Blepharoneura nigrifemur Norrbom & Condon, 2010

Norrbom, Allen L. & Condon, Marty, 2010, Revision of the femoralis group of Blepharoneura Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae) 2374, Zootaxa 2374 (1), pp. 1-139 : 90-92

Blepharoneura nigrifemur Norrbom & Condon , new species

Figs. 51 , 110 , 143

Diagnosis. This species belongs to the femoralis complex (see diagnosis of B. femoralis ), species of which are difficult to distinguish except by aculeus shape. That of B. nigrifemur has a moderately elongate tip which is somewhat rounded proximal to the lateral lobe. The lobes, particularly the lateral one, are small and blunt, and the sublateral and submedial lobes are similar in size. Blepharoneura nigrifemur also differs from the other species of the complex except some specimens of B. femoralis by the small size of the subapical marginal hyaline spot in cell cu1 which does not reach vein Cu1.

Description. Head: Dark brown area on ocellar tubercle extended to postocellar seta. Medial vertical seta in yellow area. Medial occipital sclerite with pair of brown submedial vittae on ventral half. Occipital suture in broad dark brown area, triangular except for concave ventral margin, extended to eye margin and dorsally beyond lateral vertical seta although sometimes diffuse yellow surrounding seta.

Thorax: Postpronotal lobe entirely yellow or with minute brown spot at junction with anepisternum. Scutum entirely microtrichose, with 2 pairs of dark brown vittae; submedial vitta strongly narrowed posterior to transverse suture and not connected to mark on posterior margin; sublateral vitta interrupted at transverse suture and separated from mark on posterior margin; posterior margin with 1 broad brown mark narrowed medially. Notopleuron entirely dark brown. Small brown spot anterior to postsutural supra-alar seta, brown vitta anterior to postalar seta, and large brown spot lateral to dorsolateral corner of scutellum present. Scutellum with single somewhat inverted U-shaped medial mark extended to basal margin. Subscutellum and mediotergite with pair of dark brown vittae, sometimes very narrowly separated medially, extended to lateral margin on ventral 1/2–2/3 of mediotergite. Pleuron mostly dark brown, yellow only on propleuron, part of anepisternum (at least with large dorsomedial dark brown spot extending ventrally at least 2/3 distance to ventral margin, and ventral 2/3 posterior to phragma dark brown, these areas often connected ventrally), extreme anterior and posterior corners of katepisternum, all of katepimeron, greater ampulla, narrow dorsal and sometimes ventral and posterior margins of anepimeron, and narrow dorsal margin of anatergite. Basalare brown. Dorsocentral seta aligned slightly anterior to postalar seta.

Legs: Mostly yellow. Fore femur sometimes with small subapical pale brown spot. Mid femur usually with dark brown mark on apical 1/5–1/4, at least on anterior, ventral and posterior sides, occasionally also on dorsal side. Hind femur ( Fig. 110 ) with entire apical 1/3–1/2 dark brown.

Wing ( Fig. 51 ): Length 6.30–6.95 mm, width 3.15–3.30 mm, ratio 2.00–2.14. Crossvein r-m at 0.56–0.60 distance from bm-cu to dm-cu. Cell c with 2 rectangular to trapezoidal hyaline spots, both reaching costa and subcosta; medial brown area as dark as to distinctly paler than area of cell r1 posterior to pterostigma, sometimes faint medially, almost as broad as to distinctly narrower than basal hyaline spot, distinctly narrower than distal spot. Pterostigma with large subapical hyaline spot [#3] usually reaching R1 (except in 1 of 6 specimens). Cell r1 basally (proximal to apex of R1) with pale brown spot posterior to apex of vein Sc and often with second more distal spot; cell r2+3 basally usually entirely dark brown, occasionally (1 specimen) with small pale brown spot. Radial cells medially with 1 broad quadrate basal hyaline mark [#5 fused with additional spot?] in cell r1 partially divided anteriorly and/or posteriorly by brown spot, or with 2 narrower hyaline marks; cell r2+3 with 2 hyaline spots [#8, #9] or rarely 1 very broad hyaline spot aligned with r1 marks, both extending across cell, distal spot broader; cell r4+ 5 in anterior half with small hyaline spot [#14] aligned with middle of r1 mark(s), approximately half as wide as cell, and with medial hyaline spot [#15] near anterior end of dm-cu small; usually (absent on 1 wing of 1 of 6 specimens) with small to minute anterior hyaline spot [#48] near midlength not touching vein R4+5. Distally cell r1 with 1 marginal subapical hyaline spot [#6]. Cell r2+3 with 2 large marginal hyaline marks [#10, #11], proximal mark constricted or usually narrowly divided medially by paler brown area into marginal and posterior spots. Cell r4+5 with hyaline spot [#16] anteriorly, aligned between apical marks in cell r2+3; with 1–2 ovoid hyaline spots slightly posterior to midwidth aligned with marks in cell m, in 1 wing of 1 specimen more distal spot connected to posterior marginal spot; and with 2 ovoid marginal or submarginal hyaline spots [#18, #18A]. Cell m without subbasal hyaline spot [#49] near midlength of dm-cu; with 2 large marginal hyaline spots [#27, #29] and 1 large anteromedial spot [fused #26, #26A], sometimes only narrowly separated by pale brown, anteromedial spot almost circular to elongate, occasionally reaching vein M. Cell br with subbasal hyaline spot [#12]. Cell bm with subbasal hyaline spot [#19] small or usually absent, with large circular subapical hyaline spot [#20]. Cell bcu with hyaline spot in lobe, sometimes extended anteriorly into cell cu1. Posteromedial part of wing with large broad hyaline area; cell br with subapical hyaline spot [#13] and often with smaller more proximal spot [#44]; cell dm with broad and long hyaline area [fusion of at least #51, #52, #21, #22, #23, #24, and sometimes #50 and/or, #25], partially divided by brown area(s) anteriorly and sometimes posteriorly, tapered distally, extending farther posteriorly than anteriorly, or with anterodistal extension [if fused to #25]; cell cu1 with broad hyaline area [fusion of at least #31, #32, #33, #34, #36, #36A, #39] covering more than medial half, broad on posterior wing margin, and with 1–2 anterior and 1 marginal brown spots, or occasionally with anterior proximal part nearly isolated as spot [#31]; subapical marginal hyaline spot small, not reaching vein Cu1. Cell dm with anteromedial subapical hyaline spot [#25] moderately large, narrowly separated from or sometimes (2 specimens) connected to proximal hyaline area.

