Five New Afrotropical Species Of Opacifrons (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) Author Papp, L. text Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 2012 2012-06-18 58 2 121 143 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.5735739 2064-2474 5735739 Opacifrons subserrata sp. n. ( Figs 39–46 , 52–55 , 57 ) Holotype male ( HNHM ): RSA : Eastern Cape , in a forest nr R102 , Jan 15–16, 2007 , GPS19, S33° 56’ 57.3” E23° 36’ 20.8” , 224 m , No. 25, leg. L. PAPP & M. FÖLDVÁRI. Paratypes ( HNHM ): all from the Republic of South Africa , leg. L. PAPP & M. FÖLDVÁRI, 2007: 30 males 2 females : same as for holotype [abdomen and genitalia of two males in a plastic microvial each with glycerol]; 29 males 3 females : Eastern Cape , Bloukrans Pass , in a side valley, Jan 14–16, GPS16, S33° 57’ 09. 6” E23° 37’ 59.4” , 70 m , No. 23; 5 males 2 females : 39 Steps Waterfall , Jan 7–8, GPS06, S32° 35’ 22.8” E26° 55’ 57.5” , 1233 m , No. 4; 1 male : Eastern Cape Prov. , Hogsback , Wolf Ridge Road , undergrowth along a small brook, Jan 8, GPS03, S32° 35’ 42.2” E26° 56’ Figs 32–37. Opacifrons serrata sp. n. , male postabdomen and genitalia. 32 = medio-caudal part of sternite 5, ventral view, 33 = sternite 5 and postabdominal sclerites, 34 = modified cerci with pegs and subepandrial sclerite (covered), caudal view, 35 = left surstylus, broadest (subventral) view, 36 = right surstylus, broadest (subventral) view, 37 = postgonite with connection to hypandrum, broadest view. Scales: 0.2 mm for Fig. 33 , 0.1 mm for Figs 32 and 34–37 51.3”, 1143 m , No. 5; 1 male 2 females : ibid., nr Kettlespout Falls , Jan 8–9, GPS04, S32° 35’ 27.9” E26° 57’ 36.1” , 1338 m , No. 6; 7 males 6 females : ibid., Contour Path , Jan 8–9, GPS04, S32° 35’ 27.9” E26° 57’ 36.1” , 1338 m , No. 7; 4 males : ibid., in a park, Jan 8–9, GPS05, S32° 35’ 18.0” E26° 56’ 56.0” , 1298 m , No. 8; 4 males : ibid., Marie & Child Falls , along a streamlet, Jan 9, GPS07, S32° 36’ 23.5” E26° 57’ 55.3” , 1101 m , No. 10; 1 male 1 female : ibid., stony hillside with cow pats, Jan 9, GPS07, S32° 36’ 23.5” E26° 57’ 55.3” , 1101 m , No. 11; 1 male : Eastern Cape Prov. , Shamwari Game Reserve , on elephant dung, Jan 11, GPS10, S33° 24’ 47.0” E26° 05’ 45.0” , 301 m , No. 14; 1 male : Eastern Cape , Keurboomstrand , on sea-shore plants, Jan 17, GPS14, S34° 00’ 17.5” E23° 27’ 00.4” , 2 m , No. 27; 1 male 2 females : KwaZulu Natal , S Drakensberg , Garden Castle , along Mlambonja River , Jan 22, 2007 , GPS21, S29° 44’ 59.4” E29° 12’ 42.1” , 1811 m , No. 33; 3 males 1 female : KwaZulu Natal , S Drakensberg , Himeville , Thomas Str. , on compost and fallen fruits, Jan 22, GPS 25, S29° 44’ 36.6” E29° 30’ 49.5” , 1541 m , No. 35; 1 male 1 female : RSA : KwaZulu Natal , S Drakensberg , over and along Mashai River , Jan 24, GPS26, S29° 45’ 13.4” E29° 11’ 30.4” , 1897 m , No. 37; 4 males : ibid., under a waterfall of the Mashai River , Jan 25, No. 37a; 1 male 3 females / 1 male : KwaZulu Natal , N Drakensberg , Rainbow Gorge , Jan 26–28/30, GPS29, S28° 57’ 36.7” E29° 13’ 33.6” , 1529 m , No. 39/43; 4 males : ibid., along Rainbow Gorge streamlet, yellow pans, Jan 0.1 mm for all . Figs 38–40. Opacifrons spp. , phallus. 38 = O. serrata sp. n. , lateral view. 39–40 = O. subserrata sp. n. : 39 = distiphallus, ventral view, 40 = epiphallus with caudal part of basiphallus, lateral view. Scale: 28–31, GPS31, S28° 57’ 42.3” E29° 13’ 18.4” , 1516 m , No. 41; 2 females / 2 males : ibid., over and along iMpofane River, Jan 29/31, GPS32, S29° 03’ 12.7” E29° 23’ 06.2” , 1531 m , No. 42/46 ; 1 female : ibid., along eNdumeni River, on sedge and on mud, Jan 31, No. 45 ; 2 females : ibid., Cathedral Peak Park, on cow pats, Jan 31, GPS33, S28° 55’ 55.7” E29° 16’ 06.2” , 1359 m , No. 47. 133 collection specimens . Measurements in mm: body length 1.69 ( holotype ), 1.54–2.09 ( paratypes ), wing length 1.90 ( holotype ), 1.45 –2.08 ( paratypes ), wing width 0.74 ( holotype ), 0.66–0.88 ( paratypes ). Body dark dusty grey. Frons reddish anteriorly, also facial plate and fore coxa apically with some yellowish hue. Facial plate more microtomentose, sub-shiny. 