Pieza dominicana, Evenhuis, Neal L., 2002

Evenhuis, Neal L., 2002, Pieza, a new genus of microbombyliids from the New World (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae), Zootaxa 36, pp. 1-28 : 10-12

Pieza dominicana , sp. nov.

Female ( Fig. 11 ). Length: 1.05 mm. Head. Dark brown to black, occiput not appreciably developed posteriorly. Eyes dichoptic; ocelli forming a narrow triangle; lateral ocellus 1.5 its diameter from inner eye margin; frons slightly longer than wide, depressed medially, upper half of front with dark hair; antenna black, scape minute; pedicel slightly wider than long; first flagellomere short, ovoid, broadest at or slightly beyond middle, slightly longer than wide; length of second flagellomere equal to width of first flagellomere; proboscis black, projecting beyond oral margin for distance much greater than head height; occiput with sparse black hairs.

Thorax. Mesonotum and scutellum dark brown, without contrasting yellow color; pleura black, coxae and legs dark brown; apical tarsal segments black; halter with stem brown, knob yellowish­brown.

Wing. Hyaline; veins brown; costa ending at one­third distance form end of vein R4+5 to M1; cells r4+5 and m1 subequal in width at wing margin; vein R2+3 arising at nearly 90°; discal cell narrowed apically; vein at base of cell m1 shorter than r­m crossvein.

Abdomen. Dark brown; all tergites without pale colored fasciae on posterior margins; dorsum with scattered minute pale hairs; venter brown.

Genitalia. Not dissected.

Male. Unknown.

Types. Holotype female, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Miocene: provenance unknown, DR­11­1 ( AMNH). The holotype is the only inclusion in a piece that measures 6 13 mm and has been cut, polished, and mounted in artificial resin.

Remarks. Only known from the unique holotype. Although one other species of Mythicomyiidae [ Glabellula kuehnei ( Schlüter 1976) ] is also known from these deposits ( Evenhuis 1994), the presence of the genus Pieza in the Miocene of the Dominican Republic (dating from Iturralde­Vinent and MacPhee 1996) is still rather remarkable given that the habitat of this region in the Miocene was probably sylvan and moist ( Poinar and Poinar 1999) — much different than the preferred arid to semi­arid habitat of mythicomyiids worldwide. The author has at hand one specimen of an undescribed species of Mythicomyia also from these deposits (which is being described elsewhere). With these records of amber mythicomyiines, the minimum age of this subfamily in the New World can be placed in the Miocene.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality.

Distribution. Known only from the Miocene amber of the Dominican Republic.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Habitus of Pieza dominicana, sp. nov. in amber.