Mesembrinella nigrocoerulea Whitworth, 2019

Whitworth, Terry L. & Yusseff-Vanegas, Sohath, 2019, A revision of the genera and species of the Neotropical family Mesembrinellidae (Diptera: Oestroidea), Zootaxa 4659 (1), pp. 1-146 : 80-85

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4659.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:57309E14-0330-4ED7-BCDA-355EE6618215
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5587023
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DA87E6-0F75-FF81-FF19-BCEE3033FE1C
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Mesembrinella nigrocoerulea Whitworth
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Mesembrinella nigrocoerulea Whitworth , sp. nov.

( Figs 43–44 View FIGURES 41–46 , 133–134 View FIGURES 125–134 , 209 View FIGURES 209–215 , 252 View FIGURES 252–265 , 295 View FIGURES 294–299 , 339 View FIGURES 326–349 , 381 View FIGURES 370–400 , 424 View FIGURES 424–438 , 464 View FIGURES 460–464 , 488 View FIGURE 488 )

Diagnosis. A small to medium-sized blue-black fly averaging 9.8 mm (7–11/5) in length. Postpronotal lobe with 2x 2 setae; subcostal sclerite bare; 1 ph; pleural area of thorax and femora orange; tibiae and tarsi brown; ac 1:1; male frons narrow, 0.039 of head width at narrowest. T1+2 of abdomen orange, T3–5 shiny purple with whitish tomentum.

Description. Male. Head. Frons narrow, 0.039 (0.030 –0.050 /5) of head width at narrowest, about same width as parafacial midway; fronto-orbital slender, silvery when viewed from above, orange when viewed from below, frontal setae ascending about halfway to vertex; frontal vitta reddish anteriorly, obliterated in upper half; parafacial narrow, silvery when viewed from above, orange below; gena orange with typical horizontal row of stout setae; postgena orange with a few dark setae anteriorly, remainder with long, slender golden setae; occiput with whitish tomentum and fine yellow setae, upper edge just below row of postoccipital setae shiny black; median occipital sclerite shiny black; palpus typical; antenna orange; eye with median facets about 2x size of lateral facets; ocellar triangle of moderate size, anterior ocellus and posterior ocelli about equal in size; small cluster of supravibrissal setae at base of facial ridge.

Thorax. Dorsum shiny brown with pale tomentum, faint purple highlights and four slender tan tomentose stripes; pleural area yellow-orange; chaetotaxy: ac 1:1, dc 2:3, ia 0, ph1, ppn 2x 2, kat 1:1, 1 pair converging ap, sa absent, 1 weak lat, 1 stout bas, 1 pb weak, 1 disc; subscutellum weakly developed; spiracles medium-sized, pale orange; legs: femora orange, tibiae and tarsi brown. Wing faintly yellow, small darker yellow area along costa near wing base, best seen under reflected light; section IV of wing 0.010 of section III; basicosta pale yellow, tegula orange.

Abdomen. T1+2–5 purplish with whitish tomentum; T1+2 with cluster of lateral marginal setae midway and a pair of stout lateral marginal setae; posterior margin of T3 with pair of lateral setae; rear margin of T4 and T5 with rows of stout setae; disc of T5 with mid-dorsal horizontal row of stout setae, rest of disc with sparse, fine setae. Terminalia. In lateral view, surstylus with slight anterior bend at base then straight to tip, cercus with apical hook ( Fig. 43 View FIGURES 41–46 ); in posterior view, base of cerci broad, tapered steadily to tip ( Fig. 44 View FIGURES 41–46 ); phallus in lateral view with short epiphallus ( Fig. 133 View FIGURES 125–134 ); in dorsal view with narrow hypophallic lobes ( Fig. 134 View FIGURES 125–134 ); T6, STS7+8, pre- and postgonite, ejaculatory sclerite, ST6 and hypandrium as in Fig. 209 View FIGURES 209–215 ; ST1–5 as in Fig. 252 View FIGURES 252–265 .

Female. Similar to male except frons 0.22 (0.21–0.23/5) of head width at narrowest. T6 of RV shape; T 7 in wide arc, posterior edge unsclerotized midway; T8 bilobed narrowly joined above; epiproct bilobed ( Fig. 295 View FIGURES 294–299 ); ST6–8 and hypoproct as in Fig. 339 View FIGURES 326–349 ; spermathecae filiform ( Fig. 381 View FIGURES 370–400 ); ST1–5 as in Fig. 424 View FIGURES 424–438 .

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂ (Costa Rica, Puntarenas; INBIO; Fig. 464 View FIGURES 460–464 ), labeled: Est. Pittier, Prov. Punta [= Puntarenas Province], COSTA RICA / 1670m. 22 JUN-4 JUL 1995. E. / Alfaro, L _S_330900 577400 #5928; COSTA RICA INBIO / CRI002 / 387098 ; HOLOTYPE / Mesembrinella / nigrocoerulea / T.L. Whitworth.

ALLOTYPE ♀ ♦ ( TLW328 ): Costa Rica, Limón. R.B. Hitoy Cerere, Valle de la Estella Send. Espavel, 560 m, 27–30.ix.2003, W. Arana ( INBIO).

PARATYPES: Costa Rica, Alajuela. 1 ♀ *, Arenal Monteverde Eladio’s , 830 m, 26–28.x.2006, J. Azofeifa ( INBIO) . Guanacaste. 1 ♂*, 1 ♂, Est Pitilla , 9 km S Sta Cecilia, iv.1991, C. Moraga ( INBIO) . Puntarenas. 1 ♀ ♦ ( TLW326 ) , Golfito P.N. Corcovado, Est Sirena, Send. Corcovado , 10 m, 23.xi.2001, #66630, K. Caballero ( INBIO) ; 1 ♀ ♦* ( TLW327 ) , same data except 13.x.2001, #65635 ( INBIO) . Ecuador, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. 1 ♂*, Pich. E., Sto Domingo [Santo Domingo], 6–12.v.1990, W.J. Hanson ( LACM) . Venezuela, Miranda. Parque Nac. Guatopo , 24 km N Altagracia de Orituco, 640 m, 5–9.v.1975 ( INBIO) .

Distribution. Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela.

Remarks. Three specimens ( TLW 326–327 and TLW 331) were barcoded. They clustered together, close to M. violacea ( Fig. 488 View FIGURE 488 )

Etymology. The species name nigrocoerulea is a combination of the Latin nige r (black) and coeruleus (blue) and was selected because the species has a distinctive black and blue body color.