Quichuamyia costaricensis Brammer, 2005

Brammer, Colin A., 2005, Quichuamyia, a new Neotropical genus of Stratiomyidae (Insecta: Diptera), Zootaxa 990 (1), pp. 1-14 : 10-14

Quichuamyia costaricensis Brammer , sp. nov.

Diagnosis. The length of the seventh antennal flagellomere is no greater than 0.5 X the length of the sixth. In dorsal view the flagellomeres are wider than 0.25 X the height of an individual flagellomere. The scape is dark brown to black. Femur with indistinct dark bands in apical 0.33 only on anterior 0.5. The scutellar spines are curved dorsally and medially at the tips, 1.67 X the length of the scutellum in males, and 1.4 X the length of scutellum in females. Males have a silvery pattern of appressed pilosity on the thorax that is only visible on the lateral margins, and there is a lateral scattering of silver tomentum on the abdominal tergites, but no distinct pattern. Females have patches of silver appressed pilosity on lateral margins of tergites two and three. The silver setose patch in longitudinal center of the upper frons is contiguous with silver tomentum surrounding lower portion of eye.

Description. Male. Body length 5.6 mm ( Fig. 14 ). Head: silvery tomentum on inner margin of eye much less distinct and thinner in width (0.04 mm) than Q. aplanatantennae , face entirely black; silver setae on lower frons appressed and erect, length of setae varying from as long as 1.5 flagellomeres to 2.5 flagellomeres; setae on ventral margin of frons dark brown; ocellar triangle raised on a tubercle 1.0 X height of single ocellus. Antenna ( Figs 16, 17 ): scape black, except extreme base yellow­orange; pedicel black, with apical edge slightly lighter; flagellomeres not as strongly flattened as in Q. aplanatantennae , much more oval in cross section for flagellomeres 1–4, with flagellomere 5 slightly flattened in ventroapical portion; in dorsal view, flagellomeres 6–8 at most 0.33 width of previous five flagellomeres; in lateral view, flagellomeres 1–3 widest, gradually narrowing from flagellomeres 4–8 with flagellomere 8 approximately 0.5 width of other flagellomeres; flagellomere 7 is 0.5 length of flagellomere 6, flagellomere 8 is as long as flagellomeres 6 and 7 combined; flagellomeres 1–3 dark reddish in color, flagellomeres 4–6 reddish in dorsal 0.5, black in ventral 0.5; flagellomeres 7 and 8 entirely black. Thorax ( Fig. 14 , length 2.9 mm): similar to male of Q. aplanatantennae , except pattern of appressed pilosity on scutum much more diffuse (nearly non­existent), pattern most noticeable when viewed laterally, on lateral portions of scutum and dorsally posterior to transverse suture; scutellar spines 1.4 X as long as scutellum (scutellum = 0.6mm, spines = 0.85mm), not completely straight, but angled slightly laterally and seem to ‘waver’ at tips; tips of scutellar spines curve dorsally in apical 0.25 and mesally in apical 0.125. Legs: femur orange; brown leg bands in apical 0.33 of femur faint, noticeably darker than rest of femora, but much lighter than the leg bands of Q. aplanatantennae males; leg bands only present in anterior 0.5 of femur; meso­ and meta­ basal tarsomere yellow­orange, second tarsomere basal half yellow orange, apical half brown, the remaining three tarsomeres entirely brown. Wings: similar to Q. aplanatantennae , moderately smoky hyaline, noticeably darker when compared to wings of Q. aplanatantennae . Abdomen ( Fig. 14 , length 3.2 mm): integument black, textured, dull; abdominal pattern of appressed pilosity absent, except for a few sparse appressed silvery setae on lateral 0.25 of tergites 3–5. Genitalia: with elongate and medially curved gonostyli and basal portion of gonocoxites (capsule) narrower than at apex ( Figs 18, 19 ); small ventral keel wider at ventral apex than base, much smaller than keel in Q. aplanatantennae , the keel is not visible in lateral view ( Fig. 22 ); parameral sheath enclosing aedeagi for central half of total length of aedeagal tubes ( Figs 20, 21 ), with tubes slightly longer than parameral sheath at base.

Female ( Fig. 15 ): body length 6.5 mm. Head: similar to female of Quichuamyia aplanatantennae , except: silvery white tomentose patches on upper frons elongate and connected to tomentum surrounding lower portions of eyes ( Fig. 4 ); each setose patch only ~0.2 width of frons; black appressed setae on frons much stouter, not as centralized as in Q. aplanatantennae , only central patch at lower margin of upper frons; ocellar tubercle lower, ocelli raised only 1.0 X their height above vertex ( Fig. 4 ); frons directly above antennae with short lengthwise depression, approximately the length of the scape. Antennae: same as male. Thorax ( Fig. 15 ): integument black, pattern of appressed pilosity on dorsum diffuse, much more prominent than in male; pattern much more distinct along lateral 0.25 of scutum; pilosity in anterior portion silvery­white, no gold setae on humeral callus. Scutellum: black, with sparse gold setae throughout (only noticeable when speci­ men is rotated); spines 1.25 X length of scutellum, not completely straight and seem to ‘waver’ near tips, as in male. Legs: darker orange than Q. aplanatantennae , femur bands darker than male. Wings: similar to male. Abdomen: with silver setae along marginal 0.25 of tergites 2, 3, and anterior half of 4, with posterior half of tergite 4 and tergite 5 having sparse silver setae ( Fig. 15 ); pilosity absent from central portion of abdomen.

Type material. Holotype: Male. Bueno Amigo, San Luis, Monteverde; Province Punta, COSTA RICA; 1000–1350 m, March 1995, Z. Fuentes; LN 250850 449250 #4395/ Costa Rica INBio; CRI002 ;137983. Deposited in the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica ; ( INBio) . Allotype: Female. COSTA RICA: Cartago 1325 m, Parque Purisil 26.VI­, 1.VII.2003 Hicks A Raktikov. R, 09°44.78N 83°48.73W / Collection M Hauser. Deposited in the Department of Entomology , Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. ( USNM) .

Paratype: COSTA RICA: Estac. Pitilla, 700m, 9km S Santa Cecillia, Guanac Province , 1 male, Nov 1989, C. Morgana & P. Rios, 330200, 380200/ COSTA RICA INBio ; CRI000; 112294; (INBio).

Distribution: The three known specimens of this species are all from Costa Rica.

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to Costa Rica, the country of the type locality.

Remarks: Less variation was found in this species compared to Q. aplanatantennae , most likely because fewer specimens were available. Male body length variation 5.2–5.6 mm. Male genitalia also typical of Euryneura and related genera, as in Q. aplanatantennae , with the central portion of the three aedeagal tubes enclosed in the cylindrical parameral sheath, the gonostyli curving medially, and the narrowed shape of the anterior portion of the gonocoxites. Color of Q. costaricensis female femur (darker orange than in males) may be due to preservation technique, but because the allotype is the only specimen, I cannot comment on variation.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Quichuamyia costaricensis female head, oblique view, showing elongate silvery setose patch that is continuous with tomentose line below eye.

FIGURE 14–15. Quichuamyia costaricensis habitus. 14. male; 15. female.

FIGURE 16–22. Q. costaricensis. 16. antenna, dorsal view; 17. antenna, lateral view; 18. male gonocoxites, dorsal view; 19. male gonocoxites, ventral view; 20. male aedeagus, dorsal view; 21. male aedeagus, lateral view; 22. male gonocoxites, lateral view.