Coproica testudinea, Bergeron & Marshall & Swann, 2015

Bergeron, Matthew D., Marshall, Stephen A. & Swann, John E., 2015, A review of the New World Coproica (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) with a description of 8 new species, Zootaxa 3953 (1), pp. 1-157 : 39

Coproica testudinea new species

Figs. 267–276

Description. Body length 0.9–1.3 mm. Brown along dorsum, yellow to light brown ventrally. Face and frons brown; head appearing longitudinally flattened, head height 1.5–1.9 times head length. Interfrontal bristles in 4 subequal pairs, postocellar bristles straight or slightly convergent, 2 pairs of small postocellar setulae. Eye small. Gena striate and devoid of microsetae on dorsal half, with light, reflective polinosity present on ventral half, eye to gena ratio approximately 1.4:1; 2 enlarged genal setae, 2–3 more scattered genal setae.

Thorax light brown dorsally, yellow ventrally. Scutellum with 10–13 discal setae arranged in 2 rows between basal 1/3 and basal 2/3; 2 lateral setae between anterior and posterior marginal bristles. Katepisternum with 2 small, subequal dorsal bristles, each approximately 1/5 as long as distance between katepisternum and wing base. Legs and fore coxa yellow. Mid tibia with 1 proximal posterodorsal bristle at 2/5. Mid basitarsus with anterior row of small, stout bristles, a sub-basal ventral pair of bristles, and 2 ventral rows of small setae along entire length of mid basitarsus. Second costal sector 0.7–0.9 times as long as third costal sector. Costal bypass short, terminating within 5 vein widths of R 4+5.

Male terminalia: Sternite 5 rectangular, with patch of microtrichia posteromedially; discal bristles uniform in size. Sternite 6 straight medially. Epandrium with enlarged pair of dorsolateral bristles; subanal plate present, robust; ventral margin of cercus rounded but unmodified. Surstylus with quadrate posterior process, process covered in dense setae and separated from rest of surstylus by ridge, anterior portion with ventral 90˚ angle. Postgonites straight, narrow on distal 2/5. Basiphallus arched, tubular, closed posteriorly; epiphallus bulbous. Lateral sclerites of distiphallus narrow, with elongate, membranous proximal dorsal process, a bifurcate dorsal process, and a subapical process emerging from medial surface; central process fused with lateral sclerites ventral to bifurcate process. Apical membranes short.

Female terminalia: Tergite 8 unmodified, sclerotized dorsally. Tergite 10 pollinose, narrowly fused to cerci laterally; cerci pollinose, apical bristles long and sinuate. Sternite 7 broad, with blunt posterior point. Sternite 8 rounded, triangular, with lateral groups of 4 small bristles. Sternite 10 convex and rounded, with pair of enlarged medial bristles, posterior margin not curved dorsally. Spermathecae pear-shaped; duct length 3–4 times as long as spermathecal bulb.

Type material. Holotype male: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: FL: Putnam Co., Hollister , 17–23.vii.1984, Gopher Tortoise burrow, E.G. Milstrey ( DEBU) . Paratypes: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: FL: Same as holotype (1♂ *–ill) ; Alachua Co., Lochloosa GMA, 3.x.1984, gopher tortoise burrow, E.G. Milstrey (1♂ –w) ; same as previous except dated 21.x.1984 (2♀ **–ill); Putnam Co., Hollister / Robert’s ranch, 5.xii.1984, gopher tortoise burrow, emerged from material, E.G. Milstrey (1♂, 3♀ *) ; Putnam Co., Hollister / Robert’s ranch, 5.xii.1984, gopher tortoise burrow, E.G. Milstrey (1♀) ; same as previous except dated 15.xi.1984 (1♀); 20.vi.1984 (1♂) .

Other material examined. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: FL: Highlands Co., Flamingo Villas Pres., 27°27'5"N, 81°23'7"W, 6.x.2010, site 7, flight trap, Deyrup et al. (1♂: debu00363298; 2♀: debu00363293, 00363318); same as previous except 5.v.2010, yellow sand scrub, site 5, flight trap, Deyrup et al. (1♀: debu00363279); 27.x.2010, flight trap, Deyrup et al. (1♀: debu00363386); 20.x.2010, site 9, flight trap, Deyrup et al. (3♂: debu00363504, 00363523, 00363544); Highlands Co. , Highland Park Estates, 27°20'6"N, 81°20'37"W, 6.vii.2010, scrub, flight trap, Deyrup et al. (1♀: debu00363470); Highlands Co. , Highland Hammock St. Pk., 27°28'N, 81°32'W, 20.vii.2010, scrub, flight trap, Deyrup et al. (1♂: debu00363578); same as previous except dated 22.vii.2010 (2♀: debu00363337, 00363336); Highlands Co. , Lake June St. Pk. , 27°18'46"N, 81°25'16"W, 6.viii.2010, Deyrup et al. (2♂: debu00363169, 00363180); Polk Co. , Walk-In-Water St. For. , 27°45'41"N, 81°29'16"W, 14-24.vi.2010, site 1, Deyrup et al. (1♂: debu00362711); Polk Co. , Catfish Creek St. Pk., 27°58'57"N, 81°29'16"W, site 7, flight trap, 24.vi.2010, Deyrup et al. (1♂: debu00363431) .

Distribution: Nearctic: USA (FL).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin word testudo, which means “tortoise,” and reflects the biology of this species.

Comments. Coproica testudinea is a rare species only known from gopher tortoise burrows in Florida, and from traps set near their burrows. Small eyes, and the highly specific habitat, make this species easily identifiable.

Figures

FIGURES 267–269. Coproica testudinea sp. nov. 267. Male left wing, dorsal. 268. Male terminalia, left lateral. 269. Male terminalia, posterior (setae on right omitted; illustrated differences between surstyli and postgonites are due to different orientations of surstyli during sketching, surstyli and postgonites are symmetrical).

FIGURES 270–273. Coproica testudinea sp. nov. 270. Left postgonite. 271. Female sternite 8. 272. Aedeagus and associated structures with postgonites removed. 273. Male sternite 5 and synsternite 6–8. Abbreviations: LS = lateral sclerite, MP = membranous process, MS = membranous sheet, SPM = subapical process on medial surface of lateral sclerite.

FIGURES 274–276. Coproica testudinea sp. nov. 274. Female terminalia, dorsal. 275. Female terminalia, left lateral. 276. Spermathecae.