Scipopus (Phaeopterina) fraudator, 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 : 124-126

Scipopus (Phaeopterina) fraudator sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:36B468A6-C505-4EAA-86D6-6DFF207CBEAD

Fig. 53

Differential diagnosis

Scipopus (Phaeopterina) fraudator sp. nov. resembles S. (Pa.) monteverde sp. nov. and S. (Pa.) tico sp. nov. in having a short clypeus, dark body colouration and a frontal vitta with a strongly tapered apex, but it differs by the hyaline subapical spot on the wing, the densely setulose postpronotal lobe and the apical scutellar seta.

Etymology

The species name, from the Latin noun for ‘impostor’ and refers to the external characters of the species that would suggest it belongs to S. ( Parascipopus ).

Type material examined

Holotype

MEXICO • 1 ♂; Chiapas, El Triunfo , 49 km S of Jaltenanango; 2000 m a.s.l.; 13–15 May 1985; A. Friedberg leg.; TAUI (photographed, Fig. 53C, G ).

Paratypes

MEXICO • 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; TAUI (♂, ♀ dissected and photographed, Fig.53A–B,D–E ) • 1♂, same collection data as for preceding; debu01089007/MYCRO577-19sequenced for CO1–5′, CO1–3′, 12S, 28S; TAUI • 1 ♂, same collection data as for preceding; debu01089008/ MYCRO578-19 sequenced for CO1–5′, CO1–3′, 12S, 28S; TAUI (photographed, Fig. 53F ) .

Other material examined

GUATEMALA • 1 ♀; Sacatepéq , 5 km SE of Antigua; 14°31′43″ N, 41°20″ W; 2330 m a.s.l.; 10–13 Jun. 2009; oak forest; Malaise; DEBU .

MEXICO • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; W. Mathis leg.; USNM .

Description

LENGTH. 12–14 mm.

HEAD. Palpus dark brown, pale microtrichose and setulose, wide (length 3.8 × height). Clypeus dark brown, width ~2.0 × height, bare medially, silvery microtrichose on posterolateral corners. Frontal vitta dull, orange, microtrichose, frontal vitta posterior to ocellar triangle dark brown, microtrichose, strongly tapered to a point at apex. Orbital plate well-defined, shiny, bare. Epicephalon black-brown, shiny, bare, wide (width ⅔ or more of upper frontal vitta width at inner verticals), clearly delineated from upper frontal vitta. Paracephalon black-brown. One lower fronto-orbital seta absent; all other head chaetotaxy well-developed.

THORAX. Scutum black-brown, brown microtrichose, with a wide, shiny, silvery-blue median sheen. Female cervical sclerite convex. Postpronotal lobe black-brown, densely setulose on outer lateral margin. Thorax black-brown with blue sheen, entirely silvery microtrichose. Legs dark brown; fore tarsomere 1 almost entirely white, hind tarsomere 1 dark brown with ventral golden fringe. Wing mostly brown infuscate with indistinct subapical hyaline spot ( Fig. 53F ).

ABDOMEN (J+ ♀). T1 with fine, long, dark brown or black setae.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. Pleuron pale grey, microtrichose, dark brown on dorsal half of P2–6. T2 swollen, posterior margin 2.0× as wide as posterior margin of T1 dorsally. T1+2 ~2.3 × length of T3. Oviscape black, setulose, anterior ¼ white microtrichose, 4.0× length of T6. Paired and single spermathecal ducts arising independently from bursa copulatrix. Paired duct long (> 10.0 × length of paired spermathecae), narrow basally, slightly wider distally. Paired spermathecal stems narrow, with numerous, minute spiked tubercles, longer than spermathecae. Paired spermathecae spherical with apical indentation. Single spermathecal duct narrow, ≈ diameter and ¾ length of paired duct. Single spermatheca nearly teardrop-shaped.

MALE ABDOMEN. P1–3 mostly dark grey, microtrichose, pleural sac entirely dark brown, P4–6 off-white on ventral ⅔, dark brown on dorsal ⅓. T1+2 ~2.5× length of T3. T6 short, genital fork ~2.0× as long as T6, arms slightly converging, inner basal process angled inwards, ¹/6 the length of arm. Epandrium elongate, (length ~2.0× height), short setose on posteroventral margin. Basiphallus small, projecting outward, frame-like. Basal distiphallus long (≈ length to epandrium), broad, partially ending in phallic bulb. Phallic bulb large, elongate (length>3.0 × height), complex and multi-chambered. Distal distiphallus absent. Phallapodeme apically broad and expanded. Anterior hypandrium slightly broad and expanded.

Remarks

Scipopus (Phaeopterina) fraudator sp. nov. is the only species of S. ( Phaeopterina ) that has a frontal vitta with a strongly tapered posterior apex and an entirely shiny orbital plate. These character states are also found in most species of S. ( Parascipopus ), but character states in the female terminalia (primary and secondary ducts arising separately from the bursa copulatrix), male terminalia (the large, approximately ovoid phallic bulb and lack of distal distiphallus) and molecular data confidently place S. fraudator in S. ( Phaeopterina ) despite its external similarity to species of S. ( Parascipopus ).

Distribution

Guatemala, Mexico.

Figures

Fig. 53. Scipopus (Phaeopterina) fraudator sp. nov. (TAUI). A. Head, J, anterior view, Mexico, paratype. B. Genital fork, ventral view, Mexico, paratype. C. Head and thorax, J, dorsal view, Mexico, holotype. D. Male terminalia, lateral view, Mexico, paratype. E. Female spermathecae and associated structures, Mexico, paratype.F. Wing, lateral view, Mexico, paratype. G. Habitus, ♂, Mexico, holotype. Abbreviations: b = basiphallus; bc = bursa copulatric; bdp = basal distiphallus; e = epandrium; ea = ejaculatory apodeme; h = hypandrium; p = phallapodeme; pb = phallic bulb; pd = paired spermathecal duct; ps = paired spermatheca; pss = paired spermathecal stems; sd = single spermathecal duct; sp = sperm pump; ss = single spermatheca.