Cerantichir mexicana Gomes & Sepúlveda, 2023

Gomes, Lucas R. P., Sepúlveda, Tatiana A. & Pedraza-Lara, Carlos, 2023, Neriidae (Diptera: Schizophora) from Mexico: new species, new records and an identification key, Zootaxa 5264 (1), pp. 27-46 : 30-33

Cerantichir mexicana Gomes & Sepúlveda sp. nov.

( Figs 3 , 4 , 8A )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:74B5C565-07D9-4611-8D1C-6D0FF62805FD

Diagnosis. Outer vertical setae absent. Vibrissa absent. Occiput shiny, elongate, length equal to height ( Fig. 4A ). Pedicel elongate, length is more than twice the scape. First flagellomere dorsoventrally parallel sided, with distal margin rounded and slightly expanded ventrally ( Fig. 4A ). Anterior margin of frons very concave and projected above the anteriorly elongated antennal base. Occiput elongate, length is twice the height. Thorax elongate, with presutural scutum and antepronotal ring distinctly anterior to postpronotal carina, seta scapular present. Femora basally orange, dark brown apically with two pre-apical yellow bands ( Fig. 3 ).

Description. Male. Body length 12.0 mm ( Fig. 3A, B ). Wing length 10.0 mm and width 3.0 mm. Body yellowish brown, head partly yellow and opaque; pleuron bare; thorax with two longitudinal wide light brown stripes. Notopleuron white pruinose.

Head. Length twice the width. Frontal vitta yellow, anterior half with two lateral brownish stripes and posteriorly continuing to occiput, separating the brown lateral areas of the occiput. Fronto-orbital plate yellowish brown, narrowing anteriorly in a white pruinose carina reaching the parafacial plate; posteriorly joining the brownish vittae of the occiput; with two well developed pairs of fronto-orbital setae. Vertex brown and velvety posterior to ocellar tubercle, with two dorsal yellow stripes, narrow posteriorly. Postocellar setae 1.5 times longer than transversal diameter of ocellar tubercle; inner vertical seta slightly divergent and slightly longer than postocellar seta; outer vertical seta absent. Ocellar tubercle dark brown, isolated by the median yellow vitta on the posterolateral frons. Parafacial brownish with yellow spot above mid height of eye. Gena yellow and ventrally rounded; genal seta shorter than postocellar seta. Occiput light brown with short black setae towards posterior margin of head. Antennal base light brown, dorsally longer than wide; distal margin black, projecting dorsally after a bend very close to the distal margin ( Fig. 4A, B, C ). Antenna subequal to head length. Scape yellowish brown, darkened on dorsal margin; 0.6 mm long. Pedicel paler than scape; 2.0 mm long; with strong black setulae on dorsal and ventral margins, and some irregular lateral setulae on posterior margin; inner process of pedicel triangular ( Fig. 4B ), occupying the proximal half of flagellomere. First flagellomere ochraceous yellow; length 1.2–1.4 times width. Arista dorso-apical.

Thorax. Mesonotum shiny brown with two dorsal and parallel light brown stripes, separated by median narrow brown stripe ( Fig. 3B, D ); pleuron shiny brown, with silvery pruinose areas on anepisternum, anepimeron and katepisternum; thoracic setae short and slender. Anterior notopleural setae straight, about same length than prescutellar setae. Posterior notopleural setae slightly longer and thicker than anterior one. Supra-alar setae about one fourth of dorsocentral prescutellar setae. Postalar setae about half length of dorsocentral prescutellar setae. Dorsocentral prescutellar about half length of apical scutellar setae. Scutellum brownish pruinose with median yellow stripe narrowing anteriorly; lateral margins angulate and distal margin truncate; one pair of strong setae, almost as long as scutellum; two pairs of subapical setulae. Postpronotal lobe light brown and silvery pruinose. Prosternum light brown with rounded anterior margin. Proepisternum light brown and silvery pruinose. Katepisternum ventrally elongate; light brown with a white pruinose spot centrally, with some sparse hair-like setulae centrally. Katatergite light brown and silvery pruinose ventrally; length 1.8 times height. Anatergite and mediotergite light brown and silvery pruinose.

