Elmohardyia cheliformis, Marques, Dayse W. A. & Rafael, José A., 2015

Marques, Dayse W. A. & Rafael, José A., 2015, Elmohardyia Rafael (Diptera, Pipunculidae) from northeastern Brazil: new records and description of new species, Zootaxa 3972 (3), pp. 301-327 : 306-308

Elmohardyia cheliformis sp. nov.

Figs 29–44

Diagnosis. Tergite 2 almost entirely gray pruinose. Apex of sternite 6 forceps-like. Surstyli asymmetrical. Left surstylus strongly developed, somewhat straight, about 2X longer than right surstylus, with a short and bristled basal lobe. Right surstylus subrectangular. Right gonopod developed, with acute apex. Phallic guide with two additional processes.

Description of male holotype. ( Fig. 29 ). Body length 4.6 mm. Head. Eyes contiguous for a distance of twenty facets. F, EM, V = 0.4 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.3 mm. Frontal triangle and face gray pruinose. Postcranium dark, brown pruinose dorsally and gray pruinose laterally and ventrally. Antennae ( Fig. 30 ) with scape dark brown; pedicel dark brown, with two dorsal and two ventral bristles; postpedicel dark brown on basal half, remaining light brown to yellow. LPP/WPP = 1.8. Labellum brown. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe brown, gray pruinose. Scutum dark brown to black, brown pruinose. Notopleuron brown, gray pruinose with three weak bristles. Scutellum dark brown to black, gray pruinose, with inconspicuous bristles. Mesopleuron and mediotergite dark brown to black, gray pruinose. Wing. ( Fig. 31 ). Length 5.1 mm. LW/MWW = 3.4. LTC/LFC = 1.7. Membrane slightly light brown infuscated, almost entirely covered with microtrichia, except for cells bc, c, basal three thirds of sc, basal half of r1, small basal area of r2+3 and r4+5, br, bm, basal one third of cup and basal one third of anal lobe without or with very sparse microtrichia. Vein r-m placed near basal third of cell dm. Vein dm-cu straight. Halter brown with middle part of stem yellow. Legs. ( Fig. 29 ). Coxae dark brown to black, gray pruinose. Trochanters dark yellow. Femora dark brown to black with base and apex yellow, entirely gray pruinose posteriorly. Tibiae dark yellow, gray pruinose. Tarsi dark yellow to brown, except fifth tarsomere darker or entirely black. Pulvilli yellow. Abdomen. ( Fig. 32 ). Dark brown to black, gray pruinose on tergite 1, almost entirely on tergite 2, except for a brown pruinose spot medially, and with gray pruinose spots posterolaterally on tergites 3–5. Tergite 1 with two stout black bristles laterally. Tergite and sternite 6 as in Fig. 33 . Sternite 6 ( Figs 33–34 ) with forceps-like apex. Syntergosternite 8 dark brown to black, slightly longer than tergite 5, brown pruinose anteriorly, gray pruinose laterally and posteriorly ( Fig. 32 ), and with small membranous area ( Fig. 35 ). Terminalia. Epandrium and surstyli yellow ( Fig. 36 ). Surstyli ( Figs 36–37 ) asymmetrical. Left surstylus strongly developed, somewhat straight, about 2X longer than right one, with distinct basal lobe densely bristled distally ( Fig. 37 ); with a medial ventral projection in lateral view ( Fig. 38 ). Right surstylus subrectangular ( Fig. 37 ); with apex directed downward in lateral view ( Fig. 39 ). Subepandrial sclerite as in Fig. 40 . Right gonopod developed, with acute apex ( Fig. 41 ). Phallic guide ( Figs 42–43 ) with two additional processes; when seen in dorsal view, the dorsal most process is larger and both are somewhat acute and placed laterally ( Fig. 43 ). Phallus with a small subapical spicule ( Fig. 42 ). Ejaculatory apodeme as in Fig. 44 . Female unknown.

Type Material. HOLOTYPE ♂: “ BRASIL, CE[ará], Ubajara, Parque Nac.[ional] de Ubajara, Cachoeira do Cafundó, 03°50'13"S, 40°54'35"W ” “Armadilha Suspensa, 01–10.x.2013, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, T.T.A. Silva cols [collectors]” “ Holotype ♂, Elmohardyia cheliformis Marques & Rafael ” ( CZMA).

Holotype condition. Left wing detached, mounted on microslide, right wing slightly damaged, left mid tarsus lost. Terminalia placed in microvial with glycerin.

Etymology. From Latin, chela = claw, formis = shape; refers to forceps-like apex of sternite 6. Distribution. Brazil: Ceará (Caatinga Biome).

Discussion. Elmohardyia cheliformis sp. nov. differs from other Elmohardyia species by the forceps-like apex of sternite 6. It is close to E. merga Rafael due to the complex shape of the phallic guide. Elmohardyia cheliformis sp. nov. differs from E. merga by the almost entirely gray pruinose tergite 2 (two small posteromedial gray pruinose spots in E. merga ) and by left surstylus about 2X longer than right surstylus (only slightly longer in E. merga ).

Figures

FIGURES 29 – 44. Elmohardyia cheliformis sp. nov. Holotype male. 29, Habitus, lateral view; 30, Antenna; 31, Wing; 32, Abdomen, dorsal view; 33, Tergite and sternite 6, ventral view; 34, Sternite 6, ventral view; 35, Syntergosternite 8, posterior view; 36, Terminalia, ventral view; 37, Surstyli, ventral view; 38, Left surstylus, lateral view; 39, Right surstylus, lateral view; 40, Epandrium, surstyli and subepandrial sclerite, dorsal view; 41, Hypandrium and gonopods, ventral view; 42, Phallic guide and phallus, right lateral view (arrows indicate additional processes of phallic guide); 43, Phallic guide, dorsal view; 44, Ejaculatory apodeme.