Nephrotoma ligulata Alexander, 1925

Nephrotoma ligulata Alexander, 1925 View in CoL

Figs 44–46 View Figures 44–46 , 47–51 View Figures 47–51 , 52–54 View Figures 52–54 , 55–57 View Figures 55–57

Nephrotoma ligulata Alexander, 1925: 402. View in CoL

Pachyrhina pygmaea Dodonov, 1926: 106 View in CoL (synonymy).

Material examined.

China – Xinjiang U. A. R. • 5 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, 165 th Regiment, 4 th Company ; 1457 m a. s. l.; 43.9440°N, 84.4977°E; 2 Aug. 2017; B. Zhang leg.; CAU TN 2306266 to TN 2306273 GoogleMaps • 12 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, 165 th Regiment, 4 th Company ; 1457 m a. s. l.; 46.8554°N, 84.3583°E; 2 Aug. 2017; B. Zhang leg.; CAU TN 2306280 to TN 2306296 GoogleMaps • 5 ♂♂; Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, 165 th Regiment, 4 th Company ; 1301 m a. s. l.; 46.9486°N, 84.5622°E; 2 Aug. 2017; J. L. Ren leg.; CAU TN 2306322 to TN 2306326 GoogleMaps • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Yili, Nalati ; 1813 m a. s. l.; 42.2175°N, 84.3155°E; 15 Jul. 2023; J. L. Ren leg.; CAU TN 2310239 to TN 2310242 GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Body yellow. Occipital marking peach-shaped, dark brown. Antenna reaching the base of abdomen when bent backward. Wing pale brown, cell m 1 mostly sessile, some specimens petiolate. Tergite 9 posteriorly with broad, flat projections, covered with short, tiny black spines, and separated by narrow incision. Sternite 8 posteriorly with a short, bifid appendage. Clasper of gonostylus with posterior crest bearing a triangular projection and sparse setae.

Redescription.

Male. Body length 9.9–11.3 mm, wing length 9.9–10.3 mm, antenna length 3.3–4.9 mm ( N = 24). Present description based on specimens preserved in alcohol.

Head (Figs 44 View Figures 44–46 , 45 View Figures 44–46 ). Mostly yellow. Occipital marking peach-shaped, dark brown. Nasus dark brown. Rostrum brown. Head with brown setae. Antenna 13 - segmented, reaching the base of abdomen when bent backward; scape yellow, with apical third brown, pedicel and flagellar segments dark brown. Length of verticils reaching almost 3 / 5 length of the corresponding segment. Terminal segment of flagellum round. Palpi brownish, terminal segment pale, darkened at base.

Thorax (Figs 44 View Figures 44–46 , 45 View Figures 44–46 ). Mostly yellow. Pronotum black, pale yellow middorsally. Prescutum and presutural sctum with three longitudinal black stripes; lateral stripe apically bent outward. Postsutural scutum yellow in the middle, each lobe with large black spot. Scutellum yellow with brown margins. Mediotergite yellow with thin black median stripe. Anepisternum and katepisternum basally each with a large black spot. Anepimeron blackened apically; katepimeron with small brown median spot. Meron blackened basally. Legs yellow. Coxae yellow variegated with dark brown spots at the base. Apices of tibiae, femora, and tarsi dark brown. Wing pale brown with a distinct dark brown pterostigma; brown shadow at vein R 4 + 5 and crossvein r-m; cell m 1 mostly sessile, some specimens petiolate (Fig. 46 View Figures 44–46 ). Halter with stem brown; knob pale yellow with a dark-brown margin and base (Fig. 44 View Figures 44–46 ).

Abdomen (Fig. 44 View Figures 44–46 ). Mostly yellow. Abdominal tergites on segments 1–4 with one median longitudinal stripe at the posterior margin and two interrupted stripes on both sides. Abdominal sternites 5–7 with an interrupted longitudinal stripe. Abdominal segments 7–9 black.

Hypopygium (Figs 47–51 View Figures 47–51 ). Tergite 9 posteriorly with broad, flat projections, covered with short, tiny black spines, separated by narrow median incision (Fig. 49 View Figures 47–51 ). Sternite 8 posteriorly with a short, broad, apically bifid appendage (Fig. 48 View Figures 47–51 ). Sternite 9 posteriorly with sparse setae, and a sclerotized projection at the middle (Figs 47 View Figures 47–51 , 48 View Figures 47–51 ). Gonocoxite separated from sternte 9, nearly rectangular in shape (Fig. 47 View Figures 47–51 ). Clasper of gonostylus with a large concavity at the base; beak obtuse; posterior crest with a triangular projection and sparse setae; outer basal lobe short, nearly oval; lower beak with nearly oval protuberance; the margin extending from the beak to the lower beak, strongly sclerotized (Fig. 50 View Figures 47–51 ). Lobe of gonostylus broadens from base to middle, tapers to apex (Figs 47 View Figures 47–51 , 51 View Figures 47–51 ). Semen pump mostly yellow (Figs 52–54 View Figures 52–54 ). Posterior immovable apodeme tapered, directed backward. Compressor apodeme fan-shaped, forming a 60 ° angle with the posterior immovable apodeme. Anterior immovable apodeme with a brown margin, narrower than the compressor apodeme.

Female. Body length 14.4–15.5 mm, wing length 10.6–12.6 mm, antenna length 2.9 mm ( N = 10). Resembles male in head, thorax and abdomen. Sternite 7 unmarked at the middle. Tergite 8, tergite 9, sternite 8 and basal region of tergite 10 black (Figs 55–57 View Figures 55–57 ).

Ovipositor (Figs 55–57 View Figures 55–57 ). Reddish brown. Cercus narrowed toward tip (Figs 55 View Figures 55–57 , 56 View Figures 55–57 ). Hypogynial valve curved downward at apex (Figs 55 View Figures 55–57 , 57 View Figures 55–57 ).

Elevation range in China.

Adults were collected at altitudes ranging from 1300 m to 1810 m.

Period of activity.

Adults are flying in July – August.

Distribution.

Afghanistan, China ( Xinjiang), India (north), Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.

Remarks.

Nephrotoma ligulata is similar to N. biformis Alexander, 1935 , particularly in that both have a bifurcated sternite 8. However, it can be distinguished by the following features: in N. ligulata , the clasper of the gonostylus has a posterior crest with a triangular projection and sparse setae; tergite 9 posteriorly features a seam at the middle. In N. biformis , the clasper of the gonostylus has a smooth posterior crest without any prominent projections and sparse setae; tergite 9 posteriorly features a V-notch at the middle ( Alexander 1935 b; Mannheims 1967; Liu 2011).