Nemapalpus spinosus, Bravo, Freddy & Barata, Ricardo Andrade, 2012

Bravo, Freddy & Barata, Ricardo Andrade, 2012, A new species of Nemapalpus Macquart (Diptera, Psychodidae, Bruchomyiinae) from caverns in Minas Gerais State in southeastern Brazil, Zootaxa 3164, pp. 64-68 : 65-67

Nemapalpus spinosus sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–15 )

Diagnosis. Length of flagellomeres 2+3 combined slightly longer than length of flagellomere 1; third palpomere swollen apically; wing with R-M basal to medial fork; aedeagus bifurcated with brush-like apices; gonocoxal apodeme fused and posteriorly expanded as a medial plate with four spine-like apical tips; spermatheca with wrinkled appearance.

Description. Male. Length from thorax to the posterior end of terminalia: 4.8–5.0 mm (n=15). Wing length: 3.9–4.3 mm (n=15). Eyes separated by 2.3 facet diameters; frontal area with 12–21 setae alveoli ( Fig. 1 ). Antenna incomplete ( Figs. 2, 3 ); length of flagellomeres 2 + 3 combined 1.2 times the length of flagellomere 1 ( Fig. 3 ); ascoids mushroom-shaped ( Figs. 2, 4 ). Palpus formula (1+2:3:4:5) = 1.0:1.1:1.6:5.3 ( Fig. 5 ); sensilla absent on second and third palpomeres; third palpomere swollen apically ( Figs. 5, 6 ); apical palpomere striated ( Fig. 5 ). Wing ( Fig. 7 ) with Sc ending before level of radial fork, reaching C; crossvein Sc-R faint; R2+3 longer than R2; base of R5 without spur, faint; crossvein R-M faint, basal to medial fork; medial fork basal to radial fork. Abdomen without patches of long setae laterally. Male terminalia: hypandrium fused to gonocoxite ( Fig. 8 ); gonocoxite longer than aedeagal apodeme ( Figs. 8, 11 ); gonostylus short, 0.5 times the length of gonocoxite, with two apical lobes, the proximal with truncate apex in dorsal view with marginal setae, and the distal bifurcate and glabrous ( Fig. 8 ); aedeagus bifurcated with brush-like apices ( Figs. 8, 9, 11 ; ae); parameres complex, with pair of lateral lobes ( Figs. 8, 11 ; llp), narrow, pointed at apex, and with a median sheath ( Figs. 8, 11 ; msh) with apical serrulate margin; gonocoxal apodeme fused and posteriorly expanded as a medial plate with four spine-like apical tips ( Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11 ; ega); aedeagal apodeme narrow, tubular ( Figs. 8, 10, 11 ); epandrium longer than wide, trapezoidal, wider basally than apically ( Fig. 12 ); cerci subelliptical in lateral view, narrow and V-shaped in ventral view ( Figs. 11, 12 ); sternite 10 (hypoproct) lobe-like, rounded at apex ( Fig. 12 ).

Female. Similar to male except as follows: genital furca Y-shaped; genitalia with U-shaped structure articulated to genital furca ( Fig. 13 ); cercus digitiform, with a long seta inserted basally ( Figs. 13, 15 ; lbr); subgenital plate pentagonal with basal margin inverted-U shaped and with two apical lobes, digitiform, 0.5 times the length of subgenital plate ( Fig. 14 ); one spermatheca, longer than the length of subgenital plate, with wrinkled appearance ( Fig. 15 , esp).

Material examined. Holotype: Male, BRAZIL, Minas Gerais, Diamantina, Cavern of Salitre (18º16’47” S; 43º32’10”W), 18.V.2010, Barata, R.A. col. (MZUEFS). Paratypes: 23 paratype males and 13 paratype females, same locality, date and collector as holotype; 0 8 paratype males and 0 1 paratype female, same locality and collector as holotype, 30.VI.2011; Minas Gerais, Diamantina, Cavern Monte Cristo (18º17’49”S; 43º33’30”W), Barata, R.A. col.: 0 8 paratype males, 30.VI.2011; 0 8 paratype males and 0 5 paratype females 26.V.2011; 0 3 paratype males 30.V.2011; 11 paratype males and 0 1 paratype female, 30.VI.2011. Paratypes are deposited in MZUEFS and MZUSP.

Etymology. Latin, spinosus : spiny; refers to apical end of medial plate that corresponds to fused parameres.

Distribution. Currently known only from the two caverns in Brazil.

Remarks. Nemapalpus spinosus sp. nov. can be easily recognized by a set of diagnostic characters (see diagnosis above). The relative position of the R-M crossvein, i.e. basal to medial fork, as observed in the new species is a characteristic shared with most species of Neotropical Nemapalpus (See Alexander 1979, Wagner 1999, Quate & Alexander 2000, Santos et al. 2009). However, N. spinosus exhibits some characters that are unique among species of Nemaplapus, such as a swollen third palpomere, and plate-shaped gonocoxal apodeme with four spine-like apical tips.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Nemapalpus spinosus sp. nov., male. 1. Head. 2. Antenna: scape, pedicel and flagellomeres 1 – 2. 3. Antennal flagellomeres 1 – 3. 4. Distal part of flagellomere 6, showing ascoid. 5. Palpus. 6. Palpus, palpomeres 2 and 3. 7. Wing. as = ascoid.

FIGURES 8 – 15. Nemapalpus spinosus sp. nov. Male terminalia. 8. Dorsal. 9. Apex of gonocoxal apodeme. 10. Ventral. 11. Lateral. 12. Epandrium, cerci and sternite 10. Female terminalia. 13. Ventral. 14. Subgenital plate and cerci. 15. Spermatheca. ae = aedeagus; bes = basal elongate seta of cercus; ega = extension of gonocoxal apodemes; esp = spermatheca; llp = lateral lobe of paramere; msh = median sheath of parameres.