Clinocera srisukai, Sinclair & Plant, 2022

Clinocera srisukai View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs 13 View FIGURES 13–14 , 17 View FIGURES 15–18 , 28 View FIGURES 21–28 )

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Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ labelled: “ THAILAND: Chiang Mai / Doi Inthanon NP summit marsh / 18°35.361′ N 98°29.157′E 2500m / Malaise trap 22.vii–2.viii.2006 / Y. Areeluck leg. T118”; “HOLOTYPE/ Clinocera / srisukai/ Sinclair & Plant [red label]” ( QSBG) GoogleMaps . PARATYPES: BHUTAN. Thimphu, 3 km NNE Dochula , 27°31′5″N 89°45′18″E, 2360 m, MT, 19–28.viii.2017 GoogleMaps , Borkent, Hauser , NPPC team (6 ♂, 5 ♀, CNC; 3 ♂, 3 ♀, CSCA) . THAILAND. Chiang Mai Province: T118 (1 ♂, QSBG) .

Recognition. This species is distinguished from the other Thailand species of Clinocera by the face with setulae, median pruinescent stripe broad dorsally, indistinctly extending between antennal bases; pleura dark brown with thin pruinescence, contrasting with yellow coxae and yellowish brown femora; fore femur with very short anteroventral and posteroventral rows of setae.

Description (wing length 2.5–3 mm). Male. Head: Oval, dark brown. Face narrower than width of antennal bases, not narrower at mid-length, with lateral setulae; pale bluish pruinescence covering entire face, not tapered to antennal bases, faded between antennal bases to ocellar triangle ( Fig. 13 View FIGURES 13–14 ). Ocellar triangle with pair of divergent ocellar setae, longer than pair of vertical setae. Antenna brown; arista-like stylus nearly twice length of remaining antenna. Thorax: Scutum brown, with thin pruinescence, postpronotal lobe and postalar ridge paler; dark spot at base of wing. Pleura brown with thin pruinescence. Several very minute acrostichals anterior to first dc; 5 dc; 1 pprn, thin and reduced; 1 presut spal; 1 strong upper npl, lower npl slender, similar to pprn; 1 posterior psut spal; 1 pal; 2 sctl, similar to prescutellar dc. Laterotergite with several brownish setae. Legs: Coxae and ventral faces of femora yellowish brown, remaining segments brown. Fore femur with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of short, slender, dark setae, length more than one-quarter width of femur. Hind tibia with strong dorsal and ventral setae on distal half, length nearly subequal to width of tibia. Wing: Narrow; infuscate; pterostigma absent; single long basal costal seta present; cell dm produced distally. Halter pale brown. Abdomen: Sclerites dark brown, with thin pruinescence, similar shade to thorax. Terminalia ( Fig. 17 View FIGURES 15–18 ): Hypandrium triangular, longer than epandrium, tapered distally, without lateral setae. Phallus straight with expanded apex of shaft and triangular expansion posteriorly; distiphallus slender, arched apically with expanded tip, more than one-half length of shaft. Ejaculatory apodeme slender. Epandrium rectangular, with long, thin setae. Clasping cercus digitiform, flattened, with tapered apex; inner face with peg-like setae confined to extreme anterior and dorsal margins. Surstylus triangular, tapered to pointed apex, with subapical lateral swelling; dorsal margin with prominent posterior crest.

Female. Similar to male, except as follows: face with dull pruinescence; fore femur with anteroventral row of distinct setae.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Wichai Srisuka (QSBG), who has done so much to facilitate recent mass sampling programs in Thailand and without him, we would have very few empidoids available for study.

Distribution and Ecology. Clinocera srisukai sp. nov. is only known from a location at 2,360 m in Bhutan and the summit of Thailand’s highest mountain, Doi Inthanon ( Fig. 28 View FIGURES 21–28 ) at a Sphagnum bog maintained by ombrogenous precipitation at 2,500 m. Records for Bhutan and Thailand were during August and July respectively, indicating adult activity during the wet season.