Neocephalosphaera spiralis, 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 : 320-321

Neocephalosphaera spiralis sp. nov.

Figs 98–113, 131

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: COLOMBIA, Boyacá, SFF[Santuario de Fauna y Flora] Iguaque, Qda [Quebrada] Carrizal , 0525’N / 7327’W, 3350 m [eters], 24. Feb [ii].–09. Mar [iii].2001, P. Reina, “M1358 (1♂, IAvH) (photographed specimen) . PARATYPES idem, 25.oct[x]–13.nov[xi].2000, “M828 (1♀, IAvH); idem, 21.dec[xii]. 2000– 07.jan [i].2001, “M1071 (1♀, IAvH) ; idem, 21.jan[i].–09.feb [ii].2001, “M1247 (2♂, IAvH); idem, Lagunillas , 3380 m [eters], 09–24.feb[ii].2001, “M1272 (2♂, LEUA) ; idem, (2♂, INPA) ; idem, (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, 09–28.iii.2001, “M1611 (1♂, IAvH); idem, 18–30.iv.2001, “M738 (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, 28.vi.–19.vii.2001, “M1966 (3♂, IAvH); idem, (1♀, INPA); idem, 19.vii.–03.viii.2001, “M1969 (1♀, IAvH) (photographed specimen) ; idem, “M1969 (1♀, IAvH); idem, Cabaña Carrizal , 3380 m [eters], 01–23.Sep[ix].2000, “M614 (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, (1♂, LEUA) ; idem, (1♂, INPA) ; idem, 02–18.v.2001, “M1755 (2♂, IAvH); idem, Cab[aña] Mamarramos, 0525’N / 7325’W, 2855 m [eters], 23.Sep[ix].–11.Oct[x].2000, (2♂, 2♀, IAvH); idem, 07–21.i.2001, “M1252 (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, 01–17.viii.2000, (1♀, LEUA) ; idem, 0525’N / 7327’W, 13–30.jul[vii].2000, “M380 (1♀, LEUA) ; idem, 0525’12’’N / 7327’24’’W, 2850 m [eters], 25. Jun [vi].–13. Jul [vii].2000, Malaise 4, (1♂, 3♀, IAvH) ; idem, 2855 m [eters], 01–19.iv.2000, (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, 2975 m [eters], (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, 17.viii–01.ix.2000, (1♀, IAvH) ; idem, Qda [Quebrada] Los Mudos , 0544’N / 7326’’W, 2840 m [eters], 14–27.ii.2003, “M3536 (1♂, IAvH); idem, Cabaña Chaina, 0525’N / 7327’W, 2600 m [eters], Malaise, 10–28.vi.2001, “M1836 (1♂, IAvH) ; idem, 01–16.xii.2001, A. Roberto leg, “M2582 (1♀, LEUA); idem, El Nispero, 538’N / 7331’W, 2730 m [eters], Malaise , 19.i.–03.ii.2002, “M3067 (1♂, LEUA) ; idem, La Planada, 0525’12’’N / 7327’24’’W, 2975 m [eters], 01–19.iv.2000, Malaise 8, (1♀, IAvH) ; idem, Norte de Santander, ANU [Área Natural Única] Los Estoraques, 813’N / 7314’W, 1480 m [eters], Malaise , 01–15.ix.2003, J. Vargas leg, “M4085 (1♀, IAvH) . Holotype with left wing mounted on microslide with Canada balsam. Left antenna and terminalia placed in a microvial with glycerin, both pinned along the specimen.

Diagnosis. Trochanters dark brown; femora dark brown, with light brown, gray pruinose dorsally and posteriorly; tibiae dark yellow. Abdomen brown, brown pruinose dorsally, gray pruinose laterally. Surstyli light brown, subsymmetrical, completely setose; both surstyli with carinas on inner edges in anterior view. Apex of phallic guide stout, long, with distinct submedian tip ventrally, which is downward directed. Phallus trifid, with ejaculatory ducts completely spiralized.

Description. MALE (holotype). Body length 4.8 mm. Head ( Figs 98–99). Eyes contiguous for 16 facets. F, EM, V (mm) = 0.3, 0.3, 0.2. Frons light brown pruinose. Postcranium dark brown to black, gray pruinose laterally and ventrally, brown dorsally. Antenna ( Fig. 100). with scape and pedicel brown, pedicel with three setae dorsally and three long setae ventrally; postpedicel light brown, with acuminate apex. LPP/WPP = 3. Thorax ( Figs 99, 101). Postpronotal lobe dark brown. Scutum black, sparsely light brown pruinose. Notopleuron black, gray pruinose. Scutellum dark brown, light brown pruinose, with inconspicuous setae along posterior margin. Mesopleuron and mediotergite dark brown, brown pruinose. Wing ( Fig. 102). Length 5.4 mm. LW/MWW = 3; LTC/LFC = 0.9. Membrane faintly light brown infuscated; third section costal shorter than the length of fourth; vein r-m located after the basal third of the upper section of the cell dm; vein M 2 short; dm-m/M 2 = 3.3; section between cell dm and vein M 2 equal than vein dm-m; vein dm-m slightly curved. Halter stem beige, base brown, knob brown with a spot setose dark brown. Legs ( Fig. 98). Coxae dark brown, gray pruinose; trochanters dark brown; femora dark brown, with light brown apices, gray pruinose dorsally and posteriorly, with a row of ventral spines and a row of long and fine yellow setae posterolaterally; tibiae dark yellow, with spots brown medially and posterior erect setae medially; tarsomeres 1–4 dark yellow, tarsomere 5 brown; pulvilli light brown. Abdomen ( Figs 98–99, 103). Ground color dark, tergite 1 with seven stout black setae laterally; tergites 1–5 gray pruinose posterolaterally; tergites and sternites 6 and 7 as in Fig. 104. Syntergosternite 8 brown, brown pruinose, shorter than tergite 5, with crestlike membranous area large, dividing the syntergosternite 8 and reaching epandrium ( Figs 103, 105). Terminalia ( Figs 104–110). Epandrium dark brown, susrtyli brown ( Figs 105–106). Surstyli ( Figs 105–108) subsymmetrical, shorter than length to epandrium, completely setose; both surstyli with carinas on inner edges; left surstylus slightly shorter and thinner than right; both surstyli with tips rounded and downward directed when seen in lateral view ( Figs 107–108). Apex of phallic guide stout, long, with distinct submedian acute lobe ventrally, which is downward directed; tip slightly downward directed, with a row of fine setae ventrally ( Fig. 109). Ejaculatory apodeme somewhat funnel-shaped narrowed, slightly inclined ( Fig. 110). Phallus trifid, with ejaculatory ducts completely spiralized ( Fig. 109).

