Lepidiella maculosa, Araújo & Bravo, 2019

Araújo, Maíra Xavier & Bravo, Freddy, 2019, Two new species of Lepidiella Enderlein, 1937 (Diptera: Psychodidae) from the Neotropical Region with taxonomic comments about the species of the genus, Zootaxa 4551 (4), pp. 487-493 : 487-489

Lepidiella maculosa , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 A–F)

Type material. Holotype, male: BRAZIL, Bahia, [Elísio Medrado], Serra da Jibóia, Sede GAMBA [Environmentalist Group of Bahia] [12° 51' S; 39 28' W], (ligth trap), 10.v.2017, Silva-Neto, Mendes & Moura cols. ( MZFS), specimen dissected, mounted on micro-slide.

Etymology. The specific epithet, from Latin maculosus, spotted, refers to the marks on hypandrium.

Diagnosis. Head without cornicula; eyes separated by 2.0 facet diameters; scape without internal protuberance; interocular suture inverted V-shaped; hypandrium with microtrichia arranged in circular groups; aedeagus symmetrical, bifid, digitiform with a medial external lobe; two pairs of parameres, external pair fused medially forming a U-shaped plate; internal pair well sclerotized, lanceolate.

Description. Male holotype. Head without corniculum. Vertex dorsally expanded. Eyes separated by 2.0 facet diameters; eye bridge with four facet rows; interocular suture inverted V-shaped; frons with hair patch not divided at center, extending dorsally and reaching the interocular suture ( Fig. 1A ). Scape subspherical, approximately the same length as pedicel, without internal protuberances. Antenna incomplete; first three flagellomeres fusiform, each one with pair of filiform ascoids ( Fig. 1B ). Relative palpomere proportion: 1.0:1.1:1.2:2.0 ( Fig. 1C ). Wing ( Fig. 1D ). 2.5 times longer than wide; wing membrane brownish, with costal cell darker; lighter spots between veins R 5 /M 1 to CuA; Sc not reaching C; sc-r absent; radial fork distal to medial fork; R 4 ending at wing tip; CuA not reaching wing margin. Male terminalia: hypandrium plate-like, subtriangular with microtrichia arranged in circular groups ( Figs. 1E, 1F ); length of gonocoxite 0.3 times the length of gonostylus; gonostyli narrow, basally inflated, bare, except in the base with patch of alveoli; aedeagus symmetrical, bifid, distally digitiform; two pairs of parameres, external pair fused forming a U-shaped plate; internal pair ending at the same place of aedeagus, well sclerotized, lanciform, ending in pointed apex; ejaculatory apodeme dorsoventrally flattened ( Fig. 1E ); epandrium 2.5 times wider than long, with two foramina and two distal patches of alveoli ( Fig. 1G ); cercus digitiform, 1.2 the length of epandrium; left cercus with 12 tenacula ( Fig. 1F ) and right cercus with 11 tenacula; hypoproct and epiproct subtriangular with apical micropilosity ( Fig. 1G ).

Female: Unknown

Remarks. Males of five species of Lepidiella have a head without cornicula: the Brazilian species L. flabellata Bravo & Santos, 2011 , L. maculata sp. nov., L. olgae Bravo & Araújo, 2013 and L. spinosa Bravo, 2005 , and one Costa Rican species, L. hansoni ( Quate, 1996) . The males of these five species can be recognized using the male identification key proposed below.

Figures

FIGURE 1 (A–H). Lepidiella maculosa sp. nov. (A) head; (B) base of antenna: scape, pedicel and three basal flagellomeres; (C) palpus; (D) wing; (E) male terminalia, dorsal; (F) male terminália, dorsal: hypandrium plate-like; (G) male terminalia, ventral: epandrium, cerci and hypoproct; (H) cercus. (Abbreviations: ae = aedeagus, ep = external paramere, ip = internal paramere).