Aspidionia cheesweeleeae Amorim & Oliveira & Balbi & Ang & Torres & Yeo & Srivathsan & Meier 2025, sp. n.
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Aspidionia cheesweeleeae Amorim & Oliveira sp. n. (Figs. 149A–D, 150A) https://singapore.biodiversity.online/species/A-Arth-Hexa-Diptera-000818 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 5C7605D5-3BB4-4428-8FB1- 3C242CB80EF8 Diagnosis Scutum mostly ochre-yellowish, with a dark brown band along anterior margin, a dark brown mark above wing and a dark brown band along posterior end. Thoracic pleura mostly ochre-brown with a light brown mark on posterior half of anepisternum, mid and hind coxae entirely whitish, hind coxa with a brown basal band. Wing vein r-m present. Abdominal tergites ochre-yellowish with a brown medial longitudinal band, sternites ochre-yellowish. Aspidionia_cheesweeleeae _ ZRCBDP 0049018_hapZRCBDP0049018_SMH_holotype [13 C, 16: A, 76: A, 214: T, 223: A, 241: T, 283: T] cttatcttcatcCatAgctcacgcaggagca tcagtagatttagcaattttctctttacatttagccggtatttcAtcaattttaggagca attaattttattactacaattattaatatacgatctcctgggatatattttgatcgtttacc tctatttgtatgatctgttttaattacagcaattctcttattactatctttacctgttctTgc tggagcAattactatacttttaacTgaccgaaatttaaatacttcattttttgatcctg ctggtggTggagacccaattttataccaacatttattt Description Female (Fig. 149A). Wing length, 1.66; width, 0.67. Head (Fig. 149B, C). Brown medially on frons, brownish-yellow around eye, head partially fit under anterior end of scutum. Face and clypeus dirty-yellowish. Lateral ocelli blackish-brown, nearly touching eye margin, mid ocellus small, at dorsal end of short frontal furrow. Antennal scape and pedicel light brown, flagellum brown. Maxillary palpus light brown, lighter towards apex. Labella light brownish-yellow. Dark brown small setae scattered over vertex, four slightly longer setae on occiput around dorsal margin of eye posteriorly to ocellus, a line of long setae close to anterior margin of frons. Face slender, with a transverse line of setulae. Clypeus with scattered setulae. Antennal scape twice pedicel length, a crown of setae distally and on inner face of scape; setulae on both lateral faces and on distal margin of pedicel, in addition to one strong dorsal seta. Flagellomere 1 twice flagellomere 2 length; flagellomere 4 1.5× longer than wide. Palpomere 1 twice length of palpomere 2, covered only with microtrichia, palpomere 2 short, with some setulae, palpomere 3 slightly longer than wide, sensorial pit opening conspicuous, dorsal, setulae on external and dorsal faces, palpomere 4 almost twice palpomere 3 length, with setulae on external and dorsal faces, palpomere 5 slender, about twice palpomere 4 length, with scattered setulae. Thorax. Scutum ochre-yellow, with an elongate yellowish-brown mark along anterior margin, a brown mark along margin above anepisternum and a transverse band at posterior end of scutum; scutellum dark brown. Pleural sclerites mostly ochre-brown, basisternum brown, proepisternum with an ochre-yellow area on distal half, anepisternum with a brown mark on posterior half, mediotergite dark brown. Scutum densely covered with scattered fine setae, shiny median keel anteriorly (composed of modified setal sockets), five longer setae at small bulging area on margin above level of wing, four pairs of prescutellar bristles along posterior margin of scutum; a deep incision at margin of scutum above level of anterior spiracle. Scutellum large, trapezoid, two pairs of strong bristles aligned at distal end, additional setae along posterior margin. Basisternum dorsoposterior arms with a few setulae. Antepronotum lateral lobes completely separated, medial connection not sclerotized, only with short fine setae, proepisternum with three longer setae and two additional slightly smaller setae along ventral margin, scattered small setae on sclerite. Proepimeron reduced to a slender stripe at ventrodistal end of proepisternum, reaching anterodorsal end of katepisternum. Anepisternum covered with scattered setulae, a line of four long setae along posterior margin; katepisternum strongly compressed dorsoventrally, about a third of height of anepisternum. Mesepimeron with two bristles along dorsoposterior end, not reaching ventral margin of thorax, a small connection between katepisternum dorsoposterior end and laterotergite anterior end. Laterotergite bulging, with two long setae and seven small setae; metepisternum with 14 fine setae along