Paraclius diplacocerus, Capellari, Renato Soares, 2013

Capellari, Renato Soares, 2013, A remarkable new species of Paraclius Loew from Brazil (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), Zootaxa 3681 (3), pp. 293-296 : 293-296

Paraclius diplacocerus sp. nov.

( Figs 1–6 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE 3, BRAZIL, São Paulo, Salesópolis, Reserva Biológica Boracéia, sweeping, 6– 11.xi.2010, D.S. Amorim col. [red label: Paraclius diplacocerus Capellari 2013 Holotype] ( MZSP). PARATYPES (all in MZSP, except as noted): 53, 2Ƥ, same data as holotype (23, 2Ƥ in CNC); 13, 4Ƥ, same data, but 01–04.xii.2008, D.S. Amorim, R.L. Falaschi & G. Miranda leg.

Additional material. 23, 3Ƥ, Minas Gerais, Delfinópolis (Serra da Canastra), sweeping, 04–07.ix.2008, G.C. Ribeiro & J. Berbert leg. (all MZSP, but 13 in CNC).

Description. Male. Body length: 5.1–5.4 mm. Wing: 4.5–4.7 mm long, 1.7–1.8 mm wide. Head. Eyes broadly separated, frons and face equally broad, nearly one-third of head width; frons dark metallic green; face opaque, upper half brownish, slightly pruinose, lower half dark yellowish; clypeus ending before lower eye margin, palpus yellowish, covered by few small setae; proboscis dark yellow; 1 pair of slightly divergent strong ocellar setae and 1 pair of tiny postocellar setae; 1 pair of strong, slightly convergent vertical setae, 1 pair of paravertical seta; row of yellowish pale postocular setae, except dorsal 7–8. Antenna ( Fig. 1 ) inserted on top of head, one-quarter to one-fifth distance to vertex, laterally flattened; scape, pedicel and basal third of postpedicel dark yellow, apical two-thirds of postpedicel brownish, scape three times longer than pedicel (male secondary sexual character), dorsal surface covered by short setae; pedicel short, with crown of setae at apex; postpedicel apically rounded, with short pubescence; arista-like stylus blackish, dorsal, one-segmented, twice longer than head height, with lamella at middle and apex, bare, except for dorsal pubescence on lamellae (male secondary sexual character). Thorax. Shining green. Mesonotum darker, median suture and notopleuron with coppery reflections; postpronotum yellowish brown; anepisternum and katepisternum metallic green, slightly pruinose. Acrostichals biseriate; 6 pairs of dorsocentrals; 1 pre- and 1 sutural intra-alars; 2 pre- and 2 postsutural supra-alars; 1 post-alar; 2 notopleurals; 1 strong and 2 minute postpronotals; two clusters of fine setulae on lower and upper surface of proepisternum, lower surface with a long black seta directed ventrally; scutellum concolorous with mesonotum, with 1 pair of strong medial scutellars and 1 pair of smaller setae laterad, about 1/5 as long as medial scutellars. Wing. ( Fig. 3 ) Membrane slightly brownish. Costa ending before wing apex, at M1; R1 ending at basal third of wing; R2+3 nearly straight; R4+5 and M1 convergent, distal section of M1 weakly sinuous on distal half; CuAx ratio, 0.75; A1 present. Lower calypter yellow with blackish cilia; halter yellow. Legs. I: 3.7, 3.1, 1.6, 0.6, 0.4, 0.3, 0.3. II: 4.6, 4.5, 2.2, 1.3, 1.0, 0.4, 0.3. III: 4.8, 5.6, 1.6, 2.1, 1.4, 0.7, 0.4. Mostly yellow; lateral surface of coxa II brownish with shining green reflections, extreme base of coxa III infuscate; tarsus III darkening from tarsomere 1. Femora with short vestiture of black setae; pulvilli small, claws present. I. Anterior surface of coxa covered by many little setae, outer edge with a fringe of 5–7 strong setae; tibia with 3–4 dorsal to anterodorsal setae on basal half and 2 apical setae; extreme apex of tarsomeres 1–4 covered by vestiture of ventral white setulae (male secondary sexual character). II. Anterior surface of coxa with few scattered small setae, lateral margin with longer setae; femur with 1 conspicuous anterior preapical seta near apical fifth; tibia with 4 anterodorsal, 3 posterodorsal, 3 ventral and 5 apical setae. III. Coxa with 2 setae, basal seta larger than apical; femur with 1 conspicuous anterior preapical seta near apical fifth; tibia with 4 anterodorsal, 4 posterodorsal, row of tiny ventral, and 3 apical setae. Abdomen. Tergites 1–5 mostly shining dark green with coppery reflections dorsally, lateral margins silvery pruinose, tergites 6 and 7 and epandrium rather blackish. Tergites 1–5 setose, posterior margins with longer setae, tergites 6 and 7, and sternite 7 bare. Hypopygium ( Figs 4–6 ). Epandrium subrectangular, twice longer than high; basiventral epandrial lobe digitiform, hook-shaped, overlapping apicoventral epandrial lobe and pointing medially; apicoventral epandrial lobe laterally flattened and concave, with two setae. Cercus ovoid, pale, covered by whitish setae, distal half brownish and rugose. Dorsal and ventral lobes of surstylus digitiform, ventral lobe with long seta at apex. Hypandrium with lateral and apical less-sclerotized areas and two lateral asymmetrical, mostly sclerotized arms; phallus asymmetrical, with short left lateral projection; sperm pump greatly enlarged and folded back on itself. Female. Body length: 4.7–6.1 mm. Wing: 4.9–5.2 mm long, 1.8–2.1 mm wide. Very similar to male, except as noted. Antenna ( Fig. 2 ) dark yellow, dorsal portion of scape brownish and distal half of postpedicel brownish; postpedicel shorter, rather truncate; arista-like stylus 1.3 times longer than head height, bi-articled with basal article short. Legs. I: 3.9, 3.1, 1.6, 0.6, 0.4, 0.3, 0.3. II: 4.9, 5.0, 2.2, 1.1, 0.9, 0.4, 0.3. III 5.1, 6.0, 1.6, 2.1, 1.2, 0.7, 0.4. Terminalia. Tergite and sternite 8 divided mesally into two rod-like sclerites, connected anteriorly; posterior margin of sternite 8 evanescent; acantophorites with 5–7 dorsal spines and with one seta laterally [similar as figured by Capellari & Amorim (2009, figs. 9–12)].

