Hemerodromia megalamellata, Câmara, Josenir T., Takiya, Daniela M., Plant, Adrian R. & Rafael, José A., 2015

Câmara, Josenir T., Takiya, Daniela M., Plant, Adrian R. & Rafael, José A., 2015, Neotropical Hemerodromia Meigen (Diptera: Empididae), a world of discovery II: New species from Atlantic forest, Brazil, Zootaxa 4028 (2), pp. 197-214 : 206

Hemerodromia megalamellata sp. nov.

( Figs 28–35 )

Diagnosis. External characters similar to H. lamellata Câmara, Plant & Rafael, 2014 . Cercus wide basally, bluntly pointed at apex ( Fig. 31 ), left and right cerci separated anterodorsally ( Fig. 32 ); phallus with hook, and apical membranous area covered with spicules ( Fig. 34 ); ejaculatory and gonocoxal apodemes very long ( Figs 31, 34, 35 ).

Description. Male ( Fig. 28 ). Head. Dark brown to black, antenna and mouthparts yellow with all setae whitish; ocellar triangle with 1 pair of proclinate setae; anterior ocellus larger. Eyes iridescent black, very narrowly separated on face bearing fine reclinate setulae. Frons with 1–2 frontal setulae; 1 pair of distinct vertical setae contiguous with uniseriate row of smaller postocular setae. Occiput bearing scattered fine hairs. Clypeus with rather dense, short downwardly directed pile. Proboscis slightly curved with setae yellow. Antenna with scape and pedicel bearing distinct, short dorsal setulae; postpedicel about 1.5X as long as wide, stylus ~ 0.7X as long as postpedicel. Thorax ( Fig. 28 ). Elongate, slightly arched ventrally; thoracic dorsum yellow except brownish on prothoracic collar, narrowly behind postpronotal lobe, on scutum posterolaterally above wing base and laterally on scutellum and mediotergite; antepronotum with anterior margin almost straight and scutum with yellow setae, very small and fine except 1 notopleural and 2 pairs of scutellars, the inner stronger. Legs ( Fig. 28 ). Whitish yellow. C1 ~ 1.3X longer than distance between C1 and C2, 7X as long as wide with some pale dorsoapical setae. F1 1.1X as long as C1, 4.5–5.0X as long as wide. Femoral formula 7/17–18/1+17–18/6–7; basal spines stronger; denticles confined to distal 0.9, becoming closer together distally, black, 2 rows linear, without distal discontinuity. T1 ~ 0.7X as long as F1, evenly curved, ventral face shallowly concave; about 20–23 sharply pointed spinose setae ventrally; dorsal ciliation of decumbent short pale setulae, denser distally; without apicoventral extension on T1 but with strong apical spine. Mid- and hind legs slender with fine setae; T3 with ‘comb’ of short setae posteroapically. Wing ( Fig. 29 ). Membrane slightly yellow, veins yellowish; R2+3 long and straight, not strongly curved towards C apically, joining C ~ 0.7–0.8 distance between end of R1 and R4; R4+5 fork acute (~ 60°), distal to position of M1+2 fork by about same length as R4; R5 and M1 convergent distally, diverging slightly at extreme apex; R5 ~ 2X as long as R4; cell bm+dm short, ending at level of R1, ~ 2X as long as cell br. Halter whitish yellow. Abdomen ( Figs 28, 30 ). Tergites 1–6 and 8 brownish; tergites 7 and sternites yellow with pale setae most conspicuous on posterior margin; tergite 8 longer than sternite 8; membranous area between segment 8 and terminalia. Terminalia. Cercus brown, wide basally, bluntly pointed at apex ( Fig. 31 ), left and right cerci separated anterodorsally ( Fig. 32 ), distinctly setose. Epandrium yellowish, narrow, rounded at apex, scattered strong setae on outer face ( Fig. 31 ); articulated to hypandrium by weak point anteriorly. Surstylus narrow, with spine-like setae on inner face ( Figs 32, 33 ). Hypandrium brownish, rather subrectangular ( Fig. 35 ), with distinct setae; gonocoxal apodeme very long, projecting much beyond anterior margin of hypandrium ( Figs 30, 31, 34, 35 ). Subepandrial sclerite with subquadrate anterior projection and median subrounded posterior process ( Fig. 33 ). Phallus strongly sclerotized basally, extending well beyond hypandrium apex, with hook and apical membranous area, covered with spicules ( Fig. 34 ). Ejaculatory apodeme unilamellar plate flattened in vertical plane, ~0.8X as long as gonocoxal apodeme ( Fig. 31 ). Specimen length: 2.8 mm; wing length: 2.2 mm. Female. Unknown.

Geographic distribution. Brazil (Paraná State).

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, “BR[asil], PR[Paraná], Céu Azul, P.[arque] N.[acional] Iguaçu, Rio Azul. 25º09'21,5''S – 53º49'44''W, 510 m, 6–8.ix.2012, Malaise. D.M.Takyia, A.P.M.Santos, G.Jardim." ( INPA). Paratypes: Same data as holotype (2 ♂, INPA, 1 ♂, MNRJ).

Holotype condition. Abdomen in microtube with glycerin.

Etymology. From the Greek mega = great, referring to the very long gonocoxal apodemes.

Variations. Body length varying from 2.3–2.9 mm and wing length varying from 1.6–2.1 mm.

Remarks. Hemerodromia megalamellata sp. nov. appears to belong to the same group of species that includes H. lamellata Câmara, Plant & Rafael, 2014 , H. longilamellata Câmara, Plant & Rafael, 2014 and H. membranosa sp. nov., characterized by a membranous area between segment 8 and male terminalia, with very long ejaculatory and gonocoxal apodemes. Hemerodromia megalamellata sp. nov. is similar to H. lamellata in having the cercus wide basally and abruptly pointed distally; epandrium inflated basally, narrower distally and phallus with membranous area covered with small spicules ( Fig. 34 ). Hemerodromia megalamellata sp. nov. differs from H. lamellata in having the cercus not curved up distally ( Fig. 31 ) and phallus with hook basal to the sclerotized area ( Fig. 34 ). In H. lamellata the cercus is curved up apically (fig. 51 in Câmara et al. 2014) and phallus without hook basal to the sclerotized area (fig. 55 in Câmara et al. 2014).

Figures

FIGURES 28 – 35. Hemerodromia megalamellata sp. nov., holotype ♂. 28, habitus, lateral view; 29, wing; 30, abdomen from tergite 6 to terminalia, lateral view; 31, terminalia, lateral view; 32, terminalia, dorsal view; 33, subepandrial sclerite, surstylus and epandrium, ventral view; 34, phallus, gonocoxal apodeme and hypandrium, lateral view; 35, hypandrium, gonocoxal and ejaculatory apodemes, ventral view.