Scipopus (Scipopus) nitidus, Lindsay & Marshall, 2023

Lindsay, Kate & Marshall, Stephen A., 2023, A revision of Scipopus Enderlein including the subgenera Scipopus s. str., Phaeopterina Frey and Parascipopus subgen. nov. (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 904, pp. 1-189 : 72-74

Scipopus (Scipopus) nitidus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D809A117-C772-49F8-B78B-9A09716BDE0E

Fig. 28

Differential diagnosis

Scipopus (Scipopus) nitidus sp. nov. resembles S. (S.) erythrocephalus in having a dull, microtrichose epicephalon, a dark first fore tarsomere and an orbital plate with a shiny, bare, anterior patch, but differs in the blue sheen on the scutum and the anteriorly pale postpronotal lobe.

Etymology

The name, from the Latin adjective for ‘shiny’, refers to the glossy blue sheen on the scutum.

Type material examined

Holotype

COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Putumayo, PNN la Paya Cabaña Viviano; 0°07′ S, 74°56′ W; 320 m a.s.l.; 16–30 Dec. 2001, E. Lozano leg.; Malaise; M. 2796; debu01089001/MYCRO564-19 sequenced for CO1–5′; IAVH (dissected and photographed, Fig. 28A–E ).

Description

LENGTH. 14 mm.

HEAD. Palpus dark brown, pale brown microtrichose and setulose on entire surface, denser on basal half, narrow (length 5.0 × height). Clypeus dark brown, width ~2.2× height, bare medially, white microtrichose in posterolateral corners. Frontal vitta dull, orange, microtrichose. Orbital plate orange, microtrichose, shiny and bare anteriorly. Epicephalon shiny, orange, microtrichose, not clearly delineated from upper frontal vitta. Paracephalon light brown, slightly convex on posterolateral portions. All head chaetotaxy well-developed.

THORAX. Scutum black with blue sheen. Female cervical sclerite slightly convex anteriorly. Postpronotal lobe dark brown or black posteriorly, pale brown anteriorly, very few to no setulae on outer margin. Notopleuron dark brown with pale microtrichose spot. Pleuron with the following microtrichosity ( Fig. 28D ): entirely white on proepisternum and proepimeron, white on anteroventral ⅓ of anepisternum, with ventral corner and remainder brown, anterior white patch and posterior white band on katepisternum which extends onto katatergite. Legs dark brown with blue sheen; first fore tarsomere dark brown with ventral golden fringe, hind tarsomeres dark brown. Wing uniformly black-brown infuscate.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. T1 with fine, long, white setae. Pleuron pale grey microtrichose, P1 dark grey, P2–6 indistinctly dark grey (likely discoloured).T1+2 1.8× length of T3. Oviscape dark brown, microtrichosity not observed (dissected), 3.0× as long as T6. Combined spermathecal ducts short; common duct wide basally, narrow distally, ½ of entire duct length. Paired spermathecal duct narrow, very short (2.0 × spermathecal length), straight, parallel-sided, swollen apically. Paired spermathecal stems longer than spermathecae, relatively inornate, with sparsely distributed, minute tubercles. Paired spermathecae spherical. Single spermathecal duct arising from base of paired duct, narrow, ½ diameter and ≈ length as paired duct, slightly swollen apically. Single spermatheca elongate, teardrop-like, inornate.

MALE ABDOMEN. Not observed.

Distribution

Colombia.

Figures

Fig. 28. Scipopus (Scipopus) nitidus sp. nov., ♀, Colombia, holotype (IAVH). A. Head, anterior view. B. Head and thorax, dorsal view. C. Habitus. D. Thorax, left lateral view, illustrating white microtrichosity. E. Female spermathecae and associated structures. Abbreviations: cd = common duct; pd = paired spermathecal duct; ps = paired spermatheca; psd=paired spermathecal duct; pss = paired spermathecal stems; sd = single spermathecal duct; ss = single spermatheca.