Abdomen: Predominantly brown with yellow spots. Syntergite 1+2 sometimes with isolated pair of submedial brown spots, but often narrowly connected to posterolateral brown area to form irregular mark. Tergites 3–5 with typical 2 pairs of spots, L-shaped posterolateral band, and anterolateral spot fused to form pair of irregular often somewhat W-shaped lateral dark brown marks, separated medially, or with submedial and anterolateral spots sometimes isolated.

Female terminalia: Oviscape entirely dark brown; length 0.84–0.88 mm. Aculeus ( Fig. 143 ) 0.60 mm long, 1.75 times as long as wide, with acute scales medially on membrane dorsally and ventrally; tip rounded basolaterally, moderately elongate triangular (lobed part 0.58 times as long as wide), with convex medial lobe and 3 pairs of small, blunt, step-like lobes; lateral lobe very small; sublateral and submedial lobes similar in size; gap between lateral and sublateral lobes broad and shallow, other gaps deeper. Spermathecae subspherical, with straight slender sclerotized neck and large cylindrical basal apodeme.

Male terminalia: Medial surstylus with prensisetae subequal, separated by several times width of medial prensiseta, medial prensiseta on moderately long lobe, lateral prensiseta on short lobe.

Distribution. Bolivia. The type specimens were collected at 2000 m elevation in a remnant of Yungas forest.

Type data. Holotype ♀ ( ANCB USNMENT00055923), BOLIVIA: La Paz: Sud Yungas, 8 km S of Chulumani, Apa Apa Reserve, upper trail in primary forest, 16°21'15S 67°30'20W, 2000 m, log site, cloudy AM or late afternoon, on undersides of leaves of undetermined Cucurbitaceae (01–Bol-01) or supporting understory plant Solanaceae sp. (01–Bol-03), 1–3 Apr 2001, A. L. Norrbom. Paratypes: Same data as holotype, 1 ♂ ( ANCB USNMENT00055922) 2 ♂ 2 ♀ ( USNM USNMENT 00055920 –21, USNMENT00055924–25).

Etymology. The name of this species is a Latin noun in reference to the dark brown apex of the hind femur.

Figures

FIGURES 46–55. Wing: 46–47, B. mexicana (Mexico: S Chapingo, USNMENT00213806; holotype); 48, B. mikenoltei (holotype); 49, B. multipunctata (holotype); 50, B. nigriapex (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055930); 51, B. nigrifemur (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055923); 52, B. osmundsonae (Mexico: El Yukon, USNMENT00213961); 53–54, B. punctistigma (Mexico: Los Tuxtlas, USNMENT00213875; El Triunfo, USNMENT00213913); 55, B. quadristriata (Mexico: Los Tuxtlas, USNMENT00213849).

FIGURES 109–112. Left hind leg, anterior: 109, B. variabilis (Mexico: El Triunfo, USNMENT00213891); 110, B. nigrifemur (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055922); 111, B. bidigitata (Brazil: Nova Teutonia, USNMENT00213834); 112, B. apaapa (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055934).

FIGURES 136–145. Aculeus: 136, B. aspiculosa (Mexico: El Triunfo, USNMENT00213912); 137, B. cyclantherae (Mexico: Rt. 95, USNMENT00052304); 138–142, B. femoralis (Guatemala: Coban, USNMENT00213771; Brazil: Nova Teutonia, USNMENT00213760, USNMENT00052320, USNMENT00213761; Peru: Chanchamayo, USNMENT00213960); 143, B. nigrifemur (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055925); 144, B. sinepuncta (Costa Rica: Zurquí, USNMENT00050130); 145, B. zumbadoi (Costa Rica: San Gerardo, INBio002578264).