Hybos merzi sp. nov. (Figs 109–112, 262) Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: THAILAND, Chiang Mai Province, Doi Suthep Pui National Park, What Pratat, 18.80N, 98.92E, 1200 m, 26.x.2000, leg. Merz & Schendinger (MHNG). PARATYPES: 3♂, Kamphaeng Phet Province, Mae Wong National Park, Chong Yen, 16°5.212'N, 99°6.576'E, 1306 m; pan trap, 11–12.x.2007, 14– 15.x.2007; Malaise trap 17–24.ix.2007 (QSBG and NMWC). Etymology. Named in honour of the co-collector of this species, Bernhard Merz of Genève, Switzerland. Diagnosis. A black legged species with antennal stylus bare, pale setae behind posterior coxa and posterior femur strongly inflated, not at all petiolate basally. No strong ventral bristle at base of mid metatarsus. The legs are more strongly setose than either H. khamfui sp. nov. or H. saenmueangmai sp. nov.; the posterior femur bears rows of distinct bristles in front and behind; there is an ad fringe of bristles on the mid femur and about 2 long bristly hairs beneath the front tibia preapically. The male terminalia have long yellow bristles, many of which are strongly curved apically. Description. Male: body length 4.5–5.0 mm. Head subshining black dusted greyish, more strongly so about mouth edge behind eye; occipital setae black. Antenna black; postpedicel ovate in lateral view, 2.5–3.0X long as wide, apparently lacking dorsal seta; stylus bare, 5–6X long as postpedicel, black, distal 0.2 narrower appearing whitish in some lights. Mouthparts blackish, palpus very narrow, with black hairs. Thorax with ground colour black; postalar callus anterolaterally, pleura vaguely about base of wing, outer face of postpronotal lobe narrowly and extreme base of scutellum yellowish; dusted greyish on pleura, greyish brown on scutum and scutellum; acr regularly biserial, divergent, rather widely spaced posteriorly; dc uniserial, much shorter than acr excepting strong posterior bristle-like seta in front of prescutellar depression; 1 strong and 1 weak npl; pa moderately strong; scutellum with 2 distinct sct and about 6 very fine marginal hairs. Legs subshining black, thinly dusted greyish; mid tarsus and ‘knees’ of all legs distinctly paler, yellowish; T 2 vaguely paler than F 2; MT 2 paler still, dark yellowish brown. Coxae with hairs and bristles pale especially behind C 3 but some darker hairs on C 1 and C 2. F 1 with sparse ventral fringe of hairs almost as wide as limb is deep 0.3 from base, becoming shorter distally. F 2 with av and pv hairs longest medially where rather longer than limb is wide; ad series of about 6 distinct dark bristles, one at 0.8 from base strongest. F 3 moderately and quite evenly inflated, widest 0.5–0.7 from base; rather sparsely covered with brownish pubescent hairs; 1 row of 4–6 strong black bristles posteriorly, ~2–4 strong black bristles anteriorly and 2 rather more dorsally placed at about 0.7 and 0.8 from base; ventral spines black comprising av series of about 10 strong similarly sized bristles almost as long as limb is deep, and pv series which are longer on distal 0.5 but much smaller proximally; some short bristles between av and pv series. T 1 with distinct fringe of dark hairs dorsally from which can be distinguished 1 fine bristle at 0.3 and stronger one at 0.7; stronger setae ventrally at 0.7 and 0.8 and sometimes 0.5 from base ~4X long limb is wide, distinct from other longish hairs; apical circlet comprising long ad and ventral bristles with several smaller setae.T 2 slender, with strong dorsal bristles 0.4X long as limb at 0.15 and 0.5 from base and 1 rather longer ventral slightly beyond 0.5 and usually 1 or 2 shorter bristles on distal 0.3 dorsally; apical circlet of 6 strong bristles. T 3 with rather evenly sized pubescent hairs, a few dorsal hairs longer and 1 preapical longer still; short pilose yellow setulae posteroapically, contiguous with similar pile beneath basal two segments of hind tarsus. Front and mid tarsi with rather conspicuous hairs; MT 3 with ventral spine-like seta very short, no longer than surrounding yellow pubescence. Wing membrane slightly darkened, veins brown; stigma distinct, brown, long, reaching costa 0.7–0.8 distance between end of R 1 and R 2+3. Squamae with pale fringes. Halter yellowish. Abdomen black, dusted greyish; bristly hairs pale, longest and more numerous laterally. Terminalia (Figs 109–112) with long yellow bristles, many of which are strongly curved apically; left epandrial lamella broad, inner margin mostly rather linear; left surstylus (Fig. 112) moderately long, bluntly pointed viewed from above but broader when viewed laterally; right epandrial lamella concave on inner margin; right surstylus (Fig. 111) moderately long, viewed laterally forming elongate blunted triangle but viewed from above more narrowly pointed apically with internally facing subapical swelling. Hypandrium (Fig. 110) with broad apical lobe bearing curving bristles and smaller subapical lobe with linear bristles. Female. Unknown. Comments. Hybos merzi sp. nov. is only known from mid elevation (1,200 –1,306 m) forest during September and October at Doi Suthep Pui (Thanon Thongchai Range) and Mae Wong (northern Tenasserim Hills) national parks in the north of Thailand (Fig. 262). Hybos merzi sp. nov. might be confused with Hybos khamfui sp. nov. or H. saenmueangmai sp. nov., and the differences between them are discussed in the species account for H. khamfui sp. nov.

Published as part of PLANT, ADRIAN R., 2013, The genus Hybos Meigen (Diptera: Empidoidea: Hybotidae) in Thailand, pp. 1-98 in Zootaxa 3690 (1) on pages 45-46, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3690.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6329811