Empidideicus variegatus Greathead &amp; Evenhuis 2001, sp.nov.
Creators: name: Greathead, D. J.
name: Evenhuis, N. L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2001
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Bombyliidae
Empidideicus
Empidideicus variegatus

description: <i>Empidideicus variegatus</i> sp.nov. This species is easily separated from the only other Sokotran species of <i>Empidideicus</i> (<i>E. socotrae</i>) by the presence of longitudinal vittae on the mesonotum. <i>Female</i>. Length: 1.02­1.23 mm. Head (Figs. 5­6) longer than high, occiput well developed posteriorly; eyes dichoptic, separated at vertex by 1.5 x distance between lateral ocelli; occiput and postgena black; front slightly depressed medially, white; face and tip of oral margin white; antennae (Fig. 7) black; scape short, subtrapezoidal; pedicel subconical, wider than long; first flagellomere ovoid­lanceolate, length ca. 2 x width; length of second flagellomere 1 / 4 that of first flagellomere, slightly wider apically than basally, with small transparent apical style; mentum black; proboscis black, length slightly longer than head length; labrum sclerotised, stiff, pointed apically; palpus not evident. <i>Thorax</i> (Figs. 8­9). Mesonotum pale yellowish white to white, dorsum with admedian whitish longitudinal vittae and pattern of brown, dark brown and black pattern medially and dorsolaterally; scutellum black medially, brown to yellowish brown laterally; humeral callus, notopleural area, postalar callus, and admedial triangular prescutellar areas whitish; pleura white except black areas on extreme anterior portion of anepisternum, lower 3 / 4 of katepisternum, and lower half of meron; coxae and legs yellow; halter stem and knob white. <i>Wing</i> (Fig. 10). Subhyaline; veins brown, all well sclerotised except evanescent vein separating basal cells; costa ends slightly beyond end of R 4 + 5; vein Sc incomplete; Rs evanescent at connection with R 1; R 4 + 5 slightly curved to wing margin; vein M 1 curved toward wing margin; M 2 fairly straight to wing margin; length of M 2 shorter than M 1 + 2; crossvein dm­cu closing cell dm absent; A 1 slightly sinuous to wing margin; fringe of hair on posterior margin of wing well developed <i>Abdomen</i>. Dorsum black, posterior margins of tergites white, dorsal black colour of tergites gradating to pale yellowish white laterally; tergites with sparsely scattered minute hairs; venter yellowish white. <i>Genitalia</i> (Fig. 12). Spermatheca obconical with typical indentation apically, sclerotised brown; apical spermathecal duct thin, transparent, length ca. 3 x length of spermatheca; sperm pump long, transparent, length ca. 3 x length of apical spermathecal duct, without sclerotised valves apically. <i>Male</i>. Length: 1.00­ 1.18 mm. Same as female except as follows: Brown to dark brown areas in female all black in male; admedian vittae thin, white. Hypopygium brown; genitalia not dissected. <i>Types</i>. Holotype female and 3 male and 8 female paratypes from <b>SOKOTRA</b>: Noghed, cca. 13 °N 54 °E, 27.ii– 1.iii. 2000, K. Stástny &amp; V. Bejcek. Holotype in NMSA. Paratypes in MBC, NLE, NMSA, and USNM. <i>Etymology</i>. The specific epithet derives from the variegated pattern of the female mesonotum.
description: Published as part of <i>Greathead, D. J. &amp; Evenhuis, N. L., 2001, Bombylioidea (Diptera: Bombyliidae; Mythicomyiidae) from the island of Sokotra, pp. 1-11 in Zootaxa 14</i> on pages 4-7, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4620128