Mesoconius rufiventris ( Enderlein, 1922 ) Marshall, 2019

Marshall, Stephen A., 2019, A revision of the genus Mesoconius Enderlein (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 548, pp. 1-126 : 121-122

Mesoconius rufiventris ( Enderlein, 1922) comb. nov.

Fig. 40F

Tanypoda rufiventris Enderlein, 1922: 204 .

Aristobata rufiventris – Hennig 1935: 32 .

Zelatractodes rufiventris – Steyskal 1968: 20 .

Material examined

Holotype

COLOMBIA • ♀; v. Nolcken leg.; MNBG.

The collector was presumably J.H. Wilhelm Baron (von) Nolcken, who collected in the mountains of Colombia in 1870–71. Papavero (1973) provides a summary of Baron von Nolcken’s travels in Colombia, naming several collecting localities of which three are recorded as above 1500 m: Ubaque (1950 m), Cuequeta (2200 m) and Hato (1500 m). Enderlein indicated that the von Nolcken material came from the H. Loew collection.

Diagnosis

Based on unique female holotype.

LENGTH. About 14 mm.

COLOUR. Mesothorax and head dark shiny brown, metathorax reddish yellow. Mid and hind femora yellowish, except for pale brown distomedian ring; mid and hind tibiae brown; fore tarsus white, except for tarsomere 1, which is darkened with a dense patch of black ventrobasal setulae. Abdomen yellowishbrown, except for dark oviscape tip.

HEAD. Outer vertical bristle absent, inner vertical bristle strong, postocellar bristles parallel and very close together; fronto-orbital bristles not visible on type. Frontal vitta strongly convex, prominent and cone-like, velvety in contrast to shiny epicephalon and delineated by a silvery margin.

THORAX. Hind femur slightly swollen and setulose on distal half. Wing mostly clear on basal half and otherwise very lightly infuscated, with a circular clear patch just distal to indistinct, but broad discal band.

ABDOMEN. Abdominal segment 1 petiolate.

Remarks

The prominent frontal vitta, contrastingly coloured anterior and posterior halves of the body, basal vestiture of the fore tarsus and mostly clear wings combine to render this a recognizable species, although it is only known from the holotype female.

Figures

Fig. 40. Mesoconius oblitus group species known only from original type specimens. A. Mesoconius afurcatus (Hennig, 1935), holotype, ♂, MLUH, Venezuela. B. M. braueri (Hennig, 1935), paratype, ♂, NHMW, Venezuela. C. M. cyclops (Hennig, 1935), holotype, ♂, SMTCk, Bolivia. D. M. filipes Enderlein, 1922, holotype, ♀, MNBG, Peru. E. Aristobata melini Frey, 1927 (junior synonym of M. filipes), syntype, ZMUH, Peru. F. M. rufiventris (Enderlein, 1922), holotype, ♀, MNBG, Colombia. G. M. versicolorus (Enderlein, 1922), holotype, ♀, MNBG, Colombia.