Leskia flavitugula Li & Dong & Hao & Zhang 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Li, Yue
name: Dong, Ruiqing
name: Hao, Bo
name: Zhang, Chuntian
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tachinidae
Leskia
Leskia flavitugula

description: Leskia flavitugula Zhang sp. nov.
Figs 13–24
Diagnosis. Gena about 1/4 as high as eye height, occiput mostly with white hairs except a row of sparsely irregular black hairs below postocular setae, prementum about 4.5 times as long as diameter, shorter than head height. 2 presutural and 1 postsutural acrostichal setae, 3 presutural and 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae, scutellum with long lateral setae. Tegula and basicosta yellow, costal spine present, slightly shorter than crossvein r-m. Mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal seta. Abdominal syntergite 1+2 excavate to posterior margin, without median marginal seta, tergite 3 with 2 median marginal setae.
Male. Head (Figs 19, 20). Eye bare. Frontal vitta brownish yellow, fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and face yellowish white in ground color, covered with slivery white pruinosity. Occiput with slivery white pruionsity; lunule grayish yellow. Antenna yellow, except apical 1/3 of postpedicel dark brown on outer surface, arista dark brown except yellow basal 1/6, palpi pale yellow, prementum gleaming black. Frons slightly widened anteriorly, about 1/2 of eye width at narrowest point, frontal vitta at narrowest point slightly narrower than fronto-orbital plate, parafacial about as wide as postpedicel at middle in anterior view, lower margin of face protruding forward in lateral view, vibrissa at level of lower margin of face, fronto-orbital plate nearly bare, with sparse hairs on upper half, parafacial bare. Gena about 1/4 as high as eye height, 8–9 pairs of inclinate frontal setae, upper one and lower one smaller, about 0.6 times as long as other frontal setae, lowest frontal setae nearly level with apex of pedicel, outer frontal setae absent, ocellar setae slender, proclinate and hair-like, nearly parallel, about as long as upper frontal setae, inner vertical setae strong, crossed, about as long as 0.6 of eye height, outer vertical seta outward, about 0.4 times as long as inner vertical seta, a pair of smaller postocellar setae. Occiput mostly with white hairs except a row of sparsely irregular black hairs below postocular setae. A row of subvibrissae below vibrissa 0.3–0.4 times as long as vibrissa. Antenna short, scape erect, scape with a hook-like prolongation basally, postpedicel 3.5–4 times as long as wide and about 2.2–2.6 times as long as predicel. Arista bare, thickened on basal 1/5. Palpus slightly longer than antenna. Prementum about 4.5 times as long as wide.
Thorox (Figs 17, 18). Yellow in ground color, with dense grayish yellow pruinosity on dorsum, pleura dark in ground color, with dense grayish white pruinosity. Scutellum dark yellow on apical 1/2–2/3 except for dark brown basally. Anterior spiracle pale yellowish; posterior spiracle reddish yellow. Thoracic dorsum with 4 dark longitudinal vittae, broad outer and narrow inner vittae on presutural scutum, the distance between inner and outer vittae about 4 times as wide as inner vitta, 2 presutural and 1 postsutural acrostichal setae, 3 presutural and 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae, 3 postsutural intra-alar setae, prealar seta slightly shorter than postsutural intra-alar seta, 2 supraalar setae, anterior one stronger, 3 to 4 postpronotal setae, 3 strong basal setae set in straight line, a pair of strong discal scutellar setae arranged in parallel, about as long as scutellum, apical scutellar setae crossed, about as long as discal scutellar seta, subapical scutellar setae strong, slightly shorter than twice of scutellum, lateral scutellar seta 0.6–0.7 times as long as subscutellar seta, prosternum bare, 1.8 times as long as wide, propisternum bare, upper anepisternum with one setula anteriorly, shorter than prealar seta, 1 anepimeral seta, a tuft of fine hairs around it, 3 katepisterernal setae, lower one setula-like, katepimeron with a few hairs anteriorly, anatergite bare. Wing hyaline, tinged with pale yellowish brown, tegula and basicosta yellow. Lower caiypter pale yellowish white, with short fringe on outer margin, halter yellow, costal spine present, slightly shorter than crossvein r-m, vein first and 2nd costal section ventrally with fine hairs, relative lengths of costal sectors 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th approximately as 1:2:1; base of vein R 4+5 with 2–3 short black hairs dorsally and ventrally, vein M from crossvein dm-cu to its bend 5/7 distance between the bend and wing posterior margin, and about as long as dM-Cu. Legs slender, mostly yellow, with grayish white pruinosity, tarsi brownish yellow, claws blackish brown, pulvilli dark yellow. Fore claw and puivillus equal or longer than 5th tarsomere, fore tibia with a row of short anterodorsal setae on basal 1/2, 5–8 posterodorsal and 2 posterior setae, mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal seta, a row of irregular posterodorsal setae, 1 ventral and 2 posterior setae, hind tibia with a rather set row of anterodorsal setae of irregular length, 3–4 posterodorsal and 3 ventral setae, 2 preapical dorsal setae, preapical anteroventral seta distinctly longer than preapical postoventral one.
