Sphegina (Asiosphegina) nubicola Steenis & Hippa & Mutin 2018, sp. nov.

Sphegina (Asiosphegina) nubicola sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 9B888AE7-1401-4E38-84B6-B5A2A653C7B0

Figs 63E, 64, 70 A–B, 84B

Differential diagnosis

Sphegina (Asiosphegina) nubicola sp. nov. is similar to S. (A.) apicalis and S. (A.) farinosa sp. nov. but is distinguished by the characters given in the key. See also under S. (A.) apicalis and S. (A.) farinosa sp. nov.

Etymology

The specific epithet is from the Latin ‘ nubicola ’, meaning ‘cloud-dweller’ and referring to the high altitude of the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

THAILAND • ♂; “ THAILAND: “ Chiang Mai: Chomthong / Doi Inathon NP Summit trap 3 / 18.585° N, 98.483° E 2545m, 1.IV.– / 2.V.2014 [leg] W. Siruka & R. Sawkord Mal / Tp. QSBG 2014–80 ”; very teneral specimen without clear colours; QSBG.

Paratypes

THAILAND • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; JSA • 5 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; QSBG • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; “ Summit trap 1 / QSBG 2014–78 ”; QSBG • 2 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; “ Summit trap 1 / QSBG 2014–79 ”; JSA • 3 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; QSBG • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; “ Summit trap 2 / QSBG 2014–83 ”; QSBG • 8 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; “ Summit trap 2 / 2–29.V.2014 / QSBG 2014–126 ”; CSCA • 14 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; JSA • 18 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; QSBG • 8 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; “ 2–9.V.2014 / QSBG 2014–127 ”; CSCA • 11 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; JSA • 20 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; QSBG • 2 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; “ Kiew maepan trail trap 2; / 2210 m 18.555° N, 98.479° E / 30.VII–27.VIII.2014 / QSBG 2014–215 ”; QSBG • 2 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; “ 2200 m / Malaise 18°33.162 ʹ N, 98°28.81 ʹ E / 29.iv–6.v.2007 Y. Areeluck leg. T1853”; QSBG.

Additional material

VIETNAM • 1 ♀; “ Viet Nam: Mt Lang / Bian 1500–2000 m / 19.V–8.VI.1961 ”; “N.R. spencer / Collector / Bishop”; BPBM • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; JSA.

Description

Male

LENGTH. Body 4.0– 4.1 mm, wing 3.7–3.8 mm.

HEAD. Face in lateral view concave, weakly projected antero-ventrally; frontal prominence very weakly developed. Ratio width of vertex at anterior ocellus: width of head 1: 3.6–3.8; ratio width of ocellar triangle: width of vertex 1: 3.6–3.8; ratio length of ocellar triangle: length of frons 1: 2.0–2.2. Face creamy white, light grey pollinose, long pilose along eye-margin. Hypostomal bridge creamy-white, long pale pilose. Gena and mouth edge creamy white with large subtriangular non-pollinose shiny area. Frons and vertex light-brown, slightly pollinose with small semi-circular shiny area posteriorly to lunula; postero-laterally to shiny area with wide, subtriangular densely grey pollinose macula (Fig. 84B); pile short, light yellow. Frons with deep depression anteromedially and weak medial furrow. Occiput lightbrown, light grey pollinose, light yellow pilose. Eye without enlarged facets at anterior margin. Antenna with scape and pedicel light-brown, basoflagellomere brown to dark brown with black setae dorsally on scape and pedicel; basoflagellomere oval, ratio width: length 1: 1.1–1.2; arista basally short pilose, about 2.5 times as long as basoflagellomere.

THORAX. Colour light-brown, postpronotum light yellow, weakly greyish pollinose, posterior margin of katepisternum narrowly non-pollinose, shiny; scutum and pleuron with very short adpressed light yellow pile. Scutellum [due to wrinkled shape not well seen] light-brown, shiny, laterally slightly pollinose, with pile slightly longer than on scutum, with two closely set, very short setae medially at posterior margin, ratio length of scutellum: length of seta 1: 0.7–0.8.

WING. Entirely microtrichose; hyaline, stigma yellowish. Crossvein dm-cu meeting vein M obliquely and vein M

1

meeting vein R

4+5

perpendicularly.

LEGS. Pro- and mesoleg light yellow, tarsomeres 4–5 light to dark brown. Metaleg with coxa and trochanter light- to dark brown; femur black and yellow biannulate, slightly incrassate, ratio width: length 1: 4.0–4.2; tibia black and yellow biannulate, without apicoventral dens; tarsus entirely light- to dark brown, basitarsomere very thick, ratio width: length 1: 2.7–2.9.

ABDOMEN. Length and width ratios of terga not measurable. Terga light-brown, anterior ¼– ⅓ of tergum III with creamy white to yellow fascia; pile pale, on terga short, laterally on terga I and II long; tergum I with an oblique row of 4 light yellow setae at lateral margin; sternum IV, Fig. 64A; sterna VI, VII and VIII simple, with long yellow pile. Genitalia, Fig. 64 B–D: note the asymmetrical surstyli and slightly asymmetrical superior lobes.

Female

Similar to male except for the usual sexual dimorphism.

LENGTH. Body 4.4–4.8 mm, wing 4.2–4.7 mm.

HEAD. Face in lateral view concave, very weakly projected antero-ventrally; frontal prominence weakly developed. Ratio width of vertex at anterior ocellus: width of head 1: 3.3–3.6; ratio width of ocellar triangle: width of vertex 1: 2.1–2.3; ratio length of ocellar triangle: length of frons 1: 3.4–3.8. Face black to ventral half light-brown, mouth edge from light yellow to light-brown to orange. Basoflagellomere oval, ratio width: length 1: 1.2–1.3.

THORAX. Scutellum semi-circular and shiny with two rather closely set very short setae medially at posterior margin, ratio length of scutellum: length of seta 1: 0.8–0.9.

LEGS. In some specimens tarsomere 3 of pro- and mesotarsus light-brown to black; metafemur, ratio width: length 1: 4.1–4.3; metatarsus with basitarsomere thick, ratio width: length 1: 2.9–3.2.

ABDOMEN. Length ratio of terga I: II: III: IV: V 1: 2.7–3.0: 2.2–2.4: 1.8–2.1: 0.9; ratio width at posterior margin: medial length of tergum II and III 1: 0.9–1.0 and 1: 0.6.Abdomen predominantly black (Fig. 70A) with only anterior ¼ of tergum III dark yellow or terga III–V with light yellow fascia on anterior ½–¾ (Fig. 70B); sternum III rectangular, ratio width: length 1: 1.8–2.4; sternum IV widely rectangular, ratio

width: length 1: 0.6; sternum V widely rectangular with concave posterior margin, ratio width: length 1: 0.3–0.4.

Remarks

The females from Vietnam are not included in the type material as they are slightly different from the other females and possibly represent an undescribed species.