Helicosina valga 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 : 469-470

Helicosina valga Marshall sp. nov.

( Figs. 2E–F , 3C , 6 , 8 )

Description. Body length: Males 1.9–2.1 mm, females 2.0– 2.2 mm.

General ( Fig. 2E ): Male fore and hind femora strongly thickened (length 2.9–3.0 × and 3.5–3.7 × width, respectively).

Male abdomen ( Fig. 6 ): S5 broad, gently curved, broadly desclerotized posteromedially, and densely setose laterally. Posterior opening of epandrium oval (medial height 1.3–1.4 × medial width); cercus separated medially, forming a weakly-developed subanal plate. Surstylus strongly sinuate, basal half broad and subtriangular with the apex curved posteriorly, apical half strongly bent downwards and constricted with several anterior setae. Postgonite small, broad, and apically tapered with a small subapical patch of microtomentum. Phallapodeme elongate and well sclerotized. Basiphallus stout, slightly curved, with a stout, apically pointed epiphallus; distiphallus stout, largely membranous but including a trough-shaped basal sclerite with upper surface bent inwards to form a “roof”, a shieldshaped upper sclerite, and paired elongate lower-lateral sclerites; lateral membrane densely microtrichose.

Material examined. Holotype: COSTA RICA: Alajuela: Rio San Lorencito, San Ramón Forest Reserve, 5 km N Colonia Palmareña, 900 m a.s.l., iii.1990, Curso Carabidae (♂, MNCR).

Paratypes: COSTA RICA: Alajuela: same data as holotype (1 ♀, MNCR) ; Finca San Gabriel , 2 km SE Dos Rios, 600 m a.s.l., v.1990, II Curso Parataxon (1 ♀, MNCR) ; Puntarenas: Monteverde Biological Reserve , 1500 m a.s.l., cloud forest, 11–13.vi.2000, S.A. Marshall (2 ♂, 1 ♀, DEBU, MNCR) ; Monteverde Biological Station , 1500 m a.s.l., white pans in kitchen compost, 13.vi.2000, M. Buck (1 ♀, DEBU) . PANAMA: Panamá Oeste: Cerro Campana , 5.vii.1974, C.W. & L. O’Brien & Marshall (1 ♂, CAS) .

Type locality. Costa Rica, Alajuela, Rio San Lorencito, San Ramón Forest Reserve.

Etymology. The specific name (from the Latin ‘valgus’: bent out) refers to the distinctively bent surstylus.

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 6. Helicosina valga sp. nov. male paratype terminalia.A, S5–8 and postabdomen, ventral; B, aedeagus and associated structures, left lateral; C, epandrium and surstylus, lateral; D. epandrium and surstyli, posterior. 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.