Three new species of the genus Neophyllomyza Melander (Diptera, Milichiidae) from China, with a revised key to the Chinese species

Abstract Three new species of the genus Neophyllomyza, N. clavipalpissp. nov., N. motuoensissp. nov., and N. obtusasp. nov., are described from China. A revised key to the six Chinese species of Neophyllomyza is also presented.


Introduction
Neophyllomyza Melander, 1913 is a small genus in the subfamily Phyllomyzinae with 13 known species, which are distributed the worldwide. There are three Palearctic species (Villeneuve 1920;Hendel 1924;Iwasa 2019), three Oriental species (Xi and Yang 2014), two Afrotropical species (Lamb 1914;Séguy 1938), two Australian species (Hendel 1907;Curran 1936), two Nearctic species (Melander 1913;Brochu and Wheeler 2009), and one Neotropical species (Williston 1896). Adults of Neophyllomyza are small acalyptrate flies. Neophyllomyza species are kleptoparasities, with adults mostly sucking at the prey of spiders or insects (Robinson and Robinson 1977;Sivinski and Stowe 1980). Three species have been recorded from China (Xi and Yang 2014), N. luteipalpis, N. lii, and N. tibetensis. In this study, all known Chinese species are reviewed, and three new species are described.

Materials and methods
Genitalia preparations were made by removing and macerating the apical portion of the abdomen in glacial acetic acid, then rinsing them in distilled water before storing them in glycerine filled microvials. After examination, genitalia were transferred to fresh glycerine and stored in a microvial on the pin below the specimen or moved to an ethanol tube together with the wet specimens. Specimens examined were deposited in the Entomological Museum of Henan Agricultural University (HAU), Zhengzhou; the Entomological Museum of China Agricultural University (CAU), Beijing. The general terminology follows McAlpine (1981) and Brake (2000). The following abbreviations are used:  Melander, 1913 Diagnosis. Body small, 1.0-1.6 mm, brownish to dark brown. Postocellar setae cruciate or converging; paired cruciate setae present along the middle of the front; fronto-orbital setae extending to anterior margin of frons, the upper ones diverging, the lower converging; face excavated, cheeks narrow; palpus enlarged, compressed, apical setulae usually present; lunule small, bare.
crotomentum; lunule small, blackish with black margin. Posterior eye margin ventrally diverging from head margin; eye 1.4 times as high as long, gena approximately one-twelfth of eye height. Setae and setulae on head black; ocellar triangle with two ocellar setae and three short setae; frons with two orbital and two frontal setae, orbital setae lateroclinate and frontal setae medioclinate, three interfrontal setae; postocellar setae converging. Vibrissal angle relatively blunt; vibrissa strong, located above the level of lower margin of eye. Antenna darkish black, with microtomentum; pedicel with short black setae at middle and margin, setulae at margin longer than others, longest one approximately four times longer than others; first flagellomere with pubescence, approximately quadrate, apical margin smooth; arista two times as long as first flagellomere, black, pubescent very short. Proboscis geniculate, brownish-yellow, margin without setulae. Palpus rod-like, with blunt apex, narrow, approximately 0.2 mm, four times longer than wide; brown with short dense brownish pubescence, margin with black sparse setae.
Thorax black with grey microtomentum, except scutum shiny blackish-brown with sparse black microtomentum; scutellum darkish brown with grey microtomentum. Setae and setulae on thorax black; one h, two dc, one prsc, two npl, one prs, two pa, one kepsts (setulae at forward position); scutellum 1.5 times wider than long, with pair of asc and bsc, asc 2.5 times longer than bsc. Legs slender, darkish brown. Setae and setulae on legs black. Mid tibia with one black preapical dorsal seta. Wing hyaline (Fig.  2), unspotted; veins brown; Sc strong; M 1 between r-m and dm-cu a little longer than dm-cu. Calypter yellowish, with dense brownish microtrichiae, margin with brownish setulae. Knob of halter brownish, stalk brown.
Distribution. China (Jilin). Etymology. The specific name refers to the shape of the palpus.
Remarks. This new species is somewhat similar to N. acyglossa (Villeneuve), but can be differentiated from the latter by the following features: M 1 between r-m and dm-cu 1.8 times as long as dm-cu; knob of halter brownish, stalk brown; epandrium irregularly luniform. In N. acyglossa, M 1 between r-m and dm-cu is 1.2 times as long as dm-cu; knob of halter dark brown, stalk blackish brown; epandrium very finely crescentic (Villeneuve 1920).
