Scione cooperi sp. nov., 2024

Oliveira, Lia Pereira, Henriques, Augusto Loureiro, Buestán, Jaime & Krolow, Tiago Kütter, 2024, Description of four new species of the Neotropical genus Scione Walker, 1850 (Diptera: Tabanidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 947, pp. 1-19 : 3-7

Scione cooperi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:35288954-8BF0-484B-8E22-9A0D62118901

Figs 2–3

Diagnosis

Frons brown with grayish pruinosity and black setulae. Clypeus brown with black setulae. Parafacial and gena covered by yellowish pruinosity, gena with dense and long yellowish setulae. Scape and pedicel dark brown with black setulae, flagellum orange with blackish last flagellomeres. First segment of palpus black with yellowish setulae, second segment dark orange to black with short black setulae. Thorax dark brown with five inconspicuous yellowish longitudinal stripes and sparse black and gold setulae. Wing slightly smoky with brown veins and faint spots in the crossveins. Abdomen with first two tergites brown with orange sides and bands of yellowish setulae along posterior tergal margins. Other tergites black, tergites 3 and 4 with small central tuft of yellowish setulae. Tergite 5 with band of yellowish setulae.

Etymology

The specific epithet cooperi is derived from Martin Cooper, collector of specimens and great collector of insects.

Type material

Holotype

PERU • ♀ (in good condition, missing the hind right leg); Lima, Matucana; elev. 2.600 m; 6 May 1984; M. Cooper leg.; “HOLOTYPE / Scione cooperi Oliveira ♀ / Oliveira, Henriques, Buestán & Krolow” [red label]; “Neotropical, Tabanidae / BMNH(E) 2004-182 / NHMUK 014428039 ” [white label]; NHMUK.

Paratypes

PERU • 1 ♂ (in good condition); same data as for holotype; “ NHMUK 014428043 ” [white label] [photographed specimen]; NHMUK • 1 ♂ (in good condition); same data as for holotype; “ NHMUK 014428044 ” [white label]; NHMUK .

Description

Female ( Fig. 2 )

MEASUREMENTS. Body length: 14 mm, wing length: 12.5 mm.

HEAD. Frons slightly divergent below, frontal index 1.6 and divergence index 0.8. Front with dark brown spot. Vertex dark brown with rather long black setulae, ocellar triangle moderately prominent, black ocelli. Frons and subcallus brown with grayish pruinosity. Frons with black setulae. Parafacial and gena brown with yellowish pruinosity, gena with dense and long yellowish setulae. Clypeus brown with black setulae, clypeal index 0.8. Scape and pedicel dark brown with grayish pruinosity and black setulae. Flagellum orange, last flagellomeres blackish. First segment of palpus black and with long and dense yellowish setulae in anterior region and short and less dense black setulae in posterior region, second segment dark orange to black with short black setulae. Proboscis shiny black, about 5 × the height of the frons.

THORAX. Scutum and scutellum dark brown with sparse black and gold setulae, scutellum with long setulae. Scutum with five faint longitudinal light stripes, the sublateral and lateral stripes connected with clear stripes at transverse suture. Notopleuron with tufts of black setulae. Anepisternum with dense and long whitish yellow tuft of setulae. Katepisternum and anepimeron with tufts of dense and long yellowish setulae. Post-alar callus with tuft of yellowish setulae. Slightly smoky wing with brown veins and faint spots in crossveins. M 2 vein incomplete, reaching ⅔ of its actual size. The r 5 and m 3 cells cells closed and petiolate, r 5 cell petiole measuring about half length of the M 2 vein, and m 3 cell petiole reaching half length of r 5 cell petiole. Coxae black with grayish pruinosity and long black and yellowish setulae. Trochanters dark orange to brown with short black setulae. Femora black in proximal half and orange at distal end, long and dense black setulae and sparse yellowish setulae. Tibiae and tarsi orange with short black setulae.

ABDOMEN. Black with a tapering posterior end and dense black setulae. Tergites 1–2 orange with yellowish posterior band of integument and setulae. Other tergites black, tergites 3–4 with small central tuft of yellowish setulae. Tergite 5 with posterior band of yellowish setulae. Sternites black with orange posterior margin and dense black and whitish setulae.

PARATYPE VARIATIONS. Body length 14.2–14.5 mm; wing length: 11.5–12.3 mm; clypeal index 0.7. One of the paratypes has a short appendix on the fork of the R 4+5 vein and on the discal cell of one of its wings. The r 5 and m 3 cell petiole length is also variable, with the m 3 petiole having the same size as that of r 5 in one specimen.

Male ( Fig. 3 )

As the female, except for the holoptic eyes, denser and longer body setulae and porrect palpus. In addition, the thoracic stripes are less evident and the body setulae are darker, especially on the gena and post-alar callus. The transverse setulose bands on tergites 1, 2 and 5 and the setulae tufts on tergites 3 and 4 are whitish in one of the specimens.

Distribution

Peru (Lima).

Remarks

The species most similar to S. cooperi sp. nov. are S. brevistriga Enderlein, 1925 and S. huancabambae Kröber, 1930 . However, S. brevistriga has a predominantly yellowish abdomen and very evident thoracic stripes and S. huancabambae , according to the original description, has a thorax with 2 wide lateral black stripes and tergites 1, 5 and 6 have a median yellowish setulose triangle.

Figures

Fig. 2. Scione cooperi sp. nov., ♀, holotype (NHMUK). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Head, frontal view. D. Head, side view. E. Wing, dorsal view. F. Labels.

Fig. 3. Scione cooperi sp. nov., ♂, paratype (NHMUK). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Head, frontal view. D. head, side view. E. Wing, dorsal view. F. Labels.