Leucophora junin Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/4342fbf2-7dbb-4e92-80ad-8e1e445b0d64

Figs. 35–37

Diagnosis. Leucophora junin sp. nov. can be differentiated from its congeners by the following combination of characters: long palpi, central vitta on thorax extending even on ventral surface of scutellum and over the mediotergite, distiphallus short, without free paraphallic processes, and with acrophallus up-curved.

Material examined. Holotype 1 ♂ (MACN): “ Arg. Neuquén, Junín de los Andes, / Ruta 23 (Transecta) 780 m [m.a.s.l.] / -39.94607, -71.08059 / 16-XII-2013 Mulieri & Patitucci leg. [White label, printed]”; “ MACN _EN / 36236 [White label, printed]”; “MR 10 [white label, handwritten]”; “Holotype ♂ / Leucophora junin [red label, printed]”.

Description

Male (Figs. 35–37)

Body length 6.4 mm, wing length 4.8 mm.

Coloration (Fig. 35). Head black with light grey pruinosity; frontal vitta black, with brownish pruinosity. Fronto-orbital plate with silvery-white pruinosity and golden pruinosity along the fronto-orbital setae (Fig. 35B). Parafacialia and genae with silvery-white pruinosity; parafacialia in profile with a wide shifting black patch from level of insertion of antennae to mid length of postpedicel (Fig. 35C); genae with a brown to dark brown patch from the vibrissal angle to the lower margin of the eye. Face with white pruinosity. Antennae black, distal margin of scapus and pedicel bark brown; arista dark brown with black base. Prementum dark brown. Palpi dark brown with lighter bases. Thorax black with grey pruinosity, with three wide and well-defined dark brown longitudinal vittae (Fig. 35D), central vitta filling the space between almost the dorsocentral setae, on postsutural scutum almost touching the dorsocentral line, extending on the scutum dorsal and ventrally, continuing over the scutellum and mediotergite (Fig. 35E), lateral vittae filling the space between the posthumeral and supra-alar presutural setae and intralar postsutural setae and prealar and supra-alar postsutural setae. Anepisternum with the upper posterior corner with a brown patch (Fig. 35A). Legs dark brown; coxae and trochanters brown; mid and hind tibiae slightly lighter. Tarsomere darkened. Pulvilli slightly dark brown. Wing membrane hyaline; veins brown, slightly lighter basally. Calypters whitish with yellowish margins. Halteres light brown with darker base. Abdomen black with greyish pruinosity, with a broad longitudinal dark brown vitta (Fig. 35E). Anterior and posterior margins of each tergite dark brown. Sternite 5, syntergosternite 7+8, epandrium, surstylus, and cerci dark brown.

Head. Fronto-orbital plate at narrowest point 0.9x width of anterior ocellus, much widening anteriorly; frontal vitta at narrowest point 1.3x width of anterior ocellus, slightly widening towards lunule; eyes separated at narrowest point 3.1x width of anterior ocellus (Fig. 35B). 8–9 pairs of fr s; with short setulae in between (Fig. 35C). infr s as long as the shortest fr s. oc s as long as the longest fr s; ocellar triangle with 3 additional pairs of setulae; poc s shorter than the oc s. i vt s slightly shorter than oc s, convergent; o vt s about 0.5x the length the i vt s. Postpedicel 2.8x the pedicel length; arista 2x the postpedicel length, plumose, longest hairs 1.3x the postpedicel width. Parafacials 0.5x width of eye. Genae below lowest point of eye margin 0.3x eye height. Vibrissal angle in profile slightly projected beyond frontal angle (Fig. 35C). Prementum 0.8x head height. Palpus 0.5X as long as head height, slightly expanded at tip.

Thorax. Chaetotaxy: 5 pairs of psut acr s, prescutelar pair longer than the longest presut acr s (Fig. 35D). Prealar seta less than 0.5x the length the notopleural anterior. 6 anepst s. 2+2 kepst s, lower anterior less developed (Fig. 35A).

Legs. Fore femur with a row of fine av setulae on basal third. Mid femur with av setae absents; 5–6 pv setae on basal half; row of a setae indistinguishable from the surrounding setulae, 1 subapical seta; 2 p setae. Mid tibia with 1 ad and pd setae; 2 p setae. Hind femur with a row of av setae, longer on distal half; a complete row of ad setae; 2 d subapical setae; 1 subapical p seta; 1–2 pv setae on basal third. Hind tibia with 3 av, pd, and p setae, 3–5 ad setae.

Abdomen. Lateral marginal setae strong (Fig. 35E). Sternite 1 about 3x wider than long, setulose. Sternite 2 about 2x longer than wide, narrowed posteriorly, with long setulae. Sternites 3–4 about 1.4x longer than wide, slightly rounded on posterior margin, covered with long setae, longest setae almost as long as the respective sternite. Sternite 5 (Fig. 36A) almost 1.3x longer than wide, rather narrowed anteriorly, anterior margin straight; processes longer than basal region, moderately slender, outer margins parallel sided, slightly expanded distally, rounded apex, inner margin with long and thin setulae, outer surface with long and strong setae becoming longer distally, longest setae longer than processes length.

Terminalia . Surstylus slightly incurved basally, of equal width in almost all their extension, tapered towards apex, rounded tip (Fig. 36B); in profile almost straight, rather narrowed towards distal third; with fine setulae on ventral surface (Fig. 36C). Cercal plate slightly longer than wide, about 0.5x the surstylus length, heart-shaped, with notched tip; in profile with dorsal surface slightly curved basally and apically, tip narrow and rounded; surface with scattered setulae, longer setae laterally on basal half and apically; longest setae as long as cercal plate length. Pregonite (Figs. 36E; 37A–C) 2x longer than wide, 0.5x the postgonite length, distal half narrow and slightly up-curved, with 1 short basal seta, without sensilla. Postgonite longer than wide, in lateral view parallel-sided on distal half, with rounded tip, with 1 long subapical seta ventrally, with a few scattered sensilla on outer surface. Phallapodeme (Fig. 36D) in profile acute and curved basally, dorsal and ventral margins sinuous, distally expanded, unpigmented on margins; epiphallus rounded, slightly expanded; distiphallus (Figs. 36D; 37B) widely fused with basiphallus, with dorsal sclerotization relatively short, without free paraphallic processes, mainly unpigmented; acrophallus (Fig. 36D) widened preapically and up-curved, with irregular projections on distal margin (Fig. 37C), unpigmented.

Female. Unknown.

Remarks. In external appearance, the male of L. junin sp. nov., looks similar to the male of L. plumiseta, but differs by the longitudinal central vitta covering the ventral surface of the scutellum and mediotergite. The pregonite shape and the up-curved acrophallus in L. junin sp. nov., resemble those in L. catamarca sp. nov., and L. chalten sp. nov. However, it differs from both by the absence of free paraphallic process and by the presence of distal cuticular projections on acrophallus (Fig. 36C). L. chalten sp. nov. can also be differentiated by the structure of sternite 5, where the apex of the processes is rounded and straight, while in L. chalten, the inner posterior margin of the processes is inwards.

Etymology. The species’ epithet refers to the name “ Junín de los Andes”, where the holotype was collected.

Distribution. Neotropical: ARGENTINA (Neuquén) (Fig. 56A).