Кавказский энтомол. бюллетень 12(1): 171–173 © CAUCASIAN ENTOMOLOGICAL BULL. 2016


A new species of Cyrturella Collin, 1952 (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Egypt

Новый вид рода Cyrturella Collin, 1952 (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) из Египта

I.Ya. Grichanov И.Я. Гричанов

All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection, Podbelskiy roadway, 3, St. Petersburg, Pushkin 196608 Russia. E-mail: grichanov@mail.ru Всероссийский институт защиты растений, шоссе Подбельского, 3, Санкт-Петербург, Пушкин 196608 Россия

Key words: Diptera, Dolichopodidae, Medeterinae, Palaearctic region, Egypt, Cyrturella, new species.

Ключевые слова: Diptera, Dolichopodidae, Medeterinae, Палеарктика, Египет, Cyrturella, новый вид.


Abstract. A new species Cyrturella nigrosetosa Grichanov, sp. n. is described from Egypt. It differs from the nominotypical species C. albosetosa (Strobl, 1909) by the following complex of characters: head and thorax with blackish brown major bristles; acrostichals small but distinct, scutellum with two pairs of setae; legs yellow- brown; hind basitarsus distinctly longer than next segment; fore tarsus short.

Резюме. Описан второй вид рода Cyrturella, С. nigrosetosa Grichanov, sp. n. из Египта, отличающийся от типового вида рода C. albosetosa (Strobl, 1909) коричнево-черным цветом щетинок на голове и груди, наличием явственных акростихальных щетинок и двух пар щетинок на щитке, коричнево-желтым цветом ног, соотношением длины 1-го и 2-го члеников задних

лапок, короткими передними лапками.

Introduction

The genus Cyrturella Collin, 1952 is the monotypic West Palaearctic genus of the tribe Medeterini (subfamily Medeterinae). It was created by Parent [1938] for Micromorphus albosetosus Strobl, 1909, as Cyrtura Parent, 1938 (nec Jaekel, 1904), and diagnosed by the following characters: body size about 1 mm; acrostichals indistinct; legs entirely devoid of strong setae; hind coxa with one outer bristle; hind basitarsus about as long as next segment;

presence in France. Parent [1938] and Grichanov et al. [2011] provided figures of male habitus and genitalia.

A female of the second Cyrturella species was collected by Dr. A. Freidberg more than 30 years ago during a trip to the north-eastern Egypt. Unfortunately no new material was found later. A new species discovered is here described and illustrated. Morphological terminology mainly follows Cumming and Wood [2009]. Body length is measured from the base of the antenna to the posterior tip of abdomen. Wing length is measured from the base to the wing apex. The holotype of the new species is deposited in the collection of the Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Israel (TAU).

Cyrturella nigrosetosa Grichanov, sp. n.

(Figs 1–4)

Material. Holotype, : [Egypt:] “Sinai, Ein Qsaib, 15.III.1982,

A. Freidberg” (TAU).

Description. Female. Body including vertex, frons and face bluish-black, grey pollinose. Head (somewhat shrunken): upper occiput concave; frons nearly 2 times wider than high; major setae including vertical and postvertical setae blackish brown; postoculars simple, white except dark 4–5 upper setae, in single row; face under antenna nearly 2 times as wide as postpedicel height, narrowing towards clypeus; facial suture distinct; antenna slightly shorter than head height, black; scape and pedicel small, rounded-triangular; pedicel with ring of short apical setulae of

distal sections of veins M


1+2

and R


2+3

converging; hypopygial

approximately equal length; postpedicel slightly longer than high,

globular, shortly white pubescent; stylus subapical, filiform, shortly

foramen left basolateral [Parent, 1938]. The genus was included into generic keys of Palaearctic Medeterinae [Negrobov, Stackelberg, 1971–1977; Grichanov et al., 2011] and Old World Medeterini [Grichanov, 2009, 2011]. Such features as absence of strong setae on all legs and subequal in length segments 1 and 2 of hind tarsus in both sexes distinguish Cyrturella from all other genera of Medeterinae. Cyrturella albosetosa was originally described from Spain by 4 males [Czerny, Strobl, 1909]. Later it was recorded from England, Germany, Hungary and Portugal [Grichanov, 2014]. Parent [1938] noted females of the species (“Femelle semblable au mâle”) and supposed its

haired, with its 1st segment being very short. Length ratio of scape to pedicel to postpedicel to stylus (in mm), 0.03 : 0.03 : 0.08 : 0.3. Palpus small, black, pale haired, with 1 brown seta; proboscis small, weakly sclerotized, brown, with short hairs.

