Rinhatiana cracentis Irwin & Winterton 2024, gen. et sp. nov.
Creators: name: Irwin, Michael E.
name: Winterton, Shaun L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Therevidae
Rinhatiana
Rinhatiana cracentis

description: Rinhatiana cracentis gen. et sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: D9146318-0AB4-49DB-8CF0-FE2D74888977
Figs 3–4, 9C–D, 15B, 16C–D, M, 18
Diagnosis
Frons grayish silver ventrally and light brown dorsally, separated by diffuse band of matte black pubescence (Fig. 9C–D); male eyes nearly contiguous; single row of postocular macrosetae in both sexes; dorsocentral macrosetae absent; one supra alar macroseta (Figs 3–4); abdomen predominantly dark brown, dark yellow dorsally (Figs 3–4); male genitalia with distiphallus with apical flanges (Fig. 16C–D).
Differential diagnosis
Rinhatiana cracentis gen. et sp. nov. differs from all other members of the genus by a distinctive pattern of frontal pubescence (Fig. 9C–D), predominantly dark brown and yellow abdomen and distiphallus with apical flanges in the male genitalia. Amongst other characters, it differs specifically from R. arctifestuca gen. et sp. nov. and R. latifestuca gen. et sp. nov. by the silver-tan pubescence around the base of the antennae (bright silver in R. arctifestuca and R. latifestuca), and from R. distincta by the presence of a single pair of supra alar macroseta (two pairs in R. distincta).
Etymology
The specific epithet is the Latin term for graceful, slender. Gender is female.
Material examined
Holotype MADAGASCAR – Tulear Province (Atsimo-Andrefana Region) • ♂; Beza Mahafaly Reserve, Parcel I; 23.6565° S, 44.6291° E; 165 m a.s.l.; 9–16 Jan. 2002; R. Harin’Hala and M.E. Irwin leg.; Malaise in dry gallery forest; MEI151225; CASC.
Paratypes MADAGASCAR – Tulear Province (Atsimo-Andrefana Region) • 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; various dates: 28 Nov.–4 Dec. 2001, 18–25 Dec. 2002, 2–9 Jan. 2002; MEI 138465, 151218, 151222, 151223; CSCA • 4 ♂♂, 2♀♀; Beza Mahafaly Reserve, Parcel II; 23.6865° S, 44.5908° E; 200 m a.s.l.; various dates: 28 Nov.–4 Dec. 2001, 4–11 Dec. 2001, 9–16 Jan. 2002; R. Harin’Hala and M.E. Irwin leg.; Malaise in spiny forest; MEI 151220, 151221, 151226, 151227; CSCA • 11 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Sept Lacs; 23.5208° S, 44.1597° E; 120 m a.s.l.; 21–26 Aug. 2002; Frontier Wilderness Project leg.; Malaise trap MFGF 038; CASLOT044923; CASC.
Other material
MADAGASCAR – Tulear Province (Atsimo-Andrefana Region) • 40 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; Makay Mountains, Mahosoa; 21.1286° S, 45.4152° E; 537 m a.s.l.; 30 Jul.–3 Aug. 2017; B.L. Fisher leg.; Malaise in disturbed tropical dry forest on sand; CASC. – Tulear Province (Anosy Region) • 1 ♀; Mangosy Andohaela National Park, Parcel I; 24.762° S, 46.767° E; 240 m a.s.l.; 10–15 Jun. 2003; M.E. Irwin and R. Harin’Hala leg.; Malaise in tropical rainforest; CASC.
Description
BODY LENGTH. 4.5–6.0 mm (male), 5.5–7.0 mm (female).
HEAD. Frontal pubescence light brown dorsally, grayish-silver ventrally, separated by irregular, diffuse dark band; male frons width at narrowest point narrower than anterior ocellus but eyes not contiguous; frontal vestiture absent; ocellar tubercle tan-gray pubescent, setae absent; black postocular macrosetae in single row immediately laterad of ocellar tubercle, similar in both sexes; occiput pubescence silver-gray with brown suffusion medially; genal setae pale; antennal scape short, cylindrical, dark yellow, sparsely covered with short, dark macrosetae; flagellum conical, tapered distally, brownish orange, darker distally.
THORAX. Scutum gray-tan with pair of dorsocentral stripes along length, darker laterally in female, sparse short pale setae; scutellum concolorous with scutum (paler in female); pleuron dark brown (male) to yellowish (female) with dense silver-gray pubescence; katatergite setae pale; scutal and scutellar macrosetae black; coxae in female yellow, darker in male, overlain with silver-gray pubescence, minor setae white and sparse, macrosetae black and few in number; legs dark yellow (female) to light brown (male), hind leg darker; short dark setae admixed with longer pale setae and black adpressed scale-like setae; hind femur typically with single subapical anteroventral macroseta and subapical series of short posteroventral macrosetae; basitarsi yellow, dark distally, remaining tarsal segments brown; wing uniform smoky infuscate, venation yellow basally along major veins, darker distally; haltere dark yellow or brown; scutal chaetotaxy (pairs): notopleural, 3; supra alar, 1; post alar, 1; dorsocentral, 0; scutellar, 2.
ABDOMEN. Male abdomen dark brown, yellow posteriorly on tergites, intersegmental membranes white, scattered dark setae, denser posteriorly and on terminalia; female abdomen brown, tergites predominantly dark yellow, especially posteriorly and laterally, intersegmental membrane distinctly pale, well defined, terminalia brown to dark yellow.
MALE GENITALIA. Epandrium quadrangular, strongly arched along midline, thickened posterolaterally, corners acute; hypandrium small, band-like; outer gonocoxal process sub-triangular with elongate macrosetae; gonostylus relatively narrow with small lateral flanges; inner gonocoxal process elongate with few setae apically; ventral lobe elongate and narrow; phallus with distiphallus relatively broad with lateral flanges apically; sternite 8 bilobed posteriorly with setae laterally on each lobe.
Remarks
Rinhatiana cracentis gen. et sp. nov. is unlike all other species in the genus by the body color being predominantly dark brown and dark yellow. All other species are predominantly bright yellow. This species is known from spiny thicket and forest habitats in southern Madagascar.
description: Published as part of Irwin, Michael E. & Winterton, Shaun L., 2024, New genera of stiletto flies endemic to Madagascar (Therevidae: Therevinae), pp. 1-33 in European Journal of Taxonomy 932 (1) on pages 8-10, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.932.2507, http://zenodo.org/record/11001504