Tabelliphora teretipenna, Kung & Brown, 2005

Kung, Giar-Ann & Brown, Brian V., 2005, Three unusually divergent new genera of phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae) from Costa Rica, Zootaxa 1019 (1), pp. 43-52 : 50-52

Tabelliphora teretipenna new species

Figs. 5–8 .

Description. Female (male unknown). Body length 0.72 to 0.86 mm. Body dorsoventrally­flattened ( Fig. 6 ), oval, broadest at thorax. Head broad, posterior margin convex ( Fig. 7 ). Frons extremely broad. Mean frontal ratio 0.77; range 0.71­0.81. Median furrow of frons absent. Most frontal setae absent, although one pair of long, dorsally­directed supra­antennal setae present. Two vertical, two postocular and three genal setae present. Ocelli present. Eyes reduced. Flagellomere 1 and palpus yellow to light brown. Flagellomere 1 oval, apically­pointed, with near­apical arista and long, whitish apical setae ( Fig. 8 ). Arista densely setose. Palpus dorsoventrally flattened, with six to seven strong, near­apical setae. Dorsum of thorax brown. Scutum covered with long, dense setulae. Four thicker, longer setae present along posterior margin of scutum; lateral pair 0.65 length of medial pair, similar in thickness. Scutellum deep, slightly ventrally directed, with transverse, overlapping rows of short, prostrate setae (not visible without SEM). Posterior pair of scutellar setae approximately 1.5 times length and twice thickness of anterior pair. Pleuron lighter in color than dorsum of thorax; light brown. One long, thick seta present on anepisternum. Halter brown. Wing rounded, R 2+3 absent ( Fig. 5 ). Mean wing length 0.55 mm; range 0.54 to 0.56 mm. Mean costal length 0.82 wing length; range 0.80 to 0.84. Costal sector ratio 0.47:1. Costa with one row of long, posterodorsal setae, and one row of shorter, denser, anterior setae. Slight darkening faintly indicating presence of posterior longitudinal veins visible with phase­contrast lighting. Legs light brown; stout, tapered apically. Fore­ and midlegs short. Forecoxa broad. Femora broad. Foretibia without differentiated setae or setal palisades. Mid­ and hind tibiae each with single dorsal setal palisade. Hind tarsus tapered apically. Dorsum of abdomen brown, similar in color to dorsum of thorax; venter dark brown, blackish. Venter of abdomen with 2 to 3 lateral rows of long setae, just ventral to tergites; also with a few more scattered, long setae ventrally. Tergites 1 to 6 short, broad. Tergite 7 present, relatively unmodified. Apex of abdomen modified to form bilobed, pointed, sclerotized stylet.

Geographic distribution. Costa Rica.

Derivation of names. The generic name is from the Latin word tabella, for a small board or flat piece of anything on which to write, referring to the small size and flat appearance of this genus. The specific name is a combination of the Latin words teres meaning rounded, and penna meaning wing.

Holotype. ♀. COSTA RICA: Puntarenas: 24 km W Piedras Blancas , 8.77°N, 83.4°W, ii.1992, P. Hanson, Malaise trap, 200 m [ LACM ENT 201564 ] ( LACM).

Paratypes. 5♀, same data as holotype ( INBC, LACM, MUCR) .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Tabelliphora teretipenna new species. Wing.

FIGURES 6–8. Tabelliphora teretipenna new species. 5. Body, lateral. 6. Head, dorsal. 7. Head, lateral.