Neocephalosphaera grisea, Ramos-Pastrana & Marques & Rafael, 2022

Ramos-Pastrana, Yardany, Marques, Dayse W. A. & Rafael, José Albertino, 2022, Cephalosphaera Enderlein and Neocephalosphaera De Meyer (Diptera: Pipunculidae) of Colombia, with description of nine new species and an updated key to their Neotropical species, Zootaxa 5178 (4), pp. 301-333 : 308-310

Neocephalosphaera grisea sp. nov.

Figs 27–42, 129

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: COLOMBIA, Boyacá, SFF[Santuario de Fauna y Flora] Iguaque, Qda [Quebrada] Los Mudos , 544’N / 7326’W, 2840 m [eters], 14.ii–14.iii.2003, P. Reina Leg, “M3537 (1♂, IAvH) (photographed specimen) . PARATYPES idem, (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, 14.ii–13.iii.2003, “M3535 (2♀, IAvH); idem, Lagunillas , 525’N / 7327’W, 3380 m [eters], 28.vi–19.vii.2001, Malaise “M1966 (1♀, LEUA); (photographed specimen) ; idem, 09– 24. Feb [ii].2001, “M1272 (2♂, LEUA); idem, 09–18.[iii].2001, “M1511 (1♀, LEUA) ; idem, (1♀, INPA) ; idem, 28.vi– 19.vii.2001, “M1966 (1♂, INPA); idem, 19.vii–03.viii.2001, “M1969 (1♀, INPA) ; idem, 18–03.iv.2001, “M1738 (1♂, IAvH); idem, Cabaña Mamarramos , 2855 m [eters], 07–21.i.2001, “M1262 (1♂, LEUA) ; idem, 525’12’’N / 7327’24’’W, 17.viii–01.ix.2000, (2♀, IAvH) ; idem, 525’N / 7327’W, 01–17. Aug [viii].2000, (2♀, IAvH) ; idem, 01– 19.iv.2000, (1♂, 1♀, IAvH) ; idem, Cabaña Carrizal, 02–22.viii.2001, Malaise “M2026 (1♂, 1♀, IAvH); idem, 2850 m [eters], 16–30.iv.2001; “M1740 (1♂, INPA) ; idem, 02–15.v.2001, “M1755 (1♀, IAvH) ; idem, Qda. [Quebrada] Carrizal, 24. Feb [ii]–09. Mar [iii].2001, “M1358 (3♀, IAvH); idem, 3350 m [eters], 19.Apr[iv]–09.May[v].2001, “M56 (1♀, IAvH) ; idem, 19–23. May [v].2001, “M72 (1♀, IAvH); idem, 11.Oct[x]–01.Nov[xi].2000, “M750 (1♀, IAvH) ; idem, 0525’12’’N / 7327’24’’W, 3360 m [eters], 02–19.iv.2000, P. Reina, (1♂, LEUA) ; idem, 17.viii– 01.ix.2000, (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, 08–25. Jun [vii].2000, “M184 (1♀, LEUA); idem, Cab [Cabaña] Carrizal, 525’N / 7327’W, 07–24.Feb[ii].2001, “M1273 (1♀, IAvH) ; idem, Cabaña Chaina, 2600 m [eters], 10–28.[vi].2001, “M1836 (1♀, IAvH); idem, El Nispero, 538’N / 7331’W, 2730 m [eters], 28.[x].–4[xi].2001, Malaise, “M2483 (1♀, LEUA) ; idem, 525’12’’N / 7327’24’’W, 2855 m [eters], 01–19[iv].2000, Malaise 4, (1♀, IAvH) ; idem, Chocó, PNN[Parque Nacional Natural] Utria, Centro de visitantes, 601’N / 7720’W, 2 m [eters], 20.Dec[xii]. 2000–1.Feb [ii].2001, J. Pérez, “M1343 (1♂, IAvH); idem, Bolívar, PNN[Parque Nacional Natural] Los Colorados, Alto El Mirador, 954’N / 7507’W, 400 m [eters], 14–30.i.2002, Malaise, Deulufuet leg, “M2935 (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, Co [Colombia], Ant. [Antioquia], Belmira , Paramos de Sta. [Santa] Ines , Playitas Laguna , 628’33’’N / 7525’47’’W, 2800–3000 m [eters], Paramo, Red Entomológica, 04–14. Feb [ii].2017, Proyecto moscas de las flores, A.L. Montoya, J. Torres-Toro, J.P. Carmona, (1♂, CEUA101617 ) ; idem, El Moro, 638’03’’N / 7539’31’’W, 2500–3000 m [eters], Bosque T [rampa] Malaise suelo, 4–14. Feb [ii].2017, Proyecto moscas de las flores, A.L. Montoya, J. Torres-Toro, J.P. Carmona, (1♀, CEUA101593 ) . Holotype with left wing mounted with Canada balsam. Left antenna and terminalia placed in a microvial with glycerin, both pinned along the specimen, left wing lost.

