Austrophyto mariluisi, Mulieri, Pablo Ricardo, 2017

Mulieri, Pablo Ricardo, 2017, Saying goodbye to monotypy in the poorly known genus Austrophyto Lopes, 1989 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae): new diagnosis and description of two new species, Zootaxa 4268 (1), pp. 88-100 : 93-95

Austrophyto mariluisi sp. nov.

( Figs 5, 8 , 14–18 , 33–35 )

Diagnosis. Parafacial and fronto-orbital plates with silvery microtomentum; genal dilation with silvery microtomentum; postgena with dark setae only; dorsocentrals 2–3 + 3; notopleuron with golden microtomentum; T5 with lateral spots of golden microtomentum; T3 without median marginal setae; ST2–ST4 with long setulosity; syntergosternite 7+8 shiny black or dark brown; cercal base flattened in profile; cercus with a pointed apex in dorsal view; vesica short and membranous, with two pointed lobes.

Description. Male. Body length 6.27–8.72 mm (n = 6).

Head. Head length at antennal base 1.01–1.10x (n = 3) head length at level of vibrissa; frons at its narrowest point 0.24–0.25x (n = 3) head width. Parafacial and fronto-orbital plates with silvery microtomentum; frontal vitta blackish; postocular area with silvery microtomentum; postcranium with silvery-grey microtomentum; ocellar triangle black, with silvery microtomentum; genal groove, genal dilation, postgena, face and facial ridge with silvery microtomentum; antenna black; first flagellomere with brown microtomentum, 0.28–0.33x (n = 3) head height; arista short plumose on basal 0.5, with longest rays longer (3.12–4.76x) than maximum width of arista; palpus blackish. Parafacial plate with a row of setulae close to eye, stronger in lower part; fronto-orbital plate with sparse setulae; postcranium with black setae on upper part and a few pale setae on lower part; eye bare; 7–10 frontal setae, the rows of frontal setae diverging strongly anteriorly at level of pedicel; 1 reclinate orbital seta; inner vertical seta strong and reclinate, outer vertical setae 0.5x the inner verticals and divergent; ocellar triangle with 1 pair of divergent and proclinate ocellar setae and supplementary setulae; postocellar and paravertical setae present; gena with black setae, postgena with dark setae; facial ridge with setae close to vibrissa and setulae reaching the lower half; 4–8 subvibrissal setae; palpus with black setae on apical half.

Thorax. Black, with silvery microtomentum; prescutum and scutum with dorsal and lateral stripes of silvery microtomentum and three black stripes; postpronotal lobe, katepisternum and anepimeron with spots of silvery microtomentum; notopleuron and anepisternum with spots of golden microtomentum; proepisternum silvery, bare. Chaetotaxy: 1 strong proepisternal seta plus one or two weaker and shorter supplementary setae; 1 proepimeral seta plus one or two weaker and shorter supplementary setae; katepisternals 3; postalar wall setulose; acrostichals 0 + 1 (prescutellar pair well developed), dorsocentrals 2–3 + 3, intra-alars 1 + 2, supra-alars 2 + 3 (the middle one stronger), anterior postpronotals 1, basal postpronotals 2, postalars 2, notopleurals 4 (two larger and two smaller). Scutellum with 2 pairs of lateral setae, 1 pair of crossed apical setae, and 1 pair of discal setae. Wing hyaline, tegula dark brown, basicosta whitish and veins pale brown; vein R1 bare; vein R4+5 setulose in proximal 0.4–0.5 of distance to crossvein R-M; costal spine not differentiated; third costal sector without ventral setae; cell r4+5 open; lower calypter whitish, with a central brown spot in some specimens. Legs: coxae, trochanters and femora with silvery-grey microtomentum; mid trochanter with a ventral pad of short and stout spines; mid femur without a posteroventral ctenidium in its apical portion, and with anterior and anteroventral rows of setae; mid tibia with 1 anteroventral, 2–3 anterodorsal, 3–4 posterodorsal and 1 posterior setae; hind trochanter with a ventral pad of short and stout spines; hind femur with anterior, anterodorsal and anteroventral rows of setae; hind tibia with 1 anteroventral, 2–3 anterodorsal and 2 posterodorsal setae; mid and hind femora and hind tibia with long setulae; tarsi blackish.

Abdomen. Black; sternites exposed; syntergite 1+2 to T4 each with dorsal and lateral spots of silvery microtomentum; T5 with dorsal spots of silvery microtomentum and lateral spots of golden microtomentum; syntergite 1+2 and T3 each with a pair of lateral marginal setae; T3 without median marginal setae; T4 and T5 with a complete row of marginal setae; T5 with long setulosity on posteroventral margin; ST2–ST4 with long setulosity.

