Kerteszmyia ecuadora Woodley

Woodley, Norman E., 2008, Kerteszmyia, a new genus of Pachygastrinae from the Neotropical Region (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), Zootaxa 1746, pp. 39-45 : 40-43

Kerteszmyia ecuadora Woodley , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–11 )

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other Neotropical pachygastrines by the combination of the presence of scutellar spines and the distinctive morphology of the antenna that is described above in the generic description. At present there is only one known species of Kerteszmyia .

Description. Male. Head ( Figs. 1, 3 ) brownish black to black, narrow margins of upper frons yellowish, median occipital sclerite more brownish. Lower frons and face with grayish tomentum covering surface, sparser medially, other areas of head without noticeable tomentum. Upper frons with dense silvery pilosity, slightly recumbent and dense on very narrow margins, sparser and more erect medially; face with a few scattered pale setulae; erect blackish setulae present on ocellar tubercle and vertex; upper and lateral parts of occiput with silvery semi-erect setulae. Eyes with dense brownish-black setulae. Antenna entirely yellow to dark yellow, scape and pedicel with short erect whitish setulae. Palpus with erect dark setulae on first segment and a few dark setulae at apex of second segment.

Thorax black, postpronotal lobes and postalar calli more brownish to yellowish, scutellum with posterior margin yellowish, spines yellowish white; pleura with a few vague brownish areas. Scutum with vestiture of semi-appressed silvery setulae intermixed with longer, sparser, and erect black setulae, but anteromedial area bare and shiny, and an irregular transverse band between wing bases without silvery setulae that is widest laterally and slightly expanded medially, and vague presutural black sublateral areas. Scutellum with black setulae on disc and silvery setulae marginally. Pleura with mostly silvery setulae but some black setulae present on medial portion of anepisternum and anterior part of katepisternum. Foreleg brownish but distal two-thirds of femur yellowish, tarsus blackish; midleg mostly dark yellowish with coxa, trochanter and basal two-fifths of femur brownish, tibia with vague brownish infuscation, and tarsus whitish-yellow with fourth and fifth tarsomere slightly darker; hindleg similar to midleg but tibia more brownish and distal three tarsomeres more distinctly darkened. Wing ( Fig. 7 ) hyaline but with entire distal portion beyond level of origin of R2+3 infuscated and densely set with microtrichia as is most of cell br, remainder of wing mostly bare of microtrichia. Halter whitish, stem vaguely darker.

Abdomen brownish to black, tergites 1–3 and anteromedial region of tergite 4 punctate and appearing to have somewhat granular surface, lateral areas of tergite 4 shiny, very sparsely punctate, tergite 5 somewhat granular on basal half, shinier apically. Vestiture of tergites 1–3 composed of short black, semi-appressed setulae, with some silvery setulae present laterally; shiny sublateral areas on tergite 4 with silvery setulae anteriorly and laterally forming arcuate spots (as in Fig. 6 ); tergite 5 with anterior two-thirds with semi-appressed silvery setulae rather evenly distributed. Sternite 1 with moderate, fine grayish tomentum; sternites 2–5 evenly set with semi-appressed silvery setulae.

Male terminalia with gonocoxites ( Fig. 8 ) slightly narrowing anteriorly; posterior margin of hypandrium triangularly produced, minutely bilobed at extreme apex; gonostylus with apex produced posteromedially into a narrow process that has a small, apparently articulated spine at inner margin, lateroventral region of gonostylus produced ventrally into broad, scoop-like lobe; phallic complex ( Figs. 10, 11 ) narrow, bilobed posteriorly, the two narrowed lobes directed somewhat ventrally and slightly expanded at apices; epandrium and postgenital segments as in Fig. 9 .

Length, 5.5–5.7 mm.

Female. Differs from male as follows: Head ( Figs. 2, 4 ) with wider frons as noted in generic description; frons, face, and median occipital sclerite usually yellowish with central third of upper frons brownish to blackish, but face and median occipital sclerite ranging to black. Eyes with pilosity mostly yellowish, but some dark setulae present on upper fourth.

Thorax with disc of scutellum tending toward yellowish coloration in some specimens. Scutum and scutellum ( Fig. 5 ) with pale pilosity slightly more golden in color, denser, with the resulting pattern more boldly marked, in some specimens the black pilosity expanded to form a narrow medial vitta, and the presutural, sublateral black markings more prominent. Legs generally paler than in male; foreleg with femur usually entirely yellowish but can be darkened basally; midleg with femur ranging to mostly yellowish; hindleg also with femur ranging to mostly yellowish and tibia less distinctly brownish.

Abdomen as in male, but with the arcuate pilose spots on tergite 4 more distinctly marked ( Fig. 6 ).

Length, 4.6–5.7 mm.

Specimens examined. Holotype ɗ, ECUADOR: Napo Province, Limoncocha, 15 June 1977, P.J. Spangler & D.R. Givens, #128 (USNM). Paratypes: 1ɗ, 1Ψ, same data as holotype (USNM); 1Ψ, same data except 10 June 1977, Dave L. Vincent (USNM); 1Ψ, ECUADOR: Balao Chico, Rio Frio, 26–30 April 1963, L. Peña (CNC); 1Ψ, ECUADOR: Napo Province, Reserva Ethnica Waorani, 1 km S of Onkone Gare Camp, 00°39'10"S, 76°26'W, 220 meters, 19 July 1995, Terry Erwin et al., insecticidal fogging, Lot 1157 (USNM); 1Ψ, VENEZUELA: Amazonas, Cerro de la Neblina basecamp, 0°50'N, 66°09'44"W, 140 meters, 21–29 February 1984, D. Davis & T. McCabe (USNM); 1Ψ, COSTA RICA: Limón Province, Valle del Silencio, R.B. Hitoy Cerere, Sendero Toma de Agua, L.N._184600_643400, 100–140 meters, 17 February–17 March 2000, F. Umaña, Malaise trap (INBio); 1Ψ, same data except 17 March–17 April 2000 (INBio).

Etymology. The species epithet, considered a noun in apposition, is derived from the name Ecuador, the country from which the first as well as the majority of specimens originated.

Remarks. This species has been taken at low elevation sites ranging from 100 to 220 meters. Most of the known specimens were collected in Malaise traps, even if not labeled as such. The specimen taken by fogging at Reserva Ethnica Waorani in Ecuador has a biological label that reads: Insecticidal fogging of mostly bare green leaves, some with covering of lichenous or bryophytic plants in terre firme forest.

There is slight variation in coloration among the females examined, with the specimens from Costa Rica slightly darker on the head and legs. There is also some variation in the extent of areas of dark pubescence on the scutum. I am confident, however, that all the specimens are conspecific.

As there has been no key published that includes all Neotropical genera of pachygastrines with two or more scutellar spines, I am providing one here.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Kerteszmyia ecuadora, morphological features. 1, male head, lateral view. 2, female head, lateral view. 3, male head anterodorsal view. 4, female head, anterodorsal view. 5, female scutum, dorsal view. 6, female abdomen, posterior view. 7, female right wing, dorsal view.

FIGURES 8 – 11. Kerteszmyia ecuadora, male terminalia. 8, genital capsule, dorsal view. 9, epandrium and post-genital segments, dorsal view. 10, phallic complex, dorsal view. 11, phallic complex, left lateral view.