Zelia ureophila ( Townsend, 1928 ) Santis & O’Hara & Couri, 2024

Santis, Marcelo Domingos De, O’Hara, James E. & Couri, Márcia Souto, 2024, Partial revision of the exclusively Neotropical species of Zelia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Tachinidae: Dexiinae: Dexiini), with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 5419 (1), pp. 1-52 : 40-42

Zelia ureophila ( Townsend, 1928) , comb. nov.

( Figs. 19–20 )

Ushpayacua ureophila Townsend, 1928: 145 . Type locality: Peru, Department of Loreto, Ushpayacu River (USNM). References: Guimarães (1971: 102, catalogue of Neotropical Tachinidae ); O’Hara et al. (2020: 83, checklist of World Tachinidae ).

Material examined. BRAZIL. Mato Grosso: Chapada dos Guimarães, 600m, 2 females, [date unknown], Ponce & Lane cols. ( MZSP) ; Mato Grosso do Sul: Bodoquema, Fazenda Califórnia —Topo, S20º41’55,9” W56º52’49,4”, 2 females, 6-21.vii.2012, Lamas, Nihei & eq. cols SISBIOTA CNPQ/FAPESP ( MZSP) ; Minas Gerais: Poças de Caldas , 1 female, 12.ii.1969, J. Beaker, O. Poppo, E. Leonoine cols. MNRJ-Ent-13628 ( MNRJ) ; Rio de Janeiro: Angra dos Reis, 1 female, xii.1934, Travassos col. ( MZSP) ; Teresópolis , xii.1939, Freitas col. ( MZSP) ; São Paulo: Anhembi, Fazenda Barreira Rico , 1 female, 4-7.x.1956, J.C. Magalães, D. S. Dias, M. Kuhlmann & L. Travassos Filho col. ( MZSP) ; Salesópolis, Estação Biológica de Boracéia , 1 female, 23°38’29”S / 45°51’22”W, 01.ix-23.x.2008, malaise, Fernandes col. , ditto, 30.iv.1966, L.T.F. col , ditto, 1 female 5- 9.6.1948, Rabello, J. Lane, J. Hood & Travassos Filho , ditto, 1 female, 1.viii.1947, E. Rabello, Travassos Filho & J. Lane col. ( MZSP) ; Santa Catarina: Itapema ? [difficult to read], [collector unknown] ( MZSP) ; [locality unknown], 1 female, [collector unknown] Coleção Adolf Lutz ( CEIOC) ; “ Rio Momlú ” [unidentified location; date unknown], 1 female, Antunes & Lane col. ( MZSP) ; Seara, Nova Teutônia , 1 female, v.1967, F. Plaumann col. , ditto, 3 females, xi.1940, ( MZSP) .

Diagnosis. Eye bare. Facial carina undeveloped. Head entirely silvery pruinose. Postpedicel brownish-tawny. Palpus slightly clavate in females. Scutum with postpronotal lobe light brown and scutellum light brown. Katepisternum with 2 setae. Wing hyaline. This species is similar to Z. pickeli , mainly on abdominal characters, but it can be differentiated by: abdomen somewhat conical, light brown to tawny, with tergites 3 and 4 with anterolateral silver pruinosity reaching base of tergite anteriorly on dorsal view. Abdominal tergites without discal setae.

Redescription. Female. Body length: 11.8 mm.

Coloration ( Fig. 19 ). Frontal vitta and ocellar triangle dark brown to black. Head with silvery pruinosity, but gena brownish black. Occiput with long and silver to golden setulae. Scape and pedicel brownish black, postpedicel brownish-tawny. Palpus yellowish to yellow-tawny. Thorax brownish, with scutum with postpronotal lobe light brown to light brown with silver pruinosity; scutum with four dark vittae, in prescutum the two inner vittae are thinner than the outer, in postscutum, a single median vitta. Scutellum light brown, with silver pruinosity on 1/4 posteriorly. Wing hyaline, slightly light brown along the veins. Calypters hyaline. Halter yellow. Posterior spiracle tawny. Legs brown to tawny, with coxae yellowish but silver pruinosity on coxae, and ventrally femora; tarsi darker. Claws black, pulvilli yellow. Abdomen light brown to tawny with silvery pruinosity and brownish black vitta on posterior margins; syntergite 1+2 light brown to tawny covered with silvery pruinosity on anteroventral margin; tergites 3 and 4 light brown to tawny covered with silvery pruinosity laterally on dorsal view, with a median dorsal vitta light brown to tawny; tergite 5 light brown to tawny with silvery pruinosity on 1/3 anteriorly.

