Australopericoma caudata (Satchell)

Cordeiro, Danilo Pacheco, Bravo, Freddy & Araújo, Maíra Xavier, 2015, New species of Australopericoma Vaillant (Diptera: Psychodidae) from the Brazilian semiarid region and key to males of the genus, Journal of Natural History 50, pp. 681-688 : 684-687

Australopericoma caudata (Satchell)

Pericoma caudata Satchell, 1955 (February) : 90 – 92, figs. 4A – E; Collantes and Martínez- Ortega (1999): 25; Quate and Brown (2004): 92 – 94 (in combination with A. caudata ).

Pericoma wirthi Quate, 1955 (May) : 154 – 155, figs. 31a – e; Collantes and Martínez-Ortega (1999): 25 (synonymy with P. caudata ); Quate and Brown (2004): 92 – 94 (synonymy with A. caudata ).

Australopericoma caudata (Satchell) : Quate and Brown (2004): 92 – 94, figs. 237 – 238; Wagner and Hribar (2004): 509; Ibáñez-Bernal (2008): 91 – 92.

Material examined

Paratype male of Pericoma wirthi Quate US, Arizona, Wickenburg, Hassayampar, 29 June 1953, col . W . W . Wirth ( USNM); two female paratypes of Pericoma wirthi Quate US, Kerrville, Tx, col . L . J . Bottimer, one 23 October 1953, one 11 August 1953 ( USNM); one male US, Alabama, Mobile Co ., Grand Bay Sav (site 1), Malaise, 30.39°N, 38.31°W, 20 June 2004, col . W . E . Benton ( MZFS) .

Remarks

Quate and Brown (2004) noted that the gonostylus of A. caudata had two large setae at its apex, and presented a drawing ( Quate and Brown 2004, fig. 237) showing these setae to be less than half the length of the gonostylus; we observed, however, that the gonostylus of A. caudata is much more like that of A. paraibana sp. n., with one long seta at the apex, subapex, and base of the gonostylus, the latter being straight apically, not sinuous as the former two.

Comments

The new species Australopericoma paraibana is very similar to another species of Australopericoma from the semiarid region of Brazil, Australopericoma dissimilis Bravo , as well as A. caudata , which occurs in Jamaica and in southern USA. They can easily be differentiated, however, by the shape of the hypandrium and by the numbers and distributions of the setae on this structure, as follows: in A. caudata the hypandrium is expanded medially, with 9 – 10 setae distributed on this expanded area; in A. paraibana the hypandrium is uniform in width throughout its length, with 9 – 16 sparsely distributed setae not concentrated in the median portion; in A. dissimilis the hypandrium is H-shaped in dorsal view, with 7 setae on the apex of each of the two distal ‘ lobes ’. Additionally, A. paraibana sp. n. and A. caudata have four long bristles near the base of the cercus, all of approximately the same length, and a stout spine on the inner margin of each gonocoxite; A. dissimilis has only three long bristles near the base of the cercus, the middle one being 2× longer than the others, and no stout spine on the gonocoxites. The aedeagal apodeme of A. caudata has straight and parallel lateral margins, while the aedeagal apodeme of the new species has slightly divergent lateral margins.

A. caudata , A. dissimilis , and A. paraibana sp. n., together with A. pontilis Quate & Brown , A. sagitta Quate & Brown , and A. delta , appear to form a group of closely related species as they share a number of exclusive characters among the Australopericoma : radial fork basal to medial fork at a distance greater than the length of R 2+3; medial fork apical to the apex of CuA 2; hypandrium with macrosetae; gonocoxite with one or two stout spines on inner side (this feature absent in A. delta and A. dissimilis ). A key to the males of Australopericoma was provided by Quate and Brown (2004). We present here a modified version of this key, including species described after 2004:

Key to males of Australopericoma , modified from Quate and Brown, 2004

1 Scape normal, no more than 2 times length of pedicel; wing plain, without infuscations ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 – Scape elongate, about 3 times length of pedicel; wing with infuscate patterns ...................................................................................................... A. roessleri (Wagner and Joost)

2 Gonostyli with similar format ............................................................................................................. 3 – Gonostyli dissimilar, one J-shaped, other U-shaped .......... A. abnormalis Quate & Brown

3 Gonocoxite without large, median projection ............................................................................ 4 – Gonocoxite with large, median, nonarticulated projection in addition to slender gonostylus .......................................................................................................... A. exilis Quate & Brown

4 Hypandrium without macrosetae; radial on the same level or little basal to medial fork; gonocoxite without stout spine ............................................................................................................ 5 – Hypandrium with macrosetae; radial fork clearly basal to medial fork, medial fork apical to level where CuA 2 meets wing margin; gonocoxite may have with one or two stout spines on inner side ................................................................................................................................... 12

5 Paramere not J-shaped, not strongly curved .............................................................................. 6 – Paramere J-shaped, strongly curved ............................................................................................. 10

6 Paramere consists of a single shaft ................................................................................................. 7 – Paramere consists of 3 pointed, black shafts............................ A. multi fi da Quate & Brown

7 Paramere inflated, shorter than distiphallus ................................................................................ 8 – Paramere slender, longer than or as long as distiphallus ...................................................... 9

8 Paramere turnip-shaped with pointing apex.............................. A. bulbula Quate & Brown – Paramere with sides nearly parallel, apex with slight indentation ................................ ......................................................................................................................... A. pallidula (Tonnoir)

9 Distiphallus a single shaft; paramere broad, straight .......... A. cesticella Quate & Brown – Distiphallus a double shaft; paramere slender, sinuous .................................................... ..................................................................................................... A. trinidadensis Quate & Brown

10 Distiphallus nearly straight, tapering from broad base to straight, acute apex ...... 11 – Distiphallus curved at base similar to paramere, slender over entire length ...................... ............................................................................................................................ A. curvata Quate & Brown

11 Gonostyli dimorphic, left with large projection at distal one-fourth, right with only slight swelling at distal one-fourth .............................................................. A. bhati Quate & Brown – Gonostyli monomorphic, both similar and slender over entire length .................................. .............................................................................................................................. A. falcata Quate & Brown

12 Gonocoxites without stout spine on inner margin .............................................................. 13 – Gonocoxites with one or two stout spine on inner margin ............................................... 14

13 Apex of gonostylus slightly clavate with two long bristles; macrosetae of hypandrium restricted to apex of distal lobes ....................................... ....................................... A. dissimilis Bravo – Apex of gonostylus acute, long setae subapical; macrosetae of hypandrium on the expanded central portion of hypandrium .................................................................. A. delta Curler 14 Hypandrium curved anteriorly, with one or two setae on the sides, without setae on median region and with right side prolonged into slender extension ...................................... .............................................................................................................................. A. sagitta Quate & Brown – Hypandrium curved posteriorly, never bare on median region ........................................ 15

15 Hypandrium with 6 macrosetae, near centre; gonocoxite with 2 stout spines on apex of inner margin; gonostylus with 1 long and several shorter setae at apex ............................................................................................................... A. pontilis Quate & Brown – Hypandrium with at least 9 macrosetae; gonocoxite with 1 or 2 stout spine subapically on inner margin; gonostylus with 2 long and several shorter setae at apex .............................. 16

16 Hypandrium slightly expanded medially with 9 – 10 setae on central expanded area; aedeagal apodeme with straight parallel lateral margins .................. A. caudata (Satchell) – Hypandrium uniform in width through its length with 9 – 16 setae sparsely distributed, not concentrated on the median portion; aedeagal apodeme with slightly divergent lateral margins ...................................................................................................... A. paraibana sp. nov.