Diagnosis. Trochanters light brown; femora brownish yellow, with a dark brown spot on proximal third, and band dark brown dorsally, gray pruinose posteriorly; hind tibia with erect setae medially. Abdomen brown, tergite 1 gray pruinose, with four stout brown setae laterally; tergites 2–5 mostly brown pruinose, gray pruinose posterolaterally. Surstyli dark yellow, subsymmetrical, both with apices narrowing, forming a distinctive rounded lobe. Apex of phallic guide slightly thin, long, with distinct translucent lobe dorsally, tip acute and upward. Phallus trifid, long, with apices of ejaculatory ducts spiralized.

Description. MALE (holotype). Body length 5.5 mm. Head ( Figs 27–28). Eyes contiguous for 24 facets. F, EM, V (mm) = 0.3, 0.4, 0.2. Frons yellow pruinose. Postcranium brown, gray pruinose ventrally and laterally, brown pruinose dorsally. Antenna ( Fig. 29) with scape brown, with one strong seta dorsally; pedicel brown, with four setae dorsally and two long setae ventrally; postpedicel yellow, with acuminate apex. LPP/WPP = 2. Thorax ( Figs 27–28, 30). Postpronotal lobe brown, brown pruinose dorsally. Scutum black, brown pruinose. Notopleuron black, graybrown pruinose. Scutellum brown, yellow pruinose, with 10 brown inconspicuous setae along posterior margin. Mesopleuron and mediotergite light brown, gray pruinose. Wing ( Fig. 31). Length 5.2 mm. LW/MWW = 3.7. LTC/ LFC = 2. Membrane faintly brown infuscated, proximal third lighter; third section costal longer than the length of fourth; vein r-m located after the basal third of the upper section of the cell dm; vein M 2 long; dm-m/M 2 = 3; section between cell dm and vein M 2 greater than vein dm-m; vein dm-m slightly straight. Halter stem beige, base brown, knob brown with a row of setae dorsally. Legs ( Figs 27–28). Coxae dark brown, gray pruinose; trochanters light brown; fore and mid trochanters with proximal halves dark brown; femora brownish yellow, with a dark brown spot on proximal third, and band dark brown dorsally, gray pruinose dorsally, femora with a row of short and fine yellow setae posterolaterally; tibiae yellow; hind tibia with erect setae medially; tarsomeres 1–4 yellow, 5 brown; pulvilli yellow. Abdomen ( Figs 27–28, 32). Brown, with small inconspicuous scattered setae; tergite 1 gray pruinose, with four stout brown setae laterally; tergites 2–5 mostly brown pruinose dorsally, gray pruinose posterolaterally; tergites and sternites 6 and 7 as in Fig. 33. Syntergosternite 8 dark brown, brown pruinose, longer than tergite 5, with large crestlike membranous area, dividing the syntergosternite 8 and reaching epandrium ( Figs 32, 34). Terminalia ( Figs 33–39). Epandrium brown and surstyli dark yellow ( Figs 34–35). Surstyli ( Figs 34–37) subsymmetrical, thicker and shorter than the length of epandrium, completely setose, both surstyli with apices narrowing, forming a distinctive rounded lobe; left surstylus slightly thinner than right; both surstyli with tips downward directed and rounded when seen in lateral view ( Figs 36–37). Apex of phallic guide slightly thin, long, tip acute and upward directed ( Fig. 38). Ejaculatory apodeme fan-shaped, with margins truncated ( Fig. 39). Phallus trifid, long, with apex of ejaculatory ducts spiralized, forming a knot at the apex ( Fig. 38).

FEMALE. ( Figs 40–42). Similar to male, differing in the following aspects. Body length 5.8 mm. Eyes dichoptic. Postcranium yellowish-pruinose dorsally. Wing length 6.5 mm. LW/MWW = 2.8. LTC/LFC = 1.1. Frontal ommatidia larger than adjacent. Ovipositor OL: 1.42 mm, PL: 0.72 mm, B: 0.66 mm; base brown grayish-pruinose, piercer yellow, except base brown, apex shiny, straight ( Figs 41–42).

Geographical distribution. Colombia (Antioquia, Boyacá, Chocó) ( Fig. 129) .

Etymology. From the Latin griseo = grayish. Refers to the general gray pruinosity present in the specimen’s body.

Habitat. The specimens were collected with Malaise traps at ground level. The vegetation of collection site is composed of cloud forests, frailejones, and very humid tropical forest of the Oriental and Central Cordillera of the Northeast, Northwest region and Pacific region of Colombia, respectively.

Taxonomic notes. Based on the male specimen and due to the shape of the phallus, N. grisea sp. nov. is similar in appearance to N. jamaicensis Johnson, 1919 [figure 3.I, presented by Souza & Ale-Rocha (2009)]. It differs from N. jamaicensis by having the antenna with postpedicel long, with acuminate apex ( Fig. 29) [versus antenna with postpedicel short, with acuminate apex in N. jamaicensis , figure 42.6, presented by Rafael (1992)]; both surstyli with apices narrowing, forming a distinctive rounded lobe, tips downward directed ( Fig. 35) [versus both surstyli with carinas on inner edges; tips inward directed, figure 2.I, presented by Souza & Ale-Rocha (2009)].