Megophthalmidia perignea, Kerr, Peter H., 2014

Kerr, Peter H., 2014, The Megophthalmidia (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) of North America including eight new species, ZooKeys 386, pp. 29-83 : 55-59

Megophthalmidia perignea sp. n. Figs 62-71

Type material.

Holotype: ♂, "USA: ARIZONA: Mohave Co; 11km, ESE Kingman; Malaise nr Hualapai, Mt. Recreational Park; 5-15.vi.2012, ME Irwin; 1740m; 35°06.68'N, 113°54.14'W CSCA13L225" / "HOLOTYPE 13N210, Megophthalmidia perignea ♂, Kerr, 2014" [red label]. Deposited in CSCA, mounted on gray point, entire specimen in excellent condition (Fig. 62), missing part of left wing.

Paratypes (all bearing a blue paratype label): 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, same locality as holotype / [CSCA; specimen numbers 13M587 (dissected ♂, Figs 63-71), 13M569 (♂), 13M659 (♂, in alcohol), 13N390 (♂), 13N391 (♂),13N392 (♀), 13N393 (♀), 13N394 (♀, Fig. 62)]; ♂, "USA: ARIZONA, Gila Co; 21km S Globe; Malaise in Oak-Juniper, hillside thicket; 15-20.v.2013, ME Irwin; 1480m; 33°14.12'N, 110°46.92'W CSCA13L218" [CSCA; specimen # 13M544]; ♂, ♀, "USA: ARIZONA, Gila Co; 21km S Globe; Malaise in Oak-Juniper, hillside thicket; 20-25.v.2013, ME Irwin; 1480m; 33°14.12'N, 110°46.92'W CSCA13L222" [UAIC; specimen numbers 13M556 (♂), 13N389 (♀)].

Diagnosis.

Like its putative sister taxon, Megophthalmidia ignea , Megophthalmidia perignea sp. n. is superficially similar to Megophthalmidia browni and Megophthalmidia mckibbeni sp. n. because of its brown thorax and contrasting cream-colored tibia, but may be separated from these taxa by its shortened and bare apical epandrial processes (Figs 63, 64). Megophthalmidia perignea is similar to Megophthalmidia ignea in nearly all aspects except in relatively subtle features of the male genitalia. At its base, the short aedeagal tine of Megophthalmidia perignea has approximately the diameter as the long aedeagal tine. Also, in Megophthalmidia perignea , the apical epandrial processes are shorter, wider, and turned inward more than in Megophthalmidia ignea .

Description.

Male. Body length: 2.6-2.9, 2.8 [2.9] mm (n=6). Wing length: 2.5-2.9, 2.7 [2.5] mm (n=7).

Coloration (Fig. 62). Head dark brown; antennal scape, pedicel, and flagellomeres brown; face dark brown, clypeus and labrum brown to dark brown; palps and labellum cream-colored to pale yellow (palpomeres 1-3 usually slightly darker than others, palpomere 2 with light patch where sensilla present). Thorax brown to dark brown throughout, except at the anterolateral margin of the dorsum and dorsal apronotal area, where it may be narrowly cream-colored or pale yellow; scutum setae golden brown to dark brown. Coxae clearly lighter in color than thorax, cream-colored to pale yellow; femora cream-colored throughout, dark brown at apical margin; tibiae and tarsi cream-colored to pale yellow, with densely-arranged dark brown setae; hind tibial comb yellowish, preceded by 0-3 (usually 3) dark brown setae. Wing hyaline without markings, wing veins brown; haltere stem and knob white to cream-colored. Abdominal segments concolorous brown. Terminalia light brown to brown.

Head. Ocelli slightly raised, median ocellus in line with anterior margin of lateral ocelli, median ocellus approx. 0.3 ×–0.5× size of lateral ocelli; lateral ocellus located approx. 1.8 × diameter of ocellus from eye margin, separated from median ocellus by approx. 2.0 × its own diameter. Eyes with microsetae, which are approximately as long as width of facet. Frons microtrichose, without setae, flattened. Antennal length 1.1-1.3, 1.2 [1.3] mm (n=6). Face clearly longer than wide, setose; clypeus and labrum microtrichose, without setae. Palpus with four palpomeres; palpomere 1 oblong, without setae; other palpomeres with brown setae; palpomere 2 bearing small pocket of sensilla; palpomere 1 length longer than or subequal in length to palpomere 2; palpomere 3 approx. same length as combined length of palpomeres 1 and 2; palpomere 4 subequal or slightly longer in length to combined length of palpomeres 2 and 3.

Thorax. Dorsum with evenly-distributed, short, appressed setae, bearing longer setae only along lateral and posterior margins. Antepronotum, proepisternum, and laterotergite bearing setae; remaining lateral thoracic sclerites bare. Costal wing vein extends beyond R5, approx. three-fifths distance between R5 and M1; R1 approximately the same length as r-m or slightly longer; cubital fork below or proximad of r-m base (as in Megophthalmidia occidentalis , Fig. 52); R1, M1, M2, CuA1, and CuA2 with setae on upper surface (lacking setae on M1 + M2). Wing veins A1 and CuP absent.

Male genitalia (Figs 63-71). Posterior margin of epandrium broadly emarginate at center (Fig. 65). Posterior processes of epandrium relatively short, approx. 2 × longer than wide, separated at base by approx. 1 × width of process, turned inward (i.e., broad in lateral view (Fig. 63)); bare (Fig. 64). Gonocoxites as in Figs 66-68. Aedeagal fork bifurcated into tines; shorter tine slightly thickened (nearly same width as paired tine at base), both tines pointed outward apically (Fig. 70).

Female. Body length: 2.6-3.3, 2.8 mm (n=4). Antennal length: 0.8-1.0, 0.9 mm (n=4). Wing length: 2.5-3.1, 2.8 mm (n=4).

Coloration (Fig. 62). Same as male; cerci light brown to brown.

Head and thorax. Same as male, except antenna length shorter.

Etymology.

The species epithet “perignea” is an adjective, derived for the Latin word for "near fiery" in reference to the distribution of this species, relative to that of its sister taxon, Megophthalmidia ignea sp. n.