Mitrapsylla ceplaciensis (White & Hodkinson)

(Figs 109, 139, 169, 211 ‾213, 289, 319, 349, 374)

Acizzia ceplaciensis White & Hodkinson, 1980: 78 .

Holotype ♁, Brazil: Bahia, Ilhéus, 5 km N of km 22 on Ilhéus to Itabuna road (BR 415), CEPEC/CEPLAC water tower, -14.7833, -39.2333, suction trap (20 m) (MZSP) (not examined).

Mitrapsylla ceplaciensis (White & Hodkinson) . Combination by Burckhardt 1987: 189.

Material examined. Minas Gerais: 4 ♁, 1 ♀, Vazante, Fazenda Bainha, -17.8817, -46.8833, 660–670 m, 29– 30.x.2012, Cerrado vegetation, edges of disturbed forest, eucalypt plantation, creek, Machaerium aculeatum (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz), #50(10) (NHMB, slide mounted, 70% ethanol); 7 ♁, same but -17.6451, -46.7086, 900 m, 06.i.2016 (D.L. Queiroz), #747(-) (NHMB, 70% ethanol) .— Rio de Janeiro: 1 ♁, 2 ♀, Itatiaia, -22.4827, -44.5706, 440 m, 15–17.iv.2019, planted trees, waste places, Machaerium hirtum (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz), #331(6) (NHMB, 70% ethanol) .

Diagnosis. Genal process, in dorsal view, subconical; with subacute or narrowly rounded apex; GL/VL 0.4. Paramere, in lateral view, irregularly lamellar; anterior margin almost straight before apex; posterior margin strongly concave along apical half, weakly convex in basal half; apex truncate, strongly directed posteriorly; in dorsal view, with wavy sclerotised ridge and blunt posterior tooth, the former in lower level than the latter. Aedeagus complex tripartite; in lateral view, lateral lobule elongate, suboval; ventral process with apical expansion considerably smaller than dorsal lobe.

Description. Colouration. Body with white striped-pattern; variation: vertex with stripes along lateral and posterior margins sometimes absent; older specimens with markings with dark outline. Head and thorax dark yellow to yellowish-brown; genal process lighter than head. Eye grey to dark red; ocelli colourless to orange. Antenna light to dark yellow, segments 1–2 concolorous with head. Clypeus light yellow to concolorous with head; rostrum light yellow to dark yellow. Thorax with margins of sclerites darker. Forewing colourless, sometimes yellowish around veins M 1+2, Cu 1a and Cu 1b; veins very light yellow to very light brown; pterostigma concolorous or slightly lighter than veins. Hindwing colourless. Legs light to dark yellow with tarsi light brown, hindleg sometimes lighter than fore- and midlegs. Abdomen light straw-coloured to light brown; intersegmental membranes light straw-coloured; spiracular sclerites concolorous with tergites. Male terminalia irregularly yellowish. Female terminalia irregularly yellow, proctiger darker than subgenital plate, usually darker around anus.

Structure. Body length ♁ 2.4–2.6 mm (2.53± 0.08 mm), ♀ 2.4 mm (3 ♁, 1 ♀). Genal process (Fig. 139) sub-conical, evenly or irregularly narrowing towards subacute or narrowly rounded apex, 0.4 times as long as vertex along midline. Antenna 2.6 times as long as head width; longest terminal seta about as long or slightly shorter than segment 10. Apical labium segment 0.2 times longer than head width and 0.7 times longer than median segment. Forewing (Fig. 169) 2.7 times as long as head width, 2.2–2.3 times as long as wide, obovoid, narrowly or broadly rounded apically; vein M+Cu 1 0.4 times as long as Cu 1; ratio a/b 1.6–1.8; ratio c/d 0.7–0.9; ratio e/f 0.7–1.0. Surface spinules moderately spaced when present, forming rhomboids (Fig. 39); sometimes covering apical half of cells r 1 and r 2, absent or much reduced around radular areas of cells m 1, m 2 and cu 1, covering m 2 basally, and most of cell cu 2; leaving spinule-free spaces along veins (Fig. 42). Radular spinules sometimes present in r 2 but inconspicuous. Metatibia 0.7 times as long as head width.

Terminalia. Male. Proctiger, in lateral view, 0.4 times as long as head width; with long, strongly tapered, strongly down-curved posterior lobe. Paramere, in lateral view (Figs 211 ‾213) 0.9–1.0 times as long as proctiger; irregu-larly lamellar; anterior margin almost straight before apex; posterior margin strongly concave along apical half, weakly convex in basal half; apex truncate, strongly directed posteriorly; inner surface (Fig. 212) covered with long setae, longer basally and along posterior margin, with row of thick setae along apical anterior margin, several thick setae below sclerotised ridge and on apical posterior margin; in dorsal view (Fig. 289), with wavy sclerotised ridge and blunt posterior tooth, the former in lower level than the latter. Aedeagus (Fig. 213) complex tripartite; in lateral view, dorsal lobe with prominent median lobule; lateral lobule smaller than median lobule, elongate, suboval; membranous pouch rather broad; ventral process strongly upturned, with apical expansion weak, considerably smaller than dorsal lobe, bearing short, conical tubercle.—Female (Fig. 319). Proctiger, in lateral view, 1.0 times as long as head width; dorsal outline moderately concave distal to circumanal ring, apical extension sinuous, apex moderately upturned, smoothly obliquely truncate; circumanal ring 0.3 times as long as proctiger. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, 0.5 times as long as proctiger; apex well-developed; basal half of ventral outline strongly expanded, apical half almost straight or slightly sinuous; covered with medium long setae in median third, ventrally throughout and in apical third, long setae at apex, and group of long setae on dorsum subapically, with seta-free patch subapically; in ventral view (Fig. 349), lateral margins evenly, strongly narrowing at half towards narrow, subtruncate apex.

Measurements (in mm) (2 ♁, 1 ♀). HW ♁ 0.69–0.71 (0.70±0.01); AL ♁ 1.80–1.86 (1.83±0.04); LAB2 ♁ 0.18–0.20 (0.19±0.01); LAB3 ♁ 0.12–0.13 (0.13±0.01); FL ♁ 1.89–1.94 (1.91±0.04); TL ♁ 0.48–0.50 (0.49±0.02); MP ♁ 0.26–0.28 (0.27±0.01); PL ♁ 0.26; DL ♁ 0.34–0.35 (0.35±0.01); FP 0.56.

Distribution. Brazil (Bahia) (White & Hodkinson 1980, as Acizzia ceplaciensis). New state record for Brazil: Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro.

Host-plant. Adults were collected on Machaerium aculeatum Raddi and M. hirtum (Vell.) Stellfeld (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae, Aeschynomeneae) which are likely hosts.

Habitat. Cerrado, eucalypt plantation.