Paraclius latipes (Aldrich)

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 : 192-197

Paraclius latipes (Aldrich)

( Figs 7–9 , 16 )

Hercostomus latipes Aldrich, 1896: 311 , pl. 12, fig. 111. Type locality: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Tachytrechus latipes (Aldrich) : Robinson 1970: 54. Yang et al. 2006: 212.

Paraclius latipes (Aldrich) : Robinson 1975: 110.

Diagnosis (male). Face narrowing in the middle, narrower than ocellar tubercle ( Figs 7B , 8C ). Postpedicel triangular, brown, except extreme base orange yellow ( Figs 7B , 8D ). Legs mostly yellow; lateral surface of coxa II brownish; tarsi II and III brown from apical 1/3 of tarsomere 3 ( Fig. 8A ); tarsus I dorsoventrally flattened, with ventral surface covered by whitish pile from apical 2/3 of It 1 onwards ( Figs 7D , 8E–G ). Wing slightly brownish; M 1 gradually curved towards R 4+5, slightly convergent at apex ( Figs 7E , 8H ). Hypopygium as long as abdomen ( Fig. 8B ); cercus small, branched, dorsal branch short, about half length of ventral branch, curved ventrally, ventral branch fusiform, straight, about 1/4 of length of epandrium, covered by long setae at outer edge and 1 strong short seta at apex ( Fig. 9A, B ).

