Ommatius uturuncu, Sánchez & Camargo, 2023

Sánchez, Pável & Camargo, Alexssandro, 2023, The ampliatus species group of Ommatius Wiedemann, 1821 (Diptera, Asilidae, Ommatiinae) in Peru with the description of four new species, Zootaxa 5352 (4), pp. 501-520 : 509-511

Ommatius uturuncu sp. nov.

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( Figs 31–45 , 66 )

Diagnosis. Hind femur wholly black ( Fig. 31 ); male with apex of epandrium strongly narrowed and long, gently curved upwards, subequal in length to the base of epandrium ( Fig. 32 ); subepandrial sclerite with a ventral process having a rounded apex, divergent from axis of terminalia ( Figs 36–37 ). Female sternite 8 with medioapical margin short and broad, as long as a fourth of the length of the sternite and as broad as half its width ( Fig. 44 ).

Description of male holotype. Length: body, 11 mm; wing, 9 mm.

Head ( Fig. 31 ).Antenna black, black setose; two black ocellar setae; face, frons and vertex black, the first golden pruinose, about an eight width of head, the latter with sparse brownish yellow pruinosity; mystacal macrosetae black above and yellowish bellow; palpus black, yellowish setose; proboscis black, white setose ventrally, labial setae yellowish; occiput black, gray pruinose with white setae, upper third of margin of eye with 5–6 postocular black macrosetae, uppermost proclinate. Thorax ( Fig. 31 ). Black; antepronotum and scutum brown pruinose, except for yellow sparse pruinosity on corners of latter, and silver pruinosity around notopleural suture; postpronotum, scutellum and pleura silver pruinose. Chaetotaxy: pronotum white setose, with two pairs of yellowish macrosetae on antepronotum; postpronotal lobe yellow setose; scutum with black macrosetae, 2 notopleural, 1 supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 postsutural dorsocentral; scutellar disc with few setae, mixed black and yellow, 2 apical scutellar black macrosetae; 1 yellow anepimeral macroseta; anatergal setae absent; katatergal macrosetae yellow; posterior meron + metanepisternum yellow setose. Wing ( Fig. 33 ). Hyaline, apical half darkened by microtrichia; veins dark brown, without costal dilation; crossvein r-m anterior to middle of discal cell; R 4+5 bifurcation slightly anterior to level of discal cell; microtrichia on posterior margin of wing arranged in single row; halter yellow. Legs ( Fig. 31 ). Coxae silver pruinose; fore and mid femora yellow ventrally, dark brown dorsally, hind femora black; tibiae yellow, apex of mid and hind tibiae brown, almost apical half in the latter; tarsomeres dark brown, except first ones of fore and mid tarsi, yellow with dark apex. Chaetotaxy: fore femur black setose, long yellow setae ventrally, 1 anterodorsal short black macroseta on basal third; mid femur black setose, long yellow setae ventrally, black macrosetae, 2 anterior, 2 anteroventral, 1 anterodorsal, 1 posterodorsal, subapical; hind femur mostly yellow setose, macrosetae mostly yellowish, 2 anterior, 7 anteroventral, 1 apical black, 9 posteroventral, 2–3 apical ones black, 1 anterodorsal, also black, subapical; fore tibia with 2 long posteroventral yellow macrosetae; mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal, 2 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral black macrosetae; hind tibia with 4 black macrosetae and 1 apical spur-like macroseta; tarsi with black setae, except for one yellow seta on first tarsomere of fore leg. Abdomen ( Fig. 31 ). Black, yellowish setose, except on tergites 5 to 8, mostly black setose; lateral marginal macrosetae on tergite 1 yellow. Terminalia ( Figs 32, 34–35 ). Black, mostly yellow setose; epandrium strongly narrowed apically, narrow apex gently curved upwards ( Fig. 32 ); subepandrial sclerite with ventral process of rounded apex, divergent of axis of terminalia ( Fig. 37 ); gonostylus short, pincer-like ( Figs 39–40 ); gonocoxite less sclerotized posteriorly, in area of insertion of gonostylus, gonocoxal apodeme virtually absent ( Figs 39–40 ); ejaculatory apodeme wide in lateral view, as long as phallus ( Fig. 38 ); hypandrium dome like in ventral view, posterior apex projected, thin and rounded ( Figs 32, 35 ).

