Houghia sexmaculata 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 : 81-82

Houghia sexmaculata Fleming & Wood , sp. nov.

Figs. 1 a, 4a, 8b, 42 a–e

Diagnosis. The males of H. sexmaculata are characterized by the presence of dark gray to black palpus, 2 katepisternal setae, tergite 3 as well as tergites 4 and 5 with ventral sex patches, all on black integument, and dorsal surface of abdomen uniformly yellowish tomentose, with scarcely detectable dark apical bands. Females are distinctive in having a dark palpus and unmarked abdomens.

Description. Male. Antenna black. When viewed in profile, antenna arises approximately at level of middle of eye. Length of first flagellomere almost extending to facial margin (usually shorter by less than length of pedicel). Facial ridge bare except for a few (usually 3–5) decumbent small setae above vibrissa. Palpus dark, gray to black. 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 almost bare. Ocellar triangle, when viewed from above appearing rounded anteriorly. Diameter of anterior ocellus less 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 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 3. Anterior quadrant of anepisternum covered with short setae except for usually 3 to 5 distinctly larger setae. 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 abdomen dark to black. Ground colour of ventral surface of abdomen entirely black. 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 shiny black. Terminalia: surstylus equilaterally oblong, posterodorsal half bare, apex bearing many stout apical spines, tip with a slight outward curve. Cerci rounded, apex with straight tip, ventral surface bare, separation between cerci straight, up to 85% as long as surstylus. There is insufficient data to comment on sternite 5, as it appears it may have been damaged on dissection. However, this data not necessary for differential diagnosis of this species.

Hosts. To date, H. sexmaculata has been reared from 6 of the 10 species of Chlosyne Butler (Nymphalidae) that occur in ACG dry forest and rain forest, with 1,474 wild-caught caterpillars yielding 63 rearings of this species; it has been reared only from Chlosyne .

Holotype. ♂, CNC. Type locality: Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Prov. Guanacaste, Sector El Hacha, Finca Araya (11.01541°, -85.51125°), 295 m, 10/09/2002, Manuel Pereira, DHJPAR0019227.

Paratypes. 20 ♂, 25 ♀ ( CNC) Costa Rica, Prov. Guanacaste, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0016637, DHJPAR0030155, DHJPAR0029863, DHJPAR0019228, DHJPAR0019230, DHJPAR0019231, DHJPAR0030152, DHJPAR0019237, DHJPAR0019236, DHJPAR0030161, DHJPAR0011489, DHJPAR0030177, DHJPAR0019239, DHJPAR0019241, DHJPAR0029868, DHJPAR0029819, DHJPAR0029874, DHJPAR0030174, DHJPAR0029869, DHJPAR0029871, DHJPAR0029872, DHJPAR0019235, DHJPAR0030176, DHJPAR0029867, DHJPAR0019229, DHJPAR0030171, DHJPAR0019248, DHJPAR0019234, DHJPAR0029723, DHJPAR0019244, DHJPAR0019233, DHJPAR0019240, DHJPAR0019245, DHJPAR0030179, DHJPAR0030157, DHJPAR0019225, DHJPAR0029873, DHJPAR0030151, DHJPAR0029861, DHJPAR0030170, DHJPAR0019242, DHJPAR0029227, DHJPAR0011486, DHJPAR0019232, DHJPAR0016335; and not databased or barcoded, 1 ♀ COSTA RICA, Gste, 5 km.N.Cañas, 9.XII.1990, M.Polak & M.Wood.

Etymology. From the Latin “sex” meaning six, and the adjective “ maculatus ”, meaning spotted or marked, thus meaning six-spotted in reference to the three pairs of sex patches on black integument on the undersurface of the abdomen; other species ( H. gracilis and H. graciloides ) have sex patches on tergite 3, but on a reddish integument, and are less prominent.

Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Guanacaste, dry forest and rain forest, 20–540 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.