Hilara serotina Varga, Horváth & Balogh, 2026, sp. nov.

Hilara serotina sp. nov. (Figs 3A–D, 4A–D) Type material. HOLOTYPE, ♂. ALBANIA, Shëngjin, swept over a creek, 41°19′19.31″N 20°04′18.12″E, 11.x.2025, leg. N. Varga. PARATYPE, 1 ♂, same data as holotype. Diagnosis. A larger, dull, densely dusted species (Figs 3A, D) with yellow halteres, quadriserial acrostichals (Fig. 3D), largely dark yellowish legs, and a long terminal process on the lateral epandrial lamella (Fig. 4A). Description. Habitus as in Fig.3A. Body length ca. 3.8 mm. Head. Eyes dichoptic.Frons completely dull greyish/ silvery from all points of view. Ocellar setae long, longer than postoculars; a pair of frontal setae present. Antenna completely black, arista somewhat more than half as long as postpedicel. Postoculars blackish on approximately upper half of occiput, yellowish on lower half. Palpus yellow, with dense but weak yellowish and whitish hairs, and strongly elongated preapical black seta more than half as long as eye height. Labrum somewhat shorter than head; whole proboscis approximately as long as head. Thorax. Entire thorax, including scutellum and postscutellar area, completely and densely dusted greyish/silvery, not appearing black from any point of view (Fig. 3D). Scutum practically unmarked, with two very faintly visible brownish stripes between dorsocentral and outermost acrostichal rows. Pruinosity of pleura as on scutum, not darker or lighter. All thoracic setae black. Pronotum with distinct black seta on each side. Humeral callus with one weak seta longer than covering setulae, intrahumeral seta of same length, posthumeral seta somewhat stronger and longer. Three stronger notopleural setae, one supra-alar and one prealar seta; prescutellars strong, four scutellars, outer pair much weaker than inner pair. Acrostichals regularly 4-serial, dorsocentrals uniserial, ca. 10 present in row, anterior eight only somewhat longer than acrostichals, last two elongated. Wing. Halter completely yellow. Squama yellowish, with yellow fringe. Wing clear, translucent, only stigma dark brownish. Veins dark brownish, lighter at base. Fold of vein CuA+CuP (or A 1) almost reaching wing margin. Costa with black setae and characteristically long basal costal seta, ca. as long as fore metatarsus or apical scutellar seta; leaning inwards. Legs. Coxae posteriorly and laterally yellowish, anteriorly covered by greyish pruinosity of variable extent. Fore coxa basally with several weaker yellowish setae and only apically with a few blackish setae; mid and hind coxae completely with strong black setae. Femora almost uniformly dirty/dark yellowish, with barely visible greyish dusting. Tibiae dark yellowish at base, continuously darkening towards apex, where dark greyish/brownish. Tarsi dull dark greyish. Fore metatarsus dilated, ca. ¾ as long as fore tibia (Fig. 3B), somewhat shorter than length of tarsal segments 2–5 combined, somewhat wider than fore tibia at apex. Remaining tarsal segments clearly longer than wide, not shortened on any legs. Fore femur with row of barely elongated, weak, hair-like anteroventral setae, otherwise only posterior preapical seta somewhat elongated, without other distinct setae, smaller setae all blackish. Mid femur with two elongated and strong anterior setae at base and elongated anterior preapical seta, all black. Hind femur ventrally with somewhat longer thin setae (2–3 elongated) and one stronger preapical seta, without other distinct setae. Fore tibia (Fig. 3B) with two strong posteroventral setae and a few strong setae forming preapical ring: one anterodorsal, one posterodorsal, one posteroventral, and one ventral. Two to three other anterodorsal setae slightly enlarged. Fore metatarsus without enlarged setae, with a few recurved setulae ventrally. Mid tibia with one strong anterodorsal, two anteroventral, and two posteroventral setae, all black; hind tibia with five anteroventrals, three dorsals/posterodorsals, and one anterodorsal setae. Metatarsi of mid and hind legs without strong setae. Abdomen. Tergites subshiny black, with moderately dense dark greyish/brownish pruinosity. First two sternites yellowish, thinly sclerotised; remaining sternites similar to tergites. Covering setae exclusively blackish, marginal setae on segments well differentiated, longest ones as long as following tergite. Male genitalia. Similarly coloured as abdomen, with black setae. Epandrial lamella (Fig. 4A) somewhat longer than wide, with well-differentiated finger-like terminal process; process widest preapically, apically pointed. Hypandrium with serrated ventral margin (Fig. 4B); strongly sclerotised spines covering ventral margin. In dorsal view, central wider and two narrower lateral appendages visible (Fig. 4C). Postgonite curved preapically. Cercus weakly sclerotised, brownish, apically pointed (Fig. 4D). Differential diagnosis. Hilara serotina sp. nov. belongs to the Hilara abdominalis Zetterstedt group of Chvála (2005) on the basis of its extensively yellowish legs, wide face, weak humerals, 4-serial acrostichals, yellow halteres, weakly setos legs, and completely dull frons and occiput. Using the key in the revision of the group by Chvála (2001), H. serotina sp. nov. runs to Hilara discolor Strobl in couplet 9. However, H. discolor has more widened basitarsi, different structure and shorter terminal process of the epandrial lamella (see Chvála 2001, fig. 25), and different shape of the hypandrium, lacking the hooklike projections (see Chvála 2001, figs 26, 27), with the central and middle sclerotised appendages approximately equally long. Using the complete key of the genus for the Mediterranean region by Chvála (2008) and its second part (Chvála 2013), the species also runs to Hilara discolor (couplet 20). Since Chvála’s (2001) revision, two species of the group have been described from Turkey, Hilara ardahanensis Çiftçi & Can, 2020 and Hilara sakaryensis Çiftçi, Hasbenli & Koç, 2012. The former has a much shorter epandrial lamellar process (see Çiftçi et al. 2020, fig. 2), whereas the latter species has a similar, although somewhat longer one. Hilara sakaryensis further differs from Hilara serotina sp. nov. by having two preapical setae on the palpus (one in H. serotina sp. nov.), dull black occiput in some views (greyish in H. serotina sp. nov.), darkened knob of the halter (yellow in H. serotina sp. nov.), and completely differently shaped hypandrium in dorsal view (see Çiftçi, Hasbenli & Koç 2012, fig. 1e). Among the Hilara species of uncertain species-group placement (incertae sedis), H. serotina sp. nov. is also similar to the Caucasian Hilara dzhantuganensis Straka & Obuch, 1985, although it is characterised by the presence of a single long, black seta on the basal half of the fore tibia (absent in H. serotina sp. nov.), proboscis shorter than head, more distinctly thickened fore metatarsus (see Straka & Obuch 1985, fig. 1), and differently shaped (i.e., not curved) postgonite (see Straka & Obuch 1985, fig. 2c). Differences in paratype. Habitus as in Fig. 3C. Femora generally dark yellowish/light brownish, with greyish/ blackish dusting on middle parts; therefore, only base and apex visibly yellow. Fore tibia without the two strong posteroventral setae. Otherwise similar to holotype. Etymology. The specific epithet serotina is the feminine form of the Latin adjective serotinus, meaning “late”. It refers to the late flight period of the species, with the type specimens collected in mid-October.