Ommatius amaru, 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 : 503-505

Ommatius amaru sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C3AA16F6-051C-4C7B-8967-B7C89B5B2963

( Figs 1–15 , 66 )

Diagnosis. Femora wholly black ( Figs 1–2 ); male with apex of epandrium rod-like, strongly narrowed and long, longer than base of epandrium and markedly curved upwards, meeting the inflated apex of the extremely developed subepandrial sclerite, which forms an arc above the terminalia ( Figs 4–5 ). Female with sternite 8 mostly yellow setose ( Fig. 13 ), strongly produced medially, medioapical margin as long as half the length of the sternite, and as wide as half its width ( Fig. 14 ).

Description of male holotype. Length: body, 12.5 mm; wing, 10.5 mm

Head ( Fig. 1 ). Antenna black, black setose; two black ocellar setae; face, frons and vertex black, the first golden pruinose, about seventh width of head, the latter with sparse brownish yellow pruinosity; mystacal macrosetae black above and yellowish below; palpus black, yellowish setose; proboscis black, white setose ventrally, labial setae yellowish; occiput black, gray pruinose with white setae, upper half of margin of eye with 10–12 postocular black macrosetae, uppermost ones proclinate. Thorax ( Fig. 1 ). Black; antepronotum and scutum brown pruinose, except for yellow sparse pruinosity on corners of the latter, and around notopleural suture; postpronotum, scutellum, and pleura silver pruinose, except on upper side of anepisternum, yellow pruinose. Chaetotaxy: pronotum white setose, with two pairs of macrosetae on antepronotum, central ones black, lateral yellowish; postpronotal lobe white setose; scutum with black macrosetae, 3 notopleural, 1 supra-alar, 1 postalar and 3 postsutural dorsocentral; scutellar disc with few setae, mixed black and yellow, 2 apical scutellar black macrosetae; 1 anepimeral macroseta yellow; anatergal setae absent; katatergal macrosetae yellow; posterior meron + metanepisternum yellow setose. Wing ( Fig. 3 ). Brownish, apical half darkened by microtrichia; veins dark brown, without costal dilation; crossvein r-m at middle of discal cell; R 4+5 bifurcation anterior to apex of discal cell; microtrichia on posterior margin of wing arranged in single row; halter yellow. Legs ( Figs 1–2 ). Coxae silver pruinose; femora wholly black; tibiae yellow, with dark brown apex, almost apical third brown in hind one; tarsomeres dark brown, except first ones of fore and mid tarsi, yellow with dark apex ( Figs 1–2 ). 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, and 1 posterodorsal subapical; hind femur mostly yellow setose, macrosetae mostly yellowish, 2 anterior, 6–7 anteroventral, 2 apical ones black, 9 posteroventral, 2 apical ones black, 1 anterodorsal, also black, subapical ( Fig. 2 ); fore tibia with 2 long posteroventral yellow macrosetae; mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal and 2 anteroventral black macrosetae, 2 posteroventral yellow macrosetae; hind tibia with 4 black macrosetae dorsally and 1 apical spur-like macroseta; tarsi with black setae, except for one yellow seta on first tarsomere of fore leg. Abdomen ( Fig. 1 ). Black, predominantly with yellow setae, setae longer on posterior margin of tergites; lateral marginal macrosetae on tergite 1 yellow. Terminalia ( Figs 4–6 ). Black (except apical tip of epandrium, reddish brown), yellow setose; epandrium strongly narrowed apically, narrow apex long and curved upwards, meeting the extremely developed subepandrial sclerite, which is strongly curved basally and broadened at apex due to strong ventral process with rounded apex ( Figs 4–5 ); cercus very long, four times as long as broad ( Figs 9–10 ); gonostylus narrow, hook-like ( Fig. 8 ); gonocoxite entirely sclerotized, narrowed apically, gonocoxal apodeme large, flattened ( Fig. 8 ); ejaculatory apodeme wide in lateral view, twice length of phallus ( Fig. 7 ); parameral sheath with ventral crest, tooth-like ( Fig. 7 ); hypandrium dome-like in ventral view, posterior apex well projected, narrow and rounded ( Figs 5–6 ).

Female ( Figs 11–15 ). Similar to male, except for: anepimeral macroseta black; 4 postsutural dorsocentral macrosetae; crossvein r-m posterior to middle of discal cell; hind tibia without apical spur-like macroseta; tarsi with black setae; tergites 7 and 8 mostly black setose ( Figs 11–12 ); tergite 8 with posterior margin rounded, shiny black ( Fig. 12 ); tergite 9+10 short dorsally; sternite 8 mostly yellow setose ( Fig. 13 ), strongly produced medially, medioapical margin as long as half the length of tergite, and as wide as half its width ( Fig. 14 ); cercus as long as wide ( Fig. 12 ); arms of genital fork lanceolate, convergent posteriorly, furcal apodeme very short, platelike; three spherical spermathecae ( Fig. 15 ). Variation. All paratypes (male and females) with 4 postsutural dorsocentral macrosetae.

Etymology. A masculine noun in apposition, from the Quechua language, meaning serpent, animal that in the Andean cosmovision symbolizes the world below or the world of the dead (the uku pacha).

Holotype condition. Good.

Taxonomic discussion. Ommatius amaru sp. nov., can be readily distinguished from all of its congeners, including Ommatius uturuncu sp. nov., by the extremely developed subepandrial sclerite ( Figs 4–5, 9–10 ) and the additional features given in the diagnosis above. Additionally, the wholly black femora in all legs ( Fig. 1 ) and the presence of 1–3 anterior and 3–5 posterior posteroventral macrosetae yellow or white ( Fig. 2 ) help to separate this species from other species in the ampliatus group. The most similar species is O. ampliatus in which the subepandrial sclerite is only slightly pronounced ventrally at the apex; the apex of the epandrium is smaller in length and clavate distally; the gonocoxite has 3 long and thin macrosetae which are lacking in Ommatius amaru sp. nov.

Distribution. Peru, Department of Cuzco, Kosñipata valley ( Fig. 66 ), cloud forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Known specimens were collected in December.

Type material. Holotype: PERU, CU [Cuzco] Valle de Kosñipata, Rocotal 2052 m 13°06’48”S, 71°34’13”W 10.xii.2007 C. Castillo / HOLOTYPE ♂ Ommatius amaru Sánchez & Camargo (MUSM) . Paratypes: Same data as holotype (1 ♂, 2 ♀) ( MUSM) .

Figures

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

FIGURES 1–10. Ommatius amaru sp. nov. Male. 1. Habitus, lateral view; 2. Hind femur, anterior view; 3. Wing; 4–6. Terminalia, dorsal, lateral and ventral views; 7. Phallus, lateral view; 8. Gonocoxite and gonostylus, ventral view; 9. Cercus; 10. Subepandrial sclerite. 1, 3–6. Holotype; 2, 7–10. Paratype.

FIGURES 11–15. Ommatius amaru sp. nov. Female paratype. 11. Habitus, lateral view; 12–13. Terminalia, dorsal and ventral views; 14. Sternite 8, ventral view; 15. Spermatheca.