New records of Black Fungus Gnats (Diptera: Sciaridae) from New Caledonia, with the description of two new Bradysia species and an updated checklist Author Köhler, Arne Author Menzel, Frank text Zootaxa 2013 3718 1 63 72 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.3718.1.5 0878721a-e50b-46c5-81cb-ccfbb0134f80 1175-5326 285012 96892314-83B3-438D-A6A8-D7EA602EACAB Bradysia irwini sp. n. ( Figs 2 , 8–12 ) Material examined. Holotype , male. NEW CALEDONIA : Province South, Mt. Koghis, 17 km NNE of Noumeá, 550 m a.s.l. Malaise trap, 13.XII.–20.XII.1998 , leg. N.J. Mary & M.E. Irwin (MNHN). Description. Male . Head. Brown; eye bridge 3–4 facets wide. Antenna slightly paler, scape and pedicel yellowish; surface of flagellomeres rough, basal part of 4th flagellomere 2.3 times as long as wide, total length of flagellomere 4 ( Fig. 8 ) 2.8 times as long as basal wide; setae on basal part of flagellomeres slightly shorter than width of flagellomeres with small sensilla among them. Maxillary palpus yellow; segment 1 as long as segment 2, with 2 bristles and a dorsal flat patch of sensilla; segment 2 with one long outer bristle; segment 3 is longest, 1.3 times as long as segment 1. Thorax ( Fig. 2 ). Yellow-brown, posterior gradually darkened; thoracic bristles pale. Posterior pronotum bare. Anterior pronotum with 2 bristles. Episternum 1 with 6 bristles. Mesonotum with some stronger dorsocentrals (broken and missing on holotype ) and with 4–5 longer and some weaker laterals. Scutellum with 2 strong and some shorter bristles. Katepisternum yellow coloured and as long as high. Wing ( Fig. 10 ). Length = 1.6 mm ; width/length = 0.40. Wing membrane transparent, without macrotrichia; anal area well developed; all posterior veins without macrotrichia; veins distinct except slight m-stem; R, R1 and R5 only with dorsal macrotrichia; R1/R = 0.48; c/w = 0.62; r-m/bM = 0.77. Halteres brownish. Legs yellow; coxal bristles pale. Foretibia without small bristles among vestiture; tibial organ ( Fig. 9 ) with a comb-like row of 9 bristles, more than half of tibial apex wide. Tibial spur slightly longer than width of tibial apex of foretibia, apically slightly bent towards tibia. Hind tibia with a posterodorsal row of dark bristles, extend 0.7 of tibial length. Claws with fine teeth. Abdomen ( Fig. 2 ). Brown, with dark bristles. Hypopygium ( Fig. 12 ). As brown as abdomen. Gonocoxites longer than wide, normal setosity; ventral, inner-side of gonocoxites v-shaped and without basal lobe of bristles. Gonostylus ( Fig. 11 ) narrow, 2.75 times as long as wide and swollen at middle; apex of gonostylus rounded, slightly bent inwards and subapically with 2 equally long spines. Tegmen trapezoidal and membranous, with short and strongly sclerotized basal apodemes; area of teeth large, with strong, triangular teeth. Ejaculatory apodeme short and strong. Body size : 1.6 mm . Female . Unknown. Etymology. We dedicate this new species to the collector Michael E. Irwin, Vail, Arizona [formerly of Urbana, Illinois] ( USA ), who sent us samples from different regions for our studies in the systematics of Sciaridae . FIGURES 8–12. Bradysia irwini , holotype, male. 8. 4th flagellomere, lateral. 9. Tibial organ on inner-side of foretibia. 10. Wing. 11. Gonostylus, ventral. 12. Hypopygium, ventral. Scale bars: Figs 8, 9, 11, 12 = 0.1 mm; Fig. 10 = 0.5 mm. Discussion. Amongst the New Caledonian sciarids, B . irwini is similar to B . gemellata Vilkamaa, Hippa & Mohrig, 2012 in having two gonostylar spines (megasetae sensu Vilkamaa et al. 2012c). This reduced number of gonostylar spines was construed as a unique feature of B . gemellata among the New Caledonia sciarids (Vilkamaa et al. 2012c). Bradysia irwini may be distinguished from B . gemellata by the longer flagellomeres, the toothed claws, the inner-side of gonocoxites v-shaped and the slight subapical emargination of the gonostylus. Furthermore the c/w and r-m/bM ratios differ (c/w = 0.62 in B . irwini vs. c/w = 0.70–0.85 in B . gemellata ; r-m/bM = 0.77 in B . irwini vs. both veins subequal in B . gemellata ). In contrast to B . gemellata (belonging to B . hilaris group), B . irwini could be placed in the B . fungicola group sensu Menzel & Mohrig (2000). Characters like the long bristle on segment 2, claws with fine teeth and the v-shaped gonocoxal inner-side support this classification, although the absence of bristles in the vestiture of the foretibia and the trapezoidal tegmen are not typical characters of the B . fungicola group.