Entesia pallidiventroides, 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 : 40

Entesia pallidiventroides sp. n.

( Figs 24 ; 26A–D ; 33A ; 51 )

Zoobank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:391C52F3-0902-4FA6-A77D-ED10A59DA7E3

Diagnosis. Elongate, glaucous pubescent species with extensive setae; wing hyaline, yellowish basally and anteriorly; male with numerous postocular and occipital macrosetae; male frons contiguous below ocellar tubercle; lateral lobe of cervical sclerite with macrosetae present; posterior surface of mid coxa without setae; medial furrow of prosternum with setae present; scutellum with two pairs of macrosetae; hind femoral subapical anteroventral seta present; abdominal sternite 1 with medial tuft of erect setae; distiphallus narrow.

Description. Body length. 10.0– 10.5 mm (male). Head. Relatively small; frons flat, pubescence greyish silver, male vestiture with small patch of short, dark setae close to eye margin, male eyes contiguous; both sexes with numerous robust, black postocular and occipital macrosetae, longer in male; male occiput flat, grey pubescent; genal setae black; antennal scape length equal to flagellum, brown, overlain with grey pubescence, admixed with numerous large, black setae; flagellum brown. Thorax. Scutum grey admixed with numerous erect, elongate, black setae, macrosetae black, chaetotaxy: np, 4; sa, 1; pa, 1; dc, 8–9; sc, 2; scutellum concolourous with scutum; prosternum with setae in medial furrow; lateral lobe of cervical sclerite with a single black macroseta; pleuron with dense grey pubescence, white setae on anepisternum, katepisternum and katatergite; coxae dark, overlain with grey pubescence, setae black, macrosetae numerous, strong, black; mid- and hind coxae without setae on posterior surfaces; femora dark yellow, suffused with dark brown, lighter apically, uniform short dark setae; hind leg length distinctly longer and thicker than mid- and forelegs, hind femur with single subapical anteroventral macroseta; tibiae and tarsi dark yellow to brown; wing hyaline, yellowish anteriorly, venation yellow basally along major veins, darker distally, costal margin setae arranged in 3–4 rows; haltere stem pale with knob mostly brown. Abdomen. Sternite 1 with tuft of erect setae medially; abdomen without silver velutum on tergites, grey pubescent, admixed with pale elongate setae, darker on posterior segments and terminalia; abdominal tergite 2 with patch of short modified setae posteromedially; terminalia dark yellow. Male terminalia. Epandrium elongate; macrosetae numerous, large, dark on epandrium and gonocoxites; outer gonocoxite process narrow, subtriangular; phallus with dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath subtriangular, distiphallus narrow, straight and short; ejaculatory apodeme narrow.

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the name palllidiventris combined with the Latin, - oides —like; referring to the similarity of this species to E. pallidiventris .

Comments. Entesia pallidiventroides sp. n. is a glaucous and pilose species known only from two males specimens collected in central Chile. The presence of the erect tuft of elongate setae medially on sternite 1 is shared with E. glauca sp. n. and E. notabilis , along with 2 pairs of scutellar macrosetae, and one or more macrosetae on the lateral lobe of the cervical sclerite; this suggests a likely close relationship amongst these three species. Entesia pallidiventroides sp. n. is very similar in appearance to E. glauca sp. n. in particular, but differs in body colour and pubescence. The male eyes are contiguous in E. pallidiventroides sp. n. ( Fig. 33A ) while in E. glauca sp. n. they are narrower than the anterior ocellus but not contiguous. Entesia pallidiventroides sp. n. also bears some similarity to E. pallidiventris , especially in the extensive dark macrosetae on the head and thorax.

Type material— Holotype male, CHILE: O’Higgins Region: Pichilemu [-34.3827, -72.0017], II.1963, J. Astrosa ( MEI153977 ; UCCC) . Ñuble Region: 1 male, Cobquecura [-36.1365, -72.8034], I.1968, P. Ramirez F. ( MEI112354 ; CSCA).

Figures

FIGURE 24. Entesia pallidiventoides sp. n.: A. Male, oblique view; B. same, lateral view.

FIGURE 26. Entesia spp., male terminalia: E. pallidiventroides sp. n.: A. epandrium and tergite 8, dorsal view; B. gonocoxites with phallus in situ and sternite 8, ventral view; C. sternite 8, posterior view with sclerotised areas; D. gonocoxites, ventral view; E. penai sp. n.: E. epandrium; F. aedeagus, lateral view; G. same, dorsal view; H. gonocoxites with phallus in situ, ventral 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 51. Distribution map of Entesia penai, E. notabilis, E. tessera and E. pallidiventroides.