New species of Afrotropical Muscidae (Diptera: Muscoidea) Author Couri, Márcia Author Pont, Adrian C. text Zootaxa 2014 3852 3 301 320 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.3852.3.1 957e5d0f-c452-4d45-85cf-24f138ab2359 1175-5326 229938 13B15A57-576A-4617-9D8A-7F27D970315A Hydrotaea tantula sp. nov. Figs 20–25 . Type material . Holotype ♂, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA : KwaZulu-Natal, Ndumo Game R., main road at: 26°54.288′S , 32°17.974′E , Malaise traps, sand & broad-leafed deciduous forest, 4–8.xii.2009 (A.H. Kirk-Spriggs), BMSA (D)17764 ( BMSA ). Paratype 1♀. REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA : same data as holotype , except: BMSA (D)19080 ( MNRJ ). Diagnosis. H. tantula sp. nov . is a very small shining green species, which is a unique colour outside Madagascar for Hydrotaea . Fronto-orbital plate, frontal triangle and parafacial glossy black; vein M curved forward towards vein R4+5. Description. General coloration . Ground-colour dark green metallic, fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, gena and female ocellar triangle shining dark brown with some reddish reflections; antenna, arista and palpus dark brown; anterior spiracle dark brown; calypters brown in male and white in female; wing clear with some areas hyaline and devoid of microtrichia, especially in the basal part of the wing cells; haltere yellow; legs dark brown with dark green metallic reflexions. ♂. Measurements . Body length: 3.1 mm ; wing length: 3.0 mm Head . Eye bare, large, eyes very closely approximated, frons at vertex as broad as diameter of ocellar triangle; fronto-orbital plate narrow; vertical seta very short and fine; ocellar triangle short, with a pair of moderately long ocellar setae; frons with 7 very fine and short pairs of frontal setae; antenna inserted a little below mid-level of eye, postpedicel about 2 × as long as pedicel; arista bare, enlarged at base; gena slender, narrower than the width of postpedicel; palpus filiform. Thorax . Ground-setulae relatively developed and all setae fine; acrostichals 0 + 1; dorsocentrals 2 + 4, the first two postsutural setae short and the last two long; 2 postpronotals; 2 postsutural intra-alars; 1 presutural and 1 postsutural supra-alars; prealar absent; 2 postalars. Notopleuron with two setae, similar in size. Anepisternum with a series of 6 long and thin setae. Katepisternals 1 + 1, the posterior one longer. Anepimeron and meron bare. Posterior spiracle with margins bare. Scutellum with a sub-basal and an apical pair of long setae. Legs . Fore femur without a preapical ventral process; a complete row of dorsal and ventral setae; the ventral ones longer; fore tibia with no developed setae, except for one dorsal preapical that is hardly distinct from the ground-setulae and a ventral apical; mid femur with short setulae on ventral surface and 2 preapical dorsal setae; mid tibia with 2 posterodorsal setae on middle third, without anterodorsals; hind femur with a complete anterodorsal row of setae, longer on basal third; a series of well-spaced setae on apical half of ventral surface; hind tibia with 1-2 anteroventral setae on middle third; one posterodorsal on apical third, only a little longer than diameter of the tibia, one dorsal preapical and one ventral apical. FIGURES 20–25. Hydrotaea tantula sp. nov. : 20 . sternite 5, dorsal view; 21 . cercal plate and surstyli, dorsal view; 22 . cercal plate and surstylus, lateral view; 23 . aedeagus, dorsal view; 24 . aedeagus, lateral view; 25 . ovipositor, dorsal and ventral views and spermathecae. Wing . Lower calypter about 1.5 × as long as upper one. Wing veins bare; vein M curved forward towards R4+ 5 in apical part, at wing-tip cell r4+5 no wider than length of crossvein r-m. Abdomen . Ground-setulae moderately long and dense, especially at sides and on margins of tergites 4 and 5 and disc of tergite 5. Sternite 5 as in Fig.20 . Terminalia . Cercal plate and surstylus as in Figs 21–22 . Aedeagus in frontal and lateral views an in Figs 23–24 . ♀. Measurements . Body length: 2.5 mm ; wing length: 2.4 mm . Differs from ♂ as follows: frons about ⅓ of head-width at level of anterior ocellus; ocellar triangle long and wide, reaching lunule; crossed interfrontal setae absent; 3 pairs of inclinate frontal setae and 2 pairs of reclinate orbitals. Ground-setulae of notum not developed as in male, short and sparse. Terminalia . Ovipositor and spermathecae as in Fig. 25 . Distribution . Republic of South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal). Etymology. The name is from the Latin word tantulus (“small”), referring to its very small size, and is an adjective in agreement with the feminine noun Hydrotaea . Remarks . H. tantula sp. nov . and H. bella Couri, Pont & Penny, 2006 (endemic to Madagascar ) are the only known Hydrotaea species to have a metallic green colour. The new species can be easily separated by its tiny size, dark brown palpus, and forward curvature of vein M.