Calophytus monteithi, Irwin & Winterton & Metz, 2020

Irwin, Michael E., Winterton, Shaun L. & Metz, Mark A., 2020, New stiletto flies from New Caledonia (Therevidae, Agapophytinae), ZooKeys 984, pp. 83-132 : 83

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.984.53587

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D8B945AE-6209-4957-8BB1-D96DDBB5AA44

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5801CAFA-7A24-4293-BF56-FE445D34F1F6

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:5801CAFA-7A24-4293-BF56-FE445D34F1F6

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Calophytus monteithi
status

sp. nov.

Calophytus monteithi sp. nov. Figs 7F View Figure 7 , 15 View Figure 15 , 22 View Figure 22 , 32A View Figure 32

Diagnosis.

Body mostly dark yellow to orange; single row of orange postocular setae dorsally; flagellum shorter than scape; wing with pale yellowish infuscation, darker apically with hyaline fenestrations in most cells; head yellow except for black on upper frons and dorsolaterally on occiput; legs yellow except for dark tarsi apically.

Description.

Length: 10.3 mm. Head. Glossy dark yellow, upper frons and dorsolateral portion of occiput dull black. Frons smooth, raised around base of antenna, eyes separated by 3 × width of median ocellus. Lateral occiput, lower frons, face, parafacial, and gena dull orange, sparsely pubescent; lateral and ventral occiput silver pubescent with scattered yellow setae ventrally; posterior oral margin orange, not pubescent. Postocular macrosetae yellow-orange, single row with a few scattered macrosetae ventral to the dorsal row. Scape ¾× head length; orange basally, dark brown on apical 1/4 sparsely yellow pubescent. Pedicel dark brown, sparsely yellow pubescent, with one whorl of short, black, setae with a few additional setae. Basal flagellomere 0.7 × length of scape; gradually tapering to a blunt point apically; short, fine, black setae dorsally at base. Second flagellomere slightly conical, apex narrower than base; <1/10 × length of basal flagellomere. Third flagellomere 1/3 × length of second flagellomere. Style small, spiculate. Palpus cylindrical, apex slightly capitate; orange; yellow pubescent admixed with yellow setae. Mouth parts orange with yellow setae. Thorax. Thorax dark yellow-orange; posterodorsal katepisternum, posterior metepimeron, anteroventral portion of meron, and posterodorsal metakatepisternum silver pubescent; macrosetae black (np: 2, sa: 1, pa: 1, dc: 0, sc: 1); scutum with short, black setae; katatergite, lateral postpronotum, postpronotal lobe, cervical sclerite, proepisternum, and lateral prosternum with short, yellow-white setae. Scutum with dark brown, dorsocentral stripes, narrow anteriorly, widening and merging into a single broad stripe posteriorly. Legs. Yellow except with small black spot ventrally at junction of femora and trochanters; base of hind femur and tibia and all tarsomeres with brown suffusion; legs sparsely yellow pubescent, admixed with short pale setae; dorsal 1/4 of hind coxa silver pubescent; all coxae with short, yellow setae. Forecoxa with two, midcoxa with four, and hind coxa with two yellow, anteroventral, marginal macrosetae. Wing. Membrane mostly hyaline with extensive pale yellow infuscation, most cells with central hyaline fenestration, wing apex with darker infuscation; membrane mostly lacking dark microtrichia, present as apical band, patch at apex of cell d, as elongate narrow stripe in cell br, and along all veins; pterostigma light brown. Cell m3 widely open at wing margin. Haltere stalk yellow, knob brown. Abdomen. Uniform dark yellow to orange, overlain with yellow-gold pubescence and fine pale setae, longer laterally; tergites I-IV with at least some short, black, setae medially. Genitalia. Not dissected.

Etymology.

This species is named in honour of Dr Geoffrey Monteith, Emeritus Senior Curator, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, who was one of the collectors of one of the two known female specimens of this species.

Comments.

Calophytus monteithi sp. nov. is known only from two female specimens but can readily be distinguished from other species of Calophytus by the body being mostly orange except for the dark dorsocentral stripe posteriorly, dark tarsi distally, and the mostly hyaline wing with faint yellowish infuscation. This species is known from misty rainforest habitats at higher elevations (430-850 m) (Fig. 32A View Figure 32 ). The male is unknown.

Specimens examined.

Holotype female, New Caledonia: Province Sud: Col d’Amieu, humid forest, 430 m, 7.X.1984, 21°36'00"S, 165°48'08"E [-21.6, 165.802], Tillier & Bouchet, Collection #116a (MEI030193, MNHN).

Paratype. New Caledonia: Province Nord: 1 female, 8711, 21°11'S, 165°18'E [-21.183, 165.3], 850 m, Aoupinie, top camp, 3-23.X.2001, C. Burwell & G. Monteith, Malaise, rainforest (MEI138464, QM).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Therevidae

Family

Agapophytinae

Genus

Calophytus