Leucophora catamarca Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, 2025

Ramírez-Mora, Manuel A. & Patitucci, Luciano Damián, 2025, Revision of the genus Leucophora (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) from South America, with the description of eight new species, Zootaxa 5707 (1), pp. 1-82 : 17-22

Leucophora catamarca Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/a2ef5c47-e4e5-48aa-826e-f77e6c9e6bb3

Figs. 9–13

Diagnosis. Leucophora catamarca sp. nov. can be differentiated from its congeners by the following combination of characters: palpi long and curved; male with spiniform setae on inner margins of processes of sternite 5, distiphallus with up-curved acrophallus and short free paraphallic processes with dentate distal margin; female ovipositor modified with only one pair of spiracles, epiproct large and rhomboid, and cerci flat and unmovable.

Material examined. Holotype 1 ♂ ( IFML): “ R. Argentina / Catamarca / Los Nacimientos / 16–31-I-1969 / col. Willink – Terán / Stange [white label, printed]”; “Trampa Malaise [white label, printed]”; “MR 2470 [white label, printed]”; “ Holotype ♂ / Leucophora catamarca [red label, printed]”.

Paratypes 7 ♂, 1 ♀ ( IFML, MACN): same as holotype, except “MR 2468 [white label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 44646”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora catamarca [red label, printed]”. “MR 2469 [white label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 44647”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora catamarca [red label, printed]”. “MR 2471 [white label, printed]”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora catamarca [red label, printed]”. “MR 2474 [white label, printed]”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora catamarca [red label, printed]”. “MR 2475 [white label, printed]”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora catamarca [red label, printed]”. “MR 2476 [white label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 44649”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora catamarca [red label, printed]”. “MR 2477 [white label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 44648”; “ Paratype ♀ / Leucophora catamarca [red label, printed]” . 1 ♂ “ R. A. La Rioja / Angulos / 23-I-1969 / A. Willink-A. Terán coll. [white label, printed]”, “Entomofauna / Subandina [grey label, printed]”, “ DIP1085 [orange label, printed]”. “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora catamarca [red label, printed]” .

Description

Male ( Figs. 9–11 )

Body length 5.3–6.8 mm, wing length 4.4–5.8 mm.

Coloration ( Fig. 9 ). Head dark brown, with white-greyish pruinosity; frontal vittae dark brown to brown anteriorly ( Fig. 9B ). Fronto-orbital plate, parafacialia, gena, and face brown; parafacialia in profile with a diffuse brown patch from level of insertion of antennae to mid-length or tip of the postpedicel ( Fig. 9C ); genae with a diffuse brown patch from vibrissal angle to almost the lower eye margin. Antennae brown; scapus with lower margin lighter; postpedicel with yellowish pruinosity; arista yellowish at middle. Prementum brown. Palpi yellowish-brown with darker apices. Thorax dark brown with light grey pruinosity, with three longitudinal brown vittae ( Fig. 9D ), central vitta filling the space between the acrostichal setae, in some specimens the vitta is extended clearly to the tip of scutellum, in others appears like a diffuse brown spot only on the scutellum tip, lateral vittae diffuse between the posthumeral and presutural setae until the transverse suture in most specimens, in others slightly extending beyond it. Anepisternum and katepisternum with light brown patches ( Fig. 9A ). Legs brown; femora dark brown and covered with white-greyish pruinosity; tibiae slightly lighter basally. Tarsomere slightly darker. Pulvilli whitish. Wing membrane hyaline, veins light brown. Calypters and halteres whitish, base of halteres light brown. Abdomen brown to light brown towards posterior margin of each segment, with a longitudinal brown vittae on tergites 3–5 ( Fig. 9E ), slightly narrowed at anterior margin of each segment. Marginal setae with a big, darker base. Sternite 5 brown with yellowish processes. Syntergosternite 7+8, epandrium and cerci brown, surstylus lighter.

Head. Fronto-orbital plate at narrowest point 0.6–0.8x width of anterior ocellus, much widening anteriorly, with a few short and scattered setulae; frontal vitta at narrowest point 0.9–1.3x width of anterior ocellus, lightly widening towards lunule; eyes separated at narrowest point 2.3–2.7x width of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 9B ). 4–6 pairs of fr s, in some specimens the uppermost pair very thin and short, placed before the level of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 9C ). infr s short. oc s as long as the longest fr s; ocellar triangle with 2–3 additional pairs of long setulae; poc s shorter than oc s. i vt s almost as long as poc s, slightly convergent; o vt s almost 0.5x the length of i vt s, slightly proclinate. Postpedicel 1.4–1.8x the pedicel length; arista length 1.6–2.1 the postpedicel length, plumose, longest hairs 1.3–1.5x the postpedicel width. Parafacials 0.4–0.5x width of eye. Genae below lowest point of eye margin 0.2–0.4x eye height. Vibrissal angle in profile projected beyond the frontal angle ( Fig. 9C ). Prementum length from the insertion of palpi to apex about 0.7–0.8x head height. Palpus 0.4–0.5x as long as head height, slightly expanded apically and curved.