Head ( Fig. 19 ). Vertex about 0.26x head width in dorsal view. Frontal vitta, in the narrowest point, equal to the width of ocellar triangle. Fronto-orbital plate with 13–14 pairs of proclinate setae; narrower than frontal vitta and parafacial. Fronto-orbital plate with 2 proclinate and 1 reclinate setae, with sparse setulae along its extension. Ocellar setae proclinate. Outer vertical setae reclinate about twice the length of inner setae. Width of parafacial measured between inner margin of compound eye and antennal insertion is 0.5x the width of gena. Postpedicel slender, 3x the combined length of scape and pedicel; longer than the dorsal, longest cilia ca. 8x basal width of arista. Facial ridge with three to four setulae on lower third. Lower facial margin not protruding, invisible in profile. Eye about 0.78x the head height. Gena about 0.24x eye height. Vibrissa long, inserted above lower facial margin. Prementum as long as palpus. Labella developed, little longer than 0.8x the prementum.

Thorax ( Fig. 19A, C ). Acrostichals 4+1. Dorsocentral 3+3. Intra-alar 1+3; intra-postalar absent. Supra-alar 2+3, first postsutural weak. Postpronotal lobe with three setae, forming an anterior row. Anepisternum with four strong setae and with one upward directed setulae anteriorly. Scutellum with one basal, one lateral, one apical and one discal pairs of setae. Katepisternum with 2 setae. Anepimeron with one long setae. Postalar callus with 3 setae. Legs. Fore coxa with many setae anteriorly; fore femur with dorsal and posteroventral rows of setae; fore tibia with 2 anterodorsal set on apical third, 2 preapicals, 1 anterior and 1 posteroventral. Mid femur with 2 anterodorsal seta on median third, mid tibia with 1 posterodrosal setae and 1 anteroventral seta on median third, 3 preapicals, 1 anterodorsal and 2 posteorventral setae. Hind femur with dorsal and posteroventral rows of setae; hind tibia with 3 anterodorsal, 3 posterodorsal and 1 anteroventral setae on median third, 3 preapicals on anterodorsal surface.

Abdomen ( Fig. 19A, C ). Syntergite 1+2 with a pair of lateral marginal setae. Tergite 3 a pair of lateral and median marginal setae. Tergite 4 and 5 with row of marginal setae. Terminalia ( Fig. 20A ). Tergite 6 and 7 with setae at the posterior margin; tergite 6 without seta on midventral and ventral portions. Sternites 6 and 7 with few setae in all posterior margin. Sternite 8 with setulae mainly on the posterior margin. Sternite 9 somewhat narrow posteriorly. Sternite 10 elongated and somewhat broad posteriorly, with setulae only on the posterior margin. Cerci well developed, elongated, with several setae apically with sternite 9. Three spermathecae; equal sized; suboval and surface entirely rugose ( Fig. 20B ).

Male. According to Townsend (1939): fronto-orbital plate without orbital setae. Abdominal tergite 3 with a pair of median marginal setae. Claws and pulvilli longer than tarsomere 5. Abdomen conical.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Peru (Loreto Department) and Brazil (Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Santa Catarina states, new records).

Figures

FIGURE 19. Zelia ureophila (Townsend, 1928), female from Brazil (CEIOC). A. Dorsal habitus. B. Head, frontal view. C. Lateral habitus.

FIGURE 20. Zelia ureophila (Townsend, 1928), female from Brazil (MZSP). A. Female terminalia. B. Spermatheca.