Tomosvaryella tribula Motamedinia, Skevington & Foldvari 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 tribula

description: Tomosvaryella tribula Motamedinia, Skevington & Földvari sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 922282F3-F9CC-4D0B-A832-D16D933C73F1
Figs 97A–E, 143, 145D, 152E, 157D
Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the hind trochanter having a keel and a patch of short bristles (Fig. 145D); sternite 2–4 with two distinct dark spines in the middle of posterior margin (Fig.152E); small surstyli in dorsal view (Fig. 97A); widened gonopods (Fig. 97B); hypandrium with two hairy finger-like membranous sheaths on posterior margin; phallic guide with 3–6 different-sized spines dorso- dorsolaterally (Fig. 97D); subepandrial sclerite and hypandrial apodeme wide and distinct in ventral view (Fig. 97B).
Description: MALE: Body length: 3.7–3.8 mm. Thorax. Postpronotum light yellow, with 5–7 brown bristles in upper margin. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) silvery-brown pollinose, anterior part greyer; scutum with scattered bristles at anterior supra-alar area. Postalar callus dark brown with three dark bristles in the middle. Scutellum silvery pollinose and with a few indistinct pale bristles along the distal edge. Halter, knob pale, stem light brown, base dark. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–5 dark bristles, 1–2 bristles longer than others. Coxae, trochanters, femora dark, hind femur shining ventrally, knees and basal 1/4 of tibiae yellow (tibiae otherwise dark brown), tarsomeres light brown ventrally and dark dorsally. Mid trochanter with 1–2 short bristles ventroapically. Hind trochanter silvery pollinose, with a keel and batch (3–6) of short bristles ventroapically (Fig. 145D); ventrobasal spines absent on fore and mid femur. Hind femur with two rows of ventroapical spines. Hind tibia with two rows of short black bristles on both anterior and posterior side. Hind tarsomeres distinctly flattened, covered by dark bristles dorsally and brown bristles ventrally, last hind tarsomere not rounded as long as 3–4 combined; pulvilli shorter than last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.2 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one dark brown bristle. Fourth costal section 1.5–2 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m at middle of discal cell. 4–6 short dark setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Tergite 1 silvery pollinose with 6–8 dark bristles; tergites 2–5 covered by scattered brown bristles. Sternite 2–3 with two small dark spines in the middle of posterior margin; sternite 4 with two triangle-shaped spines along posterior margin (Fig.152E). Syntergosternite 8 enlarged, dark brown and grey-brown pollinose. Membranous area long and broad in middle. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium wider than long (MLE:MWE = 0.8). Surstyli small, rather triangle-shaped, slightly narrowed at apex; left surstylus somewhat longer, slightly bent towards the right side at apex (Fig. 97A). Genital capsule in ventral view: both gonopods widened, equal in height; hypandrium widened with two hairy finger-like membranous sheaths in upper margin; phallic guide with 3–6 different-sized spines dorsolaterally, one is longer than others; subepandrial sclerite wide and distinct; hypandrial apodeme wide and distinct, located between hypandrium (Fig. 97B); Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli widened at base, triangle-shaped with a small downward projection at the base (Fig. 97D–E); ejaculatory apodeme tube-like, bent, with a bulb in its middle (Fig. 97C).
FEMALE: Body length: 3.0– 3.1 mm. As male except for the following characters. Frons, eyes separated, as wide as the width at antennae; completely silver-grey pollinose on lower 1/3, shiny black only around ocellar triangle, smooth depression just before ocellar triangle. Enlarged ommatidia silvery shining; pulvilli and claws about 1.2–1.5 times as long as last tarsal segment. Tergites 4–6 with two grey lateral spots. Abdominal sternites without spines. Ovipositor. Straight in ventral view, rather straight, in lateral view (yellow piercer, dark brown base), reaching sternite 1; base silvery brown pollinose. LP:LB = 2.5. LDP:LPP = 2.0. (Fig. 157D).
Etymology: The specific name is derived from the Latin word ‘tribulus’, meaning thorny, referring to spines on the abdominal sternites.
Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 82 km S j[un]ct[ion] Karijini Dr [ive] on Great Northern H[igh]w[a]y, 23°7’S, 119°6’E, 694m, wash with pools, 23.IV–6.V.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker, Malaise trap, JSS15675 (1♂, WAM); PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 67 km SW Pardoo Road House on Shay Gap Road, 20°28’S, 120°10’E, 177m, dry sandy ravine with flowers, 1–14.V.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker, Malaise trap, JSS15667 (1♂, CNC); 82 km S junction Karijini Drive on Great Northern Highway, 23°7’S, 119°6’E, 694m, wash with pools, 23.IV–6.V.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker, Malaise trap, JSS15672 (1♂, QM); Karijini National Park, Hamersley-Mount Bruce Road, 22°34’S, 118°18’E, 757m, dry rocky creek bed, Eucalyptus grassland, 25.IV–14.V.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, JSS16125 (1♀, ANIC); Karijini National Park, Karijini Drive, 22°34’S, 118°18’E, 815m; 814m, across dry gully, Acacia scrub; open Eucalyptus grassland, 19– 25.IV.2003; 25.IV–14.V.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, JSS15579–80, JSS15586, JSS16158 (2♂, 2♀, ANIC); Karijini National Park, Weano Gorge Road, 22°24’S, 118°15’E, 718m, in open Eucalyptus, 25.IV– 14.V.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, JSS16220, JSS16236 (2♀, ANIC); Millstream-Chichester National Park, Roebourne Road, 21°26’S, 117°9’E, 337m, sandy creek, Eucalyptus Spinifex grassland, 27.IV–3.V.2003, C. Lambkin & T. Weir, Malaise trap, JSS16076–8 (3♀, ANIC).
Distribution: Australia (Western Australia) (Fig. 143).
Notes: This apparent West Australian endemic is restricted to the west central region of the state. Intraspecific genetic distance ranges from 0.3% to 2.4%. It is genetically most similar to T. millstreamensis sp. nov. (0.3–1.0% pairwise divergence) (Supplementary file 3). These two species show very low genetic distance, so it is possible that these are a single species with polymorphic external characters. More likely, they are young species and the mtDNA has simply not yet diverged. Future genetic and ecological work are required to test their taxonomic status.
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 214-216, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5599.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14970961