Metopia auripulvera Chao & Zhang 1988

Metopia auripulvera Chao & Zhang, 1988a: 284. China, Yunnan, Lushui, Yaojiaping.

Originally included specimens: Described from six males and three females.

Name-bearing type: Holotype ♂: Yunnan, Lushui/ Yaojiaping, 2500m / Chinese Academy of Sciences [white label in Chinese, in black print except “Lushui/ Yaojiaping, 2500m ” handwritten in black ink]// 1981. VI.6 / Collected by C.M. Chao [“1981. VI.6 ” handwritten in black ink, remaining in black print, in Chinese]// HOLOTYPE [red label, in black print]// IOZ(E)216084 [blue label, in black print]// ♂ [white label, in black print] // Metopia / auripulvera / Zhao & Zhang [white label, in black print]// Metopia / auripulvera Chao et Zhang / Identified by C.M. Chao [“Identified by C.M. Chao” in black print, in Chinese, remaining handwritten in blueblack ink].

Holotype in good condition except broken left wing tip.

Current identity: Metopia auripulvera Chao & Zhang, 1988, as correctly listed by Pape (1996) and as treated by Xue & Chao (1998).

Additional type specimens: Allotype ♀: Sichuan, Xiangcheng, Chaike, alt. 3000 m, 21.VI.1982, Coll. by X.Z. Zhang. Paratypes 2♂♂: Yunnan, Lushui, Yaojiaping, alt. 2500 m, 6.VI.1981, Coll. by C.M. Chao; 1♂: Sichuan, Xiangcheng, alt. 3800 m, 25.VI.1982, Coll. by X.Z. Zhang; 1♂: Sichuan, Ganzi, alt. 3650 m, 1.VII.1983, Coll. by X.Z. Zhang; 1♂: Yunnan, Weixi, Fantiange, alt. 2900 m, 18.VII.1981, Coll. by X.Z. Zhang; 2♀♀: Sichuan, Xiangcheng, Rewu, alt. 4400 m, 8.VII.1982, Coll. by X.Z. Zhang. All specimens in NZMC.

Remarks: Metopia auripulvera resembles M. campestris (Fallén) and M. pollenia Chao & Zhang, but males can be distinguished from both of these species by the absence of the elongated, slender bristles posteriorly on fore tarsomeres 1–4. The species may be even more similar to M. grandii Venturi, but can be distinguished by the presence of one sub-median ventral bristle on mid tibia as well as by details of the male terminalia. Metopia auripulvera has a more slender surstylus and an anteriorly curved, parallel-sided acrophallus, while M. grandii has a more robust surstylus and the acrophallus slanting posteriorly and with a subapical constriction (compare Chao & Zhang, 1988a: fig. 15b with Pape, 1987: figs. 150, 152).

Redescription of Male: Body length 5.5–7.0 mm (Fig. 3 A). Eye bare, deep red. Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and postocular strip black with golden gray pollinosity; parafacial with strong bristles up to 4/5 (Fig. 3 B, D), slightly broader than fronto-orbital plate. Frontal vitta brown, 2.0× as broad as fronto-orbital plate in the median part; frons at vertex 0.45× head width (Fig. 3 C); frontal row of 8 or 9 bristles; outer vertical bristle differentiated from postocular bristles, two upper orbital and two proclinate orbital bristles. Ocellar bristles directed antero-laterlly. Gena ground color black, with black bristles and light golden pollinosity, height 0.10–0.15× eye height in lateral view (Fig. 3 B). First antennal flagellomere brown, 2.5–4.0× as long as pedicel; arista micropubescent, swollen in basal 1/3 (Fig. 3 A, B); postocular bristles in six rows; vibrissa developed. Palpus black, slightly expanded in distal part (Fig. 3 B, C, D).

Thorax ground color black; scutum pollinosity golden yellow with four black dorsal vittae. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 2+3, dorsocentrals 2+3, intra-alars 1+3, supra-alars 1, postalars 2, postpronotals 1, notopleurals 2, scutellum with 1 apical, 1 subapical, 1 basal, and 1 discal (fine) bristles. Pleuron with meropleurals 4, katepisternal bristles 1: 1, prosternum, metasternum, proepimeron and proepisternum all bare.

Wing hyaline; subcostal sclerite and basicosta yellow, bare; tegula black; costal spine not differentiated; vein R1 bare, three ventral bristles at node of R2+3-R4+5, vein R4+5 setose dorsally from junction of R2+3 halfway to crossvein r-m; lower calypter yellow.

Legs black; fore femur with dense and long bristles along posterodorsal, posterior, posteroventral and ventral margins, fore tibia with one apical dorsal and one sub-median posterior bristles, one row of anterodorsal bristles, without elongated, slender bristles on fore tarsomeres 1–4 (Fig. 3 F); mid femur with one median anterior and two apical posterodorsal bristles, mid tibia with one sub-median anterodorsal, one sub-median ventral, three posterodorsal bristles; hind femur with one row of anterodorsal, one row of dorsal and one row of ventral bristles, hind tibia with one sub-median anteroventral and two posterodorsal bristles, one row of anterodorsal bristles (about 6).

Abdomen oval with gray pollinosity. Tergites 1+2 and tergite 3 both with one pair of median marginal bristles, tergites 4 and 5 both with complete row of marginal bristles (Fig. 3 E).

Redescription of Female: Body length 5.1–5.9 mm (Fig. 4 A). Thorax chaetotaxy: acrostichals 2+0, postpronotals 2. Mid femur with three anterior bristles; hind tibia with one row of anterodorsal bristles (about 9). Other morphological characteristics are similar to those of the male.