Redescription. Male (based on identified specimens and photographs of syntype) ( Figs 7 , 8 ). Body length: 2.2–2.7 mm. Wing length: 2.2–2.4 mm (n = 4). Head ( Figs 7B , 8C, D ). Upper-most 6 postocular setae black, lower white, ending in one longer white seta. Frons 1.6X wider than high, metallic green with bluish and purple reflections, covered by weak silvery pruinosity. Face and clypeus pale brown, covered by dense silvery pruinosity; face narrowing in middle (wider than mid ocellus, MSSC), about 3X longer than clypeus; clypeus subrectangular, about 1.5X longer than wide, lower margin rounded, ending well above lower eye margin. Palpus yellow, covered by silvery pruinosity and a few small black setae, 1 stronger seta at apex. Proboscis brown, labellum with short, slender setae. Pair of divergent strong ocellar setae and pair of tiny postocellar setae; pair of strong, slightly convergent vertical setae and pair of short paravertical setae, about half length of vertical seta. Postcranium black, covered by silvery pruinosity, lower postcranium with a few long, strong white setae. Antenna with scape and pedicel brownish yellow, postpedicel brown, except extreme base orange yellow; scape with short setae on dorsal surface, with acute anterior and short ventral processes at apex; pedicel with crown of setae at apex; postpedicel about 1.5X longer than wide, subtriangular, with short whitish pubescence; arista-like stylus blackish, dorsal, arising from upper edge next to base of postpedicel, about 3/4 of eye height, two-segmented, first segment long, overlapping apex of postpedicel and covered by short pubescence, second segment long, about 2X longer than first segment, covered by short setulae. Thorax ( Figs 7A , 8A ). Mesonotum mostly metallic green, except for dark spot above notopleuron, extending from suture to the postsutural supra-alar setae; mesonotum with weak bluish and coppery reflections, notopleuron covered by dense silvery pruinosity. Scutellum concolorous with mesonotum, except ventral surface pale yellow. Pleura gray, covered by silvery pruinosity with weak metallic green reflections. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals short, biseriate, ending at fourth dorsocentral seta; 5 pairs of dorsocentral, increasing in length posteriorly; 1 pre-, 1 sutural and 1 postsutural intra-alars; 2 strong supra-alars, 1 positioned between postpronotal lobe and notopleuron and 1 close to postalar callus; 1 strong postalar; 2 strong notopleurals; 1 strong, 1 short and 1 minute postpronotals; two clusters of fine white setulae on lower and upper surface of proepisternum, lower surface with 1 strong black seta directed anteroventrally; scutellum with pair of strong medial scutellars and pair of smaller setae laterad, about 1/6 as long as medial scutellars. Wing ( Figs 7E , 8H ). Membrane slightly brownish. Costa ending at M 1; R 1 ending at basal 3/8 of wing; R 2 +3 nearly straight; R 4 +5 slightly curved posteriorly at apex; M 1 gradually curved towards R 4 +5, slightly convergent at apex; M 4 not reaching wing margin; cell dm ending at middle of wing; length of crossvein dm-m/last part of M 4 (“CuAx ratio”): 0.75. CuA+CuP present as sinuous fold in membrane, not reaching wing margin. Lower calypter yellow with blackish cilia; halter yellow. Legs (7A, D, 8A, E–G). Mostly yellow; lateral surface of coxa II brownish; tarsi II and III brown from apical 1/3 of tarsomere 3; setae on legs black, unless otherwise mentioned. Leg I. Podomere ratios: 26, 24, 10/4/3/3/3. Anterior surface of coxa I covered by short setae, outer edge with 2 strong setae, 1 at middle and 1 near apex, apical edge with 2 long and strong setae, as long as coxa. Femur I covered by short vestiture of setae, with 2 antero- and 2 posteroventral short setae near apex. Tibia I with 2 anterodorsal setae at 1.5/7 (about half length of second seta) and 2/7, 3 posterodorsal setae at 2/7, 4/7, 6/7, 1 posterior seta at 6/7. Tarsus I dorsoventrally flattened ( Fig. 8E–G ), with ventral surface covered by whitish pile from apical 2/3 of It 1 (MSSC). Leg II. Podomere ratios: 35, 33, 14/8/7/5/4. Anterior surface of coxa II covered by short setae, outer edge with 1 strong seta at middle, apical edge with 3 setae, shorter than coxa. Trochanter II with 1 long anterior seta. Femur II covered by short vestiture of setae, except ventral surface mostly bare, 1 strong anterior seta at 6/7 and 1 short posteroventral preapical seta, anteroventral row of short and sparse setae from base to apex. Tibia II with 4 anterodorsal setae at 1/8 (about 1/3 of length of second seta), 1.5/8, 3.5/8 and 6/8, 3 posterodorsal setae at 1.5/8 (about half length of second seta), 2/8, and 6/8, 1 anteroventral seta at 4/8 and 1 short ventral seta 5.5/8, 1 anterodorsal, 1 anteroventral, 1 dorsal (shorter than others), 1 posterodorsal and 1 ventral setae at apex. Tarsus II unmodified. Leg III. Podomeres ratios: 35, 40, 9/12/10/6/4. Anterior surface of coxa III with 1 long seta at apical edge, lateral surface with 1 long seta at middle and 1 short at apex. Femur III laterally compressed, about 1.5X wider than femur II at broadest point, covered by short vestiture of setae, 1 strong anterodorsal seta at 4.5/7, 1 slender anteroventral seta at 5/7, and 1 short posteroventral preapical seta, anteroventral row of short, sparse setae from basal 2/8 to apical 5/8. Tibia III with 4 anterodorsal setae at 1/7 (about half-length of second seta), 1.5/7, 3/7, and 5/7, 4 posterodorsal setae at 1/7, 3/7, 4/7 and 5.5/7 (about half-length of preceding seta), 1 ventral seta at 4.5/7, 1 anterodorsal, 1 anterior and 1 ventral setae at apex. Tarsus III unmodified. Abdomen ( Fig. 8A, B ). Metallic green, tergites 1–5 with weak lateral patches of silvery pruinosity. Tergites 1–5 setose, posterior margins with longer setae, tergites 6 and 7 bare; sternite 8 brown, with weak greenish reflections, covered by short and sparse black setae, longer at posterior margin. Hypopygium ( Figs 8B , 9 ). As long as abdomen; epandrium dark brown, with weak greenish reflections, 2.5X longer than high, with 1 short basiventral seta ( Fig. 9A, B ); apicoventral lobe small and digitiform, with two short setae, 1 slender at middle and 1 ribbon-like at apex, both as long as apicoventral lobe ( Fig. 9A, B ); ventral lobe of surstylus short and narrowing abruptly at apex, with 1 short and curved stout seta at middle, 2 dorsal preapical setae, 1 long (broken off in Fig. 9F ) followed by 1 short setae, and 1 long and slender ventral digitiform projection near base, with 1 long apical seta, about as long as ventral projection ( Fig. 9F ); dorsal lobe of surstylus short, somewhat quadrangular, with 1 long apical weakly sclerotized projection curved dorsally, 1 dorsal wide ribbon-like seta at middle, followed by 1 longer and slender seta, 1 ventral preapical long ribbon-like seta ( Fig. 9F ); postgonite sclerotized, bifurcate at apex, V-shaped in ventral view, slightly curved ventrally at apex ( Fig. 9G ); basal sclerite of sperm pump narrow, strong sclerotized, connected posteriorly to sperm pump ( Fig. 9C ); sperm pump shorter than ejaculatory apodeme, somewhat kidney-shaped ( Fig. 9C ); ejaculatory apodeme long, somewhat rectangular, with ventral and dorsal edges weakly sclerotized ( Fig. 9C ); hypandrium asymmetrical, with 1 wide ventral hypandrial process near apex ( Fig. 9D ); basal part of phallus weakly connected with apical part, phallus weakly serrate ventrally and strongly narrowing apically ( Fig. 9C ); cercus branched, dorsal branch short, about half length of ventral branch, curved ventrally, with slender setae at apex, ventral branch short, fusiform, about 1/4 of length of epandrium, narrowing at apex, with several long setae at outer surface, 1 short and stronger seta at apex ( Fig. 9A, B, E , bent back in Fig. 9E ). Female (based on original description). Similar to male, except for MSSC; face wider than ocellar tubercle; postpedicel short, as long as preceding segments together.

