Aphestia fisheri, Camargo & Vieira & Rafael, 2024

Camargo, Alexssandro, Vieira, Rodrigo & Rafael, José Albertino, 2024, Taxonomic review of Aphestia Schiner, 1866 (Diptera: Asilidae: Laphriinae) with description of seven new species, Zootaxa 5436 (1), pp. 1-80 : 40-44

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5436.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:42656763-C43A-4762-9678-EBE40136907B
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/202205B0-75CC-48DD-B1F4-EC4A129F1A14
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:202205B0-75CC-48DD-B1F4-EC4A129F1A14
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Aphestia fisheri
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Aphestia fisheri sp. nov.

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:202205B0-75CC-48DD-B1F4-EC4A129F1A14

( Figs 23–25 View FIGURE 23 View FIGURE 24 View FIGURE 25 , 40 View FIGURE 40 )

Diagnosis. Frons and face white pruinose, middle frons slightly yellowish ( Fig. 23C View FIGURE 23 ); mystacal macrosetae and setae yellowish white ( Fig. 23C–D View FIGURE 23 ); 2 pairs of black marginal scutellar macrosetae ( Fig. 23G View FIGURE 23 ); fore and mid legs with mostly yellowish femora and tibiae ( Fig. 23A–B View FIGURE 23 ).

Description. Holotype male ( Figs 23A–E, G–H View FIGURE 23 , 24 View FIGURE 24 ). Head ( Fig. 23C–D View FIGURE 23 ): black, white pruinose, except frons slightly yellowish medially ( Fig. 23C View FIGURE 23 ), vertex and occiput brown dorsally; mystacal macrosetae and setae yellowish white ( Fig. 23C–D View FIGURE 23 ); ocellar tubercle sparsely pruinose; ocelli whitish, 2 black ocellar setae; vertex brown setose; 14 yellowish postocular macrosetae; occipital and lower occipital setae white; proboscis shining black, proboscial setae whitish and labial yellowish; palpus dark brown, whitish setose ( Fig. 23C–D View FIGURE 23 ). Antenna: scape and pedicel brownish yellow, except pedicel apex and postpedicel base light yellow, black setose, scape with a few ventral yellow setae; postpedicel brown with brown pruinosity, sensorial element brown and sensorial area greyish occupying almost the entire length ( Fig. 23E View FIGURE 23 ).

Thorax ( Fig. 23A–B, G View FIGURE 23 ): black, white pruinose, scutellum golden ( Fig. 23G View FIGURE 23 ); postpronotal lobe apex and postalar callus yellowish ( Fig. 23G View FIGURE 23 ). Chaetotaxy: white setose, punctations golden, katatergite and anatergite yellowish; macrosetae: 2 notopleural, 1 supra-alar, 2 postalar ( Fig. 23G View FIGURE 23 ), 4 marginal scutellar ( Fig. 23G View FIGURE 23 ) and 3 posterior anepisternal black (1 yellow).

Wings ( Fig. 23H View FIGURE 23 ): translucent; sparse microtrichia on distal half, veins yellow at base and light brown towards apex; cell r 5 open; halteres pale yellow, steam yellow at base and apex almost white.

Legs ( Fig. 23B View FIGURE 23 ): mostly yellow, except coxae black, hind femur with wide dark brown spot on mid third; fore and mid tibiae with apex slightly darkened; hind tibia with apical third brown; fore and mid tarsi with first tarsomeres dark yellow, remaining brown; hind tarsus dark brown; coxae white pruinose. Chaetotaxy: coxae yellowish white and trochanters yellowish setose; femora yellow setose, except apical 2/3 of hind femur brown setose; fore femur with 1 anterior, 1 anterodorsal distal, 2 dorsal distal and 3 posterodorsal yellow macrosetae; mid femur with 2 anterior, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal distal and 1 posterodorsal yellow macrosetae; hind femur with 2 anterior (1 black and 1 yellow) and 2 dorsal distal black macrosetae; tibiae with yellow macrosetae and setae, except hind tibia with dorsal black macrosetae and setae (reddish distally); tarsi with dorsal black and ventral reddish macrosetae and setae, except with yellow macrosetae and setae dorsally with few black distally on tarsomeres; brush setae dark yellow to reddish; claws black; empodium reddish; pulvilli reddish yellow.

Abdomen ( Fig. 23A–B View FIGURE 23 ): black, punctations brown setose, white laterally; T1 with 4 and T2 with 2 yellowish white lateral marginal macrosetae; T3–6 without macrosetae; sternites pale yellow with sparse concolor pruinosity and setae; S7 with a dark brown band posteriorly.

