Houghia chavarriae 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 : 42-43

Houghia chavarriae Fleming & Wood , sp. nov.

Figs. 2 b, 17 a–f

Diagnosis. Houghia chavarriae is a member of the H. blancoi group of sibling species ( H. blancoi , H. romeroae , H. chavarriae , H. marini , and H. matarritai ), with few distinctive features except in the male terminalia and in the extent of gold tomentosity on the fronto-orbital plate. The eye is bare and the antenna is entirely black. The ground colour of the abdomen is black, and sex patches are confined to tergites 4 and 5. The gold tomentosity of the frons of H. chavarriae extends from the vertex to the level of the anterior proclinate orbital setae ( Fig. 17 b). In lateral view ( Fig. 17 e) the surstylus is obovate, or widest in the mid-region rather than straight-sided, as in H. spathulata ( Fig. 43 e) while its posterior margin is rounded posteriorly, compared to the concave posterior margin of H. matarritai ( Fig. 34 e).

Description. Male. Antenna black. When viewed in profile, antenna arises approximately at level of middle of eye. Length of first flagellomere shorter than facial margin, (usually shorter by at least the length of the pedicel). Facial ridge bare except for a few (usually 3–5) decumbent small setae above vibrissa. 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 pale brassy to gold on its entire length from vertex to base of antenna (more than 50% coverage). Surface of fronto-orbital plate covered with small recumbent hairs, especially near margin of eye. Ocellar triangle, when viewed from above appearing rounded anteriorly. Diameter of anterior ocellus equal to, or greater than, diameter of base of adjacent ocellar seta. Ocellar setae arising beside, or slightly in front of, anterior ocellus. Eye with inconspicuous hairs. Postpronotum with 4 or 5 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 4. Anterior quadrant of anepisternum covered with short setae except for usually 3 to 5 distinctly larger setae. Katepisternum with three setae, the middle one always extremely reduced, might be absent in some individuals. 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 abdomen dark to black. Ground colour of ventral surface of abdomen partially or entirely reddish or yellowish. Sex patches present on tergites 4 and 5. Ground colour of sex patches light coloured or pale. Terminalia: surstylus equilaterally oblong shaped, posterodorsal half bare, apex bearing many stout apical spines, tip with light inwardly apical curve when viewed dorsally. Cerci rounded, apex with blunt, hooked tip, ventral surface haired, separation between cerci straight, up to 85% as long as surstylus. Lobe of sternite 5 small and pointed apically, inner margin covered in dense tomentosity appearing darker than surrounding cuticle, internal edge inwardly curved, single long apical seta emanating from apex.

Hosts. Houghia chavarriae has been reared 14 times, from 10000+ wild-caught dry forest caterpillars of macroglossine Sphingidae , of 6 species in 4 genera, but primarily from Eupyrrhoglossum sagra (Poey) and Nyceryx coffaeae Walker. It has been reared only from this group of ACG caterpillars; all rearings are from dry forest, even though the host caterpillars occur in both rain forest and dry forest.

Holotype. ♂, CNC. Type locality: Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Prov. Guanacaste, Sector Santa Rosa, Bosque San Emilio (10.84389°, -85.61384°), 300 m, 06/06/2005, Ruth Franco, DHJPAR0008127.

Paratypes. 82 ♂, 89 ♀ ( CNC) Costa Rica, Guanacaste, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0029781, DHJPAR0020943, DHJPAR0008115, DHJPAR0008838, DHJPAR0008544, DHJPAR0008140, DHJPAR0008114, DHJPAR0008113, DHJPAR0008129, DHJPAR0008112, DHJPAR0008162, 00-SRNP-2771, 01-SRNP-16535, 05- SRNP-15809, 08-SRNP-14718, 84-SRNP-2119, 92-SRNP-3614, 81-SRNP-913, 96-SRNP-7189, 81-SRNP-574, 81-SRNP-564, 07-SRNP-58359, 01-SRNP-17033, 01-SRNP-16458.

Etymology. Houghia chavarriae is dedicated to Srta. Maria Marta Chavarria of Area de Conservación Guanacaste, coordinator of ACG Research and of the Marine Biosensitivity Program, in recognition of her decades of protection of the forests in which this tachinid lives.

Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Guanacaste, dry forest, 95–395 m elevation.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Lateral view of head, detailing the position of the antennae relative to the middle of the eye. a. Houghia romeroae sp. nov. b. Houghia chavarriae sp. nov.

FIGURE 17. General morphology of Houghia chavarriae sp. nov. a. Dorsal habitus. b. Frontal view of head. c. Lateral habitus. d. Posterior view of male terminalia. e. Lateral view of male terminalia. f. Ventral view of sternite 5 + segments 7 + 8.

FIGURE 34. General morphology of Houghia matarritai sp. nov. a. Dorsal habitus. b. Frontal view of head. c. Lateral habitus. d. Posterior view of male terminalia. e. Lateral view of male terminalia. f. Ventral view of sternite 5 + segments 7 + 8.

FIGURE 43. General morphology of Houghia spathulata sp. nov. a. Dorsal habitus. b. Frontal view of head. c. Lateral habitus. d. Posterior view of male terminalia. e. Lateral view of male terminalia. f. Ventral view of sternite 5 + segments 7 + 8.