Lispe attenuata Pont 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pont, Adrian C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Anthomyiidae
Lispe
Lispe attenuata

description: Lispe attenuata sp. nov.
(Figs 137–155)
Diagnosis. The ♂ of L. attenuata can be easily recognised by its modified mid leg, with the extremely attenuated tibia and enlarged basal tarsomere (Fig. 141). The basal tarsomere of the hind leg, with its small flange and armature, is also characteristic (Figs 143–145).
Etymology. The name attenuata (Latin “attenuatus” = “thin”) refers to the long and attenuated mid tibia.
Type Material Examined. Holotype ♂. AUSTRALIA: New South Wales, North Creek, near Ballina, 1.iii.1965, D.K. McAlpine & R. Lossin (AMS). Paratypes 3♂ 4♀. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Townsville, in mangroves, 20.xi.1957, K.R. Norris, 1♂ (ANIC). New South Wales: Careel Bay, mangroves, 4.ix.1962, D.K. McAlpine, 1♀ (AMS); Goodwood Island, Clarence River, mangroves, 14.xi.1964, D.K. McAlpine, 1♀ (AMS); Greys Point. in mangroves, 22.xi.1970, G. Daniels, 1♀ (QMBA); North Creek, near Ballina, 1.iii.1965, D.K. McAlpine & R. Lossin, 1♂ 1♀ (AMS) & 1♂ (BMNH).
Description ♂ ♀. Head (Fig. 138). Ground-colour black. Frons at broadest point 0.34 (♂) or 0.37 (♀), at lunula 0.24 (♂) or 0.31 (♀), of maximum head-width (frontal view). Fronto-orbital plate thinly grey pruinose in upper half, yellowish-white (♂) or brownish (♀) below; parafacial and face yellowish (♂) or brown (♀) pruinose, gena yellowish-white (♂) or brownish-white (♀), occiput whitish-grey. Both orbital setae strong. Frontal triangle narrow, matt. Parafacial narrow, half (♂) to 2/3 (♀) as broad as postpedicel; bare in ♂. Scape and pedicel yellow in ♂, mainly darkened in ♀; basal 1/4 to 1/3 of postpedicel orange-yellow, remainder black; postpedicel 2.7 (♂) to 3.0 (♀) times as long as broad, falling short of mouth-margin by half its length. Arista plumose, the hairing at widest point 2.2–2.4 times width of postpedicel. Vibrissa strong, surrounded by several erect setulae. Gena narrow in ♂, 0.08 of vertical eye-length; broader in ♀, 0.14 of eye-length; genal setae strong and dense. Palpus yellow, strongly swollen at tip (Fig. 139).
Thorax. Ground-colour black. Scutum and scutellum rather unevenly grey (♂) or brown (♀) dusted; postpronotal lobe and pleura thinly light grey (♂) to brownish-grey (♀). In ♂ scutum wholly dusted grey when viewed from above, in posterior view with little dust except along neck, along suture at sides, and along posterior 2 post dc setae; ♀ brown dusted with virtually no trace of darker dusted lines; scutellum in posterior view undusted (♂) or brown dusted (♀). Anterior spiracle grey. Acr setulae in 4 irregular rows at suture; 1 prsc pair of setae. Dc 2+3, all strong. 2 pprn. 1+2 ia, anterior post one fine. 1+1 sa, both strong. 1 strong and 1 weaker proepisternal setae. 1 proepimeral, shorter than the strong proepisternal, with 4 adjacent setulae. Anepisternum with 1 short seta in upper anterior corner, very fine in ♂; posterior row with 3 strong and 3 weak setae. 3 strong kepst. Meron bare below spiracle and above hind coxa. Scutellum with disc and upper part of sides setulose, ventral surface bare.
