Microcerella coniceti, Mariluis, Juan C., 2006

Mariluis, Juan C., 2006, Description of a new species of Microcerella (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) from Argentinean Patagonia, Zootaxa 1124, pp. 47-53 : 48-52

Microcerella coniceti sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–9 )

Male holotype —Total length = 6–10 mm.

Head —Ground colour black, microtomentum silvery; eyes green reddish in live specimens; fronto­orbital and parafacial plates with silvery microtomentum bearing short black setulae, parafacial plate with a single row of black setae and some elongated setulae near eye; frontal vitta black, with silvery microtomentum; frons at its narrowest point about 0.2 X head width; 8–10 frontal setae, the row of frontals diverging strongly anteriorly at the level of pedicel; orbital setae absent; inner vertical setae present; ocellar triangle black, with one pair of strong ocellar setae; postocular setae black, in one row; genal groove, genal dilation, and postgena black with silvery microtomentum and black setae, gena with black setae; face light brown with silvery microtomentum; facial ridge dark brown with silvery microtomentum, with setae and setulae on lower half; antenna black, first flagellomere 3 X longer than length of pedicel, arista short pubescent on basal half with hairs at most 1/ 3 X as long as largest diameter of arista; palpus black.

Thorax —Black, with silvery microtomentum; prescutum with intermediate stripes with silvery microtomentum and a black central area (only seen with prescutum tilted forwards and downwards) ( Fig. 8 ); scutum with intermediate stripes with silvery microtomentum ( Fig. 8 ); posterior part of postpronotal lobe, notopleuron, anepisternum, anepimeron, and katepisternum with spots of yellow microtomentum; proepisternum with setulae on anterior portion, or bare. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 2 (fore and median) + 0, dorsocentrals 3+3 (spaced for 3), intra­alars 1+2, supra­alars 1+3 or 2+3, anterior postpronotal 1, basal postpronotal 2, postalars 2, notopleurals 4 (two big and two small), katepisternals 3 with the median one a little smaller and inserted slightly below others. Scutellum with 2 developed laterals, discals 1, apicals 1 (hair­like). Wing hyaline, tegula brown, orange basicosta and veins, R1 bare, R4+5 setulose in proximal 1.3 or 0.5 of distance to r­m, costal spine not differentiated, third costal sector without ventral setae, calypteres whitish to pale yellow. Legs black; middle femur without posteroventral ctenidium on its apical portion; middle tibia with 2 anterodorsal setae, 2 posterodorsal setae, and 1 ventral seta; hind femur with rows of anterodorsal, anteroventral, and posteroventral setae; hind tibia with 2 posterodorsal setae, 3 anterodorsal setae, and 1 anteroventral seta.

Abdomen —Black; T 1+2 with one pair of lateral spots of silvery microtomentum; T 1+2­5 with one pair of dorsal spots of silvery microtomentum; T 3–5 with one pair of lateral spots of golden microtomentum, and one pair of ventral spots of silvery microtomentum; ST 2–4 with silvery microtomentum; T 1+2–4 without median marginal setae; T 5 with a complete row of marginal setae; ST 1–4 exposed with long black hair­like setae; ST 5 V­shaped ( Fig. 4 ).

Terminalia —Syntergosternite 7+8 shiny black with silvery microtomentum, with short black hair­like setae, and four or three pairs of marginal setae; epandrium orange reddish with scattered long black setae and hair­like setae; cercus moderately curved forward with pointed apex in profile ( Fig. 2 ); cerci separated for more than half of their length ( Fig. 7 ); surstylus robust, setose in apical half (lateral view) ( Fig. 2 ); gonopod shiny brown with a few setulae ( Fig. 6 ); paramere curved with a strong bristle on anterior margin ( Fig. 5 ); vesica flat (lateral view) ( Fig. 9 ) as a disk (ventral view) ( Fig. 3 ); juxta well sclerotized (lateral view) ( Fig. 9 ) and divided in two apophysis (ventral view) ( Fig. 1 ); median stylus well sclerotized with undulation (lateral view) ( Fig. 9 ), with two long apophysis curved at the apex (ventral view) ( Fig. 1 ); lateral styli well sclerotized with broad base, slender at apex, with two curved processes (ventral view) ( Fig. 1 ); harpes not well sclerotized (lateral view) ( Fig. 9 ) and (ventral view) ( Fig. 1 ).