FEMALE. ( Figs 111–113). Similar to male, differing in the following aspects. Body length 4 mm. Generally more grayish pollinose. Eyes dichoptic. Postpedicel light brown. Wing length 4 mm. LW/MWW = 3.3. LTC/LFC = 0.4. Frontal ommatidia larger than adjacent. Ovipositor OL: 0.93 mm, PL: 0.69 mm, B: 0.37 mm; base brown, gray pruinose; piercer brown, except distal part yellow, apex shiny, straight ( Figs 112–113).

Geographical distribution. Colombia (Boyacá, Norte de Santander) ( Fig. 131) .

Etymology. From Latin spiralis = spiral. Refers to the shape of the phallus, which is completely spiralized.

Habitat. The specimens were collected with Malaise traps at ground level. The vegetation of collection site is composed of cloud Andean forests and dry premontane forest mixed with shrubs and herbs, respectively, in the cordillera of the Northeast region of Colombia.

Taxonomic notes. Neocephalosphaera spiralis sp. nov. runs to N. jamaicensis Johnson, 1919 in the couplet 18 of the key presented by Souza & Ale-Rocha (2009). It differs from N. jamaicensis by having the apex of phallic guide with distinct submedian acute lobe ventrally, which is downward directed; tip slightly downward directed ( Fig. 109) [versus apex of phallic guide with straight margins dorsally and ventrally and straight tip in N. jamaicensis , figure 3.I, presented by Souza & Ale-Rocha (2009)]; phallus with ejaculatory ducts completely spiralized ( Fig. 109) [versus phallus with ejaculatory ducts spiralized in distal 3/4, figure 3I presented by Souza & Ale-Rocha (2009)]. Based on the male specimen and due to the shape of the surstyli, N. spiralis sp. nov. is also similar in appearance to N. carinae sp. nov. ( Figs 21–24), N. iguaquensis sp. nov. ( Figs 50–53), and N. muisca sp. nov. ( Figs 66–69). It differs from in N. carinae sp. nov. by having the section between cell dm and vein M 2 equal than vein dm-m ( Fig. 102) [versus section between cell dm and vein M 2 greater than vein dm-m in N. carinae sp. nov. ( Fig. 18)]; apex of phallic guide with distinct submedian acute lobe ventrally, which is downward directed and tip downward directed ( Fig. 109) [versus apex of phallic with rigid and distinct submedian lobe dorsally and hooked tip ( Fig. 25)]; ejaculatory apodeme somewhat funnel-shaped narrowed ( Fig. 110) [versus ejaculatory apodeme funnel-shaped thickened ( Fig. 26)]. It differs from N. iguaquensis sp. nov. by having the section between cell dm and vein M 2 equal than vein dmm ( Fig. 102) [versus section between cell dm and vein M 2 greater than vein dm-m in N. iguaquensis sp. nov. ( Fig. 47)]; phallus with ejaculatory ducts completely spiralized ( Fig. 109) [versus phallus trifid, with ejaculatory ducts spiralized, only in distal 3/4 ( Fig. 54)]; ejaculatory apodeme somewhat funnel-shaped narrowed ( Fig. 110) [versus ejaculatory apodeme somewhat nail-shaped ( Fig. 55)]. It differs from N. muisca sp. nov. by having the section between cell dm and vein M 2 equal than vein dm-m ( Fig. 102) [versus section between cell dm and vein M 2 greater than vein dm-m in N. muisca sp. nov. ( Fig. 63)]; apex of phallic guide with distinct submedian acute lobe ventrally, which is downward directed and tip downward directed ( Fig. 109) [versus apex of phallic guide with rigid, distinct submedian lobe dorsally, slightly upward directed ( Fig. 70)]; phallus with ejaculatory ducts completely spiralized ( Fig. 109) [versus phallus with ejaculatory ducts spiralized, only in distal 3/4 ( Fig. 70)]; ejaculatory apodeme somewhat funnel-shaped narrowed ( Fig. 110) [versus ejaculatory apodeme funnel-shaped thickened ( Fig. 71)].