Heteromeringia aphotisma, Lonsdale & Marshall, 2007

Lonsdale, Owen & Marshall, Stephen A., 2007, Revision of the New World Heteromeringia (Diptera: Clusiidae: Clusiodinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 57 (1), pp. 37-80 : 54

Heteromeringia aphotisma sp. n.

( Map 5 )

Description

Female

Body length 3.9 mm. Bristles black. Two dorsocentral bristles. Ocellar bristle relatively long and well-developed. One inclinate and three reclinate fronto-orbital bristles (anterior reclinate bristle small). Anterior genal bristle vibrissa-like. Arista short-plumose. Anepisternum with additional upcurved bristle in posterodorsal corner. Thorax dark brown. Legs yellow with fore and mid coxae dark brown, femora and tibiae dark brown with tips of femora yellow, and fore tarsi dark brown. Head yellow with frons, back of head, occiput and posterior margin of gena dark brown and inner face of first flagellomere with dark spot; anterodorsal margin of gena silvery tomentose; anterior half of frons pilose. Abdomen dark brown with tergite 1 white and terminalia yellow. Wing dusky, becoming darker towards costa. M 1+2 ratio 5.2.

Female terminalia

Not dissected.

Male

Unknown.

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the Greek for “without light” (aphos )), referring to the dark colouration of this species with respect to the other Heteromeringia with four fronto-orbitals.

Holotype: BRAZIL. R. J. Nova Friburgo, 10km S, “Sitio Edelweiss”, Malaise head, 1-28.ii.1990, S.A. Marshall (1 , QBUM).

Comments

Within the Heteromeringia czernyi group, H. aphotisma , like H. czernyiczernyi and H. flavipes , has retained dark colouration and an upcurved bristle in the posterodorsal corner of the anepisternum. Unlike these two dark species, however, H. aphotisma also has an additional reclinate fronto-orbital bristle (synapomorphic of the rest of the group), entirely dusky wings, brown legs (excluding the mid and hind tarsi) and a much darker head, easily separating it.

Figures

Map 5: Distributions of species in the Heteromeringia czernyi species group excluding H. czernyi KERTESZ. Legend: H. flavipes ((WILLIST WILLISTON), circle; H. flavifrons HENNIG, dot.