Strongylophthalmyia flavimarginata Zhou & Evenhuis & Yang 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zhou, Jiale
name: Evenhuis, Neal L.
name: Yang, Ding
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Strongylophthalmyiidae
Strongylophthalmyia
Strongylophthalmyia flavimarginata

description: Strongylophthalmyia flavimarginata sp. nov.
(Figs 9–14, 27, 31)
Type material. Holotype. CHINA: ♂, Yunnan, Jinping, Wutaishan, 1097 m, 31 Mar. 2019, Liang Wang leg. (CAU). Paratypes. CHINA: 1♀, same collection data as for holotype (CAU).
Diagnosis. Generally shining blackish brown, with lateral body surface mostly yellow to yellowish brown (Figs 9, 10); anterior third to whole of frons yellowish brown; face, parafacial and gena yellow; antennal arista bicolorous, with yellow basal half and dark brown apical half (Fig. 27); wing slightly infumate, with large dark suffusion at apex and vague broad median transverse band interrupted along cell r 1 (Fig. 31); legs mostly yellow, with mid and hind femora narrowly dark brown subapically, mid and hind tibiae largely dark brown; phallapodeme curved inwardly in apical half (Fig. 14); distiphallus about 1.52 times as long as phallapodeme, with hook-shaped sclerotized apical “glans”, membrane microtrichose only in basal half (Figs 13, 14).
Description. Male and female (Figs 9, 10). Body length 4.1–5.3 mm, wing length 3.5–4.1 mm.
Generally shining blackish brown with extensive paler markings (Figs 9, 10). Frons (in male only anterior third) yellowish brown; face, parafacial and gena yellow. Antenna yellow with apical half of arista dark brown (Fig. 27). Clypeus, proboscis and palpus yellow. Postpronotum, propleuron, basisternum and anterior third of anepisternum yellow. Mesonotum blackish brown with lateral quarter yellowish brown. Scutellum yellowish brown along apical margin. Wing slightly infumate, with large dark suffusion at apex and vague broad median transverse band at level of dm-m; median transverse band more or less interrupted along cell r 1 (Fig. 31); wing veins brown to dark brown. Halter white, slightly darkened basally. Legs mostly yellow; mid and hind femora narrowly dark brown subapically; mid and hind tibiae largely dark brown. Abdomen mostly yellow except tergites 1–6 in male or 2–5 in female with large dark brown median patch; tergite 7 blackish brown (Figs 9, 10).
Head with parafacial with sparse short whitish setulae; gena with silvery tomentose stripe along eye margin; postgena bulging, with several long black setulae. Head chaetotaxy: 1 inner vertical seta, 1 outer vertical seta, 2 fronto-orbital setae, 1 ocellar seta, 1 postocellar seta. Clypeus band-like in male, thick and bulbous in female; palpus elongate, with dense short dark setulae. Antennal scape with scattered marginal setae and 1 dominant dorsal seta; pedicel with single strong seta dorsally; first flagellomere ovate, wider than long, densely covered with long white setulae (Fig. 27).
Thorax with mesonotum covered with scattered short golden setulae, in dorsal view with distinct transverse suture.Anepisternum with short setulae along notopleural suture. Scutellum subtriangular, slightly inflated. Thoracic chaetotaxy: 1 presutural intra-alar seta, 1 anepisternal seta, 2 notopleural setae, 1 dorsocentral seta, 1 posterior supra-alar seta, 1 scutellar seta. Wing (Fig. 31) with R 4+5 and M 1+2 almost parallel apically; apical section of M 1+2 nearly straight; M 4 reaching wing margin; CuA+CuP closely approaching wing margin; r-m located about basal 0.43 of cell dm; apical section of M 4 shorter than dm-m; alula relatively large; anal lobe well-developed. Legs with dense dark setulae; fore coxa with several long white setulae anterodorsally.
Abdomen covered with dense long dark setae. Tergite 1 weakly sclerotized. Pregenital sclerites relatively weakly sclerotized.
Male genitalia: Epandrium (Figs 11, 12) relatively short and broad, with dense long setae. Surstylus (Figs 11, 12) nearly parallel-sided in lateral view, with short stout setae on inner distal surface. Cerci (Figs 11, 12) distinctly expanded apically, with one rather long subapical seta and several shorter ones. Hypandrium (Figs 13, 14) strongly expanded laterally, with one pair of bifid anterior lobes. Phallapodeme (Fig. 14) long, curved inwardly in apical half. Pregonite (Figs 13, 14) long, narrow, band-like, basally fused to inner surface of hypandrium. Phallic plate (Fig. 14) thickened, divided into two articulating sclerites. Distiphallus (Figs 13, 14) long, about 1.52 times as long as phallapodeme, with hook-shaped sclerotized apical “glans”, membrane microtrichose only in basal half. Ejaculatory apodeme (Figs 13, 14) long, slightly expanded apically.
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from Latin flavi- (meaning yellow) and -marginata (meaning marginated), referring to the yellow to yellowish brown patterns on the lateral body surface of the new species.
Distribution. China (Yunnan).
Comparative notes. Strongylophthalmyia flavimarginata sp. nov. superficially resembles S. elegantissima Frey, 1956 (Myanmar). The latter species, which belongs to the S. fascipennis group, has the bare antennal arista and therefore can be easily separated from the new species. Among the S. stulate group, this new species is most similar to S. bifasciata (see above) but can be readily distinguished from the latter species by the very different color patterns on the head, thorax, and abdomen.
description: Published as part of Zhou, Jiale, Evenhuis, Neal L. & Yang, Ding, 2024, Taxonomic review of the Strongylophthalmyia ustulata group (Diptera: Brachycera: Strongylophthalmyiidae) from China, with the descriptions of three new species, pp. 530-548 in Zootaxa 5403 (5) on pages 536-539, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5403.5.2, http://zenodo.org/record/10562330