Alepia santacruz, Ježek & Pont & Martinez & Mollinedo & Insad & Ibba, 2011

Ježek, Jan, Pont, François Le, Martinez, Eddy, Mollinedo, Sergio, Insad & Ibba, n Edificio, 2011, Three new species of non-biting moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Psychodinae) from Bolivia, with notes on higher taxa of the subfamily, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (1), pp. 183-210 : 200-204

Alepia santacruz sp. nov.

( Figs. 59–78 )

Type locality. Bolivia, Organo, 700 m a.s.l., 18°20′S 59°46′W ( Figs. 79C , 81–83 ).

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, BOLIVIA: ‘ Organo, 700 m a.s.l., 18°20′S, 59°46′W, Eastern Santa Cruz Department, summit of Serrania de Santiago on the road between Santiago de Chiquitos y Tucavaca lowlands, Chiquitos province . iii.-iv. 2008, F. LePont leg.’ ( NMPC: slide Cat. No. 34513, Inv. No. 18877) . PARATYPES: 1 J, same data as holotype ( MNKM).

Description. Male. Eyes separated ( Fig. 59 ), frontal sutural plate complicated, three-dimensional ( Fig. 75 ), frons bare, frontoclypeus with insertions of hairs arranged in two irregularly oval areas, of which stems touched below frons and divergent near tentorial pits. The minimum distance between eyes corresponds hardly to one facet diameter. Index of distance of the apices of eyes to minimum width of frons mostly 10.4, to facet diameter a little lesser (10.1). Eye bridge formed by three rows of facets ( Fig. 75 ). Vertex hairy, inner structures of vertex in detail as in Fig. 60 . Number of antennomeres 16. Scape short, somewhat widened distad ( Fig. 61 ). Pedicel almost globular. Flagellomeres spindle-shaped, the last flagellomere with a long finger-like protuberance in axis ( Fig. 62 ). Ascoids simple, paired, needle-shaped ( Figs. 67, 68 ). Length ratio of maxillary palpomeres 1.0: 2.0: 2.0: 2.5, palpomere 4 not annulate ( Fig. 69 ). Terminal lobes of labium and cibarium as in Fig. 59 .

Thoracic sclerites as in Fig. 76 . Wings narrow, wing membrane maculated, spots on veins as a part of dots on wing membrane are very dark and conspicuous ( Fig. 77 ), 2.9–3.0 mm long (holotype and paratype). Completely strengthened veins: Sc, R 1, R 5, M 4 and Cu. Basal costal nodes well visible, Sc uninterrupted. M 3, M 4 and Cu not touched at basis of wing. R 5 extends in the apex of the wing. Radial and medial forks complete, cross veins missing. The ending of Cu is distad of radial fork and medial fork distad of the wing margin reaching of Cu. Medial wing angle 216° (BCD). Wing indices: AB: AC: AD = 4.7: 4.2: 4.5; BC: CD: BD = 1.0: 1.1: 2.0; maximum wing length equal to 2.6 times its maximum width. Haltere clubbed, with maximum length equal to 3.3 times its maximum width.

Ratios of lengths of femora, tibiae and first tarsomeres: P 1 = 2.3: 2.5: 1.0; P 2 = 2.4: 3.1: 1.3; P 3 = 2.5: 3.6: 1.4; fore claws twice pointed and bent distad (see Fig. 63 ).

Complicated and bizarre aedeagal complex on Figs. 65 , 73 and 74 . Basal apodeme of male genitalia broad and extremely rounded proximally in dorsal view, narrow laterally, phallobasis with three quite different phallomeres in the following shape: Two dorsal narrow phallomeres of the same length, subapically a little bent (one phallomere is rounded at the end and the second one is rather dully pointed). The third phallomere is reduced, very short and irregularly rounded. Aedeagal complex not compact, well-sclerotised, overlaid basally by a large hyaline tunica (hypandrium) with long hairs in two small isolated areas distad. Tunica (as long as gonocoxites), with a pair of outer elongate, pointed and a little divergent arms, supported by sclerotized ribs, articulated proximally with distal protuberances of conspicuous basal apodeme. Gonocoxites rather short ( Figs. 64 , 70, 71, 73 ), a little expanded laterally and hairy, gonostyles shorter, bipartite distally, with a small sclerotized tridentate protuberance and with an elongate, pointed and bent arm. Epandrium bare, without operculum ( Figs. 66 , 72 ); sclerotized remainders of 10 th tergite and sternite inside of epandrium reduced to only two sclerotized converging ribs jointed with surstyli. Hypandrium hyaline and inconspicuous, hardly visible, very narrow, practically missing, lateral margin of 9 th sternite grows together or connected with proximal border of epandrium (tergite 11) and proximal protuberance of gonocoxite. Epiproct wrinkle-shaped, wide, hardly visible, hypoproct shortly tongue-shaped, both parts hairy. Surstyli ( Figs. 66 , 72 ) almost ovoid, pointed caudally, with numerous tenacula ( Fig. 78 ) and hairs, subapically with one retinaculum.

