Craspedochaeta apsilutea, Lonsdale & Marshall, 2006

Lonsdale, Owen & Marshall, Stephen A., 2006, Revision of the New World species of Craspedochaeta (Diptera: Clusiidae), Zootaxa 1291 (1), pp. 1-101 : 19-21

Craspedochaeta apsilutea spec. nov.

( Figs. 17 , 27–29 , 77 , Map 1)

Description ( Fig. 17 )

Body length 3.2–3.5mm. Bristles light brown with apical scutellar and cephalic bristles yellow; most costal bristles black, those of basal section much lighter. Acrostichal bristle present. Notum black with wide yellow arch looping anteriorly past dorsocentral bristles. Scutellum black. Laterotergites black lateral to scutellum. Pleuron, coxa, and basal 4/5 of femora white with black spot on upper margin of anepisternum; remainder of legs yellow, with hind tibia brownish on basal 2/3 (excluding base) in non­types. Head mostly yellow; frons dirty yellow to orange centrally; first flagellomere white (lightly infuscated on inner­distal margin in non­type); parafacial and gena white and silvery tomentose; lower margin of face silvery tomentose and strongly recessed into buccal cavity; back of head with one wide, bulging stripe radiating dorsally from foramen. Abdomen dark brown excluding light yellow tergite 1. Wing dusky, but more heavily infuscated on distal ¼ along R 2+3.

Male terminalia ( Figs. 27–29 )

Annulus well developed (sternites large and well defined). Epandrium as wide as high at widest point and slightly tapered dorsally; length 0.6 times height. Cerci deeply cleft with length 0.7 times that of epandrium. Surstylus 0.8 times height of epandrium with several apical tubercles; moderately bristled on posterobasal half of outer face and well bristled on inner face; twisted with distal portion of inner face visible posteriorly. Pregonite wide and rounded distally with three long distal setulae and numerous minute median bristles; posterodistal margin with one row of five minute setulae. Phallapodeme small and triangular. Basiphallus stout and 0.8 times length of hypandrial arm. Distiphallus large, sac­like and membranous with several weakly sclerotized distal sections; basal half stout and straight;

Female

Externally as described for male, except terminalia and apex of scutellum yellow.

Female terminalia ( Fig. 77 )

Spermatheca with tip thin, conical and inverted; distal ¼ (excluding apical section) wide, well sclerotized and transversely wrinkled; remainder of spermatheca cylindrical and poorly sclerotized, tapering basally. Spermathecal duct very short and barely discernable from spermatheca. Ventral receptacle subcylindrical with apex rounded; approximately as long as spermatheca; length four times width; subterminal flagellum extremely elongate with apex pointed and weakly annulated.

Etymology: The specific name is the Latin compound for “yellow arch”, describing the notal pattern.

Distribution: Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador (Map 1).

Holotype: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Pedernales, 26km N Cabo Rojo , 565m, evergreen dry forest, 29.xi–3.xii.1991, Masner & Peck (1♂, DEBU).

Additional material examined: BOLIVIA. Depto. La Paz, 8km S Chulumani, Apa Apa , ex. Malaise trap, 1950–2100m, 16°22’S, 67°30.4’W, 24.iii.2001, S.D. Gaimari (1♀, CBFC) . DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Pedernales Prov., PN Sierra de Baoruco, Las Abejas , 18°09.011’N, 71°37.342’W, 1150m, 11.vii.2004, N.E. Woodley (2♂♂, USNM) . ECUADOR. Pichincha: Nanagalito, 7km SE trout farm ‘ San José’ , 1500m, 30.x.1999, S.A. Marshall (1♀, QCAZ) .

Comments: Craspedochaeta apsilutea is a widely distributed but uncommon species that can be easily separated from all congeners by its unique notal pattern.

Figures

FIGURES 10–23: Head and thorax, dorsal colouration of the New World Craspedochaeta without an entirely dark notum; 10: C. xanthonotum spec. nov.; 11: C. festiva (Sóos, 1962); 12: C. loreto spec. nov.; 13: C. trivittata (Sóos, 1962); 14: C. weemsi spec. nov.; 15: C. pacaraima spec. nov.; 16: C. candida spec. nov.; 17: C. apsilutea spec. nov.; 18: C. ornata (Hennig, 1938); 19: C. transversa Czerny, 1903; 20: C. synneura (Hennig, 1938); 21: C. pleuralis (Williston, 1896); 22: C. pollostos spec. nov; 23: C. chela spec. nov, male.

FIGURES 27­29: Craspedochaeta apsilutea spec. nov.; 27: external male terminalia, left lateral; 28: external male terminalia, posterior; 29: hypandrial complex, left lateral.

FIGURES 71–77: Female internal genitalia (double line indicates the removal of an elongate median section to facilitate illustration); Fig. 71: Craspedochaeta feminea spec. nov.; Fig. 72: C. claripennis (Melander & Argo, 1924); Fig. 73: C. ornata Hennig, 1938; Fig. 74: C. transversa Czerny, 1903; Fig. 75: C. protomis spec. nov.; Fig. 76: C. nigrithorax (Hennig, 1938); Fig. 77: C. apsilutea spec. nov.