Published November 24, 2025 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Swammerdamella tricuspis Xiao, Hong, Li & Yang, 2025, sp. nov.

  • 1. State Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Forestry Biosecurity, MARA Key Lab of Surveillance and Management for Plant Quarantine Pests, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
  • 2. Xizang Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University 860000, China
  • 3. Natural History Museum of China, Beijing 100050, China

Description

12. Swammerdamella tricuspis sp. nov. 三尖Dzĸxü

(Figs. 8A–8F)

Diagnosis. Sternite 6 of male triangularly concave. Male tergite 6 unmodified and posteriorly with a row of setae. Arms of male tergite 7 long and thin, apically acute. Three spines on the position of median process. Aedeagus long and spiral.

Description. Male (Fig. 8A). Body length 1.4–1.5 mm, wing length 1.2–1.3 mm.

Head. Dull brown, higher than long; antennae 10-segmented; flagellum 8-segmented, each flagellomere with a whorl of microtrichia; last flagellomere distinctly elongate, 3 times longer than preceding one; eyes holoptic; palpus one-segmented, yellowish brown, elongate and pointed at apex.

Thorax. Dull brown, stout and matte; scutum brownish pilose. Anterior spiracular sclerite triangular. Halters concolorous with scutum, with a row of setae on stem. Legs short, and mostly concolorous with body except for yellowish-brown tarsi.

Wing (Fig. 8B). Membrane nearly hyaline; anterior veins sclerotized and light brown, R 1 and R 4+5 joining costa vein very close to each other; M fork complete and visible, obviously shorter than stem of M; CuA sigmoid, bent abruptly; a row of macrotrichiae on the posterior margin.

Abdomen. Strong, stout, and dull brown; segments 1–6 visible; sternite 6 (Fig. 8C) wide, sparsely setose, with posterior margin triangularly concave; tergite 6 (Fig. 8D) wide, sparsely setose, with posterior margin smoothly curved and with a row of setae. Segment 7 (Fig. 8F) retracted into segment 6; tergite 7 devoid of setae, both arms thin and narrow, apically acute, 3 spines in the middle of tergite 7 as ventral process; sternite 7 rounded and both arms setose apically, with 2 symmetrical sclerotised, dark-colored areas on inner margin.

Male terminalia (Fig. 8E). Slightly longer than wide; aedeagus long, spiral, and darker than other parts; a large lobe folded posteriorly on both sides, forming a semi-enclosed structure around the base of aedeagus; another large, densely pilose projection posteriorly stretched with a deep concavity on it.

Female. Unknown.

Type Material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, China, Jilin Province, Helong [和ẑ], Wolong Station [卧ẑäaeü] [42°46’ N, 128°45’ E, 737m], collected by sweep net, 2023. VII. 6, Yishen Xiao (CAU). PARATYPE: ♂, same data as holotype.

Distribution. China (Jilin Province).

Etymology. This specific name is derived from the Latin adjective “tricuspis ”, meaning “which has three points”, referring to the shape of the ventral process on male tergite 7.

Remarks. This species shows some common Swammerdamella characteristics on wing and body, but the shape of male tergite 7 and terminalia are relatively unique and highly recognizable. The terminalia is also morphologically different from all other Swammerdamella species. The structure of male terminalia is simple, only with a long, spiral aedeagus while the aedeagus plate seems missing.

Notes

Published as part of Xiao, Yishen, Hong, Dawei, Li, Zhu & Yang, Ding, 2025, First report of the genus Swammerdamella Enderlein, 1912 (Diptera: Scatopsidae) in China, with descriptions of nine new species, pp. 49-70 in Zootaxa 5723 (1) on page 64, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5723.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/17894140

Files

Files (3.5 kB)

Name Size Download all
md5:6cb5fca50a0d594b82d57a4d6edbfbd1
3.5 kB Download

System files (18.2 kB)

Name Size Download all
md5:f8d7224817d20d0fd275974d2e8f77d7
18.2 kB Download

Linked records

Additional details

Biodiversity

Collection code
CAU
Event date
2023-07-06
Verbatim event date
2023-07-06
Scientific name authorship
Xiao & Hong & Li & Yang
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Order
Diptera
Family
Scatopsidae
Genus
Swammerdamella
Species
tricuspis
Taxon rank
species
Taxonomic status
sp. nov.
Type status
holotype , paratype
Taxonomic concept label
Swammerdamella tricuspis Xiao, Hong, Li & Yang, 2025