Cardiacephala spinosa, 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 : 450-452

Cardiacephala spinosa new species

( Figs. 90–92 )

Description (female only): Body length 7 mm, wing 4 mm. Thorax and abdomen brown. Palpus mostly brown, white on outer face. Clypeus brown with sparse pale microsetulae. First flagellomere dark brown covered with pale microsetulae. Fronto-orbital plates brown. Frontal vitta brown. Row of katepisternal setae black. Mid femora dark brown, white on basal third and yellowish preapically. Hind femora narrowly white basally, yellowish preapically. Fore tibia dark brown. Fore tarsus white, tarsomere one with brown ventral pubescence basally, 4–5 covered. Oviscape brownish, apex yellow.

Head: Palpus strongly convex ventrally, axe-shaped. Clypeus enlarged, length at least half of width in frontal view. Two frontal setae. Inner vertical seta insertion flat, without tubercle. Paracephalon smooth, without swelling (not extending beyond the vertex). Vertex rounded. Line of black supracervical setae strong.

Thorax: Mesonotum with white pruinosity. Scutellum convex and displaced posteriorly (not upturned). Femora with sparse black setulae. Mid and hind tibia flattened, but sulcus on outer face weak. Wing with stigmatal and discal bands, apex entirely dark. Crossvein r-m clear. R4+5 and M1+2 ending separately in wing margin. A1+CuA2 as long as CuA2. Female cervical sclerite slightly swollen at the posterior end.

Abdomen: Tergites with brownish setulae. Single spermathecal duct uniformly thick, ending in a sac-like (distally swollen and tapered basally) spermatheca with tiny protuberances in basal half. Paired spermathecal duct striate and delimited by a narrow basal half and a broader distal half. Paired spermathecal duct stems smooth in basal third, apical two thirds with finger-like process ( Fig. 91 ). Paired spermathecae oval, invaginated apically.

Type material: Holotype: BRAZIL. São Paulo, Boracéia, Estação Biológica de Boracéia, 2.XII.2008, G. F. G. Miranda (1 ♀, DEBU 01086449, INPA, sequence DEBUA 286–17); Paratype: BRAZIL. São Paulo, Boracéia, Estação Biológica de Boracéia, 2.XII.2008, G. F. G. Miranda (1 ♀, DEBU 01086337, INPA).

Distribution: Brazil.

Etymology: The name spinosa (Latin: thorny, prickly) refers to the “thorny” single spermathecae and paired spermathecal stems of this species.

Comments: This species differs from the similar C. camptomera mainly by its brownish colouration, unique paired spermathecal duct stems and single spermathecae.

Figures

FIGURES 90–92. Cardiacephala spinosa. 90, female, fronto dorsal view; 91, female genitalia, lateral view; 92, female, lateral view. Abbreviation: plp—Palpus.