Examined type material. SYNTYPE ♁ (based on photographs) ( Fig. 7 ) labelled as: “St. Vincent | W. Indies ”; “Collection | JMAldrich”; “ Hercostomus | latipes | Ald.” [handwritten]; “Cotype | 50264 | No. | U.S. N.M.” [red label] ( NMNH) .

Additional examined material. COSTA RICA: Guanacaste Pen. Nicoya. Estero Jabilla, magrove, Malaise , 19900N 394300E, 8–12.xii.2002, Y. Cárdenas (4 ♁, two dissected, CNC; 2 ♁, one dissected, INPA; 2 ♁, one dissected, MZUSP) .

Remarks. Robinson (1970) erroneously transferred Hercostomus latipes to Tachytrechus , a mistake he later corrected ( Robinson 1975), treating the species as a Paraclius and stating its similarities with P. aberrans . This correction was overlooked in the World Catalogue by Yang et al. (2006), where the species was listed under Tachytrechus .

Distribution. Costa Rica (new country record), Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ( Fig. 16 ).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Paraclius latipes (Aldrich), male syntype (NMNH). A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, anterior view; C. Labels; D. Tarsus I, posterior view; E. Left wing. Images B, D and E originally lacked scale bars. Photographs by Alyssa Seemann, NMNH.

FIGURE 8. Paraclius latipes (Aldrich), identified male specimen from Costa Rica. A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Abdomen and hypopygium, lateral view; C. Head, anterior view; D. Left antenna, inner view; E–G. Tarsus I in dorsal, anterior and ventral views, respectively (arrow pointing to ventral whitish pile on tarsus I); H. Left wing.

FIGURE 9. Paraclius latipes (Aldrich), hypopygium, identified male specimen from Costa Rica. A, B. Hypopygium, not dissected and dissected, respectively, left lateral view; C. Internal appendages, right lateral view; D. Hypandrium, right lateral view; E. Right cercus, outer view; F. Right ventral and dorsal lobes of surstylus, inner view; G. Postgonite, ventral view. Abbreviations: apv lb = apicoventral epandrial lobe; bs sp = basal sclerite of sperm pump; cerc = cercus; d sur = dorsal lobe of surstylus; ej apod = ejaculatory apodeme; epand = epandrium; hypd = hypandrium; hypd pr = hypandrial process; pgt = postgonite; ph = phallus; sp = sperm pump; v sur = ventral lobe of surstylus.

FIGURE 16. Geographic distribution of species of the Paraclius latipes-group treated here.