Blepharoneura marshalli Norrbom & Condon, 2010

Norrbom, Allen L. & Condon, Marty, 2010, Revision of the femoralis group of Blepharoneura Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae) 2374, Zootaxa 2374 (1), pp. 1-139 : 81-83

Blepharoneura marshalli Norrbom & Condon , new species

Figs. 45 , 102–104 , 114–115 , 166

Diagnosis. This species and B. amplihyalina differ from other species of Blepharoneura by the extremely large hyaline area in cells dm and cu1 that completely lacks brown spots within it and from most other species by the distal location of crossvein r-m, which is more than 0.65 of the distance from bm-cu to dm-cu (this distance exceeds 0.60 only in some B. zumbadoi , chaconi , nigriapex and mikenoltei ). Blepharoneura marshalli differs from B. amplihyalina in the shape of the aculeus, the tip of which is shorter, with angular and evenly spaced lobes, and a broad and shallow medial apical concavity. In B. amplihyalina the tip is elongate triangular with weak step-like lobes and a strong narrow notch in the medial lobe.

Description. Head: Dark brown area on ocellar tubercle extended less than half to half distance to postocellar seta. Medial occipital sclerite with pair of pale brown to dark brown submedial vittae on ventral half. Occipital suture narrowly orange brown to dark brown.

Thorax ( Figs. 102–104 ): Postpronotal lobe entirely yellow or often with minute brown spot at junction with anepisternum. Scutum entirely microtrichose, with 2 pairs of dark brown vittae or rows of spots; submedial vitta interrupted or narrowed posterior to transverse suture, occasionally interrupted anterior to suture, well separated from marks on posterior margin; sublateral vitta with presutural part usually extended to level of supra-alar seta (interrupted in 2 specimens), postsutural part nearly complete or (holotype and 1♂) reduced to spot posterior to transverse suture; posterior margin with 2 well separated brown marks. Notopleuron usually with brown vitta on lateral margin, occasionally absent (1♂) or reduced to anterior and posterior spots (1♂). Small brown spot anterior to postsutural supra-alar seta, brown spot anterior to postalar seta, and small brown spot lateral to dorsolateral corner of scutellum present. Sometimes small spot lateral to postsutural supra-alar spot (aligned with postalar spot) also present. Scutellum with single medial spot, usually not extended beyond basal half (with elongate medial extension in 1♂), not extended to basal margin. Subscutellum and mediotergite with pair of dark brown vittae, sometimes moderately broad but not reaching lateral margin of mediotergite. Pleuron entirely or mostly yellow. Anepisternum often (3♂) with small brown spot dorsal to anterior seta. Anatergite usually (5 of 7 specimens) with small to moderately large dorsomedial red brown or brown spot. Basalare with brown spot or entirely brown. Dorsocentral seta aligned slightly anterior to postalar seta.

Legs: Entirely yellow. Rarely [USNMENT00213853, left leg only] hind femur with orange brown spot on margin of anteroventral apical ridge.

