Eucelatoria crambivora, Burington, 2022

Burington, Zelia L., 2022, A taxonomic revision of the Eucelatoria ferox species group (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 5143 (1), pp. 1-104 : 28-29

Eucelatoria crambivora sp. nov.

( Figs 32 , 77 , 179 )

Type material. Holotype ♂, labeled “LEGS AWAY/ FOR DNA”, “DHJPAR0044950”, “Voucher: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs / DB: http://janzen.sas.upen.edu/ Area de Conservacion Guanacaste,/ COSTA RICA./ 11 -SRNP-55780”, “ HOLOTYPE / Eucelatoria / crambivora/ ZL Burington [red label]”, “ Eucelatoria / Janzen10.2/ ZL Burington 20”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00404” ( CNC).

Recognition. The male of E. crambivora sp. nov. is most similar to E. jorgecortesi sp. nov. and E. woodorum sp. nov. in sharing four thin thoracic vittae, broad and even abdominal tomentum bands, and yellow palpi. It differs from both species in that the parafacial tomentum is gray.

Etymology. From the Latin suffix - vora (“eater”) and the host family of moths, Crambidae .

Description. Male [described from 1 specimen]. Length 8.5 mm.

Head. Fronto-orbital plate, vertex, and upper half of post-ocular plate tomentum dense yellow. Parafacial, vibrissal angle, genal dilation, lower half of post-ocular plate, postgena, and occiput tomentum ash-gray to gray. Pale occipital setae yellow-gray. Ocellar setae more than three-fourths length of posterior reclinate orbital seta. Gena with 3–4 setae, subvibrissal ridge with 1 strong seta, a second thinner seta present. Facial ridge with setulae on less than lower one-third. Postocellar setae two-thirds length of ocellar setae. Paravertical seta two-thirds length of postocellar setae. Outer vertical seta slightly differentiated from post-orbital row, no more than one-fourth length of inner vertical seta. Reclinate orbital setae 3. Frontal setae 8, last frontal seta level with base of arista. Eye apparently bare. Eye height to head height ratio 0.85. Postpedicel length 0.51 height of head. Facial ridge length 0.28 height of head. Parafacial width 0.12 lateral length of head. Pedicel 0.36 length of postpedicel. Postpedicel 1.7 times width of parafacial in lateral view. Vertex 0.22 width of head in dorsal view. Palpus yellow, slightly dilated and flattened at apex; with dense short, stout setulae dorsoapically, and longer, thinner setulae mediolaterally.

Thorax. Dorsomedial length 1.3 times width of thorax. Lateral tomentum gray. Dorsal tomentum yellow. Presutural outer vitta subtriangular, pointed anteriorly. disconnected from anterior margin Postsutural outer vitta subfusiform, disconnected from presutural outer vitta and inner vitta. Inner thoracic vittae slightly divergent, bar-shaped; extending to second postsutural dorsocentral seta. Scutellar dorsal tomentum dirty gray, covering one-half area. Postpronotum with 3 setae. Presutural area with 2 supra-alar setae. Postsutural area with 3 dorsocentral setae. Scutellum with 1 pair discal setae. Fore tibia with 2 posterodorsal setae. Wing hyaline. Calypters tan to cream colored.

Abdomen. Cuticle and setulae entirely black. Dorsal tomentum bands gray, even, covering one-half to threefourths T3–5, with at most a thin, indistinct median vitta. Ventral tomentum bands ash-gray, covering one-half to two thirds T3–5, with diffuse tomentum near margin of T1+2. T4 marginal setae forming continuous row, such that there appear to be 2 pairs of medial marginal setae and more than 4 pairs of lateral marginal setae extending to ventral margin of T4.

Terminalia. Unknown [holotype was not dissected as it is the only known individual].

Female. Unknown.

Host(s). One individual was reared from an undescribed species of Crambidae feeding on Iresina diffusa Humb. & Bonpl. (Amaranthaceae) ( Janzen & Hallwachs 2008).

Geographic extent and seasonal occurrence. This species is known only from the type locality, where it was collected in seasonal moist forest at 733 m elevation ( Fig. 179 ).

Discussion. Eucelatoria crambivora sp. nov., E. jorgecortesi sp. nov., and E. woodorum sp. nov. appear to form a species complex of Crambidae-parasitizing individuals with yellow palpi and broad abdominal bands. This would suggest that the female of E. crambivora sp. nov. would also have a short piercer, as do females of the other two species. The parafacial color should reliably separate E. jorgecortesi sp. nov. from the other two. Genetic data strongly support E. crambivora sp. nov. and E. jorgecortesi sp. nov. as sister species ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. CO1-based neighbor-joining tree of 12 species of the Eucelatoria ferox species group, with inset illustrations of mesonota. The outgroup is Eucelatoria armigera (Coquillett). Node labels indicate support values over 60. Scale bar = 2% genetic difference. The E. charapensis (Townsend) sequence with the axial break is of poor quality but is included to show unity of El Bigal specimens with the rest of the metapopulation. Mesonota are illustrated with setal annuli only for clarity. A. E. gustavogutierrezi sp. nov. B. E. kopis sp. nov. C. E. ritavargasae sp. nov. D. E. ferox (Townsend). E. E. huitepecensis sp. nov. F. E. auriceps (Aldrich). G. E. gladiatrix (Townsend). H. E. borealis sp. nov. I. E. yanayacu sp. nov.

FIGURES 30–33. Male habitus photographs of Eucelatoria ferox group spp., dorsal view. 30. E. charapensis (Townsend), San Jose Province (ZLB_E.Ferox 00168) (DMW). 31. E. charapensis (Townsend), El Bigal Reserve (ZLB_E.Ferox 00395). 32. E. crambivora sp. nov., holotype (ZLB_E.Ferox 00404) (CNC). 33. E. falcata sp. nov. holotype (ZLB_E.Ferox 00272) (CNC).

FIGURES 76–77. Male habitus photographs of Eucelatoria ferox group spp., lateral view. 76. E. charapensis (Townsend), El Bigal Reserve (ZLB_E.Ferox 00395). 77. E. crambivora sp. nov., holotype (ZLB_E.Ferox 00404) (CNC).

FIGURES 174–179. Distribution maps of Eucelatoria spp. 174. E. yanayacu sp. nov., E. gladiatrix (Townsend), E. falcata sp. nov., E. charapensis (Townsend), and E. fordlandia sp. nov. 175. E. strigata (Wulp) and E. aurata (Townsend). 176. E. hafelei sp. nov., E. gustavogutierrezi sp. nov., and E. ritavargasae sp. nov. 177. E. ferox (Townsend), E. huitepecensis sp. nov., and E. inclani sp. nov. 178. E. kopis sp. nov., E. sica sp. nov., E. makhaira sp. nov., and E. tenebrionis sp. nov. 179. E. rivalis (Reinhard), E. luctuosa (Wulp), E. woodorum sp. nov., E. crambivora sp. nov., and E. jorgecortesi sp. nov.