Trichoclinocera maculata sp. nov.

(Figs 7–8, 14, 19–20, 36, 41)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 1B720600-8E64-456F-8BC0-867360561A19

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “(E. NEPAL)/ Thurukpa (2600m)/ 27°36′ N, 87°36′ E - - -/ Topke Gola (3700m)/ 27°38′ N, 87°35′ E”; “ June 12, 1972 / H. Shima leg./ Kyushu Univ. Col.”; “[HOLOTYPE]/ Trichoclinocera / maculata / Saigusa & Sinclair [red label]” (KUMF). PARATYPES: NEPAL: same data as holotype (1 ♂, KUMF); same data as holotype except, J. Emoto (1 ♂, KUMF); same data as holotype except, 9.vii.1972, J. Emoto (1 ♂, CNC); Thudam, 3500–3800 m, 27°45′ N 87°31′ E –27°46′ N 87°33′ E, 18.vi.1972, H. Shima (1 ♂, CNC).

Recognition. This species is distinguished by 2–3 long, spine-like setae at the base of the fore femur, greyish legs, spotted wings and auxiliary crossvein between veins R 2+3 and R 4.

Description. Wing length 3.5–3.8 mm. Male. Grey-blue pruinescence and dark legs (Fig. 7). Head narrowed ventrally, compound eyes oval; facets enlarged anteroventrally. Face narrowed medially, narrower than width of antennal sockets, with bright whitish pruinescence; lower margin of face with short, narrow cleft, lacking carina; gena one-eighth as wide as eye height. Frons darker than face in dorsal view; vertex and ocellar triangle dark brown, lower postocciput brown, gena lightly pruinescent. Ocellar seta longest among cranial setae; occiput with 3 pairs of long, stout setae posterior to ocellar triangle; postocular with row of short setae along margin of eye, upper 4–5 setae dark, stouter than lower setae; postgena with numerous long, white silky setae. Arista-like stylus long and stout, slightly tapered apically. Palpus tapered apically, ca. one-fourth eye height.

Pleura grey with blue pruinescence; scutum greyish-brown with paler lateral margins, medially paler brown in posterior view, bluish on postalar callus extending medially; dark vitta along inner edge of dc inconspicuous. Thoracic setae long, some subequal to width of eye; acrostichal setulae lacking; 5 dc, prescutellar pair longest; 1 short pprn, one-fourth length of dc; 1 presut spal; 2 npl; 1–2 psut spal; 1 pal; 2 pairs sctl, without setulae; several pale setulae near notopleural depression. Laterotergite with patch of pale setae; prothoracic episternum with 1 dark, spine-like seta and 1 narrower, pale seta, longer than width of fore coxa; anepisternum with setulae along posterior margin; katepisternum and hind margin of metepisternum without setulae.

Wing (Fig. 36) narrow, infuscate, with bands of clouding at basal third of wing, across apex of cell dm to R 4+5, and base of R 4 and along auxiliary crossvein. Pterostigma very narrow, faint, elliptical; 1 basal costal seta, two-thirds length of posterior dc. Row of long setulae from base of R to mid-length of R 1; auxiliary crossvein between R 2+3 and R 4; cell dm truncate apically; R 4 and R 5 nearly parallel-sided, somewhat divergent apically. Halter dark.

Legs dark, coxae with blue pruinescence, concolourous with pleura. Coxae with long, dark marginal setae; fore coxae with row of erect setae along anterolateral margin, subequal to width of coxa. Fore femur (Fig. 8) distinctly swollen on basal half, with 2–3 black, spine-like basal setae, posterolateral seta less than one-fourth length of femur; anteroventral row of ca. 20 stout, spine-like setae extending length of femur, length ca. one-fourth width of femur; 2–3 preapical anterior setae, longer than anteroventral setae; row of slender, pale posteroventral setae extending length of femur, ca. one-half width of femur; 1 spine-like posteroventral seta near mid-length of femur, subequal in length to basal width of femur; dense, very short, white pile beneath. Fore tibia straight with row of stout setae beneath, subequal to width of tibia and anteroventral setae of femur. Mid femur with slender anteroventral and posteroventral preapical setae; without anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae. Hind femur without distinct anteroventral setae; with a few anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae. Hind tibia without posterodorsal spur-like seta near base; several erect dorsal setae on apical fourth. Tarsi longer than corresponding tibiae. Empodium pulvilliform, subequal in length to claw, ca. half length of tarsomere.

Abdomen concolourous with thoracic pleura in lateral view, with mostly pale setae. Terminalia (Figs 14, 19–20): hypandrium narrow, cylindrical, 1.3x length of epandrium; anterior margin pointed. Phallus extending beyond clasping cercus, gently arched; shaft narrow, without basal expansion; apex with cup-like opening, with small, tubular membrane; membrane lacking microtrichia; ejaculatory apodeme arched strongly anteriorly. Epandrium with large membranous area at basal margin with hypandrium. Surstylus slender, two-thirds length of clasping cercus, lacking apical setae and microtrichia. Clasping cercus finger-like, tapered throughout length to rounded apex; base expanded posteriorly; fine setae on ventral margin; inner dorsal margin with sharp, peg-like setae along entire length.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. This species is confined to eastern Nepal known from 2600–3800 m near the Tibet border (Fig. 41), often collected together with T. emotoi sp. nov.

Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Latin maculatus (spot, stain, speckle), in reference to the spotted wings.