Cardiacephala nicaraguensis, Ferro & Marshall, 2018

Ferro, Gustavo Borges & Marshall, Stephen A., 2018, A revision of the Neotropical ant-like genus Cardiacephala Macquart, including Plocoscelus Enderlein syn. nov. (Diptera: Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), Zootaxa 4429 (3), pp. 401-458 : 434

Cardiacephala nicaraguensis new species.

( Figs. 53–54 )

Descriprion (male only): Body length 7 mm, wing 4 mm. Head and abdomen brown. Thorax somewhat metallic blue. Palpus mostly black, white on outer face. Clypeus yellow with pale microsetulae. First flagellomere dark brown with golden microsetulae. Fronto-orbital plates and frontal vitta brown. Black rounded spot on postocellar insertions. Katepisternum dark brown with blue metallic shine. Row of katepisternal setae white. Scutellum brown and shiny. Mid and hind femora yellow on basal and apical third, dark brown on middle. Fore tibia black. Mid and hind tibiae brown. Fore tarsomere one white, 2–5 dark brown. Epandrium yellow.

Head: Palpus broadened basally and gradually tapering to apex. Clypeus short, length less than half of width. Vertex rounded, shiny. Inner vertical seta insertion flat, without tubercle. Two frontal setae. Paracephalon smooth, without swelling (not extending beyond the vertex). Supracervical line of setae black, weak.

Thorax: Mesonotum white pruinose with sparse pale microsetulae. Scutellum upturned, triangular. Femora with sparse black setulae. Mid and hind tibia flattened, but sulcus on outer face weak. Wing with stigmatal and discal bands, apex clear with a dark and narrow preapical pigmentation. Crossvein r-m with small dark spot. R4+5 and M1+2 meeting at the wing margin. A1+CuA2 as long as CuA2.

Abdomen: Tergites with long golden setulae. Ejaculatory apodeme somewhat thin and about same length as epandrium, blade narrowed, about as wide as sperm pump ( Fig. 54 ). Phallapodeme extending to anterior limit of hypandrium. Distiphallus long, longer than epandrium, ending in a phallic bulb, phallic bulb subequal in length and width.

Type material: Holotype: NICARAGUA. Rio San Juan, Prov. Refugia Bartola, Res. 5 mi SE El Castillo, 10º58.354’ N 84º20.343’ W, 3–8.VI.2008, J. S. Wilson & K. A. Williams (1 ♂, DEBU 01086338, USNM).

Distribution: Nicaragua.

Comments: This exclusively Nicaraguan species is unusual among Cardiacephala for its overall blue metallic shine and the rounded vertex with a black spot. The narrowed ejaculatory apodeme blade is also unusual.

Figures

FIGURES 53–54. Cardiacephala nicaraguensis. 53, male, dorsolateral view; 54, male genitalia, lateral view.