Chalarus absconditus Kehlmaier, spec. nov.
Creators: name: Kehlmaier, Christian
name: Assmann, Thorsten
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Pipunculidae
Chalarus
Chalarus absconditus

description: Chalarus absconditus Kehlmaier spec. nov.
(Figs 2, 18, 24, 32)
Type material: Spain: Navarra, Finca de Artikutza, 1°44’W 43°15’N, 600m, Fagus sylvatica forest: 1ɗ (holotype), 22.VIII.–4.IX.1995, Malaise trap H2, DNA CK 65, Martínez de Murguia (MTD); 1ɗ, 25.VII.– 7.VIII.1995, Malaise trap H3, Martínez de Murguia (PCCK); Germany: Saxony, Dresden, Dresdner Heide, Prießnitztal, 13°46’E 51°05’N, 160m: 1ɗ, 21. VI.2005, hand-net, DNA CK 66, Kehlmaier (MTD).
Etymology: The epithet refers to the concealed autonomy of this taxon; absconditus [lat.] meaning disguised, concealed, hidden.
Differential diagnosis: Closest to C. fimbriatus / C. pughi but ratio Lmtdp:Ltdp is ~3.0 instead of ~2.0; tip of distiphallus shorter and broader (Fig. 2); inner gonopod distinctly narrower and longer (Fig. 24). Also, C. abconditus is generally darker, with all hairs and bristles mid to dark brown, and pvsr of mid femur has more hairs (~21 instead of ~15). See Table 1 for coxI and ITS2 barcode sequence accession numbers.
Male: Body length 3.2mm. Head. Face black. Labellum and palps light brown, the latter with one distal hair on each. Eyes separated, ommatidial facets slightly enlarged at front. Frons black, at its narrowest point width of 2–3 ommatidial facets. Antenna dark brown. Pedicel with four upper and three lower bristles, two of the latter longer than flagellum which is of an ovoid-kidney shape and is slightly longer than wide. Vertex black. Long ocellar bristles absent (probably broken off). Occiput black, hardly visible in lateral view. Thorax. Uniformly dark brown to black with hairs mid to dark brown. Pollinosity not assessable (alcohol material). Prescutum and scutum covered with rather widely spaced hairs, as in other species of the genus, the longest ones towards the lateral and posterior margins (notopleural, supraalar and postalar bristles). Bristles of scutellum partly broken off but with 3–4 pairs of long black marginal bristles and two pairs of short dorsocentral hairs. Pleura bare except anepimeron with 4 hairs. Wing and halter. Length: 2.8–2.9mm. LW:MWW=3.0.
Wing surface with weak brownish tinge and covered with microtrichia except near base. Pterostigma brown and incomplete (LS:LTC=0.8). LSC:LTC:LFC=4.7:4.3:1.0. Halter dark brown. Leg. Mid to dark brown with base of hind femur paler ventrally (optional), tibiae light brown midventrally (optional) and tarsal segments light brown. All hairs mid to dark brown. Legs with psr ~13 hairs; pvsr ~21 hairs, apical ones distinctly extending beyond apex; aasr ~9 hairs, apical ones extending as far as apex; pdsr ~9 hairs, apical ones extending as far as apex and ppsr ~3 hairs. Pulvilli slightly shorter than distitarsus. Abdomen. Entirely dark brown. Hairs mid to dark brown; widely spaced; dorsally and ventrally short, along lateral margins long. Sternite 5 posterolaterally with 1–2 black peg-like spines on each side (absent in German paratype). LT35:WT2=1.3. Genitalia. Surstyli symmetrical and small, without pointed medial protuberances (Fig. 32). Inner gonopod slim and long (Fig. 24). Phallus (Fig. 2) with gently bent shaft. Phallic processes absent. Tip of distiphallus short, pointed and rather broad. Membranous tip of distiphallus rather long. Lmtdp:Ltdp~3.0. All three ejaculatory ducts placed distinctly at membranous tip of distiphallus. Ejaculatory apodeme parasol-shaped (Fig. 18).
Female unknown.
Annotations: The specimens from Spain are briefly discussed in Kehlmaier (2003) with the phallus of the holotype figured. Genitalia of holotype and Spanish paratype are embedded in Canada balsam on a glass slide. The Spanish paratype is in very good condition, whereas three legs and nearly the entire wings are missing from the holotype — however it was selected as the holotype because of the successful DNA extraction. Of the German paratype only the tip of the abdomen from syntergite 6 onwards and the right hind leg are left, the rest having been used for DNA extraction. All types are currently preserved in ethanol.
description: Published as part of Kehlmaier, Christian & Assmann, Thorsten, 2008, The European species of Chalarus Walker, 1834 revisited (Diptera: Pipunculidae), pp. 1-39 in Zootaxa 1936 on pages 5-7, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.184950