Terminalia ( Fig. 24 View FIGURE 24 ): reddish brown, yellowish white setose; oval in dorsal and ventral views ( Fig. 24A–B View FIGURE 24 ); epandrium truncate posteriorly and setose dorsolaterally ( Fig. 24A, E View FIGURE 24 ); cercus rounded posteriorly, setose dorsally ( Fig. 24A, E View FIGURE 24 ); subepandrial sclerite conic, setose dorsally ( Fig. 24A, E View FIGURE 24 ); gonocoxite rounded at base and conic posteriorly, setose dorsally ( Fig. 24C, G–H View FIGURE 24 ); gonostylus obtuse, apically setose ( Fig. 24G–H View FIGURE 24 ); hypandrium subtriangular, with a mid-anteriorly short indentation ( Fig. 24F View FIGURE 24 ); phallus with short prongs ( Fig. 24I–K View FIGURE 24 ); parameral apodeme directed ventrally and posteriorly ( Fig. 24I View FIGURE 24 ); ejaculatory apodeme fan-shaped ( Fig. 24J View FIGURE 24 ).

Length. Body: 10.3 mm; wings: 8.7 mm.

Holotype condition. Specimen glued laterally on a card triangle ( Fig. 23B View FIGURE 23 ); right hind tarsus with tarsomeres 2–5 missing; left wing slightly damaged at posterior margin; terminalia dissected.

Female ( Figs 23F View FIGURE 23 , 25 View FIGURE 25 ). Similar to male, except postpedicel sensorial area smaller ( Fig. 23F View FIGURE 23 ) and terminalia dark brown with brown setae; T 9+ T 10+cercus with dark band anteriorly, posterior half rounded, indented medially, sparsely setose dorsally and posteriorly ( Fig. 25A View FIGURE 25 ); hypoproct conic ( Fig. 25B View FIGURE 25 ); S8 pronounced anterolaterally, posterior conic projection with a shallow indentation at base along outside margin with a sliglty subtriangular protrusion laterally, setose, mid-posterior margin with triangular projection, asetose ( Fig. 25C View FIGURE 25 ); spermathecae with 4–5 turns, more sclerotized than spermathecal ducts; sperm pump slightly distinct; genital fork protruding laterally ( Fig. 25D View FIGURE 25 ).

Variation. Posterior anepisternal macrosetae totally yellow or totally black; halteres reddish; fore and mid tibiae with dorsal black macrosetae and setae; sternites dark brown.

Etymology. fisheri = a patronym to Dr Eric M. Fisher, Asilid researcher at California State Collection of Arthropods (CSCA), Sacramento, USA.

Distribution. Costa Rica (Heredia and Cartago) and Nicaragua (Río San Juan) ( Fig. 40 View FIGURE 40 ).

Phenology. The largest number of collecting events for this species was observed in May with sporadic occurrence in June and July (Tab. 1), which coincides with late spring and early summer in the northern hemisphere.

Taxonomic discussion. Aphestia fisheri sp. nov. differs from other congeneric species by the hypandrium subtriangular, with a mid-anteriorly short indentation ( Fig. 24F View FIGURE 24 ); cercus rounded at posterior margin ( Fig. 24A, E View FIGURE 24 ); subepandrial sclerite conic ( Fig. 24A, E View FIGURE 24 ); gonocoxite conic distally ( Fig. 24G–H View FIGURE 24 ); and gonostylus obtuse ( Fig. 24G–H View FIGURE 24 ).

Material examined. Holotype. COSTA RICA, Heredia, La Sielva Biol. [gical] Sta.[tion], 3 km S.[outh] Porto Viejo. iv–v.[19] 93 P. Hanson / Holotype Aphestia fisheri sp. nov. (♂ COEF) . Paratypes. NIC.[ARAGUA], Rio San Juan, Sara Pique [Sarapiquí], June 24 1976, J.B. Kimsei / Aphestia sp. det. E.M. Fisher [19]78 (1♀ COEF); COSTA RICA, Cartago, 5 km e Turrialba CATIE[Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza] vii–21/22–[19]75, E.M. & J.L. Fisher / Aphestia (?) (=sp. B-Ls) det. E.M. Fisher (1♀ COEF); [Turrialba] La Suiza 24 PablSchild / A.L Melander collection 1961 / 46 / USNMENT 01224869 (1♀ NMNH); Heredia Pr: La Selva Biol. [ogical] Sta.[tion] 3 km S[South] Pto.[Porto] Viejo 10°26’N: 84°01’W / 11.v.1990 H.A. Hespenheide / 27 / Aphestia sp. B det. E.M. Fisher (1♀ COEF); Heredia, La Selva Biol. [ogical] Sta. [tion], 3 km S.[outh] Porto Viejo. iv–v.[19] 93 P. GoogleMaps Hanson (1♂ & 1♀ COEF) .