Ctenodontina mochica Lamas, 1973

Sánchez, Pável & Camargo, Alexssandro, 2021, Description of the female of Ctenodontina mochica Lamas, revalidation of Ctenodontina carrerai (Hull) stat. rev., and comments on the taxonomy and distribution of Peruvian species of Ctenodontina Enderlein (Diptera: Asilidae: Asilinae), Zootaxa 5027 (2), pp. 269-281 : 270-273

Ctenodontina mochica Lamas, 1973

( Figs. 1–3 )

Ctenodontina mochica Lamas, 1973: 277 (orig. des.). Type-locality: Peru, La Libertad, [Ascope], Cartavio. Holotype male, in Universidad Agraria La Molina (UNALM) ; Artigas & Papavero, 1995: 36; Papavero, 2009: 30; Vieira, 2012: 2; Vieira et al. 2017: 280.

Material examined. PERU, PI , [Piura] Talara, Los Órganos 4°6’47.5”S, 81°0’21.7”W, 14 m, 7.iii.2014 L. Figueroa / C. mochica Lamas, 1973 det. P. Sánchez (1♂, 1♀ MUSM) ; PERU, TU [Tumbes] Contralmirante Villar, Canoas de Punta Sal 4°6’44.8”S, 81°0’58”W, 15 m, 8.iii.2014 L. Figueroa / C. mochica Lamas, 1973 det. P. Sánchez (2♂ MUSM) .

Addenda to the original description of the holotype based on males from Tumbes and dissected terminalia.

Male terminalia. ( Figs. 1B,D,F ; 2A,B ). Reddish brown; sternite 8 posteriorly projected, projection spatulate and bilobed, extending almost to the level of posterior margin of hypandrium, white setose ( Fig. 2C ); epandrium wide, with round apex, black and white setose; hypandrium broad, medioapical region with concavity, black and white setose; gonocoxite subtriangular, with apex lobed, inferior preapical margin with spiniform setae ( Fig. 2E,F ); gonostylus abruptly curved dorsally almost at apex, external region with a median keel and inner region with spines ( Fig. 2E,F ); subepandrial sclerite oval, white setose; phallus with two prongs, ejaculatory apodeme wide in lateral view, fan-shaped ( Fig. 2D ).

Description of female. ( Fig. 3 ). Similar to male, except for body length: 18 mm, terminalia and lack of swelling in hind femur. Head. Scape and pedicel reddish brown, postpedicel and stylus brownish; scape slightly longer than twice the length of pedicel, both black setose; postpedicel subequal to length of scape; stylus, as long as the rest of the antenna, composed of one article; mystacal macrosetae white, barely covering half of face length; two ocellar setae, black; postocular macrosetae white; palpus yellowish brown, black and white setose; proboscis black. Thorax. Reddish brown; pronotum white setose, with one pair of white macrosetae on antepronotum; mesonotum covered with depressed short black setae, as well as macrosetae, 2 notopleural, 1 supra-alar and 1 postalar; dorsocentral setae longer on posterior fifth of scutum; scutellar disc white and black setose; pleura almost bare, katatergal macrosetae white. Wing. Hyaline, veins brown; R 4 and R 5 bifurcation slightly beyond level of discal cell apex; crossvein r-m situated slightly beyond middle of discal cell; halter pale yellowish. Leg. Coxae reddish brown; femora and tibiae yellowish brown, the latter slightly darker at apex; tarsi concolorous with tibial apex, claws black, empodium reddish brown, pulvilli yellowish. Chaetotaxy: Coxae whitish setose; fore femur with appressed black setae dorsally, long white macrosetae ventrally; mid femur mostly with black macrosetae, 3 anterior, 1 posterior (subapical), 4 anteroventral, and 3 posteroventral, the latter white and restricted to basal half; hind femur with 2 anterior, 1 anteroventral, and 2 ventral black macrosetae, dorsally 1 subapical black macrosetae on each side, and posteroventrally 2 basal white macrosetae, very close to each other; fore tibia with 1 dorsobasal and 2 posterodorsal black setae, posteroventrally 2 long black macrosetae; mid tibia with 1 dorsal and 2 long ventral black macrosetae; hind tibia with 1 anteroventral and 2 anterodorsal black macrosetae; tarsal macrosetae black. Abdomen. ( Figs. 3B–C ). Reddish brown, long and narrowed apically, white setose; terminalia laterally compressed, apubescent apically from segment eight, which is as long as the sixth and seventh together, eighth tergite not laterally expanded; segment ten very short. Genitalia: two oval sclerotized spermathecae ( Fig. 3D ); median sclerite at posterior end of furca (remnant of ninth tergite) present.

Comments. The features proposed by Fisher (1985) as diagnostic of the females of Ctenodontina species , i.e., tergite 8 laterally expanded and cupped, covered with dense setae hiding sternite 8, and the presence of a strong and spinous ventral keel, are not present in the female of C. mochica , since tergite 8 is not broadly expanded laterally and the ovipositor lacks the apical comb of spines reported for other species. In the male, sternite 8 is bilobed and only extends to the posterior margin of the hypandrium. This differs from other species of Ctenodontina , which show a greatly projected sternite 8 that is not bilobed, and extends at least as far as the epandrium.

Consequently, the relationship of C. mochica with other Ctenodontina species and the validity of Catostola (a genus proposed by Hull (1958, 1962) which is currently interpreted as a junior synonym of Ctenodontina ), are questions that still remain incompletely answered and need further study. Meanwhile, a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters of the involved genera in the so-called Lecania group ( Artigas & Papavero 1995) is being conducted by the second author and very soon we may have some new insights into the relationship of Ctenodontina species and related genera.

Distribution ( Fig. 8 ). Peru. Departments of La Libertad, Piura and Tumbes. This is the only Ctenodontina species with its distribution restricted to the west side of the Andes, in a lowland desert region. All other known Ctenodontina species are from forested or semi-forested areas.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ctenodontina mochica Lamas. Male. A. Lateral habitus; B. Terminalia, lateral view; C. Hind leg, modified from Lamas (1973); D. Terminalia, modified from Lamas (1973); E. Hind leg; F. Terminalia after treatment with KOH, lateral view.

FIGURE 2. Ctenodontina mochica Lamas, male terminalia after treatment with KOH. A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view; C. Sternite 8; D. Phallus and ejaculatory apodeme in lateral view; E. Gonocoxite; F. Gonostylus and inner margin of gonocoxite.

FIGURE 3. Ctenodontina mochica Lamas. Female. A. Lateral habitus; B. Terminalia, dorsal and lateral views; C. Terminalia after treatment with KOH, lateral view; D. Spermathecae.

FIGURE 8. Distribution of Ctenodontina species in Peru.