Scutops flavithorax, Freitas & Ale-Rocha, 2023

Freitas, Geovânia & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Scutops Coquillett, 1904 (Diptera: Periscelididae), Zootaxa 5244 (5), pp. 401-427 : 407-409

Scutops flavithorax sp. nov.

( Figs 5–6 , 19C , 22 )

Scutops peruanus Hennig, 1952: 615 (part.) (misidentification).

Diagnosis. Frons, gena, scutum, scutellum and legs yellow; abdomen brown; face white, dorsal portion flattened, as high as wide; silver pruinescent band adjacent to posterior margin of eye extended to gena; antenna yellow, postpedicel with dorsal margin pale brown; tarsi whitish yellow.

Holotype male. Description. Body: 4.0 mm; wing 2.7 mm. Head ( Figs 5A–B ). Frons yellow; fronto-orbital setulae inconspicuous, sparse, very short, thin, and pale brown. Face white; dorsal portion as high as wide, flattened with apical margin rounded in frontal view. Gena and postgena yellow; postgena with long slender brown setae; gena with short slender brown setae. Occiput with a series of long and slender brown setae; silver pruinescent band adjacent to posterior margin of eye extended to gena. Antenna yellow; pedicel with three dorsal robust brown setae; postpedicel with dorsal margin pale brown; arista with ten dorsal and four ventral branches. Buccal pieces yellow, except palpus dark brown. Thorax ( Fig. 5C ). Scutum yellow; postpronotal lobe whitish yellow with dense silvery pruinescence; notopleuron and supra-alar area yellow, with dense silvery pruinescence; scutellum yellow, with the apex elevated at an angle of about 45º; subscutellum dark yellow; pleura yellow, anepisternum shiny. Setae: anterior dorsocentral postsutural about 2/3 the length of the posterior seta; posterior katepisternal seta developed, almost twice the anterior seta; distal scutellar seta developed, five times longer than basal seta. Legs ( Fig. 5A ). Yellow with whitish yellow tarsi. Forefemur with posteroventral setae robust; midtibia with apicoventral spine black and robust. Wing ( Fig. 19C ). Brown at apical half and yellow in the remaining; hyaline preapical transversal band incomplete. Halter yellow. Abdomen ( Fig. 5A ). Tergites and sternites dark brown. Terminalia ( Figs 6A–C ): epandrium wider than high in posterodorsal view; cercus large, ovoid in posterodorsal view, strongly protuberant in lateral view; postgonite ovoid in lateral view, with a small median tubercle in the inner margin in posterodorsal view; hypandrium + phallapodeme widened anteriorly; phallus short, as long as hypandrium + phallapodeme, slender, membranous; ejaculatory apodeme small, narrow, with distal portion rounded.

Female. Similar to male. Terminalia ( Fig. 6D ): tergite and sternite 7 forming a dorsoventrally flattened ring in posterior view; sternite 8 broad, like an inverted triangle, with dorsal margin slightly concave; cercus triangular with the lateral external angle rounded in posterior view.

Locality records: Brazil (Amazonas), Ecuador (Orellana), Peru (Madre de Dios) ( Fig. 22 ).

Type material examined: Holotype male ( NMNH). PERU, Madre de Dios: Manu, Rio Manu, Pakitza [11°56′42.6″S 71°16′57.3″W] (5 km E), Guajal , 19. Sep. 1988 (Amnon Freidberrg). Condition of the holotype: excellent; not dissected.