Legs. Fore coxa yellow with two antero-apical setae and several yellow setulae on anterior margin. Mid coxa with two lateral setae and three antero-apical setae accompanied by several setulae. Hind coxa with two lateral seta and two antero-apical setae, covered by several setulae. Femora ochraceous yellow with the basal half light brown and a distomedial and apical dark brown ring; fore femur with anteroventral and posteroventral rows of setae, anteroventral row occupying all margin and composed by one strong setae interleaved by several weak setae, and posteroventral row composed by setae getting shorter towards base of femur. Mid and hind femora with row of short spine-like anteroventral and posteroventral setae, not longer than one fourth of fore femur setae, and shorter in the basal half. Tibiae ochraceous yellow, darker at apex.

Wing ( Fig. 3 ). Brownish; microtrichia absent in cells bc, c and bm, and partially absent in cell br. Halter brown.

Abdomen. Tergites pale yellowish brown, darkening anterior and laterally; dorsally lighter, forming a dorsal yellow stripe; dorsally covered by brown setulae and laterally shiny. Pleuron light yellow. Genitalia shiny, yellow ( Figs 4D, E ). Syntergosternum 7+8 shiny; about half length of epandrium. Epandrium shiny, pale yellowish, dorsoapically darkened. Cercus and surstylus shiny and yellowish. Surstylus broad apically, covered by several setulae. Cercus long, longer than surstylus and entirely covered by setulae.

Female. Same as male, except: Body length (excluding antenna and oviscape) 9.5–10 mm. ( Fig. 3C, D ). Wing length 9.0–10.0 mm and width 3.0– 3.2 mm. Occiput length 70–90% height. Antenna shorter than in male; scape 0.3–0.4 mm long; pedicel 0.6 mm long. Flagellomere 0.5–0.6 mm; length 1.4–1.5 times width. Antenna and thorax darker brown. Tergites shiny black ( Fig. 3 C, D ). Oviscape ( Fig. 4F, G ) shiny, black, with several brown setulae; length 3 times maximum width. Segment 8 black, except light brown apex.

Morphological variation. Fore coxa with 2–3 antero-apical setae.

Etymology. Name in apposition. The specific name refers to Mexico, the country where the type specimens were collected.

Type-material. Holotype. Male. Mexico. Chiapas. Unión Juarez, Chiquihuites, La Caracola [15.0898, - 92.087583], 2444m, Malaise, 14.viii-11.ix.2018, Cancino-López, R. J. & Luna-Luna, R. J . Paratypes (9 males and 6 females). Same as holotype: 5 males and 1 female ( CNIN); same as holotype, except: 18.iii-17.iv.2018, 1 female ( CNIN) ; 18.vii-15.viii.2018, 1 female ( CNIN) ; 16.v-20.vi.2018, 2 males and 1 female ( CNIN) ; 20.vi-18.vii.2018, 1 female ( CNIN); 2450m [15.090283, -92.087367] , 15.viii-12.ix.2018, 1 male ( CNIN); 2450m [15.090283, - 92.087367], 10.x-21.xi.2018, 1 male and 1 female ( CARF) .

Distribution. Mexico (Chiapas).

Remarks. This new species resembles C. enderleini in the length of the antenna (as the inner process of pedicel is elongate and finger-like) and body colour. This new species is easily differentiated from known species in having a longer head and antenna, in the shape of first flagellomere, and by the coloration of the femora. The record of Cerantichir enderleini from Chiapas presented by Chamé-Vázquez et al. (2022) corresponds to Cerantichir mexicana and we have updated that record here. Cerantichir mexicana seems to be restricted to the tropical highlands of southern Mexico, occurring above 2400m, whereas C. enderleini was collected nearby but between 1705 and 2081m above sea level.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Cerantichir mexicana sp. nov.: male lateral (A) and dorsal (B), female lateral (C) and dorsal (D). Scale bar= 2 mm.

FIGURE 4. Cerantichir mexicana sp. nov.: male lateral head (A), male antenna (B), male dorsal head (C), male terminalia dorsal (D) and lateral (E), ovipositor dorsal (F) and lateral (G). Scale bar= 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 8. Distribution records of Neriidae in Mexico: Cerantichir enderleini Hennig, 1937 and Cerantichir mexicana sp. nov. (A); Eoneria blanchardi Aczél, 1951 and Eoneria ramirezi sp. nov. (B); Odontoloxozus longicornis (Coquillett, 1904) and Odontoloxozus pachycericola Mangan & Baldwin, 1986 (C); Glyphidops durus (Cresson, 1926) and G. filosus (Fabricius, 1805) (D); G. flavifrons (Bigot, 1886) and G. xanthopus (Schiner, 1868) (E); Nerius pilifer Fabricius, 1805, N. plurivittatus Bigot, 1886, and N. purpusianus Enderlein, 1922 (F). Circle= literature records. Star= new records.