Drosophila (Sophophora) tolteca Patterson and Mainland

Grimaldi, David A., 2024, The Drosophila (Sophophora) obscura species group in the Americas (Diptera: Drosophilidae): review, revisions, and three new species, American Museum Novitates 2024 (4015), pp. 1-44 : 32

Drosophila (Sophophora) tolteca Patterson and Mainland

Figures 4C , 7G , 9L , 12E , 15C

Drosophila tolteca Patterson and Mainland , in Mainland and Patterson, 1944: 32.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognizable for the large ♂ sex comb on ta1, with generally 7–8 teeth (range of 5–9: Sulerud and Miller, 1966); ta2 with one very small, thin “tooth” barely distinguishable from adjacent setae; male ta1 short, length ~0.80× length of ta2. Male genitalia with base of inner ventral epandrial lobe with furrows and dense microtrichia. Female: apex of oviscapt blunt, ovisensilla all short pegs; spermatheca squat, width 2× the height, with apical indentation.

TYPE: Types not found. Mainland and Patterson (1944) did not specify a type specimen, merely stating (p. 33) that “ The stock upon which the description is based originated from specimens collected near Cordoba [Veracruz].”

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: All in AMNH : Mexico: Desietrode de los Leones, Distrito Federal, VII/29/42, G.B. Mainland 1342.1, 1♂, 1♀. EL SALVADOR: San Salvador / Jan. 21, 1954, W.B. Heed, 1♂; Volcan Santa Ana , 5670 ft., 20.7a / Nov. 1953, W.B. Heed, 1♂; Volcan Boqueron , 4500 feet, 91.16 / Feb 25, 1954, W.B. Heed, 1♂. NICARAGUA: 11 klm N Matagalpa 57.22 / Santa Maria de Ostuma / June 1954, W.B. Heed, 1♂. From culture 14012-0210.0, DNA seq publ by V. Schawaroch, 2002, 5♂♂ ( ASG 23 ), 1♀ ( ASG 24 ) .

DISTRIBUTION: Reported from Colombia (near Bogotá: Hunter, 1964, 1966; Villamizar and Alvarez, 2010), Ecuador (Cotopaxi and Pinchincha: Acurio and Rafael, 2009), El Salvador ( Heed, 1957), and Mexico ( Mainland and Patterson, 1944). It is also reported from Coroico (near La Paz) Bolivia, based on a strain studied by Barrio et al. (1992). I am unaware of any material from Bolivia. The Coroico strain was the only one of D. tolteca studied by Barrio et al. (1992), so comparisons with Central American strains and specimens have not been made, genetically or morphologically, and the identity of the Bolivia material has not been verified.

Figures

FIG. 4. Frontal view of heads of representative species of the affinis subgroup. A. D. affinis, male. B. D. chibcha, n. sp., male holotype (ASG 05); C. D. tolteca, male (ASG 23); D. zapoteca, n. sp., male holotype (ASG 20). Note differences in development of the facial carina compared with faces in figure 3.

FIG. 7. Oviscapts and spermathecae (lateral views) of species in the affinis subgroup, with apical details for three species. A. D. affinis (ASG 28); B. D. athabasca (ASG 30); C. D. azteca (ASG 15); D. D. chibcha, n. sp. (ASG 17); E. D. dobzhanskii (ASG 33); F. D. narragansett (ASG 11); G. D. tolteca (ASG 24).

FIG. 9. Protarsal male sex combs (tarsomeres ta1 and ta2, and ta3 for D. chibcha from Peru) of species in the affinis subgroup. A. D. affinis (ASG 29); B. D. algonquin (ASG 32); C. D. athabasca (ASG 31); D. D. azteca (ASG 13: San Franciso, CA); E. D. azteca (ASG 06: Leticia, Colombia); F. D. chibcha, n. sp. (ASG 04: Zurqui, Costa Rica); G. D. chibcha, n. sp. (ASG 05: Las Alturas, Costa Rica); H. D. chibcha (ASG 07: Rancho Grande, Venezuela); I. D. chibcha (ASG 08: Wayqecha, Peru); J. D. narragansett (ASG 10); K. D. olmeca (ASG 25); L. D. tolteca (ASG 23). All to the same scale.

FIG. 12. Epandria and associated structures in representative species of the affinis subgroup. A. D. narragansett (ASG 10); B. Details of A; C. D. olmeca, n. sp. (ASG 25); D. Detail of C; E. D. tolteca (ASG 23).

FIG. 15. Hypandrium, aedeagus and other appendages of representative species of the affinis subgroup (ventral views). A. D. narragansett (ASG 10: paralectotype, Massachusetts); B. D. olmeca (ASG 25: holotype); C. D. tolteca (ASG 23); D. D. narragansett (ASG: Virginia); E. D. olmeca (ASG 25: holotype, detail of B). A–C to same scale; D and E to same scale