Houghia fimbriata Fleming & Wood

Fleming, Alan J., Wood, Monty, Smith, Alex, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2014, Revision of the New World species of Houghia Coquillett (Diptera, Tachinidae) reared from caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Zootaxa 3858 (1), pp. 1-90 : 50-51

Houghia fimbriata Fleming & Wood , sp. nov.

Figs. 1 b, 3, 6 a, 7 a, 22 a–f

Diagnosis. The most distinctive feature of this species, although difficult to see and easily overlooked, is the presence on the lower half of the facial ridge of a row of minute white hairs, best observed against a dark background ( Fig. 3 ). Supporting character states are the orange base of the first flagellomere (also present in H. macilenta , H. nigrofemur , H. ochrofemur , and H. pallida ) and the almost entirely silver and tomentose head.

Description. Male. Pedicel and upper portion of first flagellomere pale orange. When viewed in profile, antenna arises distinctly above middle of eye. Length of first flagellomere almost extending to facial margin (usually shorter by less than length of pedicel). Facial ridge with, in addition to the decumbent vibrissae, a row of minute, inconspicuous, hairs. Palpus pale, usually distinctly yellowish. Postgena behind postoccipital row, above level of lower facial margin, with a small patch of few black setae. Parafacial silver. Colour of fronto-orbital plate gold only at vertex, adjacent to ocellar triangle, the remainder silver (up to 25% coverage). Surface of fronto-orbital plate covered with small recumbent hairs, especially near margin of eye. Ocellar triangle viewed from above appearing to be sharply pointed anteriorly. Diameter of anterior ocellus equal to, or greater than, diameter of base of adjacent ocellar seta. Ocellar setae arising behind anterior ocellus but closer to anterior than to posterior ocelli. Eye bare. Postpronotum restricted to the three main postpronotal setae. Dark stripes on either side of dorsocentral row of setae separated from one another by yellow tomentosity. Median and lateral stripes on either side of scutum separate from each other posteriorly. Postsutural dorsocentral setae 3. Anterior quadrant of anepisternum covered with long setae, none distinctly larger than the others or forming a row. Katepisternum with two setae. Vein R1 bare dorsally. Legs ranging from reddish brown to yellow tinged but overall dark. Coxae dark usually concolourous with remainder of leg. Ground colour of dorsal surface of abdominal tergite 3 and in some specimens parts of other tergites as well, dark medially but reddish laterally. Ground colour of ventral surface of abdomen partially or entirely reddish or yellowish. Sex patches present on tergite 3, as well as on tergites 4 and 5 (though sometimes small or absent on 5). Ground colour of sex patches either not distinctly shiny, or light coloured or pale. Terminalia: surstylus wedge shaped, posterodorsal half haired, apex bearing few short apical spines, tip straight. Cerci rounded, apex with blunt, hooked tip, ventral surface haired, separation between cerci straight, length of cerci up to 85% as long as surstylus. Lobe of sternite 5 large and rounded apically, inner margin covered in dense tomentosity appearing darker than surrounding cuticle, internal edge of lobe straight, with single long apical seta emanating from apex.

Hosts. 666 wild-caught Zaretis ellops (Ménétriés) (Nymphalidae) caterpillars collected from ACG dry forest between 1987 and 2012 produced 60 rearings of this fly. It has been reared only from Zaretis ellops .

Holotype. ♂, CNC. Type locality: Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Prov. Guanacaste, Sector Cacao, Quebrada Heliconia (10.88585°, -85.49222°), 390 m, 12/25/2004, Manuel Pereira, DHJPAR0019206.

Paratypes. 22 ♂, 21 ♀ ( CNC) Costa Rica, Prov. Guanacaste, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0019224, DHJPAR0019205, DHJPAR0019218, DHJPAR0019216, DHJPAR0029805, DHJPAR0019221, DHJPAR0029802, DHJPAR0019215, DHJPAR0016048, DHJPAR0019609, DHJPAR0019213, DHJPAR0019969, DHJPAR0019209, DHJPAR0011475, DHJPAR0016742, DHJPAR0019207, DHJPAR0011478, DHJPAR0019204, DHJPAR0049537, DHJPAR0019220, DHJPAR0019203, DHJPAR0019222, DHJPAR0019210, DHJPAR0011477, DHJPAR0019211, DHJPAR0011511, DHJPAR0019219, DHJPAR0040986, DHJPAR0019217, DHJPAR0019208, DHJPAR0011476, DHJPAR0019223, DHJPAR0020922, DHJPAR0016647, DHJPAR0019214, DHJPAR0011474, DHJPAR0016683, DHJPAR0019212, 06-SRNP-47950, 97-SRNP-10010, 95-SRNP-8669.

Etymology. From the Latin adjective, fimbriatus, meaning fringed, referring to the distinctive row of tiny hairs extending along the facial ridge. Similar hairs are present in other species, but they extend less than half way to the base of the antenna.

Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Guanacaste, dry forest, 85–740 m elevation.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Frontal view of head, detailing the difference in colour at the base of the antennae. a. Houghia sexmaculata sp. nov. b. Houghia fimbriata sp. nov.

FIGURE 3. Lateral view of head of Houghia fimbriata sp. nov. Arrow indicates the small decumbent hairs along the facial ridge.