Orthonevra hypnotica Miranda & Thompson, 2024

Miranda, Gil F. G., Soares, Matheus M. M. & Thompson, Christian, 2024, The Neotropical Orthonevra Macquart, 1829 (Diptera: Syrphidae), Zootaxa 5484 (1), pp. 1-78 : 36-39

Orthonevra hypnotica Miranda & Thompson sp. nov.

98-4. Thompson 2006: 21 (key reference).

Orthonevra 2 (FCT notes)

Figs 18 and 19 . Map: Fig. 41

Diagnosis. The unique pattern of the eye ( Fig. 18c, f ) separates this species from all other Orthonevra .

Description. MALE. Head ( Fig. 18d–f ): metallic blue, face with convexity in profile and ventral ¼ slightly produced anteriorly as a convexity, regulose except on medial-ventral 1/3, shiny, pile white and not scale-like; with white microtrichose subtriangular macula laterally, positioned immediately ventral do antennal base and separated from it. Antenna brown without metallic reflections, scape and pedicel paler; pedicel twice the length of the scape, postpedicel oval elongated, longer than pedicel; pile black. Mala produced apico-ventrally, with weak regulae. Gena shiny, smooth, and with white pile. Frontal triangle regulose, bare except for lateral row of white pile adjacent to eye margin. Vertical triangle isosceles triangle-shaped, 3 × the length of the eye contiguity, metallic green, bare except for dark erect pile on ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle equilateral, making up 2/3 of the vertical triangle. Occiput not visible laterally on dorsal ½, homogeneously covered in white microtrichia which extends until dorsal to gena, with one row of very short black pile, pile becomes slightly longer and white ventrally. Eyes holoptic; sub-anterior sinuous vitta meets medial sinuous vitta in different points making complex patterns, with at least some circular/ rectangular spots centrally, and a medial complete fascia, eye darker on medial anterior margin and on postero-ventral margin.

Thorax ( Fig. 18d, e ): mostly metallic green, pile white, very short, appressed and sparsely distributed, bare medially, pile slightly longer on notopleuron, post-alar callus and anteriorly on scutum; scutum with four complete dark matte vittae, and with a short narrow lateral vittate macula posterior to transverse sulcus and on notopleural sulcus; scutum covered by microsculpture; scutellum disk slightly matte black medially and greenish metallic on entire margin, with white pile on apical margin. Pleuron metallic green medially but metallic blue anteriorly and posteriorly, smooth on proepimeron, and katepimeron, remaining with a coarse texture, with densely distributed white microtrichia on proepisternum, with white pile on antepronotum, proepisternum, anteriorly on proepimeron, ventral and dorsal patches on katepisternum, dorsally on posterior anepisternum, anterior anepimeron, dorsal to the posterior spiracle on the katatergum, and metasternum. Calypter white, with white marginal pile long on both lobes. Plumule white. Halter yellowish.

Legs ( Fig. 18e ): mostly metallic greenish-black, except trochanters paler, and apex of femora, all tibiae and all tarsomeres 1–2 yellow, tarsomeres 3 slightly darker and 4–5 dark; pro and metabasitarsomere swollen. Legs covered with short white pile, mesoleg with long black setulae apico-ventrally on tibia and ventrally on tarsus, metafemur with ventral surface covered in black setulae.

Wing ( Fig. 18e ): with dark narrow sub-apical vitta (from end R2+3 until posterior end of M1), one narrow vitta sub-apically on r1, and faintly on dm-m, with a long dark fascia medially on r2+3, two inconspicuous shorter fasciae on r4+5, and a short one on antero-apical corner of dm, wing apex hyaline, stem vein and vein C slightly paler until crossvein h, mostly microtrichose, bare on small basal area of cell cua, immediately posterior to pseudovein; basicosta with dense appressed pale to dark pile, with two more prominent black setae apically. Alula 2 × the width of cell c.

Abdomen ( Fig. 18d, e ): metallic bluish-black, abdominal terga matte medially, with metallic reflections laterally, pile very short and appressed and inconspicuous, pile sockets as small protuberances, pile black, appressed and very short, white laterally, longer laterally on tergum 2; sterna metallic, with erect white pile; sternum 4 with medial short T-shaped projection and right side slightly extended.

