Pseudogaurax wheeleri Carvalho-Filho, Cruz & Monteiro, 2024

Carvalho-Filho, Fernando S., Cruz, Vanessa C., Monteiro, Nilton J. S. & Kloss, Thiago G., 2024, Description of new species of Pseudogaurax Malloch (Diptera: Chloropidae) from Brazil, with notes on natural history, Zootaxa 5433 (2), pp. 207-230 : 222-224

Pseudogaurax wheeleri Carvalho-Filho, Cruz & Monteiro , sp. nov.

( Figs 12–13 , 14F )

Material examined. Holotype male labelled as follow: Brasil-PA [ Brazil, state of Pará] Melgaço / Caxiuanã [= National Forest of Caxiuanã] – ECFPn [= Scientific Station Ferreira Penna] / 27 a [= to] 28.XI.2000 / D. MT, S.H. Borges col. [= collector] // Caxiuanã [= National Forest of Caxiuanã]-ECFPn [= Scientific Station Ferreira Penna] / 1°44’27.6” S 51°27’34.2”W / Mata [= forest] / Armadilha Varredura [= sweeping vegetation with an entomological net].

Diagnosis. Scutum with a narrow black acrostichal stripe with tapering anterior portion outflanked by an orange brown stripe, orange dorsocentral stripe divided by the transverse suture, orange postalar stripe present ( Fig. 12A ); scutellum longer than wide, with a triangular dark brown mark from anterior margin to close to apex, leaving a wide yellow margin ( Fig. 12A ); anepisternum and katepisternum with a large black mark ( Fig. 12B ).

Description. Body length 3.9 mm; wing length 3.5 mm. Head ( Figs 12A, D ). Yellow; ocellar triangle yellow with a rounded black spot in front of ocellar tubercle, reaching to about ¾ of apex of frons; frons with yellow setae; fronto-orbital setae yellow; occiput entirely yellow; ocellar setae reclinate and convergent; postocellar as long as the outer vertical setae, cruciate; a row of interfrontal setulae curved inwards; vibrissa slightly distinct, yellow, as long as the yellow genal pilosity; antenna dark yellow; postpedicel rounded; 1st aristomere yellow, remaining arista dark, with short and sparse pilosity; palpus yellow with yellow setae; proboscis dark yellow with yellow setae.

Thorax ( Figs 12A–B, E , 14F ). Scutum yellow covered with yellow to light brown setae, with a narrow black acrostichal stripe (more narrow than scutellum width), with tapered anterior portion outflanked by an orange brown stripe, dorsocentral stripe reddish brown, divided by the transverse suture, intra-alar stripe reddish brown; postpronotum entirely yellow; scutellum pale yellow, almost 1.5 times longer than wide dorsally, with a black stripe almost reaching the apex of the scutellum, covered with light yellow setae; subscutellum yellow with a rounded mesal spot; pleuron yellow, with a large black spot on anterior margin of anepisternum and katepisternum, large black spot in the area behind the wing insertion; 1+2 notopleural setae; tibiae and tarsomeres yellow, femora black with distal ¼ yellow; tibial organ yellow, reaching slightly longer than half length of hind tibia. Wing. Hyaline; tegula with yellowish setulae; halter pale yellow.

Abdomen ( Fig. 12C ). Syntergite 1+2 yellow, tergites 3 to 5 dark brown with anterolateral margin yellow; sternites yellow. Male terminalia ( Fig. 13 ). Epandrium rounded, wider than long posteriorly; cerci about twice as long as wide in dorsal view diverging apically and separated by deep U-shaped ventral cleft, each cercus with quadrate apex with many small setae dorsally and a long slender seta apically; surstylus well-developed, shorter than epandrium, tongue-shaped in dorsal view, with rounded apex, with long setae; hypandrium almost quadrate in lateral view; distiphallus long, membranous and striated; postgonite well-sclerotized, broad and rounded, with one seta basally; phallapodeme elongate and entire apically.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The name of this species honors the Canadian entomologist Terry A. Wheeler (McGill University) for his contribution to the knowledge of the Chloropidae . He passed away on 25 July 2017.

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL – Brazil (Pará).

Remarks. This species differs from all other Neotropical species of Pseudogaurax in having scutum with a wide black acrostichal stripe, with anterior portion tapered and outflanked by an orange brown stripe. In the most recent key to the American species of Pseudogaurax ( Sabrosky1966) this species runs to Pseudogaurax longilineatus Sabrosky from which differs in having acrostichal stripe with the same width as scutellar stripe and with tapered distal portion. In P. longilineatus the acrostichal stripe is narrower than scutellar stripe and its distal portion is wider than distal portion.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Pseudogaurax wheeleri sp. nov., holotype male. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Abdomen, dorsal view. D. Head, frontal view. E. Hind tibia, posterior view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 13. Pseudogaurax wheeleri sp. nov., holotype male terminalia. A. Posterodorsal view. B. Lateral view. C. Ventral view. Scale bars: 100 µm.

FIGURE 14. Pseudogaurax species. A. Pseudogaurax flaviscutellatus Marques, Riccardi & Ale-Rocha, 2022, head, lateral view. B–F. Thorax, dorsal view. B. Pseudogaurax alvinae sp. nov. C. Pseudogaurax amazonica sp. nov. D. Pseudogaurax cyclosa sp. nov. and Pseudogaurax braoculatus sp. nov. E. Pseudogaurax primavera sp. nov. F. Pseudogaurax wheeleri sp. nov.