Thorax. Chaetotaxy: 5 pairs of psut acr s, prescutellar pair longer than the longest presut acr s ( Fig. 9D ). Prealar seta less than 0.5x the notopleural anterior seta. 5 anepst s. 2+2 kepst s, the lower anterior shorter and thin ( Fig. 9A ).

Legs. Fore femur with a row of av fine setulae on basal third. Mid femur with 1 av seta on basal fourth; 5–6 pv setae on basal half; a row of a setae on basal half and 1 subapical seta; 2 p setae. Mid tibia with 1 ad and pd setae; 2–3 p setae; pv seta absent. Hind femur with a complete row of av, ad and pv setae, longer setae on distal half; 2 subapical d setae; 1 subapical p seta. Hind tibia with 2–4 av setae; 3–4 ad and pd setae; 2 p setae on distal half.

Abdomen. Lateral marginal setae strong ( Fig. 9E ). Sternite 1 more than 2x wider than long, with a few setulae on posterolateral margins. Sternite 2 1.5x longer than wide. Sternites 3–4 1.2x longer than wide, narrowed anteriorly. Sternites 2–4 with scattered setulae, longer and stronger setae on lateral margins, longest setae almost as long as sternite length. Sternite 5 ( Fig. 10A ) as long as wide, narrowed anteriorly, anterior margin slightly concave at middle; processes shorter than basal region, slightly tapered towards apex and lateral margin slightly convergent, rounded apex, inner margin with short and thick setulae (spiniform) specially on distal region, outer surface with some few and scattered setae, longest setae almost as long as processes length.

Terminalia . Surstylus tapered at apical half, outer lateral margin straight, inner margin slightly curved, rounded tip ( Fig. 10B ); in profile widened towards middle, incurved apically, ventral margin sinuous, acute tip ( Fig. 10C ); ventrally with a couple of setulae. Cercal plate about 2x longer than wide, 0.7x the surstylus length, with slightly truncate tip; viewed in profile with dorsal surface curved basally, acute tip; covered with scattered setulae being longer on basolateral margins, longest setulae shorter than cercal plate length. Pregonite ( Figs. 10E ; 11B ) longer than wide, slightly more than 0.5x postgonite length, apex acute (in ventral view) and slightly curved dorsally. Postgonite about slightly more than 2x longer than wide, slightly wider on distal half ( Fig. 10E ), apex weakly acute, with 1 long seta ventrally towards apex, with a couple sensilla below it ( Fig. 11B ). Phallapodeme ( Fig. 10D ) in profile curved, basally thin and distally expanded in lateral view; epiphallus relatively short, in lateral view apex slightly directed ventrally; distiphallus widely fused with basiphallus basally ( Fig. 11A ), dorsal sclerotization smooth, paraphalli divergent (in dorsal view) ( Figs. 11A, C ), at the end of the divergent paraphalli with short free paraphallic processes ( Fig. 11C ); acrophallus unpigmented, wide basally (in dorsal view), in profile view upcurved ( Fig. 11C ).

Female ( Figs. 12–13 )

Body length 6.2 mm, wing length 5 mm.

Differs from male as follows:

Coloration ( Fig. 12 ). Fronto-orbital plate towards inner margins with brown-golden pruinosity ( Figs. 12B, C ). Ocellar triangle and ocellar plate with brown-golden pruinosity. Scapus lighter anteriorly. Thorax. Central vitta more defined and widened than in male ( Fig. 12D ). Legs slightly darker than in male ( Fig. 12E ).

Head. Fronto-orbital plate at narrowest point 3.0x width of anterior ocellus; frontal vitta at narrowest point 2.4x width of anterior ocellus, lateral margins sinuous; eyes separated at narrowest point 8.4x width of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 12B ). 7 pairs of fr s ( Fig. 12C ). o vt s divergent. Postpedicel 1.9x the pedicel length; arista length 1.5x the postpedicel length. Genae below lowest point of eye margin 0.1x eye height ( Fig. 12C ). Prementum length from the insertion of palpi to apex 0.7x head height. Palpus 0.5x head height.

Legs. Mid femur with a row of a setae projecting beyond basal half; 2 p setae. Hind femur with 2 av setae on basal half and 1 subapical seta; pv seta absent.

Abdomen. Sternite 1 about 3x wider than long, a couple of setulae laterally. Sternite 2 1.2x longer than wide, parallel sided and posterior margin slightly truncated. Sternites 3–4 1.5–2.0x longer than wide, anterior and posterior margins slightly narrowed, setulose, with longer setulae on lateral and posterolateral margins.

