Cluzobra fritzmuelleri, Amorim, Dalton De Souza & Oliveira, Sarah Siqueira, 2008

Amorim, Dalton De Souza & Oliveira, Sarah Siqueira, 2008, Eleven new species of the genus Cluzobra Edwards (Diptera, Mycetophilidae, Sciophilinae) from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Zootaxa 1920, pp. 1-28 : 20-21

Cluzobra fritzmuelleri , sp.n.

( Figs. 17 , 33–34 )

Diagnosis. Terminalia with three pairs of digitiform processes bearing modified spines at the apex, two pairs belonging to the gonocoxite distal margin, and one pair belonging to the gonostyle. Syngonocoxal sclerite with a shallow mesal distal notch. Cerci bifid.

Material examined. Holotype ɗ, BRAZIL, State of Santa Catarina, São Bento do Sul, 49° 22’ 43” W 26° 15’ 01” S, Rugendal, 13–16.x.2001.

Description. Male. Head. Occiput yellowish, darker at vertex, setose; mid ocellus absent, lateral ocelli closer to the eye margin by a distance smaller than ocellus diameter, ocellar region dark brown; scape and pedicel whitish, flagellomeres almost twice as long as wide, whitish, except for brown basal fourth; front and clypeus yellowish, setose; maxillary palpus brown, 1+4 palpomeres, setose, palpomeres increasing in length to apex; labella yellowish, except for sclerite of basal article, brownish. Scape and pedicel round, yellowish, setose; flagellomeres yellowish, elongated, with basal half brown. Thorax. Pronotum yellowish brown, with some longer and other smaller setae. Scutum mostly light brown, with four lighter, yellowish longitudinal bands intertwined with brown bands, smaller setae scattered and some stronger acrostical and dorsocentral bristles; scutellum yellowish brownish at posterior margin, four scutellar stronger setae and some smaller setae. Pleural membrane light yellow brown, pleural sclerites light brown, except for metepisternum whitish yellow, and brownish laterotergito and mediotergite. Anepisternum and katepisternum bare, laterotergite setose, mediotergite with a mesal and a pair of more lateral tufts of setae. Halter yellowish, setose. Legs. Mostly yellowish legs, except for femora brownish basally; tibial spurs 1:2:2, brownish, front spur about than twice longer than width of tibia. Wing ( Figure 17 ). Length, 2.8 mm. Maculation pattern similar to C. sapiranga , sp.n. Membrane with macro and microtrichia; humeral cell bare of macrotrichia; basal cell with macrotrichia on distal half. Sc complete, reaching C at basal third of wing, before origin of Rs; R1 long, reaching C beyond distal third of wing; R5 reaching C at level of apex of M1; C extending to nearly half the distance between R5 and M1; r–m oblique, longer than base of Rs; M1+2 longer than r–m; medial fork complete; M4 entirely absent; A1 very short and weakly sclerotized. Abdomen. Abdominal tergites and sternites 1–7 yellowish, segments 5 and 6 brownish. S8 U–shape, T8 wide and short. Terminalia ( Figure 33–34 ). Terminalia yellowish, darker ventrally. Syngonocoxite covering the entire ventral face of the terminalia, a mesal shallow notch on the distal margin, and two pairs of projections on distal margin, each with a pair of modified spines. Gonostylus not strongly sclerotized, but with a distal projection with 8–9 modified spines, that adds to the terminalia a third pair of projections with modified spines at the apex. Aedeagus sclerotized, with a ventral projection. T9 rounded at distal margin without a mesal notch or a ventral projection laterally. Cercus bifid, with a ventral extension with fine, but elongated setae at the apex.

Etymology. This species is named after the German naturalist Fritz Müller (1822–1897), for his important contributions to entomology and evolutionary thought. He lived in southern Brazil after 1852, sent specimens to a number of European entomologists, and had frequent correspondence with Charles F. Darwin.

Comments. The male terminalia of C. fritzmuelleri , sp.n. resemble those of the other species of the binocellaris – group, particularly the digitiform distal projections with short spines at the apex and the cercus bifid, with a ventral extension of one of the stems. However, in C. sapiranga , sp.n. and C. fluminense , sp.n., tergite 9 has no ventral projections laterally. Cluzobra binocellaris , C. plaumanni , C. dureti , and C. stangei , on the other hand, have a single pair of digitiform projections at the distal margin of the syngonocoxite and the digitiform projection of the gonostyle bearing modified spines, while C. fritzmuelleri , sp.n. has two pairs of syngonocoxites projections and a pair of gonostylar projections. C. fuscipennis also has a pair of syngonocoxite projections, but the gonostyles are not modified at the apex. Therefore, C. fritzmuelleri , sp.n. is the only species in which three pairs of distal projections with spines are seen in the terminalia.

Figures

FIGURES 11 – 19. Wings of Cluzobra species. 11. Cluzobra vockerothi, sp. n. 12. Cluzobra sapiranga, sp. n. 13. Cluzobra fluminense, sp. n. 14. Cluzobra binocellaris (Edwards). 15. Cluzobra fuscipennis Edwards, specimen from Embu, State of São Paulo. 16. Cluzobra plaumanni Edwards, specimen from Nova Teutônia, State of Santa Catarina. 17. Cluzobra fritzmuelleri, sp. n. 18. Cluzobra spinata, sp. n. 19. Cluzobra elpidia, sp. n.

FIGURES 31 – 34. Male terminalia of Cluzobra species. 31. Cluzobra sapiranga, sp. n., ventral view. 32. Cluzobra fluminense, sp. n., ventral view. 33. Cluzobra fritzmuelleri, sp. n., ventral view. 34. Same, syngonocoxite plate removed. Abbreviations: ae, aedeagus; ce, cercus; dc, dorsal crypt of syngonocoxite; gvp, gonocoxal ventro – distal projections; gs, gonostyle; pa, paramere; s 8, sternite 8; sg, syngonocoxite; t 8, tergite 8; t 9, tergite 9.