Wohlfahrtia spinisternum Ge & Zhang & Thomas 2018, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ge, Ying-Qiang
name: Zhang, Dong
name: Thomas, Pape
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Sarcophagidae
Wohlfahrtia
Wohlfahrtia spinisternum

description: Wohlfahrtia spinisternum Pape & Zhang sp. nov.
(Figs 1–2, 6H)
Type material. Holotype ♂ (NZMC): China, Xinjiang, Fuyun County / Kalamaili Nat. Cns. Ctr. [= Kalamaili Nature Conservation Center or Kalamaili Nature Reserve] / 45°13’N 88°50’E, 900m / 24–27.V.2014, T. Pape (Fig. 2E) [collected by sweep net].
Diagnosis. Similar to other Wohlfahrtia spp. in eXternal morphology. Male mid femur distally with unmodified pv bristles (i.e., no ctenidium). Abdominal tergites 3–5 each with three black spots; median spot on tergite 3 large, tear-shaped and reaching posterior margin; median spot on tergite 4 confined to posterior half; median spot on tergite 5 confined to posterior quarter. Male sternite 5 with thorn-like eXpansion of posterior margin. Phallus long and slender, with well-developed ventral lobe at base and spoon-shaped distal part.
Description. Male. Body length 9.80 mm.
Head. Eye bare, red; fronto-orbital plate and parafacial black, with silvery microtomentum; frontal vitta with silvery grey microtomentum; frontal bristles 9–10, stronger anteriorly; gena and occiput with dense and long black bristles; gena 0.34 times as high as eye in lateral view; occiput not swollen; antenna not reaching level of vibrissal insertion; pedicel reddish brown; postpedicel greyish, 2.40 times as long as pedicel; arista longer than postpedicel, short plumose on basal 3/7; vibrissa and peristomal bristles well developed; palpus dirty yellow, with black tip.
ThoraX. Ground colour black, with silvery microtomentum; chaetotaXy: acrostichals 2+3; dorsocentrals 2+3; intra-alars 2+2; supra-alars 3; scutellum with 1 pair of basal, lateral, apical and discal bristles, respectively; meral bristles strong, 10, in single row; katepisternal bristles 1:1. Wing. Hyaline; subcostal sclerite and basicosta yellow; cell r4+5 narrowly open at wing margin; lower calypter yellowish white. Legs. Black, eXcept knee reddish; fore femur with dense and elongated bristles in rows along d, pd and pv surfaces; fore tibia with 3 d bristles on basal half, 1 apical d bristle, 1 median pd bristle and 1 pv bristle; mid femur with strong v bristles in single row and without an apical pv ctenidium; mid tibia with 1 near-median ad bristle, 1 near-median pd bristle, 1 median av bristle and 1 median pv bristle,; hind femur with dense and elongated bristles in rows along ad, av and pv surfaces; hind tibia with strong ad bristles in single row, and with fringe of long v bristles.
Abdomen. Ground colour black, with silvery microtomentum; tergites 1+2–5 with black, distinct spots; median spot on tergite 3 large, tear-shaped and reaching posterior margin; median spot on each of tergites 4 and 5 smaller and lighter and confined to posterior half and posterior quarter, respectively; tergites 4–5 and syntergosternite 7+8 with strong marginal bristles; tergite 5 with dense fringe of long bristles on ventral margin (Fig. 2D); sternite 5 strongly sclerotiZed, with posterior margin produced into a sharp and sclerotiZed point (Fig. 2C); sternite 6 projecting posteriorly as a light brown, rounded process (Fig. 2C); epandrium orange red; cercus long and with dorsal outline almost straight in lateral view (Fig. 2B); surstylus large, triangular, with strong and stout bristles subapically on posterior margin (Fig. 2B); postgonite with long bristle at base; phallus long and slender, with well-developed ventral lobe at base and spoon-shaped distal part (Fig. 2B).
Female. Unknown.
Biology. Unknown.
Distribution. Palaearctic—China (Xinjiang).
Remarks. Wohlfahrtia spinisternum Pape & Zhang sp. nov. is undoubtedly a member of Wohlfahrtia, as evidenced by the abdominal colour pattern with distinct black spots on a dense, silvery microtomentum, and the shape of the phallus with an elongate, spoon-shaped distal part. The subapical cluster of long, straight bristles on the posterior margin of the surstylus and the thorn-like eXpansion of the posterior margin of male sternite 5 appear to be autapomorphic, separating this species from all its congeners (Figs 2B–D; 6H). The absence of a mid-femoral ctenidium is noteworthy as the only other species of Wohlfahrtia without this structure is W. aschersoni (Enderlein, 1934) (Salem 1938; Verves 1985; Pape 1995), which is known from Egypt, Libya, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (Pape 1996; Hall et al. 2009).
Etymology. The species epithet, which should be treated as a noun in apposition, is composed from the Latin nouns spinus = thorn, and sternum = breastbone (term used for ventral arthropod sclerites). The new species is named after its uniquely-shaped male sternite 5, which is strongly sclerotiZed and gradually raised posteriorly into a sharp and sclerotiZed point.
description: Published as part of Ge, Ying-Qiang, Zhang, Dong & Thomas, Pape, 2018, A new species of Wohlfahrtia Brauer & Bergenstamm (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) from northwestern China, with three new synonymies and a pictorial synopsis, pp. 130-140 in Zootaxa 4434 (1) on pages 131-134, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4434.1.8, http://zenodo.org/record/1291046