Lepidiella olgae Bravo & Araújo, 2013

Bravo, Freddy & Araújo, Maíra Xavier, 2013, Two new species of moth flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) from the semi-arid region of Brazil, Zootaxa 3693 (1), pp. 85-90 : 87-89

Lepidiella olgae Bravo & Araújo , sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 A–I)

Type material. Holotype, male: BRAZIL,Paraíba, Areia, Brejo Paraibano, 06º57’46”S 35º41’31”W, 494 m. a.s.l.

25–29.IX.2011, Nascimento, E. & Silva-Neto, A. cols., light trap (MZFS), specimen dissected, mounted on microslide. Paratype, one male: same data as holotype (MZFS), specimen dissected, mounted on micro-slide.

Etymology. The specific epithet is dedicated to the mother of the senior author, Olga Quijano.

Diagnosis. Head without corniculi; eyes separated by 2.0 facet diameters; scape approximately the same length as pedicel, without internal protuberances; hypandrium dorsally narrow with apical microtrichia; aedeagus symmetrical, bifid, V-shaped; internal parameres knife-like, ending in pointed apex, not bifurcated; cercus with 14 tenacula.

Description. Male holotype. Head ( Fig. 2 A) without corniculum. Vertex dorsally expanded. Eyes separated by 2.0 facet diameters; eye bridge with four facet rows; interocular suture inverted Y-shaped; frons with hair patch not divided at center, extending dorsally and reaching the interocular suture. Scape approximately the same length as pedicel, without internal protuberances ( Fig. 2 B). Flagellum with 14 flagellomeres; first flagellomere fusiform ( Fig. 1 B); flagellomeres 2–13 fusiform with short internodes ( Figs. 1 B, C); flagellomere 14 with apiculus ( Fig. 1 C); pair of digitate ascoids on each flagellomere ( Fig. 1 B) except for the last three. Ratio of palpomeres: 1.0:2.2:2.2:3.0; last palpomere striated ( Fig. 1 D).

Wing ( Fig. 1 E) 2.8 times longer than broad; costal cell darker than rest of wing membrane; radial fork distal to medial fork; R4 ending at wing tip.

Male terminalia ( Figs. 2 G, H, I): hypandrium stripe-like with apical microtrichia; gonocoxite 0.4 times as long as gonostyle; gonostylus with 2/3 apical bare and 1/3 basal inflated, with basal patch of setal alveoli; aedeagus symmetrical, bifid, V-shaped; two pairs of parameres, external pair shorter than internal; internal parameres knifelike, ending in pointed apex, not bifurcated; ejaculatory apodeme dorsoventrally flatened; gonocoxal bridge not expanded anteriorly; epandrium 1.5 times wider than long, with two foramina; cercus with 14 tenacula; hypoproct with apical micropilosity.

Comments. The Neotropical genus Lepidiella currently comprises 13 species and is known from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil (the states of São Paulo and Espírito Santo) and from Saint Lucia in the Caribbean (Ibáñez-Bernal 2010, Bravo & Santos 2011). Lepidiella is characterized by having the vertex dorsally expanded, R4 ending at the wing tip, gonocoxal apodemes not expanded anteriorly, and males with multiple tenacula (Bravo & Santos 2011).

Three morphological species groups can be recognized in Lepidiella : 1) species with scape and pedicel having approximately the same lengths and head without corniculi, characteristics observed in many other Psychodinae ; 2) species with scape equal to or more than 1.5 times the length of pedicel, without internal protuberances and head with corniculi; 3) species with scape equal to or more than 1.5 times the length of pedicel, head with corniculi.

The new species Lepidiella olgae is included in the first group (species with scape and pedicel approximately the same length, head without corniculi), characteristics shared by only two other species, both from Brazil: Lepidiella spinosa Bravo and Lepidiella flabellata Bravo & Santos.

Lepidiella olgae can be differentiated from L. flabellata by the number tenacula, 14 in the new species and 17 in the latter, and by the shapes of the internal parameres, bifurcated in L. flabellata and blade-shaped in the new species.

The male terminalia of L. olgae and L. spinosa can be distinguished by the shape of ejaculatory apodeme (paddle-shaped in the new species and narrower in L. flabellata ), and by the relative sizes of the parameres (with the external paramere in L. flabellata terminating near the apex of the internal paramere and ending in a pointed apex, and a shorter external paramere in the new species, ending at the center of the internal paramere, with apex plumose). Another difference between these two species are the colors of their costal cells, darker in the new species and normal in L. flabellata .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Arisemus rubeni sp. nov. male holotype. (A) head; (B) base of antenna: scape, pedicel and four basal flagellomeres; (C) flagellomeres 11, 12 and 13; (D) palpus; (E) wing; (F) wing jugum; (G) sensory organ of antepronotum; male terminalia (spi = anterior spiracle); (H) dorsal; (I) epandrium, cerci and hypoproct. Escale bars: Figs 1 A, 1 E, 1 F = 0.25 mm, Figs 1 B, 1 C, 1 D, 1 G = 0.06 mm, Figs 1 H, 1 I = 0.12 mm.

FIGURE 2. Lepidiella olgae sp. nov. male holotype. (A) head; (B) base of antenna: scape, pedicel and three basal flagellomeres; (C) flagellomeres 12, 13 and 14; (D) palpus; (E) wing; female: (F) ventral; male terminalia: (G) ventral: epandrium, cerci and hypoproct; (H) dorsal; (I) cercus. Escale bars: Figs 2 A, 2 E = 0.25 mm, Figs 2 B, 2 C, 2 D, 2 F = 0.06 mm, Figs 2 G, 2 H, 2 I = 0.12 mm.