Paragrallomyia albibasis ( Enderlein, 1922 )

Ferro, Gustavo Borges & Marshall, Stephen A., 2020, A redefinition of Paragrallomyia Hendel (Diptera: Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae) and a revision of the P. albibasis complex, Zootaxa 4822 (1), pp. 39-70 : 46-48

Paragrallomyia albibasis ( Enderlein, 1922)

( Figs. 6–9 )

Grallomya albibasis Enderlein 1922: 216 (genus spelled Grallomyia ).

Taeniaptera albibasis (Enderlein) , Hennig 1934: 83, Steyskal, 1968: 16, Ferro & Carvalho 2014: 60.

Paragrallomyia albibasis (Enderlein) , Jackson et al. 2015: 14.

Taeniaptera parens Cresson 1926: 273 , Cresson, 1930: 352, Steyskal 1968: 18. New synonym

Paragrallomyia parens (Cresson) , Jackson et al. 2015: 14.

Description: Body length 6 mm; wing 4 mm. Head and abdomen black, thorax black. Palpus dark brown except for white outer face. Clypeus brown with sparse pale microsetulae. First flagellomere dark brown. Fronto-orbital plate dark brown. Row of katepisternal setae brownish. Fore tibia dark brown. Fore tarsus mostly white, tarsomere one brown on basal half only. Hind femur mostly brown, white on basal quarter and with a small angled preapical white ring. Tergites black. Oviscape black.

Head: First flagellomere covered by pale microsetulae. Frontal vitta with a darkened spot anterior to ocellar plate. Frontal vitta flat, not swollen anterior to ocellar plate. Epicephala converging, not immediately merging posterior to ocellar plate ( Fig. 6 ). Epicephalon somewhat swollen above frontal vitta level.

Thorax: Mesonotum with lines of thin brownish microsetulae. Anterior half of postpronotal lobe bare. Femora covered with sparse black microsetulae. Mid and hind tibia almost cylindrical, sulcus on outer face weak. Female cervical sclerite with a whitish oval swelling, male cervical sclerite smooth. Cell r 4+5 open at the tip of the wing.

Abdomen: Pleural membrane greyish with a white vertical stripe on P3. Female abdomen: Single spermathecal duct apically swollen. Single spermatheca cylindrical, with sparse small rounded finger-like processes ( Fig. 7 ). Paired spermathecal duct uniformly thick. Paired spermathecal duct stems tapered on apical third, followed by a disc-shaped swelling and a broader apical half. Paired spermathecae oval and with an apical nipple-like swelling, invaginated apically. Male abdomen: Copulatory fork with small inner basal lobes, less than half as long as the arms. Ejaculatory apodeme smaller than epandrium and with a very small blade, length subequal to sperm pump. Phallapodeme short, not extending to anterior limit of hypandrium. Distiphallus long, longer than epandrium; phallic bulb subequal in length and width. Distal distiphallus short and thin, 1/4 of length and almost half of width of basal distiphallus ( Fig. 9 ).

Type material: Syntype of Grallomya albibasis : GUATEMALA. Tumbador. VII and VIII.1912 (1 ♀, ZMHB examined) ; Holotype of Taeniaptera parens (1 ♂, ANSP, 6310, not examined) .

