Neoempheria ujong Amorim & Oliveira 2025, sp. n.
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Neoempheria ujong Amorim & Oliveira sp. n. (Fig. 60A–D) https://singapore.biodiversity.online/species/A-Arth-Hexa-Diptera-000797 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 01B2ADF3-2413-4375-A5B4-66AF-1FF10F05 Diagnosis Head and scutum ochre-yellowish, scutellum light brown; pleural sclerites whitish-yellow, mediotergite light brown, dorsoposterior end of laterotergite with a light brown tinge. Wing with a brown band across distal third of wing and a brown band more basally, from level of cell r1 to posterior margin on cell cua. Cell r1 small, anterior margin of cell r1 1.4× length of R 4; sc-r slightly before level of origin of Rs; Sc reaching C before mid of cell r1. Tergite 1 brown, tergites 2–4 brown with a cream-yellow lateral band; tergites 5–6 brown; tergite 7 yellowish; sternites cream-yellow, sternite 6 brownish-yellow. Gonocoxites entirely bare, with a short rounded lobe extending to level of basal third of gonostylus and a medio-posterior extension; gonostylus displaced medially, large, obovoid, dorsoventrally compressed; parameres with a pair of digitiform lateral extensions posteriorly with some 3–4 fine setae at distal end. Tergite 9 with a pair of large bifid lobes, separated midway to apex, dorsal branch with tip curved inward. Neoempheria_ujong _ ZRCBDP 0048904_hapZRCBDP0048904_SMH_holotype [41: C, 43: T, 73: C, 199: C, 205: G, 212: C, 247: T, 251: C, 253: T] -ttatcttctacaattgctca tacaggggcttctgtagatCtTgctattttttcattacatttagccggaatCtcttcta ttttaggagctgttaattttattactactattattaatatacgagcaccaggaattcaatt tgatcgaatacctttatttgtttgatctgttttaatcacagcagtattattattactCtcat tGccagttCtagcaggagctattactatactactaacagatcgTaatCtTaatac aagtttttttgatcctgctggaggaggagatcctattttataccaacatttattt Description Male (Fig. 60A). Wing length, 2.10; width, 0.79. Head. Light ochre-brown. Antennal scape and pedicel whitish, flagellum whitish ochre-yellow. Face light brown, clypeus light brown. Maxillary palpus greyish-brown, last palpomere lighter, labella light brown. Two ocelli placed medially on vertex. Frons covered with microtrichia and setae. Scape 1.0× pedicel length, flagellomere 1 1.9× flagellomere 2 length, flagellomere 4 1.3× longer than wide. Palpomere 4 1.1× palpomere 3 length, palpomere 5 1.5× palpomere 4 length. Thorax. Scutum ochre-yellowish, slightly darker at anterior and posterior ends, scutellum light brown. Pleural sclerites light cream-yellow, a brownish mark on antepronotum lobe anteriorly, laterotergite light brown at dorsoposterior end, mediotergite brown, lighter laterally. Halter light brown. Scutum with a prescutellar bristle medially on dorsocentral line, two pairs of prescutellar bristles on lateroposterior corners; scutellum with one pair of bristles, no additional small setae. Antepronotum with two bristles and some small setae, proepisternum with some small setae. Legs. Coxae whitish, femora ochre-yellow, hind femur darker, tibiae and tarsi light greyish-brown, light brown towards tip of tarsi. Fore leg tarsomere 1 0.90× tibia length, 1.9× tarsomere 2 length. Hind tibia inner spur 2.9× tibia width at apex. Wing (Fig. 60B). Membrane with a brown band across wing at level of cell r1 and another band at distal third of wing beginning slightly beyond basal end of medial fork. C extending beyond tip of R 5 for a 1/4 of distance to M 1; Sc reaching C slightly beyond origin of Rs, sc-r hardly visible (even under phase contrast), R 4 present, inclined, cell r1 short, trapezoid, anterior margin of cell r1 1.4× longer than length of R 4; first sector of Rs as long as r-m. False medial vein present, sclerotized, slightly curved. M 1+2 3.5× r-m length; bM 5.6× length of first sector of Rs. First sector of CuA 1.8× longer than second sector. M 4 gently depressed on distal half. Cubital pseudovein sclerotized barely beyond level of origin of M 4; CuP sclerotized only at very base of wing. No sign of anal fold. Wing margin gently emarginated at tip of CuA. No