Clinocera courtneyi, Sinclair & Plant, 2022

Clinocera courtneyi View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs 3 View FIGURES 1–4 , 7 View FIGURES 5–8 , 23 View FIGURES 21–28 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:99A82DEA-2227-4FF5-9DC6-BA94CABFD60D

Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂ labelled: “ THAILAND: Chiang Mai Prov / Doi Inthanon NP , Namtok / Mae Pan , 1100 m, 18°31′N / 98°27′E, 23.v.2004 / madicolous, G.W. Courtney ”; “HOLOTYPE/ Clinocera / courtneyi/ Sinclair & Plant [red label]” ( CNC). GoogleMaps

Recognition. This species is distinguished from the other Thailand species of Clinocera by the broad face with shiny ventrolateral pruinescent patches, narrow surstylus and paired oval membranous swellings at the apex of the phallic shaft.

Description (wing length 2.7 mm). Male. Head: Oval, mostly brown. Face broad, brown, wider than antennal sockets, without lateral setulae; silvery pruinescence patch on ventrolateral corner (at certain angles) ( Fig. 3 View FIGURES 1–4 ). Ocellar triangle with pair of divergent ocellar setae; pair of strong vertical setae. Antenna brown; arista-like stylus slightly longer than remaining antenna. Thorax: Scutum brown, dull, without vittae; postpronotal lobes and post alar ridge orange brown; notopleuron with silvery pruinescence at certain angles. Pleura brown with thin silvery 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, less than half length of upper seta; 1 posterior psut spal; 1 pal; 2 sctl, similar to prescutellar dc. Laterotergite with several brownish setae. Legs: Coxae and ventral faces of mid and hind femora yellowish brown, remaining segments brown. Fore femur with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of strong setae, length one-third 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 brown, with thin pruinescence, similar shade to thorax. Terminalia ( Fig. 7 View FIGURES 5–8 ): Hypandrium narrow, longer than width of epandrium, slightly tapered distally, without lateral setae. Phallus sinuous with paired, rounded membranous sacs at apex of shaft; distiphallus slender, arched apically, less than one-half length of shaft. Ejaculatory apodeme slender. Epandrium oval, with short setae. Clasping cercus digitiform, broad; inner face with peg-like setae over most of surface, posterior margin with longer, thickened setae. Surstylus narrow, strongly tapered, arched, with several stout, lateral setulae; dorsal margin with narrow peak.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named in honour of Greg Courtney, who collected the holotype and is a specialist on aquatic Diptera . Greg has kindly provided many very interesting and rare clinocerines.

Distribution and Ecology. This species is known only from the holotype and is apparently endemic to the mountain Doi Inthanon, in northern Thailand ( Fig. 23 View FIGURES 21–28 ). The type locality was a waterfall (“ namtok ”) at 1,100 m and the species was recorded as being madicolous.

Remarks. This species is assigned to the C. nigra group, similar to C. nigra Meigen on the basis the broad face, lateral facial pruinescent patches, reduced postpronotal seta and shape of the phallus ( Sinclair 2007, 2008). This species group also includes the following Oriental species: C. lunata Wagner & Leese , C. lunatoides Wagner & Leese , C. pani Smith , C. setosa Wagner & Leese and C. sinclairi Wagner & Leese.