Tomosvaryella minychoma Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia, 2023

Tomosvaryella minychoma Földvari, Skevington & Motamedinia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:586A03D4-CDE6-4C9F-8671-18314CAB00F3

Figs 66A–D View FIGURE 66 , 124 View FIGURE 124 , 150D View FIGURE 150

Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by the 8–10 pale long bristles along the distal half of the hind femur ( Fig. 150D View FIGURE 150 ); surstyli with five long bristles along dorsomedial margin in dorsal view ( Fig. 66A View FIGURE 66 ); gonopods broadened at the base and elongated towards surstyli in ventral view ( Fig. 66B View FIGURE 66 ); phallic guide with three to four spines dorsally in lateral view ( Fig. 66C–D View FIGURE 66 ).

Description: MALE: Body length: 2.4–2.6 mm. Head. Flagellum acuminate; yellow-brown. Face silvery pollinose. Frons, upper part shining black, lower part distinctly silver pollinose; eyes touching for distance equal to 1–1.5 times the length of ocellar triangle. Occiput silvery pollinose, including upper half. Thorax. Postpronotum pale, with 2–3 pale bristles. Mesonotum (viewed obliquely from front) subshining black, anterior part silver pollinose, slightly grayish also from the side. Scutellum silvery pollinose and without bristles. Dorsocentral bristles weakly developed, dark, longer on frontal part. Halter, knob pale, stem dark brown. Legs. Mid coxa with 2–3 dark anterior bristles on inner apical corner. Hind trochanter without a keel or projection, 4–5 indistinct bristles possible at ventral base. Femora brown, shining ventrally, silvery pollinose posteriorly except shiny hind femur; knees, basal 1/5 of tibiae yellow (otherwise pale brown), tarsal segments yellow, last segment dorsally brown. Ventroapical row of spines on fore femur missing, 8–10 short, black spines on mid femur, no spines on hind femur, only 8–10 pale long bristles posteriorly equally distributed on distal half, directed towards the distal end of femur (as long as width of hind tibia at the distal end) ( Fig. 150D View FIGURE 150 ). Subapical (distal) spines on first four tibiae present (short). Hind metatarsus flattened, first tarsomere slightly longer than 2–5 combined; ventral yellow scrub-like bristles. Pulvilli as long as 2/3 of last tarsal segment. Wing. Length: 2.5–2.6 mm. Upper side of basal costal cell with one long distinct bristle. Fourth costal section 2–3 times as long as third costal section. Cross-vein r-m slightly proximal to middle of discal cell. Setulae on tegula absent. Abdomen. Viewed obliquely from front tergites brownish pollinose, tergite 1 silvery grey, sides silvery pollinose on tergites 4 and 5 (the latter with side spots touching in the middle). Dispersed short dark bristles on tergites present, the longest on ST8 and half as long as width of hind tibia at base. Lateral bristles on first tergite present, 2–3 brown bristles as long as width of hind femur at distal tip. Postabdomen in dorsal view: T6, S7 invisible; T5 as long as ST8. Genitalia without dissection: ST8 large, brown; membranous area round, positioned dorsally; epandrium paler, surstyli appear relatively short, tips often concealed. Genitalia. Genital capsule in dorsal view: epandrium and surstyli light brown. Epandrium longer than wide (MLE:MWE = 1.2). Surstyli rather symmetrical. Both surstyli triangle-shaped pointing tips at its apical inner corner, left slightly wider than right one ( Fig. 66A View FIGURE 66 ). Both surstyli with five long bristles along dorsomedial margin before apex. Genital capsule in ventral view: gonopods equal in height, broadened at the base and elongated towards surstyli ( Fig. 66B View FIGURE 66 ). Subepandrial sclerite elongated ( Fig. 66B View FIGURE 66 ). Genital capsule in lateral view: both surstyli slender and slightly curved in ventromedial margin ( Fig. 66C–D View FIGURE 66 ). Phallic guide with three to four spines dorsally before apex, phallus with three ejaculatory ducts.

FEMALE: Unknown.

Etymology: Named from the Greek minys for little, small or short and choma for bank or mound, in reference to the fact that all specimens were collected at the summit of a low rise (a hilltop of sorts).

Examined material: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: ~ 3 km N[orth] of Denham , 25°55’S, 113°32’E, hilltop, 12.xii.1999, J. Skevington, JSS7363 (1♂, WAM) GoogleMaps ; PARATYPES: Same data as holotype, CNC944147–8 View Materials , JSS7331 , JSS7350 , JSS7352 , JSS7356–7 , JSS7370 , JSS7378 (3♂, CNC; 6♂, QM) GoogleMaps .

Distribution: Australia (Western Australia) ( Fig. 124 View FIGURE 124 ).

Notes: All known specimens were collected from a low hilltop near the coast north of Dehnam, Western Australia. A small trail led through the arid shrublands to the hilltop where a bench with a roof over it afforded a view of Shark Bay and protection from the sun for those stopping to sit. The hill was barely longer than the surrounding land but together with this small structure it clearly offered an important landmark for mating insects. There were hundreds of flies and other insects using this simple structure as a hilltopping site. One hundred and four pipunculid specimens were collected here by JHS in a short period of time on 12 December 1999 (and included ten undescribed species of Tomosvaryella and Clistoabdominalis trochanteratus (Becker 1900)) .