Female —unknown.

Type material — Holotype male ( MLP), ARGENTINA, Santa Cruz: Puerto San Julián, XII­2004, J.C. Mariluis. Paratypes: 13 males, same data as holotype ( ANLIS, DV; FIML; MACN; MLP); 2 males ( ANLIS, DV), same data except XI­2004; 2 males ( ANLIS, DV) same data except I­2005; 7 males ( ANLIS, DV) same data except II­2005; 1 male ( ANLIS, DV), Argentina, Santa Cruz: Puerto Santa Cruz, XI­1997, J.C. Mariluis; 6 males ( ANLIS, DV), same data except II­1998; 2 males ( ANLIS, DV), Argentina, Río Negro: Paso Cordova, 31­XII­1961; 1 male ( ANLIS, DV), Argentina, Río Negro: San Antonio Oeste, 14­I­1977, J.C. Mariluis; 10 males ( ANLIS, DV), Argentina, Santa Cruz: Puerto Deseado, XII­2004, J.C. Mariluis; 3 males ( ANLIS, DV), same data except XI­2004; 6 males ( ANLIS, DV), same data except II­2005; 3 males ( ANLIS, DV), same data except I­2005; 1 male ( ANLIS, DV), Argentina, Santa Cruz: Caleta Olivia, XI­2004, J.C. Mariluis; 7 males ( ANLIS, DV), same data except XII­2004; 3 males ( ANLIS, DV), same data except II­2005; 8 males ( ANLIS, DV), same data except I­2005.

Distribution — Argentina (Río Negro and Santa Cruz provinces).

Etymology —“ coniceti ” is an abbreviation formed from the initials of Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas of the Argentina.

Remarks —The type series of M. coniceti runs to different taxa in the key in “The genera of Microcerellini ” (= Microcerella ) ( Lopes 1982a). Specimens with setulae on the anterior portion of the proepisternum run to couplet 6 and Mimophytomyia Hall (costal spine not differentiated), whereas specimens with the proepisternum bare run to couplet 12 and Aulacophyto Townsend (faciorbital bristles present, costal spine not differentiated, apical scutellars present though hair­like, and preacrostichals present). Based on my earlier study of M. chilensis (Hall) ( Mariluis 2002b) (as Mimophytomyia chilensis in Lopes 1982a), M. coniceti is not close to this species. Similarly, M. coniceti does not appear to be close to Aulacophyto peruana Lopes.

Microcerella coniceti appears most closely related to M. cinerea ( Lopes1982b) based on shared features of the male genitalia: pointed juxta (lateral view), median stylus tilted upwards and directed forwards (lateral view), and cercus slightly curved without cervice (lateral view).

The male of M. cinerea differs from the male of M. coniceti in having the frontoorbital plate and occiput with yellowish microtomentum; genal groove reddish black; epistoma and postcranium protuberant; and 5–6 bristles on parafacial. Other features of M.

cinerea are: acrostichals 1+0, dorsocentrals 2+3; costal spine strong; a pair of median marginal bristles well separated from marginal lateral ones on T 5; juxta, median stylus, lateral styli, and vesica as in Figs. 23–26 of Lopes (1982b). Microcerella cinerea as here characterized runs to couplet 11 of Lopes’ (1982a) key.

The specimens studied as M. curicoensis are in agreement with the original description.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Microcerella coniceti sp. nov, male. 1. Apex of phallus, ventral view. 2. Cercus and surstylus, lateral view. 3. Vesica, ventral view. 4. Sternite 5, ventral view. 5. Paramere, right lateral view. 6. Gonopod, right lateral view. 7. Cerci, posterior view. 8. Prescutum and scutum, dorsal view. 9. Aedeagus, left lateral view. Abbreviations: h, harpes; j, juxta; ls, lateral styli; ms, median stylus; v, vesica. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.