Spiracolis curvipalpus Webb, 2005

Webb, Donald W., 2005, New Genera of Neotropical Therevidae (Insecta: Diptera), Zootaxa 1091 (1), pp. 1-26 : 17-21

Spiracolis curvipalpus Webb spec. nov.

( Figs. 32–41 ).

Etymology. curvus (Latin) = bent, palpus = maxillary palpus. This name refers to the ventrally curved maxillary palpi and is used as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Spiracolis curvipalpus can be separated from other South American genera by having the maxillary palpus ( Fig. 40 ) large, curved ventrally; the gonocoxite ( Fig. 34 ) fused ventrally; the ventral lobe ( Figs. 34–35 ) reduced to an elongate, tapered membrane; the distiphallus ( Figs. 37–38 ) twisted as in a corkscrew; the female frons ( Fig. 40 ) with a dark brown, transverse band medially; and the common spermathecal duct over 4 times longer than the furca ( Fig. 41 ).

Description of holotype male (MEI 163480).

Body length 8.9 mm.

Head. Length 0.92 mm. Ocellar tubercle dark reddish brown, pruinescence gray; setae dark reddish brown, short; tubercle slightly raised above vertex. Face extends slightly beyond eyes. Eyes reddish brown; holoptic, ommatidia slightly smaller ventrally and laterally. Frons pruinescence dark brown, whitish gray ventrally with traces of brown pruinescence; setae absent; black pruinose band absent lateral to antennal base. Antenna yellowish brown, second and third flagellomeres brown; antenna/head length 0.73; scape cylindrical, length 0.22 mm, width 0.14 mm, length/width 1.6, scape/pedicel length 1.6, scape/flagellum width 1.0, setae dark reddish brown, absent medially, macrosetae dark reddish brown; pedicel globular, length 0.09 mm, width 0.16 mm, length/width 0.6, setae dark reddish brown, short, absent medially; first flagellomere oval, tapered apically, length 0.56 mm, width 0.18 mm, second flagellomere short, cylindrical, length 0.05 mm, third flagellomere short, tapered apically to short apical style, length 0.08, flagellum length 0.69 mm, length/width 3.8, flagellum/scape length 3.1. Parafacial pruinescence white; setae absent. Maxillary palpus yellowish brown, cylindrical, curved ventrally, apex pointed; length 0.64 mm, width 0.14 mm, length/width 4.6; setae dark brown. Genal setae dark brown, elongate. Occiput convex, pruinescence white, dense, setae dark brown, elongate, absent dorsally; macrosetae extending ventrally in single row at end of postocular macrosetae. Postocular macrosetae dark reddish brown, in single row.

Thorax. Macrosetae dark reddish brown, 3 np, 2 sa, 1 pa, 0 dc, 2 sc. Mesonotum with broad, dark brown vittae separated by yellowish pruinescent stripe, dorsocentral vitta extending to scutellum, postpronotal lobe and notopleuron pale yellow, scutellum dark brown; setae dark brown, elongate, appressed. Postpronotal lobe concolorous with mesonotum; setae dark brown. Cervical sclerite brown; setae pale brown. Prosternal setae pale yellow. Pleuron reddish brown, pruinescence white; setae whitish brown, elongate on propleuron, anepisternum, laterotergite, metanepisternum, and scutellum; absent on proepimeron, katepisternum, anepimeron, meron, and metakatepisternum. Wings. Length 8.0 mm, width 2.4 mm, length/width 3.3; membrane opaque, pale brown; veins brown; setulae absent on R 1; pterostigma brown, slightly darker than membrane; M 1, M 2, and M 3 originate separately from apex of dc; cell cup closed, petiolate; cell m 3 open widely; anal angle broadly rounded; alula rounded. Halter brown. Legs. Coxae dark reddish brown, pruinescence white, dense; setae dark brown, absent on posterior half of midcoxa; hindcoxa with anterior papillate knob and one posterolateral macroseta; apical macrosetae dark reddish brown. Femora yellow; ventral setae dark brown becoming lanceolate, appressed dorsally; av 1:0:1, pv 2:3:5. Tibiae yellow. Tarsomere 1 yellow; 2–5 dark brown.

Abdomen. Cuticle reddish brown, pruinescence gray, less dense laterally; dorsal and lateral setae dark brown, appressed; setae on sternites 5–8 dark brown, elongate, abundant. Terminalia . Dark yellow. Tergite 8 ( Fig. 32 ) bilobed, posterior margin deeply emarginate; median length short (0.02 mm); setae dark brown. Epandrium ( Fig. 32 ) quadrate, anterior margin broadly emarginate; slightly wider than median length; posterolateral margin broadly pointed with dark yellow, glabrous margin; lateral view ( Fig. 33 ) quadrate, tapering to broad posteroventral point; setae dark brown. Cerci ( Fig. 32 ) free, oblong, apex rounded, ending distal to posterolateral margin of epandrium fused basally, ending above posterior margin of hypoproct. Hypoproct ( Fig. 32 ) quadrate, ending distal to posterolateral margin of epandrium, apicoventral area flat; posterior margin emarginate, ending below posterior margin of cercus. Hypandrium reduced, dark brown, fused to gonocoxite. Gonocoxite ventral view ( Fig. 34 ) fused medially, quadrate, rounded laterally, posterior margin with ventromedial outer gonocoxal process, setae dark brown; dorsal view ( Fig. 35 ), gonocoxal apodeme short, not extending beyond anterior margin of gonocoxite, gonocoxal bridge absent; lateral view ( Fig. 36 ) oblong, tapered apically to an elongate dorsal outer gonocoxal process and short, pointed ventral outer gonocoxal process; ventral lobe ( Figs. 34–35 ) thin, elongate, ventral spines absent. Gonostylus dorsal view ( Fig. 35 ) narrow, tapered apically to single point with posterolateral projection, setae dark yellow. Aedeagus with dorsal apodeme ( Fig. 37 ) broad, quadrate, slightly tapering apically, anterior sclerotized margin broadly emarginate; ventral apodeme ( Fig. 38 ) narrow, tapering anteriorly to point, not reaching anterior margin of dorsal apodeme; distiphallus ( Fig. 37 ) broad basally, tapering apically to narrow, twisted extension, lateral view ( Fig. 39 ) apical extension appears as corkscrew; ejaculatory apodeme ( Fig. 37 ) moderately swollen anteriorly and margin truncate, extending well beyond anterior margin of dorsal apodeme, in cross­section flattened dorsoventrally.