Female ( Figs 41–45 ). Similar to male, except by: anepimeral macroseta black; crossvein r-m at middle of discal cell; hind tibia without apical spur-like macroseta; tarsi with black setae ( Fig. 41 ); tergite 8 shiny dark brown ( Fig. 42 ); tergite 9+10 short dorsally; sternite 8 mixed black and yellow setose, with a row of 2–3 stout black macrosetae obliquely arranged from the distal basal half towards proximal three-thirds (one yellow mixed), medially produced, medioapical margin short and broad, as long as a fourth length of the sternite and as broad as half its width ( Figs 43–44 ); arms of genital fork thin; three spherical spermathecae ( Fig. 45 ).

Etymology. A masculine noun in apposition, from the Quechua language, meaning jaguar, animal that in the Andean cosmovision symbolizes the world of the here and now (the kay pacha). Uturuncu also means “he who kills with one leap” so it seems to be an accurate name for a robber fly.

Holotype condition. Good.

Taxonomic discussion. Ommatius uturuncu sp. nov. can be easily separated from other species in the ampliatus group, including Ommatius amaru sp. nov. by the subepandrial sclerite with a ventral rounded apical process at each posterior corner ( Figs 36–37 ). Additionally, other characters that are useful to separate this species are palpus entirely yellow setose; fore and mid femora at least yellow on basal third to half posteriorly ( Fig. 31 ); hind femora wholly black ( Fig. 31 ); unusually thick gonocoxal macroseta absent ( Figs 39–40 ); apex of epandrium extremely narrow and long ( Figs 32, 34–35 ). The most similar species to Ommatius uturuncu sp. nov. is Ommatius angulosus Scarbrough, 2002 which can be separated by the presence of gonocoxal macrosetae; fore and mid femora posteriorly brown on apical half and subepandrial sclerite with a basal process, slightly produced, J-shaped.

Distribution. Peru, Departments of Ayacucho (La Mar) and Pasco (Paucartambo) ( Fig. 66 ). Known specimens were collected in March, August and November. Both localities correspond to mid-elevation Montane forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Both are impacted areas with secondary vegetation or crops nearby.

Type material. Holotype: PERU, PA [Pasco] Paucartambo, Santa Isabel , 10°43’19.2”S, 75°38’42”W xi.2019 P. Sánchez / HOLOTYPE ♂ Ommatius uturuncu Sánchez & Camargo (MUSM) . Paratypes: Same data as holotype (1 ♂, 1 ♀) ; PERU, AY. La Mar , Moyobamba 13°05’15.8”S, 73°30’33.9”W 1847 m Malaise, “café bajo sombra” 29.iii.2022 M. Alvarado / PARATYPE ♂ Ommatius uturuncu Sánchez & Camargo (MUSM) ; PERU, AY. La Mar, Moyobamba 13°05’16”S, 73°30’40”W 1847 m, 02.viii.2022 Malaise N ° 8 M. Alvarado / PARATYPE ♀ Ommatius uturuncu Sánchez & Camargo (MUSM) .

Figures

FIGURE 66. Distribution map of Ommatius from the ampliatus species group in Peru.

FIGURES 31–40. Ommatius uturuncu sp. nov. Male. 31. Habitus, lateral view; 32. Terminalia, lateral view; 33. Wing; 34–35. Terminalia, dorsal and ventral views; 36. Cercus; 37. Subepandrial sclerite; 38. Phallus, lateral view; 39–40. Gonocoxite and gonostylus, ventral and lateral views. 31–34. Holotype; 35–40. Paratype.

FIGURES 41–45. Ommatius uturuncu sp. nov. Female paratype. 41. Habitus, lateral view; 42–43. Terminalia, dorsal and ventral views; 44. Sternite 8, ventral view; 45. Spermatheca.