Material examined: BELIZE. Cayo Dist., San Ignacio, Maya Mt. Lodge, 17º 9’ N 89º4’W, dung trap, 7– 8.I.1991, S. A. Marshall (3 ♀ DEBU00151700 , DEBU00151709 ; DEBU00151715 ) ; COLOMBIA. Chocó, Ensenada de Utria Natl. Pk., Cocalito , 0–100 m, canopy trap, 4–19.VII.2000, J. Pérez (3 ♀, DEBU00138518 , DEBU00138519 , DEBU00138522 , IAVH) ; Chocó, Ensenada de Utria Natl. Pk., Cocalito , 0–100 m, Malaise trap, 4–19.VII.2000, J. Pérez (3 ♀, DEBU00138433 , DEBU00138491 , DEBU00138492 , IAVH) ; Chocó, PNN Utriá, Cocalito , 6º01’ N 77º20’ W, 20 m, Malaise , 19–27.VII.2000, M. 334, J. Pérez (1 ♀, IAVH) ; Chocó, PNN Utriá, Cocalito , 6º01’ N 77º20’ W, 20 m, Malaise , 16.VIII–7.IX.2000, M. 814, J. Pérez (1 ♀, IAVH) ; Chocó, PNN Utriá, Cocalito , 6º01’ N 77º20’ W, 20 m, Malaise , 16.VIII–7.IX.2000, M. 819, J. Pérez (1 ♀, IAVH) ; Putumayo, PNN La Paya Cabaña Viviano , bosque ripario, 0º7’ S 74º56’ W, 320 m, 19.IX–1.X.2001, Malaise, R. Cobete, M. 2440 (1 ♀, IAVH) ; Putumayo, PNN La Paya Cabaña Viviano , 0º7’ S 74º56’ W, 320 m, 30.XI–15.XII.2001, Malaise, E. Lazano, M. 2794 (1 ♀, IAVH) ; Valle Del Cauca, PNN Farallones de Cali Anchicaya, 3º26’ N 76º48’ W, 730 m, Malaise , 30.I–13.II.2000, M. 1111, S. Sarria (1 ♀, IAVH) ; Valle Del Cauca, PNN Farallones de Cali Anchicaya, 3º26’ N 76º48’ W, 730 m, Malaise , 25.X–8.XI.2000, M. 1111, S. Sarria (1 ♀, IAVH) ; COSTA RICA. Alajuela, Biol. Res. San Ramón , 900 m, II. III.2000, P. Hanson (2 ♀, DEBU00138164 , DEBU00138166 , MNCR) ; Alajuela, Volcan Tenorio, N slope nr. Bijagua Biol. Sta. , 700 m, rain forest, 19. VI.2000, rain forest, S. A. Marshall (1 ♀, DEBU00138366 , MNCR) ; Alajuela, Volcan Tenorio, N slope nr. Bijagua Biol. Sta. , 700 m, rain forest, 16–20. VI.2000, S. A. Marshall (2 ♂, DEBU00118469 , DEBU00118493 ) ; Alajuela, Volcan Tenorio N slope trail to laguna, 800–900 m, rain forest, 16–20. VI.2000, S. A. Marshall (3♀, DEBU00118539 , DEBU00118540 , DEBU00118547 , MNCR) ; Alajuela, San Ramon Biol. Res. , 900 m, V.2000, P. Hanson (3 ♀, DEBU00206264 , DEBU00206269 , DEBU00206280 ) ; Puntarenas, Corcovado Natl. Pk., San Pedrillo , 5-50 m, 8º 37’15” N 83º44’06 E, 13.VIII.2001, S. A. Marshall (1 ♀, DEBU00168167 ) ; Puntarenas, Corcovado Natl. Pk., San Pedrillo , 5-50 m, 8º 37’15” N 83º44’06 E, on foliage, 13.VIII.2001, M. Buck (1 ♀, DEBU00168187 ) ; MEXICO. Vera Cruz, 33 km NE Catemaco, Los Tuxitas Biol. Sta. , ridge rainforest, FIT, 160 m, 1.VII–1.VIII.1983, S. & J. Peck (2 ♀, 1 ♂, DEBU) .

Distribution: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.

Comments: P. albibasis is recognized by the somewhat elevated black epicephalon that contrasts with the brownish and deep frontal vitta. The convergence of the epicephalon plates (not immediately merging) posterior to the ocellar plate and the single spermatheca with sparse small rounded finger-like processes ( Fig. 7 ) are also characteristic for the species. Our material from Brazil was limited but we have seen no verifiable specimens of this species from this country, and we suspect that records of P. albibasis from Brazil noted by Hennig (1934), and repeated by Steyskal (1968) and Ferro & Carvalho (2014) are misidentifications.

Cresson (1926) described Taeniaptera parens as a new species, even though he recognized that it was probably a junior synonym of Grallomya albibasis , because he couldn’t verify the number of dorsocentral setae in G. albibasis . Since the type specimen of G. albibasis has two dorsocentral setae as in described for T. parens , and no other characters suggest that these species are different, T. parens is treated as a junior synonym of P. albibasis .

Figures

FIGURES 6–9. Paragrallomyia albibasis (Enderlein). 6, female, dorsal view; 7, female internal reproductive structures, ventral view; 8, female, Costa Rica, dorso-lateral view; 9, male internal reproductive structures, lateral view.