Paraclius plumitarsis ( Parent, 1931 ) Soares & Capellari & Ale-Rocha, 2023

Soares, Matheus M. M., Capellari, Renato S. & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2023, New or little-known Neotropical Dolichopodidae (Diptera) (II): genus Hercostomus Loew excluded from the Neotropics, Zootaxa 5254 (2), pp. 181-208 : 183-185

Paraclius plumitarsis ( Parent, 1931) comb. nov.

( Figs 1 , 15 )

Hercostomus plumitarsis Parent, 1931: 12 , figs 36–38. Type locality: Sarampioni , Mapiri, Bolivia.

Diagnosis (based on original description and photographs of male holotype). Face wider than ocellar tubercle ( Fig. 1C ). Antenna yellow, except apical 3/4 of postpedicel brownish. Legs: mostly yellow, except basal half of lateral surface of coxae II and III, last tarsomere of tarsus I and II and entire tarsus III brownish ( Fig. 1A ). Coxa II with remarkable long and curved setae at apical edge ( Fig. 1A ). Tarsus I: It 1 with 1 short basiventral seta, It 2 with ventral row of conspicuous setae ( Fig. 1E ). Tarsus II with IIt 5 dorsoventrally flattened, with lateral fringe of hairs on each side. Wing brownish, R 4 +5 slightly curved posteriorly near apex, M 1 gently bent anteriorly distal to crossvein dm-m ( Fig. 1F ). Abdominal tergite 6 longer than wide, dark brown and bare ( Fig. 1B ); hypopygium distinctly shorter than abdomen, with cercus yellow, oval, with dark margins and long and black setae.

Examined type material. HOLOTYPE ♁ (based on photographs) ( Fig. 1 ) labelled as: “Bolivia-Mapiri [ca 15°18′14.2″S 68°13′20.2″W] | 9.iii.03 | Sarampioni 700m ” [green label]; “Typus | Hercostomus | plumitarsis | Par. [handwritten]” [red label] ( MTD).

Remarks. Paraclius plumitarsis comb. nov. is clearly part of a large lineage of Paraclius including P. venustus Aldrich and P. ovatus Van Duzee , discussed by Brooks (2005), and recognized by males with ring-shaped sclerite surrounding the base of the phallus. Several described and undescribed species in this group share the distinctive dorsoventrally flattened IIt 5 with similar setation as in Paraclius plumitarsis comb. nov. (see Parent 1931, fig. 37), such as P. kovascii Parent ( Bolivia) and P. opulentus Van Duzee ( Chile) . We found at least three different species from Santa Cruz, south Bolivia (CNC and INPA) with such a modified tarsus II and also conspicuously long setae at apical edge of coxa II. According to the original description, H. plumitarsis has a remarkable dorsal “apophysis” on tarsus I, but examination of available photographs of the male holotype do not show any visible enlargement ( Fig. 1E ). However, due to the poor state of conservation (male terminalia and tarsus II lost) it was not possible to associate H. plumitarsis with any of the species mentioned above.

Distribution. Bolivia ( Fig. 15 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Paraclius plumitarsis (Parent) comb. nov., male holotype (MTD). A. Habitus, lateral view (arrow pointing to long, curved setae at apical edge of coxa II); B. Abdomen, lateral view; C. Head, anterior view; D. Labels; E. Tarsus I, posterior view; F. Right wing. Image F originally lacked scale bar. Photographs by Frauke Nielsen, MTD.

FIGURE 15. Geographic distribution of species of Paraclius Loew and Tachytrechus Haliday treated here.