Auloceromyia pachypoda

Fachin, Diego Aguilar, 2015, A new species of the rare Neotropical genus Auloceromyia Lindner, 1969 (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) and the first record of the male of A. pedunculata Pimentel & Pujol-Luz, 2000, Zootaxa 4020 (3), pp. 554-570 : 563-566

Auloceromyia pachypoda nov. sp.

( Figs 4–6 , 9–10 , 13–14 , 25–38)

Diagnosis. Vertex strongly reduced posteriorly, not reaching the distal margin of head in females. Scutum black, yellow dorsolateral longitudinal bands reduced to an extensive peripheral area of scutum (male, Fig. 9 ) or missing at all and spots on postpronotal lobes and postalar callus barely visible (female, Fig. 10 ). Hind femur and basitarsus distinctly enlarged and expanded in females. Abdomen mostly black dorsally, except for tergite 1 on basal twothirds, tergite 4 on basal half and lateral margins of all segments yellowish; segment 1 narrower than segments 2–5 (not clearly petiolated as in other species of the genus) ( Figs 34 , 38 ).

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 1 ♂ (left wing slide–mounted), ARGENTINA, Entre Rios [Entre Ríos], Pronunciamiento, ii.1964, Purchased from Juan Foerster., Collection of Paul H. Arnauld, Jr. #00156 ( CSCA). PARATYPES: 1 ♀ (left wing slide–mounted), BRAZIL, Mato Grosso do Sul, Aquidauana, Res. [Reserva] Ecol. [Ecológica] UEMS – Mata Ciliar, Córrego Fundo, 20°26’07.2”S 55°39’32.8”, 27.viii–11.ix.2011, Malaise 0 9, Lamas, Nihei & eq. col. ( MZUSP). 1 ♀, Bodoquena, Fazenda Califórnia, 20°41’49.9”S 56°52’54.0”W, Malaise 0 4, 22.viii–06.ix.2011, Lamas eq. col. ( MNRJ); 2 ♀, Bodoquena, Fazenda Califórnia—Transição, 20°41’53.5”S 56°52’55.7”, Malaise 0 5, 21.vii–06.viii.2012, Lamas, Nihei & eq. cols. ( MZUSP); 1 ♀, Bodoquena, Serra da Bodoquena (Fazenda Califórnia), Topo, 20°41’55.9”S 56°52’99.4”W, Malaise 0 6, 22.viii–06.ix.2011, Lamas, Nihei & eq. col. ( MNRJ); 1 ♀ (left wing slide–mounted), (Fazenda Califórnia), Topo, 20°41’55.9”W 56°52’99.4”W, 08–22.viii.2011, Malaise 0 6, Lamas, Nihei & eq. col. ( MZUSP); 1 ♀, Faz. [Fazenda] Califórnia, Malaise 0 6, 06–22.x.2011, Lamas, Nihei & eq. col. ( MZUSP); 2 ♀, Serra da Bodoquena, Fazenda Califórnia— Mata Ciliar, 20°41’55.9”S 56°52’49.4”W, Malaise 0 6, 22.viii–06.ix.2011, Lamas, Nihei & eq. col. (1 ♀— CSCA; 1 ♀— USNM). 1 ♀, Rio Verde, 18°09’39.4”S 54°09’02.4”W, Malaise 38, 14.vii–30.viii.2012, Lamas, Nihei & eq. col. ( MZUSP). 2 ♀, 30.viii–14.ix.2012, (1 ♀— CSCA; 1 ♀— USNM).

Description. Male. Length: body, 7.0; wing, 6.0. Head as in other species of genus, two times wider than long with short whitish pilosity. Eyes almost holoptic, with very short inconspicuous pilosity. Occiput black. Vertex brownish posteriorly, with a thin medial dark brown line extending from occiput to ocellar tubercle. Ocellar tubercle dark brown to black, markedly prominent in profile view. Frons strongly reduced, upper and lower half yellowish. Face rounded, prominent downward with three dark brown maculae on a brownish background; the medial one extending from upper to lower margin of face; the laterals from upper margin of face to lower margin of face. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellowish, strongly contrasting with dark brown to black flagellomeres (flagellomeres 3–8 darker than two previous); scape length two times pedicel. Palpus and proboscis dark brown. Thorax ( Fig. 9 ). Scutum mostly black, except for whitish yellow to yellow anterior rests of longitudinal bands connected with yellowish postpronotal, lateral margin of presutural scutum, posterior rests of dorsolateral bands and postalar callus; short goldenish pilosity. Scutellum entirely whitish yellow to yellow. Pleura mostly dark brown to black, except for proximal margin of anepisternum and katepisternum, meron and laterotergite distally, yellowish. Legs. Entirely dark brown. Wing ( Fig. 13 ). Reddish brown to dark brown veins; anterior half of wing strongly infuscate of brown to dark brown. Vein R2+3 originating well beyond r–m, close to apex of discal cell. Third sector of discal cell as long as r–m length. Discal cell as long as high. M2 and M3 nearly straight, except for slight sinuosity at the end. Alula wide, slightly increasing towards apex, without microtrichia. Halter reddish yellow to whitish yellow. Abdomen. Mostly dark brown to black, as long as wide, with short goldenish pilosity.