Paratypes. EQUADOR: Orellana, Res. Etnica Waorani (0º39.4′S, 76º27.2′W) 216m, lot# 935), 10.x.1994, ( T. L. Erwin), 1 male ( NMNH); (lot# 1589) , 26. vi. 1996, 1 female ( NMNH) . PERU, [Cusco 11°25′00.0″S 72°27′00.0″W] Meshagua, 29.09.[19]03, (leg. W. Schouse), 1 female ( DEI) ; idem, Quincemil [13°13′38.8′′S 70° 45′17.5′′W], 700m, 1–15. xi. 1962 (L. Pena), 1 female ( CNC) ; Madre de Dios, Manu, Rio Manu, Erika (near Salvation ) 550m, 5–6.ix.1988 (Amnon Freidberg), 1 male, 1 female ( NMNH) ; Cocha Salvador [12°00′12.1″S 71°12′56.5″W], 240m, 14.ix.1988 (Amnon Freidberg), 9 males e 8 females ( NMNH) ; idem, (W. N. Mathis), idem, 6 males, 4 females ( NMNH) ; Pakitza (5 km E), Guajal , 19.ix.1988 (Amnon Freidberg), 3 males, 1 female ( NMNH) ; idem, (W. N. Mathis); idem, 1 male; idem, Pakitza , 12º7′S, 70º58′W, 9–23.ix.1988 (Amnon Freidberg), 1 male, 2 females ( NMNH) ; idem, (Wayne N. Mathis), 2 males ( NMNH) ; 19 rd Km W Quincemil, Rio Araza tributary. 13°20ʹ10ʺS, 70°50ʹ57ʺW 874m, 23–31.viii.2012, Malaise, R.R. Cavichioli, J.A Rafael, P.M. Santos & D.M. Takya, 1 male ( INPA) . BRAZIL, Amazonas, S [anta] Izabel [do] R[io] Negro, Maturacá [0°37′34.2″N 66°07′37.8″W], 11–12.x.1990, Arm [adilha] malaise (J. A. Rafael), 1 male ( INPA) ; Manaus, Reserva Ducke [2°57′33.2″S 59°55′27.0″W], Igarapé Tinga, 6– 6.xii.2004, Arm [adilha] Suspensa 20 m (Henriques, A.), 1 female ( INPA) ; Rondonia, Itapu „ do Oeste, Flora Javari , Trilha Pedra Grande , 9°11ʹ39.4ʺS, 63°04ʹ55.3ʺW, 07.x.2014, Malaise, J.A Rafael, F.F. Xavier, R.M. Vieira & R.H. Aquino, 4 males, 1 female ( INPA) .

Variations: some females with tergite 1+2 yellow, and some males with tergite 1+2 yellow on the lateral margin or all tergites yellow with central portion pale brown.

Comments: Scutops flavithorax sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from other congeners by the completely yellow thorax, and absence of spots on the scutum. One female of Scutops flavithorax sp. nov. was erroneously identified as S. peruanus and was part of the type series of the latter (Data of labels: Peru, Meshagua, 03.10.03, Urubambah). Scutops flavithorax sp. nov. differs from S. peruanus mainly by the yellow pleura and yellow legs (pleura and most part of legs are brown in S. peruanus ). It is the only species of this genus with a short phallus (as long as the hypandrium + phallapodeme length).

Etymology: From the Latin flavus = yellow and refers to yellow coloration of the thorax.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Scutops flavithorax sp. nov.. A–C (holotype). A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, frontal view; C. Thorax, dorsal view.

FIGURE 6. Scutops flavithorax sp. nov.. A–D (paratype). A. Epandrium, postgonite and cercus, posterodorsal view; B. Same, plus hypandrium+phallapodeme and phallus, lateral view; C. Ejaculatory apodeme; D. Female terminalia, posteroventral view.

FIGURE 19. Wings. A. Scutops chapmani Curran, 1934; B. Scutops fascipennis Coquillett, 1904; C. Scutops flavithorax sp. nov. (paratype male); D. Scutops ipixunensis sp. nov. (paratype female); E. Scutops lopesi Amorim & Vasconcelos, 1989; F. Scutops marcgrafi Amorim & Vasconcelos, 1989; G. Scutops melinus sp. nov. (holotype female); H. Scutops peruanus Hennig, 1952; I. Scutops robustus sp. nov. (paratype female). J. Scutops spinophallus sp. nov. (holotype male).

FIGURE 22. Distributional map with records of S. flavithorax sp. nov., S. goianiensis, S. ipixunensis sp. nov., S. marcgrafi and S. robustus sp. nov..