Zelia infuscata, Santis & O’Hara & Couri, 2024

Santis, Marcelo Domingos De, O’Hara, James E. & Couri, Márcia Souto, 2024, Partial revision of the exclusively Neotropical species of Zelia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Tachinidae: Dexiinae: Dexiini), with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 5419 (1), pp. 1-52 : 44-49

Zelia infuscata sp. nov.

( Figs. 22–24 )

Type material. Holotype male: Brazil: Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia , 1.x.1967, F. Plaumann col. ( MZSP). Labelled as follows: “Nova Teutônia/ SC, Brasil/ IX.1967 / F. Plaumann ” “ Zelia / infuscata sp. nov. / Santis det. 2022” [handwriting/printed label]; “Holotipo” [red label].

PARATYPES. BRAZIL: Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia , 2 females, vi.1969, F. Plaumann col. ( MZSP) .

Type locality. Brazil, Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia.

Distribution. Brazil (Santa Catarina state).

Etimology. Derived from the Latin word “ infuscata ”, meaning darkened, blackish; in reference to the dark colour of abdomen.

Diagnosis. Eye bare. Facial carina undeveloped. Head entirely silvery pruinose. Palpus highly clavate in females. Katepisternum with 2+1 setae. Wing heavily smoky. Abdomen blackish; tergite 5 with brownish pruinosity on posterior view. Male with abdominal tergite 3 with one pair of median marginal seta, and tergite 4 with one pair of discal setae. First instar larva with posterior spiracles on long posterior protuberances, ending with a small spine on segment 12.

Description. Holotype male. Length. 12.8 mm.

Coloration ( Fig. 22 ). Frontal vitta and ocellar triangle dark brown to black. Fronto-orbital plate with goldish pruinosity, but some dorsal portions silver pruinosity. Occiput silvery pruinose with long and silver to golden setulae. Scape and pedicel tawny, post pedicel orange. Palpus yellowish. Labellum brownish black. Thorax brown to dark brown with silver pruinosity; scutum with four dark vittae, in prescutum the two inner vittae are thinner than the outer, in postscutum, the inner vittae is half the length of the outer, neither reaching the scutellum. Scutellum light brown, but posterior 1/3 with grayish pruinosity. Wing heavily smoky, slightly dark brown along the veins. Calypter blackish. Halter yellow-tawny. Posterior spiracle brownish black. Scutellum with brownish pruinosity in posterior view. Legs brownish black, but femur about anterior 1/3, and tibia on posteroventral region is light brown; tarsi darker (some species with leg totally brownish black). Claws brown, pulvilli yellow. Abdomen blackish, with uninterrupted median black longitudinal vitta on syntergite 1+2 to tergite 4; tergite 5 with brownish pruinosity on posterior view, tergite 6 and syntergotergite 7+ 8 yellow with golden pruinosity.

Head ( Fig. 22 ). Frontal vitta at its widest point ca. 2x as wide as the vertex in dorsal view. Frontal vitta, in the narrowest point, equal to the width of ocellar triangle. Inner vertical setae and outer vertical seta present. Fronto-orbital plate with 18–20 pairs of proclinate setae; narrower than frontal vitta and parafacial. Postocellar proclinate. Width of parafacial measured between inner margin of compound eye and antennal insertion is 0.3x the width of gena. Postpedicel very slender, 2.5x the combined length of scape and pedicel; longer than the dorsal, longest cilia ca. 7x basal width of arista. Facial carina not developed. Facial ridge with four to five setulae on lower third. Lower facial margin protruding, visible in profile. Vibrissa long, inserted above lower facial margin. Prementum 0.3x as long as head height. Labella narrow, about 0.3x the prementum.

Thorax ( Fig. 22A, C ). Acrostichals 2+2. Dorsocentral 3+4. Intra-alar 1+2; intra-postalar absent. Supra-alar 2+3, first postsutural weak. Postpronotal lobe with four setae, three forming an anterior row and one posterior. Anepisternum with seven strong setae and with one upward directed setulae anteriorly. Scutellum with one basal, one lateral, one apical and one discal pairs of setae. Katepisternum with 2+1 setae. Anepimeron with one long setae. Notopleuron with 2 equal-sized setae. Postalar callus with 3 setae, with the posterior smaller and weaker. Anatergite bare. Posterior spiracle with posterior lappet larger than anterior. Katepimeron sparsely setulose. Wing. Base of R₁ dorsally and ventrally setulose. M vein bent forward to R 4+5, forming an angle slightly smaller than 90°, and convex after bend. Legs. Fore coxa with many setae anteriorly; fore femur with dorsal and posteroventral rows of setae; fore tibia with 3 anterodorsal setae on apical third, 1 posteroventral seta on median third, 2 preapicals, 2 anterior and 1 posteroventral. Mid femur with one anterodorsal seta on median third, mid tibia with 2 posterodrosal setae on median third, 5 preapicals, 2 anterodorsals and 3 posteroventral. Mid tibia one median anterodorsal seta; 2 posterodorsal setae on proximal median half. Hind femur with three anteroventral setae on basal half and three ventral setae on basal half and with row of anterodorsal setae; hind tibia with 3 anterodorsal and 2 posterodorsal setae on anterior of median half, one anteroventral serae on median third, 5 preapicals, 1 anterodorsal, 1 posterodorsal, 1 posteroventral, 1 anteroventral. Claws straight with the tip curved.

Abdomen ( Fig. 22A, C ). Syntergite 1+2 with a pair of lateral marginal setae. Tergite 3 with a pair of median marginal setae, and one pair of lateral marginal seta. Tergite 4 with one pair of discal and a marginal row of setae. Tergite 5 with three pairs of discal setae and one row of marginal setae. Sternites hidden. Terminalia. Not dissected, only male holotype is available.

Female ( Fig. 23 ). Fronto-orbital plate with 2 proclinate orbitals and 1 reclinate setae. Palpus highly clavate. Abdomen without discal setae. Claws and pulvilli short, shorter than tarsomere 5. Abdomen more ovate. Terminalia ( Fig. 24C ). Tergite 6 and 7 complete dorsally, with setae at the posterior margin; tergite 6 without seta on midventral and ventral portions. Tergite 8 absent. Sternites 6 and 7 complete ventrally, with few setae in all posterior margin. Sternite 8 subrectangular, somewhat elongated, with setulae mainly on the posterior margin. Sternite 9 as a reduced structure, somewhat narrow anteriorly and much broad posteriorly. Sternite 10, as a narrow strip, elongated and somewhat broad posteriorly, with setulae only on the posterior margin. Cerci well developed, elongated, with several setae apically. Syntergite 9+10 absent. Three spermathecae; equal sized; suboval and surface entirely rugose ( Fig. 24D ).

First instar larvae ( Fig. 24A–B ). Cephaloskeleton thin and lightly sclerotized, with somewhat rounded mouth hook; accessory sclerite small and narrow, as a strip; sclerite of salivary gland as strip. Segment 11 with three small setulae distributed anteriorly and posteriorly. Posterior spiracles on long posterior protuberances, ending with a small spine on segment 12.

Biology. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Zelia infuscata sp. nov., holotype male (MZSP). A. Dorsal habitus. B. Head, frontal view. C. Lateral habitus.

FIGURE 23. Zelia infuscata sp. nov., paratype female (MZSP). A. Dorsal habitus. B. Head, frontal view. C. Lateral habitus.

FIGURE 24. Zelia infuscata sp. nov., paratype female (MZSP). A. Cephaloskeleton. B. First instar larva. C. Female terminalia. D. Spermatheca.