Ptilocera kerteszi 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 kerteszi

description: Ptilocera kerteszi sp. nov.
(Figs 12, 33, 37, 43, 45, 64, 108–109)
Ptilocera smaragdifera; Kertész 1916: 206, Lindner 1935: 43.
Type material. Female holotype in Honolulu (BPBM), labelled: " Indonesia, Celebes I., Lake Lindu, 900 m, 1.–5.i.1966 / R. Straatman, Malaise trap, Bishop/ HOLOTYPE, Ptilocera kerteszi sp. nov., Mason & Rozkošný 2010 [red label]". Condition: nearly perfect, right antennal flagellum missing, left wing glued on label.
Diagnosis. Last flagellomere markedly short compared with other species, dark in male and snow white in female, scutum and scutellum covered with black, short and erect hairs, discal cell hyaline, without microtrichia. Scales on presutural area mixed with long hairs.
Description. Female (holotype) (Fig. 12, 33, 37, 43, 45, 64, 108–109). Length: body 9.4 mm, wing 8.4 mm. Head as in other species, with eyes separated by frons occupying about 1/5 of head width. Ocellar tubercle prominent, vertex about same length, both with inconspicuous black erect hairs. Frons with transverse depression in middle and a roundish, whitish tomentose spot on each side at eye margin. Frontal index 1.6. Upper half of frons covered with very short black, erect hairs, lower half shining black and bare but with a reddish brown patch above bases of antennae. Antenna (Figs 12, 109) with usual slender projections on flagellomeres 2–5. Scape slightly more than twice as long as pedicel, both shining black. Basal two flagellomeres reddish brown, with pale sensory pits, flagellomere 1 about 1.5 times longer than broad. Last flagellomere snow white, only 1.5 longer than preceding flagellomere. Postocular area in dorsal view as broad as pedicel, shining black, without any pubescence, narrowed in lateral view.
Thorax (Fig. 108) black, densely punctate, green and reddish violet iridescent scales covering almost entire scutum and scutellum except broad median stripe that is tapered toward scutellum. Scales oval, mixed with long setulae (Fig. 37). Bare area on anepisternum barely distinct. Scutum and scutellum with moderately dense black erect hairs about as long as pedicel. Prealar prominence well developed (Fig. 33). Scutellum (Fig. 43) rather short and broad, medial scutellar spines almost 0.4 as long as scutellum at middle. Wing membrane brownish infuscated, more intensely along anterior margin in basal half. Extensive areas of wing membrane hyaline, without microtrichia; in addition to bare areas at wing base, alula, anal and cubital cells, the bare discal cell is apparently speciesspecific (Figs 45, 64). Halter dark brown with pale stem, calypter with long dark brown hairs along margin. Legs completely shining dark brown to black, tarsi with dense but short brown pubescence.
Abdomen (Fig. 108) black with bluish reflections especially on apical half. Hair patches short and oblique on tergite 4 and transverse along anterior margin of tergite 5. Venter shining black, with mainly short and appressed brownish pubescence. Female terminalia externally as in other species, not dissected as the female is unique.
Male. The male of this species was not available but it was apparently commented upon under the name “ smaragdifera ” by Kertész (1916) and Lindner (1935). Kertész (l. c.) mentioned in his key only two diagnostic characters, the long erect hairs on the scutum and scutellum and the pale discal cell. Lindner (l. c.) stated that his unique male had only a short apical flagellomere (2.5 times longer than the preceding flagellomere) which is dark, reddish at the tip. The scutal pattern is the same as in P. violacea and scales seem to be larger than in P. smaragdina and more iridescent, rather emerald green. The four silverish spots on the bluish black abdomen are reportedly somewhat yellowish, distinct along the anterior margin of tergites 4 and 5. The first pair is broadly separated at the middle and the second pair is almost confluent, forming a transverse stripe. Legs are as in P. smaragdina.
Etymology. This species is named in honour of Dr. K. Kertész (1867‒1922), a prominent European dipterist of Hungarian origin, who was an editor of the first comprehensive catalog of the Palaearctic Diptera and was a respected authority on the world Stratiomyidae in his time.
Variation. Unknown.
Remarks. Lindner (1935) followed Kertész (1916) in interpretation of the male of " P. smaragdifera " but expressed doubt regarding the identity of the actual male of P. smaragdifera described by Walker (1859). Unfortunately, all three male specimens of alleged P. smaragdifera were apparently lost. Walker´s male was not found in BMNH (cf. already Brunetti 1923), Kertész´s specimen was destroyed by fire in Budapest in 1956 and Lindner´s male, described from the G. Heinrich collection, was probably lost during World War II (cf. a note in Hauser & Rozkošný 2008).
Distribution. The female holotype is described from the vicinity of Lindu Lake (Indonesia: Sulawesi). Kertész´male originated from “Borneo” (probably Kalimantan) and Lindner´s specimen from Bantimoeroeng [=Bantimurung] (Sulawesi).
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 12-13, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.278481