Empis sjoestedti Frey 1935

sjoestedti Frey, 1935: 5 (Empis (Pachymeria))

Current name and combination. Empis (Polyblepharis) sjoestedti Frey, 1935.

Type locality (by lectotype designation): Russia, Kamchatka.

Notes on the type series. Frey described this species from both sexes after an unspecified number of specimens. He noted the following material: “Mehr. ♂ ♀, Kamtchatka (Malaise). Daneben im Helsingforser Museum 1 ♂, Kamtchatka: Bolscherjetsk (Wuorentaus)”. Eight males and three females were found in NHRS. A male from MZH was not examined.

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (here designated in order to fix identity of the species), ♂ (Fig. 6), labelled (Fig. 7): “ Kamtschatka / Malaise ”; “1140”; “Spec. typ.”; “ Empis / Sjöstedti n. sp. [hand-written by Frey]/ R. Frey det.”; “ Lectotypus / Empis / sjoestedti Frey, 1935 / design. Shamshev, 2020 [red label]” (NHRS). The lectotype is in good condition, but right wing slightly damaged.

PARALECTOTYPES: Kamchatka, Malaise; 1134; Spec. typ.; Paralectotypus, Empis sjoestedti Frey, 1935, design. Shamshev, 2020 (1 ♀, NHRS). Kamchatka, Malaise: 806, 134, 135, 3620, 626, 1127, 84, 124; all with red label: Paralectotypus, Empis sjoestedti Frey, 1935, design. Shamshev, 2020 (7 ♂, 2 ♀, NHRS).

Diagnosis. Large species with densely light grey pruinose thorax, mesoscutum with four brownish vittae, palpus pale yellow, prosternum with pale setae, extensively yellowish legs; female mid and hind femora and tibiae pennate.

Re-description. Male (Fig. 6). Body length 7.5–9 (lectotype 8.7); wing length 7.7–9.3 (lectotype 9.1 mm). Head densely light grey pruinose on face, frons, ocellar tubercle and occiput; gena subshiny. Eyes holoptic, upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons represented by very small triangular space below ocellar tubercle and larger subtriangular space above antennae; bare. Face broad, slightly broader below; bare. Ocellar tubercle with four subequally long fine black setae and some minute setulae. Occiput with numerous moderately long to long black strong setae on upper part and laterally, long pale hair-like setae on lower part.Antenna with scape and pedicel dark brown, postpedicel and stylus black; scape short, only slightly longer than pedicel, both with minute black setulae; postpedicel nearly 2.5 times longer than basal width; stylus nearly 1.5X shorter than postpedicel basal width. Palpus pale yellow, whitish pilose, with scattered long pale fine setae. Labrum mostly reddish brown, brownish near base; nearly 1.5X longer than head height.

Thorax densely light grey pruinose; scutum viewed dorsally with four distinct brownish vittae (dorsal view). Prosternum with numerous long, pale, hair-like setae. Proepisternum with cluster of similar setae on lower portion and several setae on upper portion opposite anterior spiracle. Antepronotum covered with long pale hair-like setae and with 3–4 additional black strong setae dorsally on each side. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long strong black seta, 3–4 shorter and finer black setae, numerous long pale hair-like setae. Mesonotum with mostly black well differentiated setation; 1 moderately long fine presutural intra-alar (flanked with some black and pale setulae), 1 long presutural supra-alar, 3 notopleurals, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 long and 1 very short postalars, 4 long scutellars (apical pair only slightly longer than lateral pair); numerous pale hair-like setae just behind postpronotal lobe and on notopleuron anteriorly; acrostichals arranged in 2 irregular rows, short, numerous, lacking on prescutellar depres- sion; presutural dorsocentrals arranged in 2–3 irregular rows, nearly as long as acrostichals, postsutural dorsocentrals 1–2-serial, becoming longer toward scutellum, 2–3 prescutellar pairs longest. Laterotergite with numerous pale setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles pale yellow.

Legs extensively yellowish, mostly subshiny; coxae blackish (except extreme apex), trochanters with narrow blackish dorsal stripe apically, hind trochanter yellowish brown, tarsomeres brownish (sometimes basitarsi somewhat paler near base). Coxae densely greyish pruinescent, with numerous pale hair-like setae and several black strong setae. All femora whitish pilose ventrally. Fore femur with anteroventral black, minute setae on basal half and somewhat longer setae on apical half; almost bare posteroventrally, only with some minute, hair-like pale setulae closer to base; some longer setae on apical half posteriorly. Mid femur with complete anteroventral and posteroventral rows of moderately long spine-like setae. Hind femur with row of several anterodorsal setae on apical half; only anteroventral complete row of spine-like setae, some short to moderately long setae near extreme base posteroventrally. All tibiae with circlet of strong long setae. Fore tibia with row of short anterodorsal setae, some moderately long intermixed fine and strong setae posterodorsally and posteriorly (shorter closer to base). Mid tibia with rows of 4–5 moderately long strong anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae (except subapicals); somewhat stronger setulae ventrally. Hind tibia slightly evenly thickened toward apex; with rows of anterodorsal and posterodorsal numerous long setae; 1 seta in posteroapical comb. Fore basitarsus slightly thickened but not broader than fore tibia at apex, with somewhat longer setulae posterodorsally and posteriorly; hind basitarsus slender, with 2–3 moderately long setae dorsally. All tarsomeres 1–4 with circlet of long strong setae. Fore basitarsus slightly thickened; with longer fine setae posterodorsally and posteriorly; long spine-like anteroventral and posteroventral setae. Mid basitarsus slightly thickened; 1–2 short anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae; short spine-like anteroventral and posteroventral setae. Hind basitarsus rather slender but somewhat narrowed toward apex; several long setae dorsally; anteroventral row of moderately long spine-like setae, scattered spinule-like setulae posteroventrally.