Female.

Similar to male except for following.

Morphometric variation (n=5).

Body length 9.9–11.0, 10.7 mm.

Head. Length 0.92–1.24, 1.08 mm. Eyes separated by distance 1.6 times width of ocellar tubercle. Frons ( Fig. 40 ) pruinescence golden brown dorsally with broad, dark brown, transverse band medially, ventral third white to silver with pale brown coloration dorsomedially ventral to dark brown band; setae dark brown, short. Antenna yellowish brown, apical style dark brown; antenna/head length 0.9–1.2, 1.0; scape length 0.24–0.28, 0.26 mm, width 0.12–0.14, 0.14 mm, length/width 1.7–2.2, 1.9, scape/pedicel length 2.2– 2.7, 2.5, scape/flagellum width 0.6–0.9, 0.8; pedicel length 0.09–0.12, 0.11 mm, length/ width 0.6–0.9, 0.7; flagellum length 0.66–0.78, 0.72 mm, width 0.16–0.19, 0.18 mm, length/width 3.8–4.1, 4.0, flagellum/scape length 2.5–2.9, 2.8. Maxillary palpus length 0.60–0.78, 0.70 mm, width 0.12–0.16, 0.14 mm, length/width 4.3–6.0, 5.2.

Thorax. Macrosetae 3 np, 2 sa, 1 pa, 0–1 dc, 2 sc. Mesonotum with dark brown broad vittae, dorsocentral and dorsolateral vittae fused posteriorly, extending to scutellum, separated by thin line of yellowish brown pruinescence which is expanded anteriorly; setae dark brown, suberect on vittae, gold, suberect laterally and on expanded area of yellowish brown pruinescence. Posterolateral lobe dark yellow; setae yellow. Pleural setae gold on propleuron, anepisternum, laterotergite, metanepisternum, and scutellum. Wings. Length 8.6–9.9, 9.2 mm, width 2.5–3.2, 2.8 mm, length/width 3.1–3.5, 3.3. Legs. Femora with dark brown, appressed, lanceolate setae apically. Anteroventral macrosetae 1–2:0:1– 2, pv 0–2:3–5:4–7.

Abdomen. Cuticle dark reddish brown, glossy, pruinescence whitish gray on tergites 4–5; dorsal setae dark brown with gold, appressed setae across posterior margin of tergites 1–4. Terminalia . Anterior margin of sternite 8 truncate; aedeagal guide present. Posteromedial lobe of tergite 9 lacking setae. Furca ( Fig. 41 ) oval, closed anteriorly and posteriorly; lacking anteromedial and posteromedial projections, anterior margin broad, anterolateral projections short. Common spermathecal duct elongate, over 4 times longer than furca; spermathecal ducts awl­shaped posteriorly before becoming thread­like and ending in 2 spherical spermathecae; spermathecal sac large, oval.

Immature Stages. Unknown.

Habitats and Temporal Phenology. Adults of Spiracola curvipalpus have been collected in a Malaise trap in a semi­deciduous forest at an elevation of 500 meters in October and November.

Distribution. Spiracolis curvipalpus has been collected only in Brazil.

Specimens examined. Type specimen. The holotype male of Spiracolis curvipalpus is labelled " BRAZIL, Parana State, Jundiai Do Sul, Fazenda Monte Verde; malaise in semideciduous forest; 500 m; 20.X.1986; 23°26'S, 50°16'W, PROFAUPAR project" ( MEI 163480 ) and is deposited in DZUP . PARATYPES: same locality as holotype, 6.X.1986, 2 females MEI 163535 ( INHS), 165547 ( DZUP); 12.X.1986, 2 females MEI 163528 , 163471 ( DZUP); 3.XI.1986, 1 female MEI 163464 ( MEIC) .

Figures

FIGURES 32–41. Spiracolis curvipalpus 32. Tergite 8, epandrium, cerci, hypoproct, dorsal view. 33. Epandrium, lateral view. 34. Sternite 8, hypandrium, gonocoxite, ventral view. 35. Gonocoxite, hypandrium, dorsal view. 36. Gonocoxite lateral view. 37. Aedeagus, dorsal view. 38. Aedeagus, ventral view. 39. Aedeagus, left lateral view. 40. Female face. 41. Female internal reproductive organs. Scale = 0.1 mm.