Ovipositor ( Fig. 13 ). Tergite 6 represented by a pair of plates of widely separated posteriorly, longer than wide, wider towards posterior margin, ( Fig. 13A ); inner and anterior margins weakly pigmented; posterior margin with a row of intercalated long and short setae (longest setae longer than tergite) which extends onto lateroventral membranes forming with the setulae of sternite 6 a more or less continuous band around the segment, the membrane between the plates bare. Spiracle’s 6th situated in membrane ( Fig. 13B ), in line with the anterior margin of tergite 6; spiracles 7th not observed. Tergite 7 shorter and narrowed than tergite 6, anterior margin slightly acute, plates weakly pigmented, setation as tergite 6, with membrane bare between the lateral plates on posterior margin. Tergite 8 represented into a pair of robust well sclerotized and pigmented plates, narrowly connected on posterior margin, about 1.2x longer than wide, anterior margin tapered; in profile ( Fig. 13C ), posterior margin rounded and curved ventrally, posterior margin setulose. When fully extended, anterior margin of tergites 6 and 8 remain hidden in the anterior segment ( Figs. 13A, C ). Epiproct barely visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 13A ), in profile curved ventrally ( Fig. 13C ), in posterior view rhomboid, with posterior margin with short setulae ( Fig. 13D ). Sternite 6 slightly longer than wide, anterior and posterior margins slightly truncated, anterior half weakly pigmented, posterior margin with a row of setulae ( Fig. 13B ). Sternite 7 about longer than wide, shorter than sternite 6, posterior margin with setulae only towards corners. Sternite 8 represented by two transverse plates, almost connected at middle, hidden in profile and ventral view by folds of membrane. Hypoproct linear, wider than long, slightly widened towards lateral, with a row of minute setulae; as tergite 8, hidden by folds of membrane. Cerci modified as strongly wide sclerotized flat plates ( Figs. 13B–D ); in posterior view ( Fig. 13D ) with acute outer lateral projection, distally with an outstanding margin bearing 4 short and strong spinules, more evident in profile ( Fig. 13C ).

Remarks. In external appearance L. catamarca sp. nov., is similar to L. tacuil sp. nov., however L. catamarca sp. nov., differs in having curved and longer palpus, scapus and pedicel dark brown. The pregonite shaped and the up-curved acrophallus in L. catamarca sp. nov., resembles those in L. chalten sp. nov., and L. junin sp. nov., but differs from both in structure and shape of sternite 5, the general shape of the distiphallus and the wide of the acrophallus (in dorsal view) ( Fig. 11A, C ). Female ovipositor of L. catamarca sp. nov., shares modifications of tergite 8, epiproct, cerci and the presence of only 1 pair of spiracles (spiracles 6th) with L. chalten sp. nov., but differs by the shape of cerci, epiproct, hypoproct and sternite 8.

Etymology. The species’ epithet refers to the name of the Argentine Province “ Catamarca ”, where the holotype was collected.

Distribution. Neotropical: ARGENTINA ( Catamarca, La Rioja) ( Fig. 53C ).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Leucophora catamarca Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, sp. nov., male. A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, frontal view. C. Same, lateral view. D. Thorax, dorsal view. E. Abdomen, dorsal view. Scale bars: A = 1 mm; B–E = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 10. Leucophora catamarca Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, sp. nov., male. A. Sternite 5, ventral view. B. Epandrium, surstylus and cerci, dorsal view. C. Same, lateral view. D. Aedeagus, lateral view. E. Gonites, lateral view. Abbreviations: acroph = acrophallus; distph = distiphallus; ds = dorsal sclerotization; epiph = epiphallus; pgt = postgonite; phapod = phallopodeme; pregt = pregonite. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 11. Leucophora catamarca Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, sp. nov., male. A.Aedeagus, dorsolateral view.B. Gonites, lateral view. C. Distiphallus, dorsal view. Abbreviations: acroph = acrophallus; distph = distiphallus; ds = dorsal sclerotization; epiph = epiphallus; fpp = free paraphallic process; hypd = hypandrium; pgt = postgonite; phapod = phallopodeme; pregt = pregonite.

FIGURE 12. Leucophora catamarca Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, sp. nov., female. A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, frontal view. C. Same, lateral view. D. Thorax, dorsal view. E. Abdomen, dorsal view. Scale bars: A = 1 mm; B–E = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 13. Leucophora catamarca Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, sp. nov., female. A. Ovipositor, dorsal view. B. Same, ventral view. C. Same, lateral view. D. Same, posterior view. E. Spermathecae. Arrow indicates the spiracle. Abbreviations: cerc = cerci; epiproct = epiproct; hyprct = hypoproct; st 8 = sternite 8; tg 8 = tergite 8. Scale bars: A–D = 0.2 mm; E = 0.1 mm

FIGURE 53. Distributional records of Leucophora species. A. Leucophora andicola (Malloch, 1934). B. Leucophora calilegua Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, sp. nov. C. Leucophora catamarca Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, sp. nov. D. Leucophora chalten Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, sp. nov. Black squares represent new records; white squares represent previous records.