Legs. Coxae and trochanters black; femora black, extreme tips (knees) yellow; in ♂ fore tibia yellow, mid and hind tibiae dull yellow, hind tibia dark in apical half; in ♀ tibiae black, but basal half of fore tibia yellowish; tarsomeres black, sometimes apical segments reddish. Fore coxa bare behind. Fore femur with a row of short regular av setulae (♂) or spinules (♀); pv row complete, fine, the setae much longer than femoral depth and interspersed with shorter setae and, in ♀, with spinules; pd row complete, strong. Fore tibia with 1 strong submedian pv; with strong d, p and pv apical setae, without a short ad apical. Fore tarsomeres short, without modifications. Mid femur setulose (♂) or spinulose (♀) along av surface; with 4–5 pv setae in basal half, and in ♀ also with short spinules along entire pv surface; basal half also with a row of short strong a setae; 2 p preapicals. Mid tibia of ♂ strongly flattened dorso-ventrally (Fig. 141); with 1 strong pd; with d, a, av, pv and short pd apicals. Mid basal tarsosmere in ♂ strongly expanded and flattened (Fig. 142), otherwise tarsomeres without modifications. Hind coxa with a seta on posterior apical margin (Fig. 140). Hind femur with 4-5 setae in basal half of av and pv surfaces, otherwise with only setulae on these surfaces, those in apical 2/3 spinulose in ♀; ad row complete; 1 d preapical. Hind tibia with 1 ad and 0 av; d and ad preapical setae strong; with av apical, the pv absent in ♂ but present in ♀. Hind basal tarsomere of ♂ enlarged, with a small posterior flange in basal half, with a dense comb of pv setulae along whole length and finer av setulae (Figs 143–145); other tarsomeres not modified.
Wing. Clear or weakly smoky. Tegula and basicosta black. Crossvein r-m placed slightly apicad of the point where vein R 1 enters costa; dm-cu straight, longer than apical section of vein CuA 1. Vein M running straight to wing-margin. Calypters white. Knob of haltere black.
Abdomen. Ground-colour black. Syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3–5 not modified in shape; sternites 1–5 without modifications (Fig. 146). Dust on tergites light grey, giving a pattern of dusted spots and bands on dorsum and sides in both sexes (Figs 149–150). ♂ epandrium subshining. ♀ ovipositor with exposed tergites dusted grey to brownish-grey. Sternites 1–5 dull grey dusted. Setae only present on tergite 5, with 1 pair each of median and lateral discals, often placed close to fore-margin, and 3 pairs of erect marginals. ♂ sternites 2–5 with sparse setulae (Fig. 146).
Ƌ terminalia (only 1♂ dissected, which was immature, and some parts therefore distorted). Epandrium separated from tergite 5 by syntergosternite 8, which has 2 spiracles; with 2 pairs of large setae; produced lobe-like ventrally. Tergite 6 absent. Sternite 6 a small plate, withdrawn beneath sternite 5. Surstylus absent, i.e. fused to epandrium without trace (Fig. 151). Cercal plate deeply divided dorsally and ventrally (Fig. 152). Hypandrium attached at two points: to a rod originating from wall of epandrium close to upper outer edge of cercal plate; and via an apparent praegonite to lower anterior corner of epandrium. Phallic complex: too soft and weakly sclerotised to dissect out; hypandrium with a pair of long finger-like processes at posterior end (Fig. 147); praegonite and postgonite present (Fig. 148); phallapodeme short, normal in structure; phallus long, bulbous, simple, juxta large, without spinules, basal part flanked on each side by two simple finger-like processes, the upper one long.
♀ ovipositor (Figs 153–155). Tergites 6 and 7 complete; tergite 8 divided dorsally. Sternite 6 reduced to 2 small weakly-sclerotised plates; sternite 7 absent or represented by a bristle-dot, suppressed by the edges of the very large tergite 7 which almost meet ventrally; sternite 8 present as two long plates concealed within the membrane between tergite 8 and hypoproct, almost meeting epiproct dorsally. Epiproct V-shaped, with a pair of long stout setae. Hypoproct large, extended posteriorly, with several stout spines at apex. Cercus unusually broad, plate-like, with a few spines on posterior dorsal edge. 3 spermathecae.
Measurements. Wing-length, 3.5–4.5 mm (♂), 5.0–6.0 mm (♀). Body-length, 5.5–6.5 mm (♂), 6.0–7.0 mm (♀).
Biology. Most of the adults seen were collected among mangroves.
Distribution. Only known from Australia (Q, NSW).
description: Published as part of Pont, Adrian C., 2019, Studies on the Australian Muscidae (Diptera). VIII. The genus Lispe Latreille, 1797, pp. 1-232 in Zootaxa 4557 (1) on pages 70-74, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4557.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2584520