Grallipeza flavicaudata (Cresson)

Marshall, S. A., 2013, Grallipeza Rondani (Diptera: Micropezidae: Taeniapterinae) of the Caribbean and North America, Zootaxa 3682 (1), pp. 45-84 : 59

Grallipeza flavicaudata (Cresson)

Systellapha flavicaudata Cresson 1926:266

Grallipeza flavicaudata, Hennig, 1934: 307 ; Steyskal 1968:48.7

Description (female holotype only). Size: Approximately 7 mm. Colour: Head, including frontal vitta and palpus, almost entirely orange; ocellar triangle black, lower half of clypeus dark brown, lower face white, gena and central occiput all or partly silvery, anterior margin of orbital strips slightly darkened. Anterodistal part of fore femur and all of fore tibia brown, fore tarsomeres 1–3 white, 4–5 slightly darkened. Mid and hind femora orange. Tarsomere one of hind leg white, tarsomeres 2–5 pale brown. Thorax entirely orange. Katepisternum with a double row of golden bristles. Female abdomen with tergites 1–6 gray, tergite 7 darker, oviscape entirely orange, apparently bare. Abdominal pleuron of female mostly white, dorsal margin black (but type specimen discoloured and hard to interpret).

Head: Arista bare on distal half, basal half with long hairs. Head with only one distinct frontal bristle on holotype but otherwise complete, with equal-sized orbital, inner vertical, outer vertical and postocellar bristles. Frontal vitta flat, almost parallel sided.

Thorax: Fore femur with only small ventral setulae. Two distinct dorsocentral bristles, 1 large suprahumeral bristle. Postpronotum with sparse small setulae, concentrated near anterior margin. Wing: Anal cell entirely setulose. Membrane with dark longitudinal wing infuscation, entirely filling cell R4+5 and much of cell dm, reaching wing apex.

Female abdomen: No dissection available as this species is known only from the type specimen.

Type material: Holotype (female, USNM # 27066)): “ Montserrat, West Indies”

Comments: I have seen no material of this species other than the type. It is clearly distinct from congeners, with a complete longitudinal wing band matched only by that of G. footei , from which it differs most obviously in shape and colour of the fore tarsomeres as well as the orange oviscape reflected in the species name.