Cardiacephala acuminata, Ferro & Marshall, 2018

Ferro, Gustavo Borges & Marshall, Stephen A., 2018, A revision of the Neotropical ant-like genus Cardiacephala Macquart, including Plocoscelus Enderlein syn. nov. (Diptera: Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), Zootaxa 4429 (3), pp. 401-458 : 409-410

Cardiacephala acuminata new species

( Figs. 2–4 )

Description (female only): Body length 6 mm; wing 4 mm. Head and abdomen brown, thorax brownish and darkened dorsally. Palpus mostly brown, white on outer surface. Clypeus brown with sparse pale microsetulae. First flagellomere brown. Row of katepisternal setae brownish. Fore tibia dark brown. Fore tarsomere one dark brown, 2–5 white. Hind femora narrowly white basally and with an angled preapical white ring. T1–2 reddish brown. Oviscape pale brown and shiny.

Head: Palpus broadened basally and gradually tapering to apex. Clypeus short, length less than half of width. First flagellomere covered by golden microsetulae at least in the upper half. Three frontal setae. Vertex flattened, epicephalon depressed posteriorly to the ocellar triangle. Paracephalon without swelling, not extending beyond vertex. Inner vertical setae insertions flat, without tubercles. Line of black supracervical setae strong.

Thorax: Mesonotum with thin and sparse black microsetulae and golden pruinosity. Scutellum peaked, elongated at the tip ( Fig. 4 ). Femora covered with sparse black microsetulae. Mid and hind tibia flattened, but sulcus on outer face weak. Wing with stigmatal and discal bands, apex entirely dark. Crossvein r-m clear. R4+5 and M1+2 ending separately in wing margin. A1+CuA2 as long as CuA2. Female cervical sclerite smooth, without swelling.

Abdomen: T3–T6 with pale setulae. Oviscape with sparse pale and golden setulae. Single spermathecal duct apically broad, ending in a cylindrical spermatheca. Paired spermathecal duct uniformly thick, smooth and broadened before splitting into stems. Paired spermathecal duct stems with basal third thin and smooth, apical two thirds broadened with a disc-shaped swelling and a few finger-like process ( Fig. 3 ). Paired spermathecae spherical.

Type material: Holotype: COSTA RICA. Heredia, Estac. Biol. La Selva. 15.VII.1993, ALAS, Malaise trap M/7/141 (1 ♀, MNCR, DEBU 01086333). Paratypes: COLOMBIA. Chocó, PNN Utriá, Centro de Visitantes, 6º01’09” N 77º20’55” W, 2 m, 16.VIII–7.IX.2000, M. 814, J. Pérez (1 ♀, IAVH, sequence DEBUA 285–17); COSTA RICA. Heredia, Estac. Biol. La Selva. VII.1993, ALAS, Malaise trap (1 ♀, MNCR); Heredia, Estac. Biol. La Selva, 1.VI.1993, ALAS, Malaise trap M/1/108 (1 ♀, MNCR, DEBU 01086342).

Distribution: Colombia, Costa Rica.

Etymology: The specific name C. acuminata refers to the remarkable elongated scutellum apex, which differs from all congeners.

Comments: Conspicuous features of the female genitalia (especially the swollen paired spermathecal duct stems with few appendices) confirm that this is a distinct species. Males remain unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 2–4. Cardiacephala acuminata. 2, female, anterodorsal view; 3, female, lateral view; 4, female genitalia, ventral view.