Estheria prostata Zhang & Shima & Liang & Li 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zhang, Chun-Tian
name: Shima, Hiroshi
name: Liang, Hou-Can
name: Li, He-Nan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tachinidae
Estheria
Estheria prostata

description: Estheria prostata Zhang & Shima, sp. nov.
(Figs 2, 14, 26, 38, 54, 66, 75, 79, 93, 108)
Diagnosis. Lower face with a developed nipple-like protrusion and lower margin of face distinctly protruding forward; prementum 6–8 times as long as wide; body with yellowish-gray pruinosity; 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae; lower calypter with long fringe on outer margin.
Description. Body length: 6.5–8.8 mm.
Male. Head covered with yellowish-gray pruinosity, frontal vitta dark brown; lunule, antennae and palpi dark brown, palpi reddish-brown at base, prementum gleaming black. Frons at narrowest point about as wide as anterior ocellus, less than 1/15 of head width, widened anteriorly; frontal vitta linear in median portion; fronto-orbital plate with 2 rows of black hairs; parafacialia bare, about twice as wide as first flagellomere; facial carina narrow and low; lower face with a developed nipple-like median protrusion; gena 0.6–0.7 times as high as eye height; lower margin of face distinctly protruding forward; 8–9 inclinate frontal setae as long as ocellar setae; facial ridge with 4–6 hair-like setae on lower 1/4; vibrissa inserted above lower margin of face; a row of subvibrissal setae; inner vertical seta about 0.3 of eye height, inner and outer vertical setae hair-like; upper occiput with a row of black setulae behind postocular setae. Antenna falling short of lower margin of face by more than length of antenna, first flagellomere 1.2–1.5 times as long as pedicel; arista including plumosity 2.0–2.5 times as wide as first flagellomere; palpus about as long as antenna; prementum 6–8 times as long as wide, 0.85–1.00 of eye height.
Thorax black, covered with yellowish-gray pruinosity; dorsum with 4 longitudinal black vittae extending back to anterior half of postsutural scutum, narrower inner vitta about 1/3 width of pruinose portion between inner and outer vittae; scutellum dark brown with yellowish-gray pruinosity, sometimes with a dark median spot on base; pleura with yellowish-gray pruinosity; anterior and posterior spiracles brown to dark brown. Prosternum bare, 2.0–2.5 times as long as wide; proepisternum bare; 3 postpronotal setae arranged in a triangle, the middle one displaced anteriorly; 2 presutural and 3 postsutural acrostichal setae; 3 presutural and 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae; 2 postsutural intra-alar setae; 2 supra-alar setae; postalar callus with 2 setae; 3 katepisternal setae; posterior lappet of posterior spiracles circular; 3 pairs of scutellar marginal setae and 1 pair of scutellar discal setae. Wing hyaline, brownish; tegula and basicosta dark brown; lower calypter brownish-yellow; halters yellow. Costal spine shorter than 1/2 length of crossvein r-m; 2nd costal sector bare ventrally; relative lengths of 2nd, 3rd and 4th costal sectors approximately 4:9:5; vein M from dM-Cu crossvein to bend about 1.1 times as long as distance between bend and wing margin, with or without a short appendage at bend which is slightly shorter than 1/2 length of crossvein r-m. Lower calypter with long fringe on outer margin. Legs black, sometimes hind tibia reddish brown in median portion; pulvilli yellowish; fore tibia with a row of very short anterodorsal setae on basal 2/3 and 2 median posterior setae; fore claws slightly longer than 5th tarsomere; mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal and 2 posterodorsal setae, and usually with a short ventral seta; hind tibia with 2–3 anteroventral, 3–5 anterodorsal and 3 posterodorsal setae on basal 3/5, 1 apical anteroventral and 2 apical dorsal setae.
Abdomen long-ovate, black, covered with yellowish-gray pruinosity, with a pair of small brown markings in median marginal area of tergites 3 and 4. Syntergite 1+2 medially excavated to posterior margin, with a pair of lateral marginal setae, without median marginal setae; tergite 3 with 2 median marginal setae, 1–3 lateral marginal setae and 2 median discal setae; tergite 4 with a row of marginal setae and 2 median discal setae; tergite 5 with a row of marginal setae and many irregular discal setae. Terminalia (Figs 2, 14, 26, 38). Posterior lobe of sternite 5 wide and slightly blunt at apex. Cerci short, separated and slightly bent backward, narrow and pointed in apical half; surstylus long and wide, slightly pointed and blunt at apex in caudal view; pregonite short and bent apically; postgonite about as long as basiphallus; disphallus long, membranous ventral surface with some spinules on upper half, sclerotized basal part about twice as long as membranous apical part; ejaculatory apodeme large, longer than 1/2 of aedeagal apodeme.