Wing ( Fig. 45 ): Length 6.50–7.50 mm, width 3.00– 3.56 mm, ratio 2.06–2.26. Crossvein r-m at 0.66–0.74 distance from bm-cu to dm-cu. Cell c with 2 rectangular to inverted triangular hyaline spots, both reaching costa and usually subcosta (distal spot smaller in holotype, not reaching subcosta); medial brown area sometimes fading posteriorly or medially, anterior part almost as dark as to distinctly paler than area of cell r1 posterior to pterostigma, slightly narrower to broader than hyaline spots. Pterostigma sometimes with pale brown subapical spot [#3], but usually small or absent, rarely (1♂) large and reaching R1. Cells r1 and r2+3 basally (proximal to apex of R1) with 1–4 (usually 2–3) and 0–3 (usually 1–2) hyaline spots, respectively. Radial cells medially with broad basal marginal hyaline mark [#5 fused with additional spot?] in cell r1 and aligned broad hyaline mark [fused #8 and #9] in cell r2+3 forming tapering triangular to quadrate mark, broadly touching R4+5; cell r4+5 with hyaline spot [#15] near anterior end of dm-cu moderate sized to minute, often pale brown and/or touching vein M, aligned with or slightly proximal or distal to dm-cu, and also with additional tiny hyaline to pale brown spots, 0–4 on or near anterior margin and 1–3 on or near posterior margin. Distally cell r1 rarely (1♂) with 1 small marginal hyaline spot [#6], often (4 of 7 specimens) with 1–2 small pale brown posterior spots. Cell r2+3 with 2 marginal hyaline marks, brown area between them sometimes (2 specimens) pale and diffuse, proximal mark [#10] extending to vein R4+5 or faintly divided into marginal and posterior spots, distal mark [#11] often small and not reaching R4+5. Cell r4+5 usually with small hyaline spot [#16] anteriorly (absent in at least 1 wing of 3 specimens), aligned between apical marks in cell r2+3 or with distal mark; usually with small posterior hyaline spot aligned with hyaline mark in cell m; and with 1 small ovoid marginal or submarginal hyaline spot [#18], rarely with second more anterior spot [#18A] (minute in Campo Quijano ♂). Cell m usually (6 of 7 specimens) with small subbasal hyaline spot [#49] near midlength of dmcu; with large irregular or posteriorly forked medial hyaline mark [fusion of at least #26A, #26, #27, #28] and with small distal marginal spot [#29], or with one large irregular mark [fusion of at least all of these spots]. Cell br with subbasal pale brown spot [#12]. Cell bm with circular subbasal and subapical hyaline spots or usually with single broad hyaline area [fused #19, #20]. Cell bcu occasionally with small pale brown spot in lobe. Posteromedial part of wing with extremely large subrectangular hyaline area; cell br with broad rectangular subapical hyaline area [at least #13] extending from anterior to posterior margin, rarely with small to minute pale brown spot well proximal to broad subapical hyaline area; cell dm with large hyaline area [fusion of at least #51, #52, #21, #22, #23, #24, #50] aligned with large hyaline area in cell cu1, anteriorly extended to or (1♂) almost to level of r-m, distal margin transverse or slightly oblique; cell cu1 with hyaline area [broad fusion of at least #31, #32, #33, #34, #36, #36A] covering medial half or more, very broad on posterior wing margin, usually with diffuse faint brown submarginal spot subbasally but without other brown spots medially; subapical marginal hyaline spot [#37] small to moderate sized, usually not reaching vein Cu1. Cell dm occasionally (2♂) with 1 small pale brown posterior subbasal spot, without usual subapical hyaline spot [#25] (unless fused with large medial hyaline area), sometimes with small anterior, medial and/or posterior [#53] more distal hyaline spot(s) more or less aligned with subapical mark in cell cu1.

Abdomen ( Figs. 114–115 ): Mostly yellow. Syntergite 1+2 with 4 evenly spaced dark brown spots, submedial and sublateral spots occasionally connected, spot on posterolateral corner, and occasionally with faint brown submedial band on posterior margin (much paler than other spots if present); other tergites with 4 rows of evenly spaced spots, anterolateral spot touching or almost touching lateral margin, and L-shaped band or pair of spots on lateral and posterior margins, separated medially, on tergite 5 and sometimes tergites 3–4 connected to anterolateral spot, lateral margin always with at least small spot on tergites 3 but entirely brown on tergite 5; submedial and sublateral spots on tergite 4 sometimes connected; and some or all spots and bands on tergite 5 often connected or occasionally largely fused except medially.

