Ptilocera simplex Mason & Rozkošný, 2011, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Mason, Franco
name: Rozkošný, Rudolf
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Stratiomyidae
Ptilocera
Ptilocera simplex

description: Ptilocera simplex sp. nov.
(Figs 14, 68–69, 128–135)
Type material. Holotype, 3: "NE India, Meghalaya State, West Gard Hills, reg. Tura, 700± 100 m, N 25°30.7' E 90°13.9', 7.V.1996, E. Jendek & O. Šauša leg./ HOLOTYPUS Ptilocera simplex Mason & Rozkošný det., 2009", in ZIB, terminalia in a plastic microvial on the same pin. Paratypes, 1 3, 2 Ƥ: "NE India, Gopaldhara, Darjeeling, 3440-4720 ft, 13. vii.1914 1 Ƥ, 21. vii.1914 13, H. Stevens, presented by Brunetti, B.M. 1927 -186", in BMNH and " Thailand, Mae Hong Son Province, Pangmapha District, near Pha Mon waterfall, larva under bark, 2.x.2004, 1Ƥ emerged 17.v.2005, D. Kovac", in SMF. Condition: both flagella of the holotype glued on a label, apical part of the abdomen dissected.
Diagnosis. Male flagellomeres without any lateral projections, about distal third of the apical flagellomere snow-white. Female flagellomeres 2–5 with usual projections, last flagellomere completely snow white. Male terminalia species-specific, with slender and pointed posterolateral projections on aedeagal complex, abdomen with characteristic hair patches in both sexes.
Description. Male (Figs 14, 68, 128, 130, 132–134). Length (mm): body 6.9–8.0 (n = 2), wing 6.9 (n = 1). Head. Upper frons with very short black hairs, lower frons with a small, triangular, whitish tomentose spot at each eye margin. Antenna (Figs 14, 130) black with snow white tip, scape unusually long, about three times as long as pedicel, flagellomeres simple, short densely haired, without slender lateral projections, ratio of flagellomere length from base is 0.8, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.0, 1.4, 1.4 and 4.0. Last flagellomere stout but tapered beyond middle and with pointed tip, white in apical third. Face shining black, covered with erect whitish hairs, hairs on facial tubercle below antennae sparser and shorter. Postocular area indistict in profile, only postgena narrowly prominent, covered with fairly long, white, erect hairs. Proboscis brown, stout, with sparse brownish hairs. Palpus brown, two-segmented.
Thorax (Fig. 128) black, densely and finely punctate, with mainly blue to green shining scales especially distinct in presutural area of scutum except for a broad, medial, longitudinal band. Medial and lateral longitudinal stripes more distinct in postsutural area. Postpronotal callus mainly black with only small top brown, with erect black hairs at base; postalar callus black. Bare medial stripe on anepisternum long and polished, proepisternum with long black hairs. Scutellum with relatively sparse scales along margin, scutellar spines slender, medial pair as long as 0.4–0.5 length of scutellum at middle. Wing (Fig. 68) brown, covered with dense brown microtrichia, only alula mainly bare. Transverse yellowish stripe in middle indistinct or quite absent. Calypter black, densely haired with brown to black hairs along margin. Halter with yellowish stem and darkened knob. All legs including coxae and entire tarsi black, mid basitarsus markedly more slender than fore and hind basitarsus (as in other species of genus).
Abdomen (Fig. 128) black with slightly bluish reflections, finely punctate, micropile dense and black dorsally and indistinct, pale on venter. Sparse rounded hair patches on tergite 4, silverish, paired, subtriangular hair patches distinct on tergite 5. Male terminalia (Figs 132–134): epandrium subquadrate, cerci only slightly reaching beyond proctiger (Fig. 134), genital capsule (Fig. 132) subquadrate, somewhat tapered proximally, medial process broadly spatulate, hind margin essentially truncate, gonostylus leaf-shaped. Posterolateral papillae without transverse ridges and basal hyaline spines but with a long, inwardly curved and distally pointed projection on outer side of each papilla (Fig. 133).
Female (Figs 69, 129, 131, 135). Length (mm): body 7.1–8.2, wing 6.9–7.9 (n=2). Head. Frons black, with brownish pile in the upper part and with two large subtriangular spots of whitish tomentum at eye margin below middle. Frontal index 1.2 (n=2). Antenna (Fig. 131) dark brown or black, apical flagellomere completely snow white, barely twice as long as preceding one. Penultimate flagellomere unusually long, about 6.0–7.0 times as long as broad. Basal flagellomere longer than broad. Proboscis short, brown, covered by brown pile. Palpus two-segmented, apical segment oval, large and compressed, velvety rusty brown. Postocular area with appressed pile along eye margin. Thorax (Fig. 129) black as in male, densely and finely punctate, scutum entirely covered by very short and fine black pile and with shining iridescent scales covering presutural area of scutum as in male but medial and lateral stripes broader and more distinct than in male. Scutellum (Fig. 129) with silverish to violet scales along broad margin. Four, stout, yellowish scutellar spines shorter than in male, medial spines only about 0.2 times as long as scutellum at middle. Wing (Fig. 69) mostly covered with dense microtrichia, particularly dark in the basal radial and median cells, transverse yellowish streak in middle absent. Calypter brown with whitish marginal fringe. Halter with darkened knob and brownish stem. Legs black with pale brownish haired tarsi. Abdomen (Fig. 129) mainly black, with bluish reflections, finely punctate. Large paired hair patches distinct on tergites 3–5, those on tergite 5 transverse, almost suboblong. Genital furca (Fig. 135) pointed proximally, with a large median aperture and usual posterolateral projections, posterior middle incision of frame shallow.
Etymology. The specific name simplex refers to the simple male antenna without any projections on the flagellum.
Variation. Considering the limited material available, only small differences in the extent of abdominal hair patches were recorded in both sexes.
Remark. The description of the female is based on the specimen collected in association with a male in the same locality in NE India: Gopaldhara, Darjeeling.
Material examined. 2 3 and 3 Ƥ (type series).
Distribution. Northeastern India and North Thailand.
description: Published as part of Mason, Franco & Rozkošný, Rudolf, 2011, A review of the Oriental and Australasian Ptilocera species (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), pp. 1-49 in Zootaxa 3007 on pages 15-17, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.278481