Diplonevra ereba, Corona, Emily M. & Brown, Brian V., 2005

Corona, Emily M. & Brown, Brian V., 2005, The Central American species of Diplonevra Lioy (Diptera: Phoridae), Zootaxa 1050, pp. 21-38 : 23-25

Diplonevra ereba new species

Figs. 1 , 14 , 20 .

Recognition. This species and D. goliatha are the only New World Diplonevra with a row of enlarged anterodorsal setae. In Borgmeier’s (1969) latest key to Neotropical species, couplet 1 gives the alternatives “hind tibia with anteroventral bristles” versus “hind tibia without anteroventral bristles”, which theoretically could allow species with anterodorsal setae; however, none of the other Neotropical species have them. Unlike D. goliatha , D. ereba has a dark brown palpus, forelegs, and halter, as well as many thick setae at the base of the inner face of the hind femur ( Fig. 1 ). Females of both species are among the largest New World phorids.

Description. Male. Body length 3.95–4.25 mm. Frons black, shallowly punctate. Mean frontal width 0.57 head width. Flagellomere 1 black, slightly oval. Arista black. Palpus brown, setose with many small, fine setulae; apex with several long (0.16 mm), thick pointed setae. Proboscis yellow­brown, elongate, narrow. Scutum and scutellum black; scutellum with 2 pairs of large setae. Pleuron black­brown, tomentose, shiny. Legs dark brown. Apical one­half of mid­ and hind femur with darkening on both anterior and posterior faces; basal half light brown. Hind tibia with 3–4 anterodorsal setae. Posterior face of hind trochanter with medial and lateral dense, extremely fine setae ( Fig. 1 ). Ventrobasal region of posterior face of hind femur with many short setae present, lacking process. Wing brown, especially dark at tip and anterior to vein M1, vein R2+3 present, fork large ( Fig. 14 ). Costal length 0.45–0.50 wing length. Costal setae 0.11 mm. Mean costal sector ratio 7.0: 1.8:1.0; range 6.6–7.7:1.6–1.9:1.0. Base of radial sector with 2 small setae. Halter dark brown. Abdominal tergites dark brown and present on all segments. Venter of abdomen dark gray. Epandrium dark brown, glossy. Left side of epandrium with posterior margin setose, with one long and several short setae. Right side of epandrium ( Fig. 20 ) with posterior margin setose, with 1 extremely thick seta ventrally; posterior margin with protruding transparent lobe. Cercus light brown, setose. Stalk of cercus dark brown to grey, setose except ventrobasally bare.

Female. Body length 5.20–5.80 mm. Frons black, shallowly punctate; swelling with medial indentation above supra­antennal setae present. Mean frontal width 0.58 head width. Flagellomere 1 black, spherical. Arista black. Palpus dorsoventrally flattened, black­brown and enlarged, extending beyond flagellomere 1. Entire margin of palpus with small, fine setulae; apex of palpus with several long (0.15–0.30 mm), thick pointed setae. Clypeus elongate, black­brown. Proboscis elongate and geniculate. Labrum brown. Labellae yellow­brown. Scutum and scutellum black; scutellum with 2 pairs of large setae. Pleuron dark brown, tomentose except venter of anepisternum, all of katepisternum and round medioventral spot of meron black­brown, shiny. Legs black­brown. Hind tibia with 3–5 anterodorsal setae. Wing vein R2+3 present, fork large. Costal length 0.48–0.50 wing length. Costal setae 0.15 mm. Mean costal sector ratio 7.7:2.4:1.0; range 7.2–8.2:2.2–2.4:1.0. Wing membrane noticeably darkened, especially anteriorly. Halter brown. Abdominal tergites black­brown and present only on segments 1–3. Tergite 1 broad and extremely short. Tergite 2 covers entire segment. Tergite 3 extends full length of segment, but only two­thirds of width. Venter of abdomen dark gray.

Derivation of specific epithet. Derived from the Latin word erebus, meaning a place of darkness in the nether world, or god of darkness. This refers to the dark body and head of this species.

Geographical distribution. Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Holotype. ɗ, COSTA RICA: San Jose: 20 km S. Empalme, 9.63° N, 83.85° W, iii–iv.1990, P. Hanson, Malaise trap, 2800 m [ LACM ENT 065708] ( LACM).

Paratypes. COSTA RICA: Cartago: Villa Mills, 9.57°N, 83.73°, 2ɗ, iii–iv.1990, P. Hanson, Malaise Trap, 3000 m ( LACM, MUCR); Heredia: Vara Blanca, 10.15°N, 84.15°W, 1Ψ, iii–iv.1990, P. Hanson, Malaise trap, 2100 m ( LACM); San José: 4 km NE Canon Genesis II, 9.71°N, 83.91°W, 2ɗ, iii.1996, P. Hanson, Malaise trap, 2350 m ( LACM), 16 km S. Empalme, 2Ψ, iii–iv.1989, P. Hanson, I. Gauld, Malaise Trap, 2600 m ( INBC, LACM, MUCR), 20 km S. Empalme, 9.63°N, 83.85°W, 4ɗ, 1Ψ, iii–iv.1989, 1 Ψ, vii–viii.1989, 2 ɗ, 2Ψ, iii–iv.1990, P. Hanson, I. Gauld, Malaise trap, 2800 m ( INBC, LACM), 19 km W. Empalme, 9.65°N, 83.87°W, 14Ψ, xi–xii.1989, P. Hanson, Malaise trap, 2600 m ( LACM), 80.5 km Pan American Hwy, 9.56°N, 83.80°W, 1Ψ, 21–23.vii.2000, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, Z. Falin, FIT, 2150 m ( LACM). NICARAGUA: Matagalpa: Fuente Pura, 13.02°N, 85.92°W, 1ɗ, 6.vii.1994, J. M. Maes, Malaise trap, 1500 m ( LACM).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Diplonevra spp. Basal region of posterior face of hind tibia and trochanter (scanning electron micrographs). Fig. 1. D. ereba new species. Fig. 2. D. gnoma new species. Fig. 3. D. goliatha new species. Fig. 4. D. hypermeka new species. Figs. 5 – 6. D. setigera (Malloch), Zurquí de Moravia, Costa Rica. Abbreviations: dms – dorsomedial setulae of trochanter; ls – lateral setulae of trochanter.

FIGURES 14 – 19. Diplonevra spp. Left wings.

FIGURES 20 – 25. Diplonevra spp. Male terminalia, right lateral.