ventral macrotrichia on veins, dorsal macrotrichia on entire length of bR, R 1, second sector of Rs, and distal fourth of M 1; Sc, sc-r, first sector of Rs, R 4, r-m, bM, M 2, M 4, and CuP entirely devoid of macrotrichia. Abdomen. Tergites 1, 5–6 light brown, tergites 2–4 light brown with a wide cream-yellow mark laterally, tergite 7 brownish ochre-yellow. Sternites 1–3 whitish, sternites 4–5 cream-yellow, sternites 6–7 ochre-yellow with light brownish tinge. Terminalia (Fig. 60C, D). Light ochre-yellow. Gonocoxites fused, suture present medially on anterior half of syngonocoxite, entirely bare, laterally a short rounded posterior lobe, extending to level of basal third of gonostylus, medially extending into aedeagal sclerite. Gonostylus displaced medially, large, obovoid, compressed dorsoventrally, slightly pointed distally, covered with scattered microtrichia and fine setae on ventral face, a concentrated row of long setae along distal half of internal margin and some long setae on external margin on basal half. Gonocoxal bridge weakly sclerotized. Aedeagus with a strongly sclerotized sclerite medially, with a short anterior extension and a pair of lateral extensions and a distal extension. Parameres wide, a pair of digitiform lateral extensions posteriorly with some 3–4 fine setae at distal end. Tergite 9 with a pair of large lobes connected medially through a slender, weakly sclerotized band, each lobe bifid, diverging midway to apex, dorsal branch an inverted L-shape with tip curved inward, more sclerotized, with a few fine setae, ventral branch longer, reaching level of tip of gonostylus, with a digitiform dorsal extension bearing a seta at tip directed inward and a digitiform ventral extension with some setae at distal end. Sternite 10 wide, with a pair of short lobes laterally on distal margin bearing microtrichia and setae on both, ventral and dorsal faces. Tergite 10 membranous. Cerci weakly sclerotized, slightly elongate, with microtrichia and short setae Female. Wing length, 2.07; width, 0.79. Terminalia. Sternite 8 anterior band weak, with lateroanterior extensions directed dorsoanteriorly articulating with lateroanterior arms of tergite 8, a subquadrate medial sclerite distally with a median short medial incision, covered with microtrichia, setae on distal third, especially along posterior margin. Sternite 9 wide, with a pair of plates laterally to genital chamber. Tergite 8 wide, bare. Tergite 9+10 rectangular, posterior margin with three pairs of elongate digitiform projections each with a seta at tip, median pair close to middle, lateral two pairs extending laterally to cerci. Sternite 10 slender, with median transparent window, with microtrichia and setae along posterior margin. Cercomere 1 large, entirely covered with microtrichia, setae restricted to distal third of inner border as a regular row of 9–10 elongate setae directed inward, cercomere 2 slender basally, rounded distally. Material examined Holotype: male, ZRCBDP 0048904, Nee Soon (NS1), 31.dec.14, MIP leg. (slide-mounted). Paratypes (1 male, 2 females). Male: ZRCBDP 0049228, Nee Soon (NS1), 10.dec.14, MIP leg.Females: ZRCBDP 0048978, Nee Soon (NS1), 13.may.15, MIP leg. (slide-mounted); ZRCBDP 0049258, Nee Soon (NS1), 10.dec.14, MIP leg. Additional sequenced specimens (2 males): ZRCBDP 0072698, Bukit Timah (BT05), primary forest, 01.dec.16, MIP leg.; ZRCBDP 0136953, Bukit Timah (BT08), maturing secondary forest, 09.may.17, MIP leg. Etymology The species epithet refers to Ujong (meaning “at the end” in Malay), used in Pulau Ujong. It is the indigenous Malay name for pre-colonial Singapore, meaning the island at the end. The noun is used in apposition. Remarks This species includes specimens from the swamp forest and from the Bukit Timah tropical forest. There are two haplotypes and no conflicts between the delimitation approaches, despite considerable morphological variation in the abdominal tergite color between males and females.
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7124848552