Mesoconius notacca, Marshall, 2019

Marshall, Stephen A., 2019, A revision of the genus Mesoconius Enderlein (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 548, pp. 1-126 : 69-71

Mesoconius notacca sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BDFBF472-A111-4E98-AB68-F4CBC4267A80

Fig. 27

Etymology

The species name is a noun in apposition coined as a reminder that this species was initially misidentified as the similar and sympatric M. acca sp. nov., from which it is distinguished by its white fore tarsus and mostly black hind femur, as well as features of the distinctive spermathecal complex and the partially shiny male S8.

Material examined

Holotype

PERU • ♂; Cusco, Wayqecha Biological Station , 9 km NE of Challabamba; 13°10ʹ20ʺ S, 71°35ʹ00ʺ W; 2600–2700 m a.s.l.; 1–6 Dec. 2011; S.A. Marshall leg.; MYCRO 457-18; MUSM.

Paratype

PERU • 1 ♀; same collecting data as for holotype; MYCRO062-15 sequenced for CO1; DEBU .

Description (female only)

LENGTH. 16 mm.

COLOUR. Head black to dark brown, except for silvery gena, parafacial and middle of face and apically yellow palpus. Thorax mostly black, but katatergite orange distally and ventrally. Fore tarsus white. Mid and hind femora black, except for orange apex. Mid tibia black, except for orange base, hind tibia orange, except for darker apical fifth. Hind tarsus with tarsomere 1 pale yellow with pale setae, tarsomeres 2 and 3 pale with dark setae, tarsomeres 4 and 5 darker. Wing strongly infuscated, with small and indistinct clear areas in cell r 2+3, cell r 4+5 and distal to crossvein dm-cu. Oviscape dark brown to black.

HEAD. Epicephalon and paracephalon finely striate, subshining, slightly shinier than orbits; frontal vitta posteriorly tapered and then expanded to form a broad, densely microtrichose patch connecting inner vertical and postocellar bristles, broad and broadly tapered anteriorly, reaching frons margin only as a narrow line. One very small upper fronto-orbital bristle positioned close to eye at level of upper ocelli, one small lower fronto-orbital bristle on microtrichose part of orbital strip. Antennae separated by width of antennal socket, upper face strongly and broadly carinate; subantennal areas shiny brown on dorsal half and silvery microtrichose on ventral half; lower face pale, membranous and microtrichose. Clypeus shiny and sparsely microtrichose medially, laterally densely microtrichose. Lower back of head densely setulose.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite with a vertical groove separating a microtrichose, convex, subquadrate posterior portion from a small, bare anterior portion. Fore tibia broad, sulcate on outer face. Postpronotal lobe microtrichose, with some scattered small setulae, anterior margin forming a vertical, shiny face.

ABDOMEN. Abdominal segment 1 petiolate; length of T1+2 double that of tergite 3.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. Bursa elongate, ventral receptacle distinct, near base. Spermathecal ducts arising separately from apex of a short tapered apical part of bursa. Single spermathecal duct constricted at base, then thick, then constricted again at base of a thick stem leading to a vestigial single spermatheca. Paired spermathecal duct with a very long, wrinkled basal part that abruptly expands to a short, broad distal section that branches into stems leading to elongate paired spermathecae; each stem with a central swollen part.

MALE ABDOMEN. Sternites 5 and 6 small and lightly sclerotized, divided medially. Sternite 7 (ventral part of synsternite 7–8) dark, with a broad anterior apodeme and an expanded, bare, spatulate right apex. Sternite 8 black, anterior third shiny, otherwise dull, microtrichose. Epandrium with prominent, setose posteroventral angles, cercus large and distinct. Postgonites small and divergent (directed laterally), with two small apical setae. Basal part of distiphallus broadly tubular, gradually expanding to a very large phallic bulb forming a broad hood over base of distal part of distiphallus. Ejaculatory apodeme slightly larger than epandrium.

Figures

Fig. 27. Mesoconius notacca sp. nov. A. Paratype prior to capture, ♀, DEBU. B. Head and anterior thorax. C. Spermathecae and associated structures. Abbreviations: bc = bursa copulatrix; cd = common duct; pd(b) = paired spermathecal duct (basal); pd(d) = paired spermathecal duct (distal); psd = paired spermathecal duct; sd = single spermathecal duct; ss = single spermatheca; vr - ventral receptacle.