its length; mediotergite small, strongly folded, bare. Legs. Fore coxa ochreish with an orangish tinge, mid and hind coxae whitish, hind coxa with a brown transverse band at basal end; femora whitish-yellow, fore and mid femora with brownish-yellow tinge, mid femur brownish along dorsal edge close to basal end, hind femur whitish, with brown dorsal edge; tibiae and tarsi light yellowish-brown with an orangish tinge. Fore coxa entirely covered with setulae at anterior face, a row of brown bristles along posterior margin and distal margins; mid coxa largely developed, anterior face covered with setae, a line of bristles along distal margin; hind coxa with a line of small setae on distal half of external face, including one subapical strong seta, a few small setae and one longer seta at anterior face distally. Femora covered with fine setae, a row 3–5 longer setae along ventral margin distally, stronger on hind femur. Tibiae and tarsi with regular rows of trichia. Fore tibia with a wide anteroapical depressed area lined with setulae and a few strong setae at distal end; mid tibia with two rows of bristles dorsally and two bristles on internal face, in additional to a bristle at distal end; hind tibia with two rows of laterodorsal setae along entire length separated by a flat, bare area, a comb of long setae at internal face of distal end of tibia. First fore tarsomere shorter than tibia, about twice tarsomere 2 length. Fore leg tarsomere only with rows of trichia and a couple of distal setae; mid and hind tarsomeres 1–4 with rows of ventral setae besides rows of trichia. Tibial spurs yellowish-brown, mid tibia spur almost twice length of inner spur, outer spur of mid tibia about 5× tibial apex, outer spur of hind leg about 3× tibial apex. Tarsal claws with a long basal tooth. Wing (Fig. 150A). Wing membrane light yellowish-brown fumose, slightly darker along anterior margin. Membrane densely covered with regularly organized microtrichia on all cells, no macrotrichia on membrane; posterior margin emarginated at level of tip of CuP. Sc faint; R 1 reaching C at distal third of wing; R 4 absent; R 5 short, reaching C at level of M 2, running almost parallel to R 1, gently curved on distal third. C extending beyond R 5 for half distance to M 1. First sector of Rs slightly oblique, 1.1× r-m length; r-m short, oblique. M 1+2 5.3× r-m length; M 1 and M 2 gently diverging on distal half; M 4 absent; bM over 7× r-m length; posterior veins weak at tip. CuA straight, long, reaching posterior wing margin slightly beyond level of tip of R 1. Cubital pseudovein absent, CuP produced to level of basal end of M 1+2. Anal fold long, almost straight, not reaching wing margin. Dorsal macrotrichia on bR, R 1, and Rs, ventral macrotrichia on distal half of bR, R 1, and on second sector Rs. Abdomen. Tergite 1 whitish laterally with brown medial mark, tergites 2–6 light yellowish-brown laterally and brownish medially; sternite 1 whitish, sternite 2–6 light yellowish-brown, darker towards distal segments; tergite and sternite 7 yellowish. Terminalia (Fig. 149D). Yellowish, small, weakly sclerotized. Sternite 8 trapezoid, a pair of distal lobes reaching level of tip of cercomere 2, with a median incision at posterior margin, microtrichia and elongate setae on ventral face, laterally bare; sternite 9 extending distally to level of tip of lobes sternite 8, anterior end extending to distal third of segment 7. Tergite 8 rectangular, longer than tergite 9+10. Tergite 9+10 short. Cercus short, cercomere 1 over twice length of cercomere 2. Male. Unknown. Material examined Holotype: female, ZRCBDP 0049018, Nee Soon (NS2), 17. dec.14, MIP leg. (website photo specimen, slide-mounted). Etymology The species epithet honors CHEE SWEE LEE (1955–), a Singapore-born sprinter who won medals at the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in 1969, 1971, and 1973 before becoming the first woman from Singapore to win a gold medal and break an Asian Games record in the 400 m race at the 1974. She won two additional gold medals (4x100 and 4x400) in the 1975 Bangkok SEAG. She was inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014. Remarks An ochre-yellow background color of Aspidionia cheesweeleeae sp. n. is shared with A. fatimahae sp. n., and these two species are probably closer to each other than either of them is to A. janetjesudasonae sp. n.
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7124844792