Leptomorphus juxtafurcatus Fitzgerald, 2021

Fitzgerald, Scott J., 2021, Two new species of Neotropical Leptomorphus Curtis (Diptera: Mycetophilidae), Zootaxa 4985 (3), pp. 423-431 : 427-429

Leptomorphus juxtafurcatus Fitzgerald sp. n.

Figs. 4–7

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Type material. Holotype: Male ( Figs. 4–7 ), point-pinned, missing left rear and mid legs. Terminalia (in vial) and left wing (on point) pinned below specimen. White label: “ GUATEMALA: Guatemala, Puerta Parada, 1850 m alt., 3–10 Aug. 2013, Col.: J.C. Schuster,” ( CNCI). Red label: “ HOLOTYPE / Leptomorphus / juxtafurcatus / Fitzgerald.”

Diagnosis & remarks. L. juxtafurcatus sp. n. can be distinguished from all New World congeners except L. furcatus Borkent by sternite nine with a pair of subapical pointed lobes and gonocoxites extending posteriorly as a pair of forcipate lobes. L. juxtafurcatus sp. n. is most similar to L. furcatus and will key to this species in Borkent and Wheeler (2012), but can be distinguished by the shape of the gonocoxites which are simple (with basal and distal portions continuous), forcipate, tapering apically, and apically unforked, whereas the gonocoxite of L. furcatus is of much different form; the dorsal edge of the gonocoxite is longitudinally cleft, setting off the basal and distal portions of the gonocoxite and forming a strong keel-like shoulder at the apex of the basal portion (not apparent in Borkent & Wheeler 2012, Fig. 104). Additionally, the more distal portion of the gonocoxite of L. furcatus is broader, with the medial edge more expanded and blade-like, asetose and the apex of the gonocoxite slightly forked ( Borkent & Wheeler 2012, Fig. 104).

Etymology. The specific epithet juxtafurcatus is based on the Latin juxta (near, close, next to) as this species is “close to” L. furcatus both in morphology and geographic proximity.

Description. Male ( Fig. 4 ). Head: Yellow-orange, except area immediately around ocelli dark brown. Head with dark appressed setae posterior to ocelli. Antenna brown except scape, pedicel and tapered base of flagellomere one yellow-orange. Scape slightly produced anteroapically with tuft of anteroapical setae, pedicel with a few small setae anteroapically and a few small and large setae posteroapically. Flagellomeres barrel-shaped, slightly laterally compressed, flagellomere 6 ca. 3X as long as broad. Face cream-colored, clypeus yellowish oval, somewhat bulbous with yellow apically-directed setae. Labellum and palpus yellowish, palps five-segmented. Eye with sparse, short inter-ommatidial setulae scattered on surface. Three ocelli in a straight line, close together at vertex, lateral ocelli larger in diameter. Thorax: Scutum yellowish in ground color with hint of three broad very light-brown stripes; lateral stripes truncated anteriorly, median stripe tapering posteriorly. Surface of scutum covered with small dark appressed setae; macrosetae absent except a cluster of three setae near cream-colored humeral ridge and several rows of setae laterally. Scutellum yellowish with small dark appressed setae, stronger setae absent. Mediotergite yellowish with small dark appressed setae in dorsal band extending down into ventrolateral corners, cluster of stronger setae ventrolaterally. Laterotergite yellow to cream-colored with yellow small and large setae; anterior margin of laterotergite not reaching katepisternum. Remaining pleurae cream to yellowish, bare except antepronotum and proepisternum with setae. Legs: Coxae, femora, and tibiae yellow with apex of tibiae and all tarsi brown. Mid femur without apical spine-like process. Fore tibia with a row of short closely-spaced setae (comb) along length of anteroventral surface, tibial spurs brown, 1:2:2. Wing: Length ca. 6.0 mm, (n = 1). Largely hyaline, but with faint apical macula covering most of wing tip and faint cloud over base of Rs/r-m (see Fig. 5 ). R 4 absent, remainder of venation as in Fig. 5 . Macrotrichia in all cells. Setae on basal posterior margin of wing alternating long and short. Halters yellowish. Abdomen: Patterned yellow and brown, segments 1 and 8 shorter. Tergites 1–2 yellow, 3–6 yellow anteriorly, brown posteriorly, 7–8 brown, 9 yellow. Sternites 1–6 yellow, 7–8 brown. Tergite 8 much broader than long, telescoped within segment 7, asetose. Sternite 8 small, setose, rectangular, broader than long. Terminalia ( Figs. 6–7 ): Yellow. Sternite 9 internal, small round, transparent except a pair of small sub-median points (as in L. furcatus ); posteromedially produced posteriorly into a pair of transparent apically rounded lobes cradling tip of aedeagus; lobes separated from each other by a median slit-like cleft. Tergite 9 longer than wide, posterior margin with a pair of elongate, strongly tapered, apically pointed, lobes separated by a U-shaped indentation ( Fig. 7 , tg evg). Gonocoxite placed centrally on tergite 9 (considering posterior lobes as part of total length); forceps-like, extending beyond posterior margin of tergite 9, apically blunt and not forked. Gonostylus simple scoop-shaped. Aedeagus, median in position, a pair of laterally compressed rods curving dorsally at apex, cradled by median lobate extension of sternite 9. Parameres lateral to aedeagus, long slender, rod-like, strongly divergent. Cerci oval, fleshy, setose. There are two structures that may represent gonocoxite III; the first is a small rounded digitate setose lobe just dorsal to base of gonostylus, but not fused to it (not visible in Fig. 6 ) and the second is a broad asetose transparent plate between the cerci and tergite 9 with a small rounded lateral lobe on each side (this second structure is treated as “gc III?” in Figs. 6–7 ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Guatemala.

Figures

FIGURES 4–5. L. juxtafurcatus sp. n., holotype male. 4. Habitus (left wing removed). 5. Wing. Scale bars = ca. 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 6–7. L. juxtafurcatus sp. n., holotype, male terminalia. 6a. Ventral (photograph). 6b. Ventral (line drawing). 7. Dorsal. Scale bar = ca. 0.25 mm. Abbreviations: aed, aedeagus; ce, cercus; gc, gonocoxites; gc III?, gonocoxite III? (see Description); gs, gonostylus; par, paramere; S9, sternite 9; tg evg, tergal evagination; T7, tergite 7; T9, tergite 9.