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Alepia santacruz sp. nov. has infuscation in central area of wing conspicuously disjunctive, arranged in many small patches ( Fig. 77 ); length ratio of maxillary palpomeres 1.0: 2.0: 2.0: 2.5 ( Fig. 69 ); long tapered process of bifurcated gonostyle angled at approximately one-fourth distance from base to pointed tip, short blunt process conspicuously expanded distally, with short three-toothed cut end ( Figs. 64 , 70, 71, 73 ); tunica of aedeagal complex truncated by slightly concave horizontal cut, almost bare, covered with hairs only in two small isolated areas distad ( Figs. 73, 74 ); ending of aedeagal complex narrow, tapering in dorsal view to two tips ( Fig. 73 ).

Alepia tricolor ( Knab, 1914) differs from the new species by not interrupted infuscation in central area of wing; indices of length of maxillary palpomeres 1.0: 1.8: 1.6: 2.1; long tapered process of bifurcated gonostyle angled at one-third distance from base to pointed tip, short blunt process narrow with two rounded digital protuberances on the opposite side of the obliquely cut top; tunica of aedeagal complex truncated by an almost straight horizontal cut, covered distally with one large area of hairs; ending of aedeagal complex compact, almost rectangular (dorsal view).

Biology and collecting circumstances. The type locality is situated in a pass, crossing the top of the Serrania de Santiago, on the road Santiago – Santo Corazon ( Fig. 83 ). The landscape at the type locality is characterized by a mosaic of cliffs and big rocks in a typical Chiquitano dry forest. Burning occurs there annually ( Fig. 82 ). Phlebotomine sandflies could abound, but leishmaniasis is not known.

Etymology. The new species name, a noun in apposition, is related to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, capital of the Santa Cruz department.

Distribution. Bolivia: Serrania de Santiago.

Figures

Figs. 59–66. Alepia santacruz sp. nov., J. 59 – head; 60 – the same, inner structures of vertex in detail; 61 – basal antennomeres; 62 – apical antennomeres; 63 – claw of P1; 64 – lateral view of gonocoxite and gonostyle; 65 – lateral view of aedeagal complex; 66 – dorsal view of epandrium and surstyli. Scale bars: 0.1 mm, except 0.3 in Figs. 59 and 65–66, 0.05 in Fig. 63.

Figs. 67–74. Alepia santacruz sp. nov., J. 67 – some ascoids (sensory filaments) of apical two antennomeres; 68 – sensory area of a middle antennomere in detail; 69 – maxilla and palpus maxillaris; 70 – dorsolateral view of gonocoxite and gonostyle; 71 – caudal view of gonocoxite and gonostyle; 72 – lateral view of epandrium and surstylus; 73 – dorsal view of aedeagal complex and gonopods; 74 – dorsolateral view of aedeagal complex. Scale bars: 0.1 mm, except 0.3 in Figs. 69–70 and 72–74.

Figs. 75–78. Alepia santacruz sp. nov., J. 75 – frontal suture and facets; 76 – lateral view of thoracic sclerites; 77 – wing; 78 – some tenacula of surstylus in detail. Scale bars: 0.05 mm, except 0.2 in Fig. 76 and 1 mm in Fig. 77.

Figs. 79. Landscape types of Bolivia with position of sampled localities (A – Circuata: Yungas, humid, montane forest; B – Cieneguillas: remnants of interandean dry tropical forest, nearby Yungas humid forest; C – Organo: Chiquitano semi-deciduous dry forest).

Figs. 80–84: Bolivian localities. 80, 84 – Circuata (80 – type locality of Tinearia boliviensis sp. nov., 84 – habitat, a small forsaken mine in the forest). 81–83 – Organo (81 – CDC miniature light trap baited with gas carbonic; 82 – habitat, a typical Chiquitano dry forest; 83 – type locality of Alepia santacruz sp. nov.).