Segment 1 on basal two-thirds, tergite 4 on basal half and lateral margins of all segments whitish yellow to yellow; segment 1 narrower than segments 2–5. Terminalia (Figs 25–29). Genital capsule more or less quadrangular, slightly widening towards posterior apex, posterior margin strongly projected, exceeding the upper margin of genital capsule; inner medial structure of synsternite strongly bilobed on distal half, with its margins touching each other. Gonocoxal apodeme very long, exceeding anterior margin of genital capsule. Gonostylus reduced. Anterior end of the phallic complex slightly reaching over anterior margin of genital capsule. Phallic complex with three lobes, medial lobe wider and longer than lateral ones ( Figs 28–29 ); lateral lobes openings as long as medial one; phallic complex ventrally more sclerotized at lobe’s base; parameral sheath with two distal projections, slightly exceeding lobe’s base dorsally. Epandrium slightly wider than long (Fig. 25). Proctiger well developed, with distal margin rounded; cercus abruptly enlarging towards distal margin.

Female. As males, except as follows. Length: body, 4.5–6.0; wing, 5.5–8.0. Head. Eyes clearly pilose. Vertex black posteriorly, strongly short, not reaching the distal margin of head. Frons with upper third subparallel-sided, the lower two-thirds divergent; reddish yellow in background, with a medial dark brown to black stripe extending from ocellar tubercle to frons ventrally, branching in two dark brown stripes slightly touching each side of eye margin, towards antennal sockets, reaching the distal margin of face. Face prominent downward, weakly pointed, with a large dark brown maculae ventrally. Antenna with scape and pedicel reddish brown (pedicel yellowish on basal half), contrasting with black colour of flagellomeres; scape length almost three times pedicel. Thorax ( Fig. 10 ). Yellow pattern on scutum less extensive. Scutellum black basally, reddish yellow distally. Proepisternum and laterotergite yellowish. Legs. Mostly reddish brown to dark brown, except for all coxae and trochanters dark brown to black. Hind femur and tarsomere 1 (basitarsus) strongly enlarged and expanded. Wing ( Fig. 14 ). Anterior half of wing weakly infuscate of brown to dark brown at discal cell. Alula slightly wider than seen in males, entirely covered by microtrichia. Halter reddish yellow. Abdomen. All visible sternites brown to dark brown with a horizontal yellow band distally. Terminalia ( Figs 30–33 ). Tergite 8 rectangular. Tergite 9 wider than long. Genital fork wide ( Figs 31–32 ), more or less oval on its basal two-thirds; anterior apex of anterior arm strongly slender, rounded at apex; posterior bridge convex, weakly projected; posterolateral process as long as previous portion of fork, slightly convergent on basal half, parallel on distal half; genital opening large, with basal half wider than distal half. Three spermathecae more or less circular, strongly sclerotized ( Fig. 33 ). Tergite 10 strongly triangular, distal apex rounded. Cercus 1 slightly longer than cercus 2.

Etymology. The species name is feminine, and the specific epithet comes from the Greek roots pachys, meaning thick, and podos, foot, as a reference to the female’s enlarged and expanded hind femur and basitarsus of the species.

Geographic distribution. Brazil (State of Mato Grosso do Sul) and Argentina (Provincie of Entre Ríos).

Comments. This species can be differentiated from the other two described species by the scutum mostly dark brown to black, with the yellow dorsolateral bands reduced to a peripheral areas of the scutum (male, Fig. 9 ) or strongly reduced, unclear (female, Fig. 10 )—which is clearly distinct from the other two described species of the genus (see Figs 7–8 )—, by the reddish brown to dark brown legs and by the whitish yellow to yellow first abdominal segment on its basal two-thirds, fourth tergite on proximal half and lateral margins of all segments, and, in females, also by the strongly reduced posterior margin of vertex and by the very enlarged and expanded hind femur and basitarsus when compared with those of other legs (a feature apparently more pronounced in females).

The holotype antennae are missing and the abdomen (segments 1–5) is glued on the locality label.

Figures

FIGURE 38. Auloceromyia pachypoda nov. sp., female paratype, habitus, dorsal view. Scale bar, 1 mm.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Auloceromyia species, antennae. 1 – 3. A. pedunculata, male (1. Dorsal view; 2. Lateral view. 3. Ventral view). 4 – 6. A. pachypoda nov. sp., female paratype (4. Dorsal view; 5. Lateral view. 6. Ventral view). Abbreviations: flgm, flagellomere; ped, pedicel; scp, scape. Scale bar, 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 10. Auloceromyia species, thorax in dorsal view. 7 – 8. A. pedunculata (7. Male; 8. Female). 9 – 10. A. pachypoda nov. sp. (9. Male holotype; 10. Female paratype). Scale bar, 1 mm.

FIGURES 11 – 14. Auloceromyia species, wing. 11 – 12. A. pedunculata (11. Male; 12. Female). 13 – 14. A. pachypoda nov. sp. (13. Male holotype; 14. Female paratype). Scale bar, 1 mm.

FIGURES 34 – 37. Auloceromyia pachypoda nov. sp., male holotype. 34. Habitus, dorsal view. 35. Habitus, lateral view. 36. Head, dorsal view. 37. Antenna.

FIGURES 28 – 29. Auloceromyia pachypoda nov. sp., phallic complex (aedeagus + parameral sheath), holotype. 28. Dorsal view. 29. Ventral view. Abbreviations: lt lb, lateral lobe; md lb, medial lobe.

FIGURES 30 – 33. Auloceromyia pachypoda nov. sp., female paratype. 30. Female terminalia, dorsal view. 31. Genital fork, dorsal view. 32. Genital fork, ventral view. 33. Spermathecae. Abbreviations: cerc, cercus; go, genital opening; pp, posterolateral process; st, sternite; tg, tergite. Scale bar, 0.1 mm.