Paraiteaphila sinclairi Shamshev, Vorontsov & Perkovsky, 2026, sp. nov.

Paraiteaphila sinclairi sp. nov. (Figs 3, 4) Type material. Holotype, ♂, SIZK K-26373, Rovno amber, late Eocene. The holotype is in a subrectangular lightyellow piece of amber (5 × 3.5 × 1.5 mm); without syninclusion(s). The specimen is complete, in good condition. The original amber piece before trimming weighed 0.8 g. Locality and horizon. Pugach quarry, Klesov, Rivne (= Rovno) Province, Ukraine; Rovno amber, late Eocene (Priabonian). Etymology. This species is named in honour of Bradley J. Sinclair, a noted Canadian dipterist at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes (Ottawa, Canada), who has contributed significantly to the systematic study of Empidoidea. Diagnosis. This small, blackish fly (wing length 1.9 mm) is distinguished from other species of Paraiteaphila by the following combination of characters: proboscis short, male hind femur unmodified, acrostichal setae quadriserial, halter brownish, epandrial lobe short (slightly shorter than surstylus), digitiform. Description. Male (Fig. 3). Wing length 1.9 mm. Head (Fig. 4A–C) black, with black setation; occiput finely greyish pruinose. Eyes holoptic, with upper ommatidia enlarged. Frons represented by small triangular space just above antennae, bare, brownish pruinose. Ocellar triangle very prominent, with pair of rather short ocellar setae, shorter than postpronotal seta. Upper postocular setae subequal in length to ocellar setae and equally strong; lower postocular setae thinner and shorter; additionally, occiput covered with numerous similar setae of different lengths laterally (lower portion of occiput and postgena obscured). Antenna black; scape short, subequal to globular pedicel, both with short setae; postpedicel broad at base, nearly 1.5 times as long as basal width, strongly tapered, slightly concave ventrally; stylus slightly longer than 1/2 of postpedicel length; apical sensillum inconspicuous. Proboscis short, projecting obliquely; labium nearly half as long as head height; palpus projecting parallel to labrum, nearly as long as labrum (apex of labrum obscured)? Thorax (Fig.4 C) black in ground colour, with black setation; scutum viewed dorsally greyish pruinose,with rather subshiny narrow vittae between acrostichal and dorsocentral setae as well as anteriorly and laterally; mesopleuron uniformly brownish grey pruinose. Proepisternum with 2–3 short brownish setae on lower part and 1 long seta on upper part. Postpronotal lobe with 1 long and 1–2 short postpronotal setae. Mesonotal setae: acrostichals irregularly 4-serial, very short (prescutellar depression obscured); 9–10 uniserial dorsocentrals, mostly short, increasing in length posteriorly; 1 posthumeral, 1–2 presutural supra-alars, 3 notopleurals, 2 postsutural supra-alars, 1 postalar, 2 pairs of scutellars, apical pair much longer (scutellum obscured dorsally). Legs entirely brownish (including “knees”), finely greyish pruinose, black setose. Coxae and trochanters with rather long unmodified setae. Fore and mid femora with row of moderately long (shorter than femur depth), uniform posteroventral setae. Fore and mid tibiae with row of prominent posterodorsal setae (subequal to tibia depth). Hind femur unmodified, with row of moderately long anteroventral and dorsal setae (longest setae subequal to femur depth). Hind tibia with row of erect dorsal setae (1.5–2 times as long as tibia depth). Tarsomere 5 on all legs somewhat flattened; pulvilli broad, shorter than tarsal claw. Wing finely infuscate, with brownish veins (Fig. 3); 1 moderately long, black basal costal seta; stigma distinct, brownish, elliptical, overlapping apex of vein R 1; anal lobe very prominent, acute. Sc complete; R 2+3 slightly sinuous; radial fork present, V-shaped, branched well proximal to apex of vein R 2+3; distance between apices of veins R 2+3 and R 4 shorter than that between veins R 4 and R 5; veins R 5 and M 1 nearly parallel before wing-apex; cell dm broad, longer than basal cells, produced apically; M 2 base (crossvein) relatively long, 2.5 times shorter than dm-m crossvein, M branches widely separated; dm-m crossvein straight; M 4 slightly longer than dm-m crossvein. Apex of cell cua slightly rounded, vein CuA+CuP weak, long, ending well short of wing margin. Halter brown. Abdomen brown, paler than thorax, viewed dorsally subshiny, finely greyish brown pruinose; covered with numerous, short brown setae; tergites 7 and 8 apparently weaker sclerotised posteriorly. Terminalia (Fig. 4D, E) concolorous with abdomen, small. Epandrium with very narrow dorsal bridge; epandrial lobe slightly shorter than surstylus, slender, digitiform; bearing 4 strong setae close to lower margin. Surstylus rather broadly digitiform, broadly rounded apically and slightly downcurved, clothed with fine setae on outer and inner surfaces; apex lacking inner projection. Hypandrium with several long setae; subtriangular, with rather small shallow notch on base of apical prolongation; prolongation divided into pair of finger-like lobes; apex of lobes in ventral view rounded, in lateral view pointed downwards, hook-like and closely associated with apex of phallus; postgonite mostly obscured, only short apical portion visible, which is slender, arched, flanking apex of phallus. Cercus broad, apex tapered and rounded with long marginal setae; hypoproct obscured. Phallus mostly obscured, only its short apical portion visible, which is slender, curved. Female. Unknown. Remarks. In the key to species in Shamshev & Sinclair (2009), this species will lead to P. italica (Loew) on the basis of an unmodified male hind femur. Paraiteaphila sinclairi sp. nov. differs from P. italica primarily by the shorter epandrial lobe, which is slightly shorter than the surstylus. In P. italica, the epandrial lobe is nearly twice as long as the surstylus (Shamshev & Sinclair, 2009: fig. 3). In addition, in the new species the epandrial lobe is straight, digitiform, whereas in P. italica it is sinuous, slender and strongly arched medially.Also, P. sinclairi sp. nov. differs from P. italica by the shorter proboscis and quadriserial acrostichal setae (versus biserial in P. italica). One more species with an unmodified male hind femur was very recently described by Sinclair & Andrade (2026) from Portugal, P. petrella Sinclair & Andrade. Paraiteaphila sinclairi sp. nov. differs from P. petrella by short, digitiform epandrial lobe (versus elongate and strongly elbowed in P. petrella), shorter proboscis and quadriserial acrostichal setae (versus biserial in P. petrella). The new species shares a short proboscis and quadriserial acrostichal setae with P. caucasica (Shamshev & Sinclair) known from Adygea of Russia. However, in P. caucasica the male hind femur is modified (with broad constriction on basal third) and epandrial lobe is slightly longer than the surstylus.