Wing membrane very faintly infuscate. Basal costal seta present, very short. Pterostigma indistinct. Veins mostly brownish, well sclerotised, yellowish near extreme base. Veins R 5 and M 1+2 divergent near wing margin. Anal vein complete. Cell dm short, with elongate apex. Anal lobe well-developed; axillary incision very acute. Squama pale yellow, pale fringed. Halter yellow.

Abdomen dark in ground-colour, in lateral view almost uniformly light grey densely pruinose (except noted), in dorsal view tergites 1–5 with some fine brownish tinge; tergites 6 and 7 with yellowish brown iridescent spots; sternite 8 mostly yellowish to brownish yellow, projections brownish, subshiny. Tergites covered with pale fine setae laterally (longer on tergites 1–3) and dark setulae dorsally (except tergites 6–8), tergites 1–7 with long strong black posteromarginal setae laterally; sternites with pale setae, sternite 8 usually with intermixed pale and dark posteromarginal setae. Sclerites of segment 8 separated; tergite 8 represented by two broadly separated subtriangular sclerites; sternite 8 large, scoop-shaped, constricted near base, laterally with two tubercles separated by excavation.

Terminalia (Fig. 8) moderately large, cerci and epandrium reddish to yellowish brown. Cercus elongate oval (lateral view), somewhat flattened and with smoothed inner margins (dorsal view); with scattered dark setulae. Epandrial lamella subtriangular (lateral view), with some moderately long intermixed pale and dark setae along lower margin and on apex. Hypandrium subtriangular (ventral view), bare. Phallus divided, basiphallus reddish brown, thick, somewhat flattened, evenly curved, distiphallus yellowish, with apical portion slender, evenly curved backwards.

Female. Body length 8.5–10 mm. Dichoptic, ommatidia equally small. Frons moderately broad, slightly narrower than face below antennae, almost parallel-sided, with marginal setulae. Occiput without black setae laterally. Thorax with similar pattern but shorter setation than in male. Legs generally darker than in male but without definitive pattern, femora and tibiae (especially hind ones) yellowish brown to brownish in varying extent, often on middle portion, dorsally or ventrally. Hind femur flattened, with straight ventrally and somewhat convex dorsally; hind tibia of subequal width, slightly flattened; all basitarsi slender. Fore femur with numerous short to moderately long dark setae anteroventrally and mostly pale (except apical part) hair-like setae posteroventrally. Mid femur with posteroventral complete row of long pennate setae (nearly as long as femur width), slightly shorter pennate setae on middle part dorsally; short simple setae anteroventrally and longer setae near extreme base ventrally. Hind femur (Fig. 9) with fringe of short pennate setae dorsally (except extreme apex), posteroventral complete row of flattened setae long on middle portion (nearly as long as femur width) and short near apex and base; anteroventral complete row of strong, moderately long setae. Fore tibia with simple setae, finer and denser posterodorsally and dorsally than in male. Mid tibia with anterodorsal row of several strong setae, some dorsal short pennate to subpennate setae (except base); anteroventral row of short strong setae, ventral short pennate setae on about basal half. Hind tibia with rows of several moderately long anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae, short pennate setae anterodorsally (except extreme base and apex), some short anteroventral setae, moderately long pennate setae posteroventrally (except base and apex). Tarsi with similar setation to male. Wing as in male. Abdomen densely light grey pruinose, with shorter setae than in male; tergites 1–3 with denser yellowish fine setae laterally and more or less distinct black posteromarginal setae, remaining tergites with sparse setation; segment 6 subshiny on basal part and faintly pruinose apically (when extracted), segments 7 and 8 mostly subshiny; cercus long, slender, with dark setulae.

Distribution. Known only from the Far East of Russia.

Remarks. Originally, Frey (1935) placed E. sjoestedti to the subgenus Pachymeria. Later he (Frey 1953) transferred it to Euempis, which was followed by subsequent authors (Chvála & Wagner 1989; Yang et al. 2007). Shamshev (2016) has already noted that actually E. sjoestedti belongs to the subgenus Polyblepharis and Collin (1941) described E. sjoestedti as E. optiva.

Remarks. Chvála (1999) assigned E. sjoestedti (as E. optiva) to his E. crassa group.