Male (n = 3 in measurements). Head dark brown (Fig. 1b). Three ocelli, bulging in lateral view, lateral ocelli not touching eye margins. Ommatidia pubescent. Antennae brown, 14-segmented. Scape length:width ratio 0.8–0.82, pedicel length:width ratio 0.82–0.85. Scape and pedicel with black setae, shorter than width of respective segment. First flagellomere elongated, 2.65–3.19 times longer than wide. Flagellomeres 2–13 shorter, ca. 1.05–1.4 times longer than wide, last segment length:width ratio 2–2.92. Flagellomeres bearing hyaline setae and flagellomeres 1–6 with some dark, stouter setae; five dark setae apically on last flagellomere. Palpus brown, 5-segmented (Fig. 1b). Palpus generally short, ca. as long as total length of three basal flagellomeres. Palpomeres 1–4 with stout dark setae, 1–3 per segment, third segment with a sensory pit. Last palpal segment 1.44–1.7 times longer than penultimate segment. Clypeus with 6–7 black setae. Thorax dark brown (Fig. 1b). Scutum, antepronotum and proepisternum with black setae. Scutellum with ca. 20 dark setae, arranged in a row. Coxae brown–light brown, bearing numerous black setae. Femora light brown, with black setae. Tibiae and tarsi light brown, bearing black setae, apically arranged in rows (rows are especially clear in mid and hind legs). Tibiae also with stronger black setae, increasing in number from fore to hind legs, shorter than respective tibial width. Mid and hind tibiae with apical combs, i.e. with a dense row of black setae. Spurs dark brown, spur formula 1:2:2. Fore leg: ratio of femur to tibia 0.85–0.89; ratio of tibia to basitarsus 1.18–1.22. Mid leg: ratio of femur to tibia 0.8–0.85; ratio of tibia to basitarsus 1.32–1.4. Hind leg: ratio of femur to tibia 0.68–0.7; ratio of tibia to basitarsus 1.53–1.6. Halteres light brown. Wing (Figs 1a, 2) pale brown, with no clouds or dark patterns, length 3.8-4 mm. Veins dark brown, but Rs, M stem and bases of M₁ and M₂ pale.  R₁, R₅, M₁, M₂, CuA₁, CuA₂ and A₂ setulose above (bases of M₁ and M₂ bare). Veins r-m and R₅ setulose ventrally. C not reaching middle to tips of R₅ and M₁. Sc ending in C before base of Rs. Setae present in wing cells a1 and a2. Abdomen dark brown, both tergites and sternites densely covered by dark setae. Gonocoxite pear-shaped, bearing long dark setae, and with glabrous median lobe (Figs 1c, 4a). Gonocoxite with dorsal lobe (Fig. 3), apically truncated and with a comb-like row of setae. Gonostylus finger-like, bearing setae especially in apical portion (Fig. 4a). Aedeagal complex ventrally with a granulated membrane; apex of that membrane with minute setae (Fig. 4a). Aedeagus bilobed, apices rounded and curved, basally with rather long anterior apodemes (Figs 1c, 4a). Proctiger isosceles trapezoidal (Fig. 4a), distal margin curved toward cerci. Cerci as in Fig. 4b.

a

b

c

d

Figure 1.

Neoplatyura noorae Salmela, sp. n., male specimen from Finland (Tornio, Rakanjänkkä).

a: Habitus, lateral view. Hypopygium detached.  
b: Head and thorax, lateral view.  
c: Hypopygium, dorsal view. Abbreviations: cerc = cerci, proct = proctiger, d.l.gc = dorsal lobe of gonocoxite.  
d: Hypopygium, ventral view. Abbreviations: aed = aedeagus, d.l.gc = dorsal lobe of gonocoxite, gst = gonostylus, gx = gonocoxite, proct = proctiger.  

Figure 2.  

Neoplatyura noorae Salmela, sp. n., male, wing.

Figure 3.  

Neoplatyura noorae Salmela, sp. n., male gonocoxite and gonostylus, lateral view. Abbreviations: d.l.gc = dorsal lobe of gonocoxite, gst = gonostylus, gc = gonocoxite.

a

b

Figure 4.

Neoplatyura noorae Salmela, sp. n., male hypopygium.

a: Dorsal view. Abbreviations: proct = proctiger, aed = aedeagus, d.l.gc = dorsal lobe of gonocoxite, gst = gonostylus, gc = gonocoxite.  
b: Ventral view. Abbreviations: cerc = cerci, d.l.gc = dorsal lobe of gonocoxite.  

Female unknown.

Dark brown species with unpatterned wings. Apical setae of mid and hind tibiae arranged in rows. Gonocoxite pear-shaped with pronounced, glabrous median lobe. Gonocoxite with a conspicuous dorsal lobe, bearing a comb-like row of short and stout setae. Gonocoxites are widely separated ventrally while the other European species have them fused medially by a more or less wide bridge. Gonostylus finger-like. Based on unpatterned wings, body coloration and structure of male hypopygium, the species is easily distinguished from its congeners.

The species is named after MSc Noora-Annukka Vartija, our friend and colleague. Noora Vartija sorted out and recognised this as a possible new species from large masses of Malaise trapped material from Finnish Lapland.

European, so far only known from Finland. Most of the collecting sites are in central Lapland, north boreal ecoregion, in Kittilä municipality. There is also a record from southwestern Lapland, mid boreal ecoregion, Tornio municipality.

Invariably, all collecting sites are pristine boreal peatlands. The collecting localities are minetrophic fens, mostly open or sparsely wooded. Most of the sites are wet rich fens, lying on calcareous bedrock, being characterized by brown mosses (e.g. Scorpidium, Paludella). Only one of the sites is a poor sedge fen, dominated by Sphagnum mosses in the ground layer. The species has been collected with fungus gnats such as Mycomya fennica Väisänen, Boletina dubia Meigen, Boletina intermedia Lundström, Sciophila bicuspidata Zaitzev, Acnemia trifida Zaitzev and Isoneuromyia semirufa Meigen. Larval microhabitat is unknown.

Six out of seven collecting sites are conservation areas, protected by Nature Conservation Act. The species seems to have restricted occurrence in Finland, both geographically (north Finland) and ecologically (pristine fens), and could perhaps be later classified as a threatened species following IUCN criteria (see e.g. Penttinen et al. 2010).

The species is readily distingushed from its European congeners. If added to the key provided by Hutson et al. 1980 (p.37) Neoplatyura noorae Salmela, sp. n. would be keyed out in the first couplet, because it has unpatterned wings (biumbrata (Edwards) with darkened wing tip and a cloud on posterior vein of CuA₂) and being dark brown species (the rest of the European species are yellowish). Nearctic species N. pullata (Coquillett) is a dark species, but has Sc ending in C at the level Rs (in N. noorae Sc ending in C before Rs).  It should be noted that N. pullata is only known from a female holotype specimen, collected from USA, California (Johannsen 1910, Evenhuis 2006).