Genitalia ( Fig. 19c–f ): surstylus gently curving in lateral view, directed apically in dorsal/ventral view, base slightly diamond-shaped, with a sub-apical triangular projection on medial side, with long sparse pile dorso-medially and short sparse pile ventro-apically ( Fig. 19c ); cercus sub-triangular; subepandrial arms widening towards surstyli. Hypandrium sub-rectangular, truncate apically and with oval base, with oval notch ventrally, with a carina on each side on apical ½ which extends until ½ way through the ventral surface of the postgonite, with very few pile ventrally, lateral to notch and sub-apically ( Fig. 19d ); postgonite finger-like and with triangular carina laterally ( Fig. 19d ), and positioned medially on the truncate apex of the hypandrium, pilose except on narrow ventral surface; phallus with straight apex, with two acute projections medio-ventrally that flank the apex of the tubular process, and a deep concavity between it and the long tubular process which curves apically ( Fig. 19f ).

Variation. Scutellum might seem entirely green metallic. Metatibia might be light brown.

FEMALE ( Figs 18a–c , 19a, b ). Like male except: face convexity more gentle; frons wide, more rugose than regulose, with a medial longitudinal groove extending from ocellar triangle through dorsal ¾ of frons, pile white and sparse; ocellar triangle with greenish reflections and longer pile, microsculptured and slightly elevated from vertex; scutellum marginal pile shorter; wing markings more distinct and with a faint dark spot where R2+3 joins the wing margin; tergum 5 as a rectangular sclerite; sterna with a few purplish metallic reflections. Genitalia ( Fig. 19a, b ): Tergum 7 as a lightly pigmented rectangular area, virtually bare (two pile insertions visible). Sternum 7 as a sclerotized strip with pile on apical margin. Tergum 8 semi-circular, bare. Sternum 8 heavily sclerotized, with middle-apical area of different texture and apical margin with a sub-triangular indentation, mostly pilose but bare on posterior margin. Sternum 9 drop-shaped, with a heavily sclerotized arc sub-apically. Epiproct sub-rectangular, convex apical margin, with two very short baso-lateral apodemes, pilose on apical margin. Cercus oval, mostly pilose, positioned apically to epiproct. Hypoproct as membranous area with some pigmentation medially, mostly pilose except bare basally.

Length. Body 4.64mm (n=1), wing 3.49–3.70mm (n=2); female 5.36–5.62mm (n=2), wing 4.43–4.53mm (n=2).

Distribution. Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and São Paulo) ( Fig. 41 ).

Altitudinal range. 300–1700m.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin form of the Greek ‘hypnotikus’ (sleep-inducing), alluding to the hypnotic patterns that the markings of the eyes form in this species. It should be treated as an adjective.

Comments. The eye pattern of this species, forming two circles flanking the middle fascia, is unique among the species studied.

Type material examined: BRAZIL. Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia (= Seara), 27º11’S 52º23’W, 300–500m, ??. xi.1969, Fritz Plaumann (male holotype hypnotica CNC, CNC_ Diptera 171383 ) .

Paratypes examined: BRAZIL. Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia (= Seara), 27º11’S 52º23’W, 300–500m, ??. xi.1970, Fritz Plaumann (1 female USNM, USNMENT01492699 ) . São Paulo, Barueri [ca 23°29’35.1”S 46°54’28.8”W], 12.viii.1957, K. Lenko (1 male USNM, USNMENT00028636 ) ; Campos do Jordão [ca 22°46’06.5”S 45°35’51.0”W], 15.vii.1957, K. Lenko (1 female USNM, USNMENT01492710 ) ; Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Maria, 29°43’06.4”S 53°43’44.0”W, 15.viii.2022, (1 male, photographic record) [https://www.inaturalist. org/observations/130966193] .

Figures

FIGURE 18. Orthonevra hypnotica sp. nov. a–c. Female: a. Habitus dorsal. b. Habitus lateral. c. Head, oblique lateral view. d–f. Male: d. Habitus dorsal. e. Habitus lateral. f. Head, oblique dorsal view. Abbreviations: circ: circular markings flanking middle fascia; mfe: middle fascia (eye); oct: ocellar triangle; tb: tibia.

FIGURE 19. Orthonevra hypnotica sp. nov., genitalia. a. Female, dorsal view. b. Female, ventral view. c–f. Male: c. Epandrium, lateral view. d. Hypandrium, lateral view. e. Abdomen, apex, ventral view. f. Phallus, lateral. Abbreviations: btp: basal tubular process; cerc: cercus; epi: epiproct; hypc: ventral carina of the hypandrium; pgc: lateral carina of the postgonite; sur: surstylus; s4 pj: middle T-shaped projection of sternum 4; s8: sternum 8.

FIGURE 41. Distribution map for Orthonevra flukei (sedman, 1964), O. gli sp. nov., O. hypnotica sp. nov., O. nitidula (Curran, 1925), and O. sternolobosa sp. nov.