Batrachophthalmum quimbaya Carvalho, Wolff & Wendt

De, Claudio J. B., Wolff, Marta & Wendt, Lisiane D., 2011, A new stalk-eyed species of Batrachophthalmum Hendel (Diptera, Richardiidae) from Colombia, Zootaxa 2932, pp. 41-46 : 44-45

Batrachophthalmum quimbaya Carvalho, Wolff & Wendt , new species

( Figs. 6–10 )

Diagnosis. This is an unusual and extraordinary stalk-eyed species of Richardiidae , distinguished from other species of genus by the following characteristics: size of each stalk (approximately 1.5 times the length of the body); legs mostly light brown, except for hind leg, yellow from apical half of tibia ( Fig. 7 ); wing yellowish with three brown marks: a very faint subbasal, an irregular apical and a wide median band ( Fig. 8 ). Abdomen light brown ( Fig. 7 ).

Length (holotype): head width: 27 mm; body: 8.5 mm; wing: 9.5 mm.

Male. Head ( Figs. 6, 9 ). Gena brownish. Clypeus, face and frons white pollinose, frons pollinosity from anterior ocellus to base of lunule. Eye remarkable stalked. Postocellar seta weak. Supracervical setae whitish.

Thorax ( Figs. 7, 10 ). Mesonotum dark brown with a greyish median dorsal stripe on scutum; scutellum light brown. Upper and lower calypters very small, with margin brownish; halter whitish with base and knob brownish. Legs ( Fig. 7 ): light brown, except for yellow tarsi 3–5 of fore and mid leg; hind tibia with half apical and tarsi 3-5 yellow; coxa and trochanter of mid and hind legs dark brown. Anterior femur with 4 posteroventral spines on apical ½ and 2 anteroventral spines on apical third. Wing ( Fig. 8 ): mostly yellowish, with three brown maculae: a very faint subbasal, an irregular apical, and a wide transversal median band, which is discontinuous, with two hyaline areas, one on apical portion of cell dm and another on basal portion of cell r4+5 ( Fig. 8 ).

Abdomen ( Fig. 7 ). Light brown; syntergites 1+2 and tergites 3–5 similar in color.

Female: unknown.

Type material. Holotype 3. COLOMBIA. Risaralda. Pereira. / Santuario de Flora y Fauna Otún-/ Quimbaya Trampa VSR bosque/ Mayo 2001 Grupo de Entomologia/ CEUA 12796 ( CEUA). Paratype 3: labelled as in holotype ( CEUA).

The type-locality is in the central mountain range of the Andes, between 1750 and 2400 m, with an average temperature of 16 °C and average annual rainfall of 2600mm /year. The area where the Santuario de Fauna y Flora is located has 489 he. The area is characterized by sub Andean forest, humid mountains and wetlands with diverse vegetation that includes plantations, mature forests and natural forests in different states of succession. These make up a corridor extending up to the Páramo. The specimens were collected with rotting fish traps in a well conserved forest at 1900 m.

Remarks. There is no other variation between the paratype and the holotype except for the fact that the paratype is smaller (head width: 17.2 mm; body length: 7.2 mm and wing length: 7.9 mm).

Etymology. The epithet quimbaya refers to the Quimbaya indigenous people who inhabited areas corresponding to the middle valley of the Cauca River in the modern departments of Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda in Colombia.

Figures

FIGURES 6 – 10. Batrachophthalmum quimbaya, new species (male, CEUA). 6. Habitus, frontal view (holotype). 7. Habitus, lateral view (holotype). 8. Wing (paratype). 9. Head, frontal view (holotype). 10. Thorax, dorsal view (holotype). Scale: 2 mm.