Abdomen. Long ovate, mostly yellow, a dark broad median longitudinal vitta on tergites, tergite 4 with a pair of dark spots on lateral surface, mid-dorsal of tergites 4 to 5 reddish yellow, with grayish white pruinosity on tergites. Syntergite 1+2 nearly excavate to posterior margin and with a pair of lateral marginal setae; tergite 3 with a pair of lateral marginal setae and 2 median marginal setae, tergite 4 and 5 each with a row of marginal setae, tergites without discal setae. Sternites 2 to 4 each with 2 strong posterior setae, sternite 5 and male terminalia as the figures (Figs 21–24). Sternite 5 nearly square in ventral view, V-shaped cleft about 1/3 of the sternite length, lateral lobe convex, with some long setae, bluntly round at apex. In caudal view, cerci slender and narrowed at distal half and pointed apically, surstylus shorter, narrowed, pointed apically. In lateral view, cerci straight at distal half, its apex slightly bent ventrally, surstylus bluntly round at distal half. Distiphallus with some small spines on sclerotized surface and near membranous part. Pregonite nearly triangular, postgonite long and wide, with some setulae on dorsal surface.
Female. Frons about as wide as eye, 2 proclinate outer orbital setae, 1–2 pairs of discal scutellar setae, the distance between vein M from crossvein dm-cu to bending slightly shorter than crossvein dm-cu. Fore claw and puivillus shorter than 5 th tarsomere. Abdomen black, with dense pruinosity on tergites 3 and 4, sternite 3 with 3 pairs of later marginal setae.
Type material. Holotype male: China, Chongqing, Wuxi, Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, Guanshan Forestry Station, Tianchiba to Daqiaowan, 31.31°N, 109.49°E, elev. 1079–1968 m, 24.VI.2022, R. Q. Dong. Paratypes: 1 male and 1 female, China, Hubei, Yingshan, Huanggang Taohuachong to Niubeijiliang, 600–1500 m, 24.VI.2014, P. Hou.
Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin adjective flavus (yellow) and Latin suffix, - tegula, referring to its wholly reddish yellow tegula.
Distribution. China (Chongqing, Hubei).
Remarks. This species is similar with L. miranda Mesnil, but distinguished by the yellowish tegula; prementum 4–5 times as long as wide; lateral scutellar setae longer, costal spine slightly shorter than crossvein r-m; hind tibia with 3 short ventral satae, longer abdomen, dark longitudinal median vitta as wide as the distance between median marginal setae on tergite 3.
description: Published as part of Li, Yue, Dong, Ruiqing, Hao, Bo & Zhang, Chuntian, 2023, Two new species and one newly recorded species of Tachinidae from Chongqing China (Diptera: Calyptratae), pp. 160-169 in Zootaxa 5257 (1) on pages 163-164, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5257.1.12, http://zenodo.org/record/7765723