Empis (Sphenempis) amurensis Shamshev 1998

Empis (Sphenempis) amurensis Shamshev

(Figs 1D, 3B, 5)

Empis (Lissempis) amurensis Shamshev, 1998: 189.

Material examined. ♂, Amur. obl. / Kundur / 24.7.[19]88 n5/ Makarkin. [hand written Cyrillic letters] (in the collection of Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity).

Remarks. This species was hitherto known only from the holotype male that was fully described and illustrated by Shamshev (1998). In this study, a male from Amur was examined. The specimen was partly destroyed probably by a dermestid larva on its anterior part of the head including antennae and ventral part of middle 1/3 of abdomen. Shamshev’s description is almost applicable to the examined male. The following notes include some individual variations and measurements of podites that were not mentioned in the original description.

Redescription. Male (Fig. 1D). Body length 3.5 mm (4.0 mm supposed measurement when abdomen stretched; 3.1 mm in holotype); wing length 4.0 mm (3.6 mm in holotype). Palpus blackish brown, brown pollinose, as long as basal thickness of labrum, slender on basal 1/2, thickened on apical 1/2, bearing several setae ventrally and long apical bristle, all black; labrum blackish towards base. Mesonotum blackish brown pollinose viewed from above, with indistinct greyish dorsomedian stripe when viewed from in front; postpronotum and postalar area polished; scutellum blackish brown pollinose; 7–10 dorsocentrals, prescutellar bristle rather short, penultimate bristle strong. Mid and hind femora yellow with brownish apical part; mid and hind tibiae yellowish brown, darker towards tip. Legs (Figs 5A–F) thicker than in bicoloriventris sp. nov.; mid femur thick, 9.5 times as long as thick with 5–6 anteroventral and 4 posteroventral spines. Hind femur thick, 10 times as long as thick, with strong anterior preapical bristle almost as strong as and longer than longest anteroventral spines; 6 anteroventral spines and 2 posteroventral spines; hind tibia with long dorsal bristles 2 times as long as hind tibia thickness. Wing (Fig. 3B) wider than bicoloriventris sp. nov., about 3.2 times as long as wide: cell r 2+3 almost as wide as cell r 4+5 at level of tip of vein R 2+3; discal cell 0.52 times as long as vein M 1; axillary lobe narrow, widest at middle, with evenly curved margin; angle of fork of R 4+5 about 80°. Abdomen entirely polished blackish brown to black, bearing black longish setae. Terminalia (Figs 5G–I): Palm-like process with two fairly long finger-like lobes, with weakly rounded proximal swelling; cercus distinctly raised posteriorly.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Amur Region of the Russia Far East.

Type locality. 10 km N of Magdarachi, Amur Prov., Russia.

Remarks. This species was described based on a holotype male from Amur Province as a new species assigned to the subgenus Lissempis, but later was left unassigned (Shamshev 2016). Empis amurensis is easily distinguished from E. bicoloriventris sp. nov. by the entirely blackish male abdomen. This species resembles E. oshimai sp. nov. from the Ryukyus. Differences between them are stated in the latter species.