Entesia rubidaster, Winterton & Irwin, 2023

Winterton, Shaun L. & Irwin, Michael E., 2023, Revision of the South American stiletto fly genera Entesia Oldroyd and Melanothereva Malloch, with the description of a new genus (Therevidae: Agapophytinae), Zootaxa 5269 (1), pp. 1-82 : 49-53

Entesia rubidaster sp. n.

( Figs 31 ; 32 ; 33C, D ; 37A, B ; 52 )

Zoobank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DD09E7A2-BEF4-43DF-B133-06CEC044E1BE

Diagnosis. Slender, grey and brown or dark yellow species; antennae elongate; dark spot on frons above antennal bases; male with single row of postocular macrosetae dorsally; male frons contiguous below ocellar tubercle; lateral lobe of cervical sclerite with macroseta present; wing smoky infuscate; posterior surface of midcoxa and medial furrow of prosternum with setae absent; scutellum with one pair macrosetae; hind legs relatively elongate with tibia and basitarsus thickened (male); hind femoral subapical anteroventral seta present; distiphallus short and broad.

Description. Body length. 7.5–8.5 mm (male), 8.2–12.5 mm (female). Head. Frons flat, pubescence yellow with dark brown medial spot above antennae, short dark setae sparse in female (absent in male), male frons width at narrowest point with eyes contiguous; male postocular setae as single row, admixed black or yellow, especially in female; male occiput relatively concave, convex in female, occiput pubescence yellowish brown, grey medially on occiput, occiput with setae absent; genal setae yellow; antenna elongate, longer than head ( Fig. 33C, D ); scape elongate, cylindrical, dark yellow, sparsely covered with black and yellow setae of varying lengths, flagellum orange to yellow, darker apically. Thorax. Scutum grey (male) or yellow to tan (female) with brown markings, markings as grey dorsocentral vittae alternated with dark brown vittae, one medial and a pair of lateral vittae, scattered short, dark setae, denser and longer anteriorly in male, macrosetae black, chaetotaxy: np, 4; sa, 1; pa, 1; dc, 2–4; sc, 1; scutellum concolourous with scutum; prosternum without setae in medial furrow; lateral lobe of cervical sclerite with single yellow macroseta; pleuron grey (male) or yellow (female), overlain with greyish pubescence, white setae on anepisternum, katepisternum and katatergite; coxae yellow, overlain with silver-grey pubescence, setae mostly pale, macrosetae black, few in number, mid- and hind coxae without setae on posterior surfaces; hind leg length noticeably longer and thicker than mid- and forelegs; femora uniform yellow with short dark setae; hind femur with single subapical anteroventral macroseta, tibiae and tarsi dark yellow with apices brown; wing smoky hyaline, infuscate anteriorly, venation dark, costal cell yellow infuscate, costal margin setae arranged in two row; haltere stem pale with knob mostly brown. Abdomen. Sternite 1 lacking medial tuft of setae; abdomen dark yellow, dark- brown spot medially on each tergite, and as thin line posteriorly along lateral margin; scattered dark setae, denser posteriorly and on terminalia, longer anteriorly in male; abdominal tergite 2 with patch of short modified setae posteromedially; male abdomen without silver velutum; terminalia brown or dark yellow. Male terminalia. Epandrium short, oblong with rounded lateral margins, brown along lateral margin; cerci round; macrosetae dark on epandrium and gonocoxites; outer gonocoxite process brown, well-developed, narrow; phallus with dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath widely forked with arms parallel; ventral apodeme broad, extending beyond dorsal apodeme; distiphallus straight and short; ejaculatory apodeme narrow. Female terminalia. As per genus description.

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the name rubida combined with the Latin, - aster and is a diminutive suffix referring to the similarity of this species to E. rubida .

Comments. Entesia rubidaster sp. n. is very similar to E. rubida in body colour, vestiture and genitalia shape, suggesting a likely sister species relationship. Indeed, the main differences are the more elongate antennae and the presence of a single seta on the lateral lobe of the cervical sclerite. The distribution of E. rubidaster sp. n. is relatively restricted in Central Chile compared with the more widely distributed E. rubida , and appears to overlap in part.

Type material— Holotype male, CHILE: Valparaiso Region: El Naranjo, Tilama [-32.0308, -71.1528], X.1968, J. Molina (MEI154221; MEUC) . Paratypes. CHILE: Santiago Metropolitan Region: 1 female, Quebrada de la Plata, Rinconada, Maipú [-33.4984, -70.9042], 620 m, 4.I.1967, M.E. Irwin, Malaise (MEI153986; CSCA) . Valparaiso Region: 6 males, 12 females, same data as holotype, various dates: I.1968, II.1968, III.1968, IX.1968, XII.1968, I.1969 (MEI154232–49; MEUC, CSCA) .

Other material examined— CHILE: Valparaiso Region: 2 males, 6 females, Palma de Ocoa Campanas National Park [-32.9324, -71.0781], 29.XII.1999, M.E. Irwin, E.I. Schlinger, 215 m (MEI121521–7, 121529; CSCA) .

Figures

FIGURE 31. Entesia rubidaster sp. n.: A. Male, oblique view; B. same, lateral view (Scale line: 1.0 mm).

FIGURE 32. Entesia rubidaster sp. n.: A. Female, oblique view; B. same, lateral view.

FIGURE 33. Entesia spp., heads, anterolateral view: A. E. pallidiventroides sp. n., male; B. E. rubida (Wulp), male; C. E. rubidaster sp. n., male; D, E. rubidaster sp. n., female (Scale line: 0.75 mm).

FIGURE 37. Entesia spp., male terminalia: E. rubidaster sp. n.: A. epandrium; B. gonocoxites with phallus in situ, ventral view; E. tessera sp. n.: C. epandrium; D. gonocoxites with phallus in situ, ventral view; E. sternite 8.

FIGURE 52. Distribution map of Entesia pallidiventris, E. rubida and E. rubidaster.