Female terminalia: Oviscape entirely dark brown; length 1.20 mm. Aculeus ( Fig. 166 ) 0.77 mm long, 2.01 times as long as wide, without scales dorsally or ventrally on membrane medially; tip angular basolaterally, short triangular (lobed part 0.39 times as long as wide), with moderately broad, shallow medial apical concavity (less than 1/3 as broad as distance between apices of submedial lobes) and 4 pairs of step-like lobes; sublateral and submedial lobes similar in size; lobes separated by moderately deep gaps, lateral gap 1.18 times as long as wide, gap between medial and submedial lobes slightly more than half as long as wide. Spermathecae subspherical, with straight to slightly convoluted, slender sclerotized neck and large cylindrical basal apodeme (similar to B. femoralis ).

Male terminalia: Medial surstylus with prensisetae separated by several times width of medial prensiseta, medial prensiseta on long lobe, lateral prensiseta two-thirds as large to subequal to medial prensiseta.

Distribution. Northwestern Argentina (Jujuy, Salta). The only type specimens for which elevation data was provided by the collector were taken at 1500 m.

Type data. Holotype ♀ ( USNM USNMENT00054209 ), ARGENTINA: Salta: 30 km E [sic?, W?] of Salta, Campo Quijano [24°55'S 65°39'W], El Corrallo, 20 Feb 1992, S. A. Marshall . Paratypes ARGENTINA: Jujuy: Yuto [23°38'S 64°28'W], [no date], J. Foerster, 1♂ ( CAS USNMENT00213860 ) . Salta: 10 km N La Caldera forest, Camino la Cornisa , 1500 m, 27 Feb 1992, S. A. Marshall, 1♂ ( DEBUG USNMENT00054211 ) 1♂ ( IML USNMENT00213852 ) 1♂ ( USNM USNMENT00054210 ) ; Campo Quijano , El Alisal [24°51'S 65°41' W], forest remnant, 18 Feb 1992, S. A. Marshall, 1 ♂ ( DEBUG USNMENT00213854 ) ; Canyada la Gotera , 19 Feb 1992, S. A. Marshall, 1 ♂ ( DEBUG USNMENT00213853 ) .

Etymology. The name of this species is a noun in the genitive case honoring the outstanding collecting efforts and contributions to dipterology by Steve Marshall, who collected most of the type series.

Remarks. The label of the holotype indicates that it was collected east of the city of Salta, but the only locality in Salta named Campo Quijano that we could locate in gazetteers is approximately 28 km WSW of Salta, and the “E” on the label may be a lapsus. The males of this species and B. amplihyalina were tentatively separated.

Figures

FIGURES 36–45. Wing: 36–37, B. hirsuta Guyana: Moraballi Creek, USNMENT00213793; Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, USNMENT00213794); 38–39, B. hyalinella (Bolivia: Apa Apa, USNMENT00055933, USNMENT00055940); 40, B. io (holotype); 41, B. isolata (holotype); 42, B. lutea (Costa Rica: SW Rincon, USNMENT00213791); 43–44, B. macwilliamsae (Zurqui, USNMENT00048601, USNMENT00048483); 45, B. marshalli (Argentina: Yuto, USNMENT00213860).

FIGURES 102–105. Thorax, dorsal: 102–104, B. marshalli (holotype; Argentina: Camino la Cornisa, USNMENT00054210, USNMENT00054211); 105, B. tau (holotype).

FIGURES 113–118. Abdomen, dorsal: 113, B. femoralis (USNMENT00054204); 114–115, B. marshalli (Argentina: Camino la Cornisa, USNMENT00054210–11); 116–117, B. chaconi (InBio002151664; INBio002539948); 118, B. tau (holotype).

FIGURES 165–172. Aculeus: 165, B. amplihyalina (holotype); 166, B. marshalli (holotype); 167, B. multipunctata (holotype); 168, B. mikenoltei (holotype); 169, B. mexicana (Mexico: Mexico City, USNMENT00213809); 170, B. regina (Mexico: Lagunas de Zempoala, USNMENT00213846); 171, B. variabilis (Mexico: El Triunfo, USNMENT00213899); 172, B. bidigitata (Brazil: Nova Teutonia, USNMENT00213907).