Etymology. From Greek, di (two), plakos (plate) and keros (antenna), referring to the characteristic bi-lamellate arista-like stylus of males.

Remarks. Brooks et al. (2010) reported that 14 Neotropical species of Paraclius , both new and previously described, have an enlarged folded sperm pump. To date, the only known dolichopodines with such a characteristic are the genus Cheiromyia (with five species) and six species of Paraclius : P. maculipennis (Van Duzee) (originally “ Sarcionus ”, but transferred from Cheiromyia by Brooks et al. 2010), P. amphiateratus Capellari et Amorim , P. dicrophallus Capellari et Amorim, P. p a re n t i Capellari et Amorim, P. sagittatus Capellari et Amorim (Capellari & Amorim 2009) , and the newly described P. diplacocerus . The later can be easily distinguished from the other species of Paraclius by its long, bi-lamellate arista-like stylus of males. For the time being, the inclusion of all those species of Paraclius in a separate group seems premature, since no obvious apomorphy was found for them. At least the four species described by Capellari and Amorim (2009) and the new species here described differ both in general habitus ( P. diplacocerus is quite larger and bristly) and several details of hypopygial morphology. The treatment of the remaining species of Paraclius with an enlarged and folded back sperm pump may indicate if all those Neotropical species nest in a clade apart from Cheiromyia and deserve separate generic status.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Paraclius diplacocerus sp. nov.: 1, male antenna. 2, female antenna. 3, male wing. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (1, 2) and 1.0 mm (3).

FIGURES 4 – 6. Paraclius diplacocerus sp. nov., male hypopygium: 4, ventral. 5, left lateral. 6, detail of surstyli, lateral. Abbreviations: Apv L, apicoventral epandrial lobe; Bsv L, basiventral epandrial lobe; DSur, dorsal lobe of surstylus; Hyp, hypandrium; Ph, phallus; Scl Arm, sclerotized arms of hypandrium; Sp Pump, sperm pump; VSur, ventral lobe of surstylus. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.