Iteaphila arnaudi Sinclair & Shamshev 2021, sp. nov.

Iteaphila arnaudi sp. nov.

(Figs 37, 49)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 9E5C6D82-4060-4FA6-8462-5740F09A3D4D

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “ Lily Pond [37.9538133° -122.6349820°], Alpine / Lk., Marin Co.,/ CALIF. 1500ꞌ”; “ Malaise trap / IV-V.[19]70/ D.D. Munroe ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Iteaphila / arnaudi/ Sinclair & Shamshev [red label]” (CNC). PARATYPES: USA. California: San Mateo Co., Memorial Pk [37°16′40″N 122°17′40″W], 7.iv.1968, PHA (2 ♂, USNM); San Mateo Co., 10 mi E Pescadero [37°15′16″N 122°19′20″W], 9.v.1964, C. Slobodchickoff (1 ♂, CAS).

Recognition. This species is distinguished from the similar A. subnupta sp. nov. by the dorsally directed surstylus and elongate postgonite extended just below the epandrial margin (Fig. 37).

Description. Wing length 2.8–3 mm. Male. Head dark brown in ground-colour, with pale brown to black setation, occiput thinly to densely greyish pollinose. Eyes holoptic, with upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons represented by small triangular space just above antennae, bare, greyish pollinose. Ocellar triangle prominent, with 2 pairs of hairlike setae, posterior pair distinctly shorter than anterior pair. Postvertical setae subequal in length to postocular setae, thin; occiput covered with numerous similar setae in lower part; pale setae posterior to mouth opening. Antenna dark brown; scape short, slightly shorter than globular pedicel, both with short setulae; postpedicel nearly 3 times longer than basal width, base expanded and tapered apically; stylus ca 4 times longer than wide, sensillum-tipped; segment 9 tubular, 3 times longer than wide, apical sensillum about half length of segment 9. Proboscis mediumlength, projected obliquely; labium slightly shorter than head height; palpus projected parallel to labrum, somewhat shorter than labrum.

Thorax dark brown in ground-colour with posterior part of postpronotal lobe and postalar tubercle paler, with brown to black setation; scutum viewed dorsally entirely greyish pruinescent, without distinct vittae; viewed anteriorly densely brown pruinose, without vittae; mesopleuron uniformly greyish brown pollinose. Proepisternum with a few hair-like setae. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long thin and several shorter setae. Mesonotal setae distinct, thin; acr very short, 4-serial, arranged in 2 pairs of closely spaced irregular rows, lacking on prescutellar depression, distance between paired rows greater than length of acr; dc uniserial (with some additional setulae in anterior part), offset from row anteriorly, slightly longer than acr, 2–3 distinct prescutellar dc; 1 ph, 1 presut spal (sometimes with additional setulae), 3–4 npl (with a few additional shorter setae), several psut spal setulae, 1 pal and several short setulae, 5 pairs of sctl.

Legs, including coxae, mostly yellowish brown, hindleg and tarsi somewhat darker. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified hair-like setae. Fore femur with row of short anteroventral hair-like setae and somewhat longer setae on posteroventral, dorsal and posterior faces. Mid femur with moderately long posteroventral bristly setae along entire length, bearing some moderately long setae on dorsal and posterior faces. Hind femur with long anteroventral and dorsal setae along whole length. Tibiae without prominent posterodorsal setae. Tarsomere 1 of mid and hindlegs with pair of rows of stiff ventral setae; tarsomere 5 somewhat flattened on all legs; pulvilli broad, shorter than tarsal claw.

Wing distinctly uniformly brownish infuscate; basal costal seta absent; pterostigma distinct brownish, elliptical, overlapping apex of R 1; anal lobe very prominent, acute. Sc complete; R 2+3 often slightly bowed posterior to pterostigma; R 4+5 unbranched; cell dm broad, longer than basal cells, truncate apically; base of M 2 (crossvein) more than one-third length of dm-m, M branches widely separated; dm-m crossvein slightly concave. Apex of cell cua recurved, CuA+CuP long, faint ending short of wing margin. Halter brown.

Abdomen brown, subshiny, finely brownish grey pollinose, covered with long pale setae. Terminalia (Fig. 37) concolorous with abdomen, small. Hypandrium with several long setae, rounded, upcurved apically with narrowly rounded and truncate apex; gonocoxal apodeme short and expanded apically; inner apodeme expanded and flattened, slightly shorter than gonocoxal apodeme; postgonite long, arched, extending near epandrial margin, apex flattened, plate-like. Phallic guide extended slightly beyond epandrium, parallel with phallus and bent nearly at right angles subapically; bent apical section paired with jagged or toothed surface apically; apex tapered. Epandrium not inflated laterally; dorsal bridge moderately narrow; produced distally into broad, dorsally projected surstylus; apex of surstylus with tooth-like projection medially. Phallus slender, arched slightly beyond epandrium, bent nearly at right angles subapically; apical section slender, tapered; ejaculatory apodeme plate-like, rounded, slightly longer than gonocoxal apodeme. Cercus short, triangular, one-quarter length of epandrium; apex rounded, extended free from epandrium; hypoproct produced into pair of short, slender processes, projecting beyond epandrium.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Nearctic: USA (California). This species is presently known only from the San Francisco Bay Area in California (Fig. 49).

Etymology. This species is named after dipterist, Paul H. Arnaud (former curator of California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA), who collected many very interesting empidoids, including this new species.

Remarks. This species is very similar to I. subnupta sp. nov., distinguished by the male terminalia.