4 rather long interfrontal pairs. Longest ones (2 middle pairs) 0.12 mm long. Eye large, longest (oblique) diameter 0.30 mm , gena below eye 0.085 mm . Genal seta emerges not far from mouth margin, 0.14 mm , i.e. very long. Arista 0.71 mm long. Aristal cilia 0.025 mm long, cilia apically on first flagellomere 0.02 mm . Wing clear grey ( Fig. 57 ), veins light brown. Costa overruns R 4 +5 by c. 0.02 mm . Costal index 0.56 mm / 0.64 mm , i.e. 0.88 but up to 0.94 in paratypes . R 2 +3 not arcuately curved, R 4 +5 slightly curved up in apical 1/4. Both lower edges of discal cell somewhat more than 90°, lower edge with a thin but distinct vein reaching half section of the distance of discal cell and wing margin. Alula rather narrow, apex rounded. Halter light yellowish . Fore and hind legs without special features, except for a row of thin but perpendicular setulae on hind basitarsus and 2nd tarsomeres; this seems characteristic for numerous Opacifrons spp. Male mid tibia with a complete row of short thick thornlets antero-ventrally turning ventral apically; postero-ventrally with a row of thinner setae. Anterior thorn-like setae of mid femur not particularly strong. Anterodorsal setae on mid tibia at 13/42 (strong), 35/42 (long), a more anterior seta at 31/42, a very long posteroventral seta at 30/42. Ventral (actually posteroventral) sub-basal seta of mid basitarsus 0.075–0.08 mm long. Abdomen comparatively short, tergal setae medium-long. No large marginal setae like in Leptocera spp. Male sternite 5 large caudally with a pair of small, medially directed processes ( Figs 41, 43 ), medio-caudally less sclerotised and without setae there. Mid and right sections of sternite 6 part of synsternite long and broad, sternite 7 short, not reaching even sagittal line, narrowing apically, sternite 8 part large, long and broad ( Fig. 43 ). Ventral processes of cerci ( Fig. 45 ) smaller with rounded apex. Male cercal pegs large and emerge far from each other ( Fig. 45 ). Subepandrial sclerite ( Fig. 45 , covered) larger and ventrally broader than that of O. rubrifrons . Surstylus without an apical thorn (a small short peg there), surstyli symmetrical ( Fig. 42 ). Apical half of distiphallus broadened apically ( Fig. 39 ) but less broad than in O. dilatata sp. n .. Basiphallus as in O. serrata sp. n .. Epiphallus ( Fig. 40 ) narrowly connected to basiphallus with only 1 projection sub-basally. Postgonite broad in its basal 3/5 only, apical third narrow with 2 apices ( Figs 44, 46 ), i.e. with a second subapical apex posteriorly. Female abdomen rather short, without long setae. Sternite 7 ( Fig. 53 ) rather large with more numerous and longer setae than in O. compacta sp. n. and much longer than tergite 7, that makes anal opening to turn dorsally. Epiproct comparatively large ( Fig. 55 ), sagittally less melanised and sclerotised, houseroof-shaped when at rest. Cerci ( Fig. 55 ) short, not much longer than broad, upright (pressed down on Fig. 55 ) with indistinct hairs but with 2 pairs of discoloured thick thorns, whose apices are sharp but not lengthened/extruded in thin curved projections, cercal pegs without ventral incisions. Spectacles shaped sclerites comparatively large, medial sclerite large and flat ( Fig. 52 ). Spermathecae ( Fig. 54 ) long, distal part globular, proximal part even longer, its part below distal globular part slightly dilated, common duct of paired spermathecae rather short. Figs 41–46. Opacifrons subserrata sp. n. , male postabdomen and genitalia. 41 = medio-caudal part of sternite 5, ventral view, 42 = surstylus with ventral edge of epandrium and lateral part of hypandrium, broadest view, 43 = sternite 5 and postabdominal sclerites (sternite 8 part slightly dislocated caudally), 44 = postgonite, broadest view, 45 = modified cerci with pegs and subepandrial sclerite (covered), caudal view, 46 = postgonite with connecting lath to hypandrium and phallapodeme, lateral view. Scales: 0.2 mm for Figs 43, 46 , 0.1 mm for Figs 41–42, 44–45 Figs 47–55. Opacifrons spp. paratypes, female postabdomen and genitalia. 47–51 = O. compacta sp. n. : 47 = sternite 7, ventral view, 48 = spermathecae, 49 = spectacles shaped sclerite, 50 = epiproct and cerci, dorsal view, 51 = cerci, ventral view. 52–55 = O. subserrata sp. n. : 52 = spectacles shaped sclerite, 53 = sternite 7, ventral view, 54 = spermathecae, 55 = epiproct and cerci, dorsal view. Scales: 0.2 mm for Figs 47, 53 , 0.1 mm for Figs 48–52, 54–55 Etymology. The specific epithet of this new species (‘sub serrata’) refers to its relationship to O. serrata sp. n. with similarly shaped postgonite. Remark. After finalising the manuscript, I found an additional species in the NMSA material. It keys out to O. rubrifrons (cercal pegs close to each other), but otherwise its genitalia show a mix of the 3 species: postgonite is similar to that of O. serrata sp. n. but surstyli are symmetrical (and slightly bilobed); aristal cilia are the longest one among the Afrotropical species ( 0.03 mm ). 1 male (teneral specimen, abdomen with genitalia is a plastic microvial with glycerol): SOUTH AF- RICA: KZ-Natal, Vernon Crookes Nature Res., Mthakati Valley, forest understorey, sweeping, 30° 17’S: 29° 36’E, 27. iv. 2007 , GBP Davies.