (5.3–10.2% pairwise divergence) (Supplementary file 3).
description: Published as part of Motamedinia, Behnam, Földvari, Mihaly, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2023, Revision of Australian Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) with description of 100 new species, pp. 1-271 in Zootaxa 5599 (1) on pages 152-153, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5599.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14970961