Description. Male. Body length 1.2-1.5 mm; wing length 1.3-1.6 mm. Head ( Fig. 7) blackish-brown with greyish microtomentum; orbital plate subshiny blackish-brown without microtomentum; ocellar triangle darkish brown without microtomentum; lunule small, darkish yellow with black margin. Posterior eye margin ventrally diverging from head margin; eye 1.5 times as high as long, gena approximately one-ninth of eye height. Setae and setulae on head black; ocellar triangle with two ocellar setae and three short setae; frons with two orbital and two frontal setae, orbital setae lateroclinate and frontal setae medioclinate, three interfrontal setae; postocellar setae converging. Vibrissal angle relatively blunt; vibrissa strong, located at the level of lower margin of eye. Antenna darkish brown with microtomentum; pedicel with short black setae at middle and margin, setulae at margin longer than others, longest one approximately 2.5 times longer than others; first flagellomere with pubescence, approximately quadrate; arista 2.5 times as long as first flagellomere, darkish brown, distinctly short pubescence. Proboscis geniculate, darkish brown, margin without setulae. Palpus oblong with blunt apex in lateral view, approximately 0.2 mm, 4 times longer than wide; yellowish with short dense brownish pubescence, apically with short and long sparse black setae.
Thorax darkish brown with grey microtomentum, except scutum shiny blackishbrown with sparse black microtomentum; scutellum darkish brown with grey microtomentum. Setae and setulae on thorax black; one h, two dc, one prsc, two npl, one prs, one sa, one pa, one kepsts (a row of setulae at forward position); scutellum 1.5 times wider than long, with pair of asc and bsc, asc 2.5 times longer than bsc. Legs slender, darkish brown except tarsi yellow. Setae and setulae on legs black. Mid tibia with one black preapical dorsal seta. Wing hyaline (Fig. 8); veins brown; Sc strong; M 1 between r-m and dm-cu longer than dm-cu. Calypter yellowish, with dense brownish microtrichae, margin with brownish setulae. Knob of halter yellowish white, stalk brownish.
Type Distribution. China (Tibet). Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality of Motuo County.
Remarks. This new species is somewhat similar to N. lii Xi et Yang, 2014 but can be differentiated from the latter by the following features: postocellar setae converging; three interfrontal setae; scutellum 1.5 times wider than long, with pair of asc and bsc, asc 2.5 times longer than bsc. In N. lii, postocellar setae cruciate; four interfrontal setae; scutellum two times wider than long, with pair of asc and bsc, asc three times longer than bsc (Xi and Yang 2014).
Description. Male. Body length 1.1-1.2 mm; wing length 1.1-1.2 mm. Head (Fig. 13) black with greyish microtomentum; orbital plate subshiny black without microtomentum; ocellar triangle black without microtomentum; lunule small, yellow with brown margin. Posterior eye margin ventrally diverging from head margin; eye 1.4 times as high as long, gena approximately one-fifteenth eye height. Setae and setulae on head black; ocellar triangle with two ocellar setae and three short setae; frons with two orbital and two frontal setae, orbital setae lateroclinate and frontal setae medioclinate, three interfrontal setae; postocellar setae cruciate. Vibrissal angle blunt; vibrissa strong, located at level of lower margin of eye. Antenna brown with microtomentum; pedicel with short black setulae at middle and margin, setulae at margin longer than others, longest one approximately 3.5 times longer than others; first flagellomere with pubescence, irregularly circular; arista four times as long as first flagellomere, brown, distinctly pubescent. Proboscis long, geniculate, darkish yellow, margin with short sparse black setulae. Palpus oblong with blunt apex in lateral view, less than 0.2 mm, four times longer than wide; darkish yellow, with short dense brownish pubescence, apically with short and long sparse black setae. Thorax darkish brown with grey microtomentum, except mesonotum shiny darkish brown with sparse black microtomentum; scutellum blackish-brown with grey microtomentum. Setae and setulae on thorax black; one h, two dc, one prsc, two npl, one prs, one pos, one ia, one sa, one pa, one kepsts (setulae at forward position); scutellum 1.6 times wider than long, with pair of asc and bsc, asc three times longer than bsc. Legs slender, darkish brown, except tarsi darkish yellow. Setae and setulae on legs black. Mid tibia with 1 black preapical dorsal seta. Wing hyaline (Fig. 14); veins brown; Sc strong; M 1 between r-m and dm-cu longer than dm-cu. Calypter yellowish with dense brownish microtrichae, margin with brownish setulae. Knob of halter brown, stalk brownish.
Distribution. China (Guangxi). Etymology. The specific name refers to the shape of the vibrissal angle.
Remarks. This new species is somewhat similar to N. leanderi (Hendel, 1924), but can be differentiated from the latter by the following features: knob of halter brown, stalk brownish; surstylus wide, apically blunt; cercus wide. In N. leanderi, knob of halter yellowish, stalk yellow; surstylus relatively narrow and long; cercus long and thin (Hendel 1924).