Nephochaetopteryx flavipalpis Lopes

Carvalho-Filho, Fernando Da Silva, Esposito, Maria Cristina & Mello-Patiu, Cátia Antunes De, 2021, Revision of Nephochaetopteryx Townsend, 1934 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), Zootaxa 4928 (1), pp. 1-83 : 31-33

Nephochaetopteryx flavipalpis Lopes

( Figs 12 , 37E )

Nephochaetopteryx flavipalpis Lopes, 1936: 85 (descriptions of male and female). Type locality: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara, Jardim Botânico. Other references: Dodge (1968a: 281; key); Lopes (1969: 28; catalog); Pape (1996: 260; catalog); Mello-Patiu & Santos (2001: 307; redescription of female).

Nephochaetopteryx shannoni Dodge, 1968a: 286 (description of male). Type locality: Brasil, Rio de Janeiro. Other references: Dodge (1968a: 281; key); Pape (1996: 262; catalog). Syn. nov.

Type material examined. PARATYPE. ♁ ( MZUSP): São Paulo / Lussamira / 545 [handwritten on rectangular white label] // Cotypus [printed on rectangular red label bordered with black] // Nephochaetopte / ryx flavipal / pis Lopes ♀ / 5.936/ Det. H.S. Lopes / Paratype [handwritten on rectangular white label]. [Paratype in good condition.]

Additional material examined. Brazil. Espírito Santo: Linhares, VI.1972, leg. P.C. Elias (2 ♁♁, MNRJ) . Rio de Janeiro: Grajaú, leg. H.S. Lopes (2 ♁♁, 1 ♀, MNRJ; 4 ♁♁, 2 ♀♀, MZUSP) ; same data but X.1966, culture 777 (1 ♁, 1 ♀, MNRJ) ; same data but 26.IV.1938 (2 ♀♀, MZUSP) .

Redescription. Male. Length = 4.9–5.1 mm (n = 10).

Head. Fronto-orbital and parafacial plates, postocular strip, gena and postgena with golden microtomentum. Frontal vitta reddish brown. Five frontal setae. Palpus yellow.

Thorax. Chaetotaxy: dorsocentrals 2+4 (first two weak); intra-alars 2+2; supra-alars 1+3; notopleurals 1, subprimary, anepisternals 5; merals 5. Mid femur with two median setae and without a differentiated posteroventral seta. Ctenidium consisting of seven spines. Wing hyaline, with a faint dark spot beginning in the terminal portion of vein R 1, filling the distal third of cell r 1 and the upper half of the distal half of cell r 2+3; vein R 4+5 setulose dorsally to crossvein r-m.

Abdomen. Tergites brown with a band of yellow-whitish microtomentum on anterior 4/5 of dorsal and lateral surfaces and in some specimens posterior half of tergites 4 and 5 with a black band ( Fig. 37E ). Sternites 1 to 4 brown, quadrate, covered with whitish setulae and marginal setae.

Terminalia. Sternite 5 brown, trapezoid-shaped, tapering anteriorly, with a shallow cleft; lobe absent; arm badly differentiated, with rounded apex. Sternite 5 with small and slender setae on posterior half and one long and strong marginal seta on arm ( Fig. 12E ). Cercus shorter than epandrium, tapering distally, gently inclined posteriorly ( Fig. 12B ). Cercal base with enlarged and rounded lobes. Cercal prongs separated but with tips convergent ( Fig. 12A ). Cercus without setulae along margins, with long setae in proximal portion and short setae in distal portion ( Figs 12 A–B). Surstylus elongate, with rounded apex, without setae and with a patch of setulae on basal half ( Fig. 12B ). Pregonite with an enlarged basal portion and with a saber-like apical portion curved anteriorly; basal half with an elongate and pointed projection parallel to apex ( Fig. 12C ). Posterior margin of pregonite with small pointed setulae ( Fig. 12C ). Postgonite almost straight with pointed apex and small pointed setae on distal half and a long seta on anterior margin ( Fig. 12D ). Basiphallus rectangular and short, about one third of length of distiphallus ( Fig. 12E ). Distiphallus gently curved, with dorsal margin sinuous and apical margin rounded. Ventral margin serrated ( Fig. 12F ). Vesica elongate and angled in lateral view, with one pointed and one rounded middle projection ( Fig. 12F ). Inner process of vesica with strong spine-like processes distally ( Fig. 12F ). Lateral and median styli tubular and very long, of about the same width as widest portion of lateral wall of distiphallus, and both inserted apically in distiphallus ( Fig. 12F ). Median stylus with finger-like projection basally ( Fig. 12F ).

Female. Terminalia as described by Mello-Patiu & Santos (2001, figs 9–10, 33).

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL—Brazil (Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, S„o Paulo).

Remarks. This species differs from other congeneric species in having base of pregonite with a pointed fingerlike projection, sternite 5 without a lobe, arm short and cleft reduced.

Dodge (1968a) mentioned that N. shannoni is similar to N. flavipalpis , from which it differs in some small differences in the shape of the pregonite and vesica. The differences in the vesica pointed out by Dodge (1968a) are “closely appressed, undivided keel, without teeth” for the vesica and “smaller apical division” for the pregonite. The “smaller apical division” of the pregonite is a highly variable feature. The illustration provided by Dodge (1968a) shows that the vesica has two pointed projections, the “teeth”, which are not present in the original illustration of N. flavipalpis provided by Lopes (1936, fig. 21). However, these features are present on the vesica of the type material examined and also in other specimens from the same type locality as N. flavipalpis .

The holotype of N. shannoni , deposited in the U. S. National Museum of Natural History (USNM), was not examined. However, we analyzed specimens from the type locality of N. shannoni which show the diagnostic features mentioned by Dodge (1968a). Therefore, as significant differences were not found between N. shannoni and N. flavipalpis and as they are distributed in the same region of Brazil, they are considered to be synonyms.

This is the first record of this species from the state of Espírito Santo.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Nephochaetopteryx flavipalpis Lopes, 1936, male terminalia. Specimen from Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil (MZUSP). A. Cerci, dorsal view. B. Epandrium, surstylus and cercus, left lateral view (setation omitted on the left side). C. Pregonite, left lateral view; arrow showing blunt projection. D. Postgonite, left lateral view. E. Sternite 5, ventral view (setation omitted on the right side). F. Phallus, left lateral view. Abbreviations: bp = basiphallus; dp = distiphallus; ip = inner process of vesica; ls = lateral stylus; ms = median stylus; ve = vesica. Scale bars: A, B, E = 0.1 mm; C, D, F = 0.05 mm.

FIGURE 37. Nephochaetopteryx species. A. Abdomen of the holotype male of N. distincta Dodge, 1968 (WSU), lateroventral view. B. Abdomen of the holotype male of N. hyalina Dodge, 1968 (= N. distincta) (SEMC), lateroventral view. C. Female abdomen of N. limpidipennis Lopes, 1976, dorsal view. Specimen from Chiapas, Mexico (MNRJ). D. Male abdomen of N. travassosi Lopes, 1938, dorsal view. Specimen from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (MNRJ). E. Male abdomen of N. flavipalpis Lopes, 1936, dorsal view. Specimen from Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil (MNRJ). F. Female head of N. limpidipennis Lopes, 1976, lateral view. Specimen from Chiapas, Mexico (MNRJ). G. detail of anterior portion of the body of female paratype of N. coxalis Dodge, 1968, lateral view. Paratype from Minas Gerais, Brazil (MNRJ). Scale bars:1 mm.