Thorax with blackish brown setae; posterior half of mesonotum distinctly concave; 6–7 pairs of minute acrostichals in two regular rows in front of posterior concavity; 5 pairs of dorsocentrals decreasing in length anteriorly: 1 pair of strong dorsocentral bristles posteriorly, penultimate dorsocentral setae half as long as last pair, 3 pairs of short dorsocentrals anteriorly; 2 pairs of scutellars with lateral setae 1/3 the length of median setae; proepisternum with 1 yellow seta above fore coxa and 2 short upper setae of unequal length.

172 I.Ya. Grichanov


image


Figs 1–4. Cyrturella nigrosetosa Grichanov, sp. n. 1 – habitus; 2 – head; 3 – wing; 4 – ovipositor. Рис. 1–4. Cyrturella nigrosetosa Grichanov, sp. n.

1 – внешний вид; 2 – голова; 3 – крыло; 4 – яйцеклад.


Legs mainly yellow, without bristles, covered with white setulae; all coxae brown-black, yellow at apex, with white hairs and setae; femora brownish, yellow at apex; tarsi brown from tip of basitarsus; fore coxa with 2–4 unequal setae at apex, not forming spine or hook; fore leg length ratio (from tibia to tarsomere 5, in mm): 0.4 : 0.21 : 0.09 : 0.08 : 0.05 : 0.07, mid leg: 0.5 : 0.25 : 0.1 :

0.09 : 0.06 : 0.7, hind leg: 0.52 : 0.19 : 0.13 : 0.09 : 0.06 : 0.08.

Wing hyaline, with brown veins; R2+3 and R4+5 gradually diverging to wing apex; R4+5 and M1+2 gradually converging, subparallel at wing apex. M1+2 convex anteriorly, joining costa at wing apex. Ratio of part of costa between R2+3 and R4+5 to this between R4+5 and M1+2 to dm-cu to distal part of CuA1 (in mm),

0.31 : 0.06 : 0.1 : 0.31. Crossvein dm-cu slightly convex, forming

right angles with CuA1 and with M1+2 longitudinal veins, slightly shorter than maximum distance between R4+5 and M1+2 veins; anal vein fold-like; anal lobe present; alula absent; lower calypter brownish, with light setae; halter yellowish brown.

Abdomen (somewhat shrunken) with short brownish setae; with 5 visible segments; ovipositor short and soft, with tergite 10 divided into two narrow acanthophorites and bearing 3 thick pointed medial spines and 1 lateral seta each; cercus finger-like, projected dorsally, with 1 or 2 long setae, with small basal lobe covered with setulae; anal plate flat, semicircular, covered with microtrichia.

Length (mm): body 1.4, wing 1.45/0.6, antenna 0.4. Male unknown.


Etymology. Latin niger, setosus (“with black setae”).

Diagnosis. Unfortunately, for the newly described species only one female was found despite intensive collecting in the region by Dr. A. Freidberg and other researchers. Because the characters of this species are peculiar, their identification will not be problematic in the future. The following complex of characters distinguishes Cyrturella nigrosetosa sp. n. from the nominotypical species. Head and thorax bear blackish brown major bristles; acrostichals are small but distinct; scutellum bears two pairs of setae; legs are yellow-brown; hind basitarsus is distinctly longer than next segment; fore tarsus is 1.25 times longer than fore tibia. Cyrturella albosetosa was described with the following characters: body is entirely covered with yellow-white bristles; acrostichals are practically absent, scutellum bears one pair of setae; legs (including fore coxa) are almost entirely yellow; hind basitarsus is distinctly shorter than next segment; fore tarsus is 1.5 times longer than fore tibia [Czerny, Strobl, 1909; Parent, 1938]. Though some of the characters may relate to sexual variability, the quantitative characters are reliable for distinguishing the two species.

A new species of Cyrturella Collin, 1952 (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Egypt 173


Acknowledgements

The author is sincerely grateful to Dr. Amnon Freidberg (Tel Aviv, Israel) for his kindness in providing specimens for study.

The work was partly supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research grant No 14-04-00264-a.

References

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