Proctacanthella taina, Scarbrough & Perez-Gelabert, 2006

Scarbrough, Aubrey G. & Perez-Gelabert, Daniel E., 2006, A review of the asilid (Diptera) fauna from Hispaniola with six genera new to the island, fifteen new species, and checklist, Zootaxa 1381, pp. 1-91 : 12-14

Proctacanthella taina sp. nov.

( Table 1, Figs. 1–2, 118)

Male. Measurements, body 11.8 mm, wing 9.4 mm. Mostly blackish with whitish vestiture. Head: Whitish tomentose, mostly whitish bristles and setae. Face gradually produced, well exposed beyond margin of eyes; oral margin with several stout bristles medially, thinner bristles laterally, dense white setae dorsally. Palpus and proboscis white setose, former with sparse black setae apically. Antenna black setose; scape, flagellum, and style twice or more as long as pedicel. Frons with setae as long as scape. Ocellar tubercle low, with short, weak whitish setae. Occiput with numerous stout bristles dorsally, bristles thinner, longer laterally.

Thorax: Pronotum with abundant, long whitish setae and numerous stout bristles. Scutum mostly yellowish-gray tomentose; 2 narrow longitudinal brown tomentose stripes medially and 2 lateral spots; setae short, bristly mostly black dorsally, narrow anterior and side white setose; 4–5 thin, black dorsocentral bristles present with sparse bristles between rows; lateral bristles stout, whitish, supra-alar bristles black. Scutellum yellowish-gray tomentose with scattered bristles of varying thicknesses and lengths dorsally and apically, one or 2 pairs slightly thicker than others; preapical crease absent. Anatergite bare. Pleura black, gray tomentose with white vestiture. Halter whitish.

Wing: Hyaline, veins brown, those basally yellow or brownish-yellow. Costal margin white setose. Vein R 4 without spur vein; R 5 joining wing margin below wing apex; spur r4 vein absent. Crossvein r-m just beyond middle of discal cell. Cell m 3 petiolate basally.

Legs: Mostly black, with whitish setae and bristles. Coxae yellowish-gray tomentose with abundant setae and bristles. Femora black, narrow base yellow; bristles white, usually stout; fore femur with thin, long bristles ventrally. Tibiae with basal 1/3 or 1/2 yellowish, black bristles present apically on all tibiae, anteriorly on fore tibiae, mixed black and whitish on hind tibiae. Tarsi blackish with whitish setae, mixed stout black and white bristles.

Abdomen: Mostly blackish, segment 6 apically, segments 7 and 8 entirely reddish or brownish-yellow; yellowish-gray tomentose, with whitish setae and bristles, bristles longer and stouter on tergites apically and laterally; tergites with large brownish tomentose spot dorsally.

Terminalia ( Figs. 1–2): Brownish-yellow, whitish setose; epandrium narrow, gonocoxa large, concealing aedeagus. Hypandrium simple.

Female. Measurements, body 12.3–12.5 mm, wing 7.5–8.3 mm. Head: Ocellar tubercle with black setae. Wing: Crossvein well before middle of discal cell. Vein R 4 usually with minute spur vein. Fore and middle femora with yellow extending to basal 1/3 ventrally, or entirely yellow ventrally; apical 1/2–2/3 of femora yellow. Abdomen: Black. Tergites with small brown tomentose spot medially. Terminalia: Black, round in crosssection, with apical spines.

Types. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Pr. Montecristi, 4 km. N. of / Botoncillo 25.iv.2000 / R.E.Woodruff, hand (holotype ♂, FSCA) . Paratypes, pr. / Montecristi, 10 km. S. / Montecristi, 2.x.85 / Woodruff & Stange / Blacklight trap (1 ♀, FSCA) ; RD-186 Rd. to Playa Buen / Hombre , Montecristi prov. / 132 m, 19 o 46.213'N 71 o 23. / 996'W, 6.xii.2003, D. / Perez, R. Bastardo, A. Mar- / molejos (1 ♀, USNM) ; Bahoruco [province], 5.8 km SW. / Neiba eastern playa / of Lago Enriquillo / 10-25-17N 71-26-38W [10 o 25.17'N 71 o 26.38'W] ~ - 5 m, 3 Apr 2004 J / Rawlins, R. Davidson, C. Young Salt scrub / on sandy playa hand / collected, Sample 50143 ~ Carnegie Museum / Specimen Number / CMNH 260,729 (1 ♂, CMNH) ; same data except Specimen Number / CMNH 307,313 (1 ♀, CMNH) .

Distribution. Captured in sandy areas at low elevation during April, May, October, and December in Bahoruco and Montecristi provinces, Dominican Republic.

Etymology. Noun in apposition, taina referring to the species being an aboriginal of the West Indies.

Remarks. Proctacanthella taina is readily distinguished from the 3 Proctacanthus species by the gradually produced face, whitish vestiture of the body, and the combined characters of the terminalia ( Figs. 1–2). This is the first record of Proctacanthella in the West Indies.