Helicosina crena Marshall, 2024

Kuwahara, Gregory K., Marshall, Stephen A. & Yau, Tiffany, 2024, Helicosina, a new genus of Neotropical Limosininae (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae), Zootaxa 5523 (4), pp. 459-471 : 464-469

Helicosina crena Marshall sp. nov.

( Figs. 2A–B , 3A , 4 , 7 , 8 )

Description. Body length: Males 1.5–1.8 mm, females 1.6–1.8 mm.

General ( Fig. 2A ): Male fore and hind femora slightly thickened (length 1.9–2.0 × and 4.4–5.6 × width, respectively).

Male abdomen ( Fig. 4 ): S5 broad, desclerotized posteromedially, and uniformly long-setose. Posterior opening of epandrium triangular (medial height subequal to ventral width); subanal plate long and very narrow. Surstylus folded into inner and outer lobes; outer lobe rounded and setose, inner lobe flat with a few marginal setae and a large, transparent, posteroventral scale. Cercus broad, lobate, narrowly fused dorsally. Distiphallus short-cylindrical with a very broad, bilobed opening subtended by broad, flap-like distal lobes.

Material examined. Holotype: COSTA RICA: Puntarenas: Monteverde Biological Reserve , 1500 m, cloud forest, 11–13.vi.2000, S.A. Marshall (♂, MNCR).

Paratypes: COSTA RICA: Alajuela: Rio Penas Blancas , 700 m, 18.viii.1986, L. Masner (1 ♂, DEBU) . San José: Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia , 10˚02’58”N 84˚00’57”W, 1600 m, Malaise trap #1, 5–8.ix.2012, W. Porras (1 ♀, MNCR) ; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia , 10˚02’58”N 84˚00’57”W, 1600 m, mixed methods, 5–6.viii.2013, S.A. Marshall (1 ♀, MNCR) ; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, Tower path, 10˚02’58”N 84˚00’57”W, 1600 m, Malaise trap #1, 24–31.v.2013, Proyecto ZADBI (1 ♂, MNCR) ; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, Tower path, 10˚02’58”N 84˚00’57”W, 1600 m, Malaise trap #1, 14–21.vi.2013, Proyecto ZADBI (1 ♂, MNCR) ; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, Tower path, 10˚02’58”N 84˚00’57”W, 1600 m, Malaise trap #1, 28.vi–5.vii.2013, Proyecto ZADBI (1 ♀, MNCR) ; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, Tower path, 10˚02’58”N 84˚00’57”W, 1600 m, Malaise trap #1, 12– 19.vii.2013, Proyecto ZADBI (2 ♀, MNCR) ; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, Tower path, 10˚02’58”N 84˚00’57”W, 1600 m, Malaise trap #1, 9–16.viii.2013, Proyecto ZADBI (1 ♂, MNCR) ; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, Tower path, 10˚02’58”N 84˚00’57”W, 1600 m, Malaise trap #1, 30.viii–6.ix.2013, Proyecto ZADBI (1 ♂, 1 ♀, MNCR) ; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, Tower path, stingless bee entrance, 10˚02’58”N 84˚00’57”W, 1600 m, mixed methods, 9.viii.2013, B. Brown (1 ♂, MNCR) .

Type locality. Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Monteverde Biological Reserve.

Etymology. The specific name (from the Latin ‘crena’: incision, notch) is a noun in apposition and reflects the conspicuously notched male sternite 5.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus and head photos of Helicosina species.A, Helicosina crena sp. nov. paratype habitus, lateral; B, Helicosina crena sp. nov. paratype head, anterolateral; C, Helicosina sica sp. nov. paratype habitus, lateral; D, Helicosina sica sp. nov. paratype head, anterolateral; E, Helicosina valga sp. nov. paratype habitus, lateral; F, Helicosina valga sp. nov. paratype head, anterolateral. Scale bars indicate 0.50 mm.

FIGURE 3. Wing photos of Helicosina species.A, Helicosina crena sp. nov. paratype; B, Helicosina sica sp. nov. paratype; C, Helicosina valga sp. nov. paratype. Scale bars indicate 0.50 mm.

FIGURE 4. Helicosina crena sp. nov. male paratype terminalia.A, S5–8 and postabdomen, ventral. B, aedeagus and associated structures, left dorsolateral. C, S5–8 and postabdomen, lateroventral. D, epandrium and surstyli, posterior. Abbreviations: bp— basiphallus, cer—cercus, dp—distiphallus, ea—ejaculatory apodeme, epa—epandrium, hyp—hypandrium, pg—postgonite, phal—phallapodeme, sap—subanal plate, ss—surstylus. Scale bars indicate 0.10 mm.

FIGURE 7. Helicosina crena sp. nov. female paratype terminalia. A, dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, lateral view; D. single spermatheca; E, paired spermathecae. Abbreviations: cer—cercus, hyp—hypoproct. Scale bars indicate 0.10 mm.

FIGURE 8. Distribution map for Helicosina. Blue circles indicate H. crena sp. nov., red circles indicate H. sica sp. nov., and green circles indicate H. valga sp. nov.