Terminalia. ST5 V-shaped, brown; arms of ST5 with rounded basal lobes, covered with velvet-like micropubescence on their inner surface ( Fig. 18 ); ventral surface of ST5 with setulae, with larger setae towards apex ( Fig. 18 ); syntergosternite 7+8 shiny black basally, dark brown on apical 1/3, with a median spot of golden microtomentum and a marginal row of weak setae almost not differentiated from the few other setae present on its dorsal surface ( Fig. 33 ); epandrium reddish-orange, with hair-like setae; cercal prong about half as long as cercal base; cercal base with long setulosity ( Fig. 15–16 ); cercus, in profile, sligthly curved ventrally and with a pointed apex ( Fig. 16 ); surstylus narrow, with 1 apical hair-like seta ( Figs 15–16 ); pregonite curved ( Fig. 17 ); postgonite curved distally, with 2 strong setae ( Fig. 17 ); vesica ( Figs 5, 8 , 14 ) membranous and short, with two pointed lobes; harpes ( Figs 5, 8 , 17 ) heavily sclerotized, with projections with a rough surface; juxta with small apico-lateral lobes with a microtrichose surface ( Figs 5, 8 ); medial juxtal sclerite elongated and exposed between juxtal lobes ( Figs 5, 8 ); lateral styli and median stylus tubular and ventrally curved ( Fig. 8 ).

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype ♂ ( MACN): “ Arg [entina], Salta, Alturas / de Amblayo 3600 m [m a.s.l.] / 12/[19]86 Mariluis col.” [white label, handwritten]; “ Holotype [printed] ♂ / Austrophyto / mariluisi sp. nov. / Mulieri det. 2015” [red label, handwritten] . Holotype in good condition, with terminalia detached and glued to a piece of card pinned together with the rest of the specimen. Paratypes ( MACN): 2 ♂♂, same data as holotype.

Distribution. Argentina (Salta) ( Fig. 35 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is given in recognition of the work of the Argentinean dipterist Juan Carlos Mariluis.

Remarks. This species is easily distinguished from its congeners by the black and dark brown syntergosternite 7+8.

Figures

FIGURE 35. Map showing the known distributions of Austrophyto species.

FIGURES 1 – 9. Male terminalia of Austrophyto spp. 1. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), SEM image of gonites, left lateral view. 2. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), SEM image of phallus in apico-dorsal view; arrow showing incomplete dorsal hinge between basi- and distiphallus. 3. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), SEM image of phallus in apical view; arrow showing partially broken left harpes. 4. Austrophyto cordobensis Lopes (specimen from Córdoba, MACN), phallus in latero-ventral view. 5. Austrophyto mariluisi sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), SEM image of phallus in lateroventral view. 6. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), phallus in latero-ventral view. 7. Austrophyto cordobensis (specimen from Córdoba, MACN), phallus in apical view. 8. Austrophyto mariluisi sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), phallus in apical view. 9. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), phallus in apical view. Scale bars: 200 µm (Figs 1 – 4, 6 – 7, 9); 100 µm (Fig. 5, 8). Abbreviations: h, harpes; jl, juxtal lobe; ls, lateral stylus; mjs, medial juxtal sclerite; ms, median stylus; po, postgonite; pr, pregonite; v, vesica.

FIGURES 14 – 18. Austrophyto mariluisi sp. nov., paratype (MACN). 14. Phallus and gonites, left lateral view; arrow showing swollen, desclerotized ventral area. 15. Cerci and surstyli, dorsal view. 16. Cercus and surstyli, left lateral view. 17. SEM image of phallus and gonites, left lateral view; arrow showing incomplete dorsal hinge between basi- and distiphallus. 18. Sternite 5, ventral view; arrow showing rounded basal lobe. Scale bars: 200 µm. For abbreviations, see Figs 1 – 9 and 10 – 13.

FIGURES 27 – 34. Austrophyto spp. 27 – 28. Austrophyto cordobensis Lopes (specimen from Córdoba, MACN). 27. Head in left lateral view. 28. Detail of arista, lateral view. 29 – 30. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN). 29. Detail of arista, lateral view. 30. Head in left lateral view. 31 – 32. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MNRJ). 31. Head in frontal view. 32. Left lateral habitus. 33 – 34. Austrophyto mariluisi sp. nov. (paratype, MACN). 33. Tip of abdomen in posterior view. 34. Left lateral habitus. Scale bars: 1 mm (Figs 27, 31 – 34); 200 µm (Figs 28 – 29); 500 µm (Fig. 30). For abbreviations, see Figs 10 – 13.