Nostima kiwistriata Edmiston & Mathis, 2007, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Edmiston, James F.
name: Mathis, Wayne N.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Ephydridae
Nostima
Nostima kiwistriata

description: Nostima kiwistriata, sp. nov.
(Figs. 7–9, 16, 19)
Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from other congeners by the following combination of characters: wings hyaline, thorax with disrupted stripe of dense silvery gray microtomentum laterad of dorsocentral line; tergites 2 and 3 with dense silvery gray microtomentose spots.
Description. Adults, small shore flies, body length 0.91 mm; yellowish brown to brown with silvery gray and yellowish silver microtomentum.
Head. Frons yellowish brown with yellowish silver microtomentum slightly darker than anterior semicircle, ocellar circle darker, same color as frons. Occiput with broad band of silvery gray microtomentum extending ventrally from medial vertical seta and contiguous with the thoracic vitta, mediolaterally dark brown, bare along posterior eye margin. Lateral vertical setae broken. Scape brown; basal flagellomere and arista of single specimen missing. Facial background yellowish brown with silvery gray microtomentum; band of silvery gray microtomentum along eye margin from the lateral vertical seta, along parafacial, and extending to the gena. Gena covered with silvery gray microtomentum; postgena ventrally shiny, brown. Maxillary palpus yellow; prementum yellowish brown.
Thorax. (Fig. 16). Scutal length 0.50 mm; scutellar length 0.22 mm. Mesonotum yellowish-brown with yellowish silver microtomentum, with darker vittae medially and along dorsocentral line; silvery gray microtomentose vitta lateral to dorsocentral line, broken at point above notopleuron, anteriorly vitta covering postpronotum; scutellum yellowish-brown with yellowish silver microtomentum slightly darker laterally as along dorsocentral line, laterally with dense silvery gray microtomentum contiguous with silvery gray lateral vitta on mesonotum; anepisternum yellowish brown with yellowish silver microtomentum; katepisternum yellowish brown with yellowish silver microtomentum; anatergite yellowish brown with yellowish silver microtomentum. Chaetotaxy: anterior dorsocentral seta 2/3 length of posterior seta; notopleural setae of single specimen missing; lateral scutellar seta 1/3 length of apical seta. Wing (Fig. 19): length 1.46 mm; width 0.53 mm; costal-vein ratio 0.82; M-vein ration 0.20; amber background with pale brown veins and crossveins. Halter yellowish white. Legs yellowish brown; metathoracic tibia with darker brown bands; tarsomere 5 dark yellowish brown.
Abdomen (Figs. 7–8). Background brown; tergites 1 and 2 medially with sparse, silvery gray microtomentum; tergite 3 medially with dense silvery microtomentum and posterolaterally with small silver-colored microtomentose circular spots; tergite 4 shiny, bare with dense, silvery gray spots posterolaterally; tergite 5 shiny, bare.
Male terminalia. no male specimens.
Type specimen. The holotype female is labeled “ 16–17 iii 1971 Mal. Hongi's Track [38°02.6'S, 176°28.9'E] Rotorua NZ H. Oliver. [white; handwritten; 2 round holes in label along right margin]/J. Gillespie Collection 1980 [white]/ HOLOTYPE ɗ Nostima kiwistriata Edmiston & Mathis NZAC [red].” The holotype is double mounted (left thorax glued to a paper point), is in good condition with many setae, left antenna, and right basal flagellomere and arista missing (left wing in an attached microvial), and is deposited in the NZAC.
Distribution. (Fig. 9). Australasian/Oceanian: New Zealand (BP).
Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the sympathetic description of something from New Zealand being a “kiwi”, and being very similar to N. striata from the Seychelles (Afrotropical Region).
Remarks. Even though only one specimen is presently available, the distinctive thoracic pattern of microtomentum warrants description of a new species.
description: Published as part of Edmiston, James F. & Mathis, Wayne N., 2007, New Zealand species of the shore-fly genus Nostima Coquillett (Diptera: Ephydridae), pp. 1-16 in Zootaxa 1661 on pages 8-9, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.179956