Tomosvaryella amphispina Foldvari, Skevington & Motamedinia 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Motamedinia, Behnam
name: Földvari, Mihaly
name: Skevington, Jeffrey H.
name: Kelso, Scott
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Pipunculidae
Tomosvaryella
Tomosvaryella amphispina

description: Tomosvaryella amphispina Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C9E59AE5-382D-4436-B535-3FBDD9B427D2
Figs 4A–E, 108, 145E
Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by two spines along posterior margin of sternites 3 and 4; hind femur with small posterior triangular keel (‘shark fin’); left surstylus with a depression dorsomedially in lateral view (Fig. 4A); hypandrium with long hypandrial apodeme in ventral view (Fig. 4B); phallic guide with four spines dorsolaterally (Fig. 4D–E).
Description: MALE: Body length: 3.6–4.0 mm. Head. Flagellum acuminate, brown. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black, lower part distinctly silver pollinose; eyes touching for distance equal to 2–2.5 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, including upper half. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 6–8 distinct pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) subshining black, anterior part silver pollinose, slightly grayish also from the side. Scutellum silvery pollinose and with 12–14 indistinct pale bristles along the distal edge. Dorsocentral bristles firmly developed, dark, longer on frontal part and numerous dark bristles around postpronotum. Halter, knob pale with a brownish tinge distally, stem dark brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–3 long brown bristles at inner apical corner. Trochanters and base of femora brown, femora brown, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees, basal 1/5 of tibiae yellow (otherwise brown), tarsal segments yellow, last segment dorsally brown. Ventroapical row of spines on fore femur missing, 4–6 short, black spines on mid femur; no spines on hind femur, only 10–12 pale bristles posteriorly equally distributed, and longer on distal half (half as long as width of hind tibia at the distal end). Subapical (distal) short spines on first four tibiae present. Hind trochanter with small keel and comb-like structure with 8–10 spines (Fig. 145E), one big round tooth posteriorly instead of a last spine; 1–3 long ventrobasal spines present on fore femur and mid femur. Hind femur with small triangular keel (‘shark fin’) on the posterior side close to base. Hind tibia with a distinct row of semi-erect bristles along lateral edge. Hind metatarsus flattened (1, 2 and 3 tarsomeres especially), first tarsomere as long as 2–3 combined; ventral bristles scrub-like, yellow, dorsal bristles on tarsomeres 1 and 2 in dark row along posterior edge. Pulvilli as long as 2/3 of last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 3.4–3.6 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long distinct bristle. Fourth costal section 4–5 times as long as third costal section (3 rd costal section very short). Cross-vein r-m distinctly distal to middle of discal cell. 4–5 dark setulae on tegula. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites brownish pollinose, tergite 1 silvery grey, sides silvery pollinose on tergites 4 and 5 (the latter with side spots almost touching in the middle). Dispersed short dark bristles on tergites present, the longest on tergite 5 and up to twice as long as width of hind tibia at base. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 8–10 black bristles up to twice as long as width of hind femur at distal tip. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 as long as ST8. Sternites 3 and 4 with a pair of spines along posterior margin. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 large, shiny black; membranous area long, slit-like, dividing ST8 completely; epandrium paler, narrow; yellow surstyli appear long and flat, often visible in lateral view showing can-opener-shaped margin of left surstylus. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium dark brown, surstyli light brown. Epandrium wider than long (MLE: MWE = 0.6). Surstyli rather symmetrical, rectangular-shaped with broad base, left surstylus longer than right one (Fig. 4A). Genital capsule in ventral view: subepandrial sclerite wide, extended towards epandrium with a small protrusion towards phallic guide; gonopods flat, elongated towards surstyli (Fig. 4B), phallic guide with four spines dorsolaterally (three in left and one in right side); hypandrium with long hypandrial apodeme (Fig. 4B). Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli curved towards sternite, left surstylus with a depression dorsomedially (Fig. 4D); phallus with three ejaculatory ducts; ejaculatory apodeme flat, sperm pump elongated, linear (Fig. 4C).
FEMALE: Unknown.
Etymology: The name is a combination of the Greek amphi, around, on both sides, double and the Latin spina, thorn, in reference to the paired spines along the posterior margin of sternites 3 and 4.
Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: M[oun]t Magnet, M [oun]t Waramboo, 28°2’S, 117°49’E, hilltop, 14.xii.1999, J. Skevington, JSS7434 (WAM); PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: same data as holotype, JSS7429-30, JSS7432, JSS7451–2, JSS7454–62, JSS7465, JSS7467–8, JSS7472– 80, JSS7482 (2♂ ANIC, 2♂ CNC, 20♂ QM, 2♂ USNM; 2♂ WAM); South Australia: Great Victoria Desert, vehicle net between 183–217 km South Vokes Hill Corner, [27°52’S, 130°22’E], 29.viii.1980, J. Forrest, JSS8704 (1♂, SAM).
Distribution: Australia (South Australia, Western Australia) (Fig 108).
Notes: This desert species is presumably widespread but has only been collected in two widely separated localities. Most of the specimens were captured hilltopping. Based on the DNA barcode, this species is genetically most similar to T. spinifex sp. nov. (1.9–3.5% pairwise divergence). Intraspecific genetic distance ranges from 0.0% to 0.2% (Supplementary file 3).
description: Published as part of Motamedinia, Behnam, Földvari, Mihaly, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2023, Revision of Australian Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) with description of 100 new species, pp. 1-271 in Zootaxa 5599 (1) on pages 17-18, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5599.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14970961