Female. As male, except as follows: frons about 1/3 of head width at narrowest point; frontal vitta about as wide as fronto-orbital plate; genal height 0.8–0.9 of eye height. Inner vertical seta stronger than ocellar seta, about twice as long as outer vertical seta; 5–7 inclinate frontal setae, upper one as long as ocellar setae; 2 proclinate strong orbital setae and 1 lateroclinate prevertical seta. Legs dark brown except for basal 2/3 of femora and median portion of tibiae reddish yellow; fore tibia with 3 anterodorsal setae; fore claws and pulvilli shorter than tarsomeres; mid tibia with 2 anteroventral and 2–4 anterodorsal setae, two of them short or absent; hind tibia with 2–4 anterodorsal, 2–4 posterodorsal and 2 ventral setae;. Abdomen ovate, with yellowish-gray pruinosity; tergite 3 with 0–1 discal setae; tergite 4 with a pair of discal setae; tergite 5 with a row of discal setae.
Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: China: Yunnan prov., Shangri-la [in Chinese] / Gezan [in Chinese] 3200 / 2010.VIII.18 / C.-T. Zhang coll. [printed white label] // SYNU07798 [printed white label] // Holotype [printed red label] // Estheria ♂ / prostata / n. sp. [handwritten] / C.-T. Zhang det. [in Chinese] 2010 / Zhang C. det. 2006 [printed] [white label] (SYNU).
PARATYPES. China, Sichuan: 1 ♂, Kangding Xian, Xingdu Qiao, 3700 m, 22.viii.1993, H. Shima leg. (BLKU); 1 ♂, Xiaojin, Rilong town, 3300 m, 6.VIII.2005, H. Ao leg. (SYNU); 1 ♂, Mianyang, Pingwu, Wanglang Nature Reserve, Qikeshu, 2653 m, N33.94° E104.14°, 23.VII.2016, H.-C. Liang leg. (SYNU); 1 ♂, Mianyang, Pingwu, Wanglang Nature Reserve, Eastern Reserve Station, 2666–2732 m, 2.VIII.2017, H.-C. Liang leg. (SYNU); 2 ♂♂, Kangding county, Laoyulin village–Mt. Zheduo, N29.94° E101.96°, 3132–3231 m, 10.VIII.2017, C.-T. Zhang & X.-Y. Li leg. (SYNU); 2 ♂♂, Danba county, Maoniugu, N30.61° E101.69°, 2888 m, 11.VIII.2017, C.-T. Zhang, X.-Y. Li & H.-C. Liang leg. (SYNU); 1 ♀, Xiaojin county, Jiajin Mountains, N30.91° E102.65°, 3084 m, 17.VIII.2017, C.-T. Zhang & X.-Y. Li leg. (SYNU); 1 ♂, Luding county, Western Erlang Mountains, 1528–1600 m, N29°50'47 E102°13'0, 13.VIII.2018, C.-T. Zhang leg. (SYNU); 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Luding county, Niubei Mountains, N29°46'55 E102°18'20, 2000 –2700 m, 14.VIII.2018, C.-T. Zhang & Y.-Z. Zhang leg. (SYNU). Tibet (= Xizang): 21 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Milin, Xuekagou, 2850–2900 m, 16–17.VIII.2013, C.-T. Zhang & X.-Y. Li leg. (SYNU); 2 ♂♂, Linzhi, Bajiniange ferry, 2850–2950 m, 5.VIII.2013, C.-T. Zhang leg. (SYNU); 6 ♂♂, Linzhi Town, 3000–3400 m, 11–12.VIII.2013, C.-T. Zhang, X.-Y. Li & P. Hou leg. (SYNU); 2 ♂♂, Linzhi, Bayi Town, 3000 m, 12.VIII.2013, Q. Wang leg. (SYNU); 3 ♂♂, Milin, Paizhen- Médog highway, 3321 m, 7.viii.2015, J. Yao leg. (IZCAS). Yunnan: 18 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Nujiang, Laowo, 2000–2400 m, 4–5.IX.1996, H. Shima leg. (BLKU); 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Lushui, Yaojiaping, 2400–2600 m, 1–2.IX.1996, W.-X. Zhang & H. Shima leg. (BLKU); 2 ♂♂, Baoshan, Dagaoping, 1900–2400 m, 7–9.IX.1996, W.-X. Zhang & H. Shima leg. (BLKU); 2 ♂♂, same data as holotype (SYNU). Nepal: 1 ♂, Bagmati, Mt. Pulchoki, 2760 m, 30.IX.1990, H. Kurahashi leg. (BLKU).
Etymology. The specific epithet refers to a diagnostic character of this species, the nipple-like median protrusion on the lower portion of the face, and derives from the Greek noun prosthec (= attachment).
Distribution. China (Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan), Nepal.
Remarks. This species is easily distinguished from the other species of this genus in having linear frons, a developed nipple-like median protrusion on lower face, long prementum and lower calypter with long fringe on outer margin.
description: Published as part of Zhang, Chun-Tian, Shima, Hiroshi, Liang, Hou-Can & Li, He-Nan, 2019, Four new species of Estheria Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae) from China and Nepal, with a review of the East Palearctic and Oriental species, pp. 1-38 in Zootaxa 4603 (1) on pages 7-9, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4603.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2841928