Megophthalmidia ignea, Kerr, Peter H., 2014

Kerr, Peter H., 2014, The Megophthalmidia (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) of North America including eight new species, ZooKeys 386, pp. 29-83 : 35-37

Megophthalmidia ignea sp. n. Figs 11-20

Type material.

Holotype: ♂, "USA: CA: San Bernardino Co., 4 km SE Wrightwood, Lone Pine Canyon, 34°19.03'N, 117°34.93'W, elev. 5388', 21-28.v.2005, S.L. Winterton & A.R. Cline, Malaise CDFA2005-008" / "HOLOTYPE 12J949, Megophthalmidia ignea ♂, Kerr, 2014" [red label]. Deposited in CSCA, mounted on gray point, missing hind left leg and mid right leg, otherwise in good condition; specimen dissected, terminalia preserved in glycerol in glass genitalia vial pinned beneath specimen. See Fig. 106 for image of type locality.

Paratypes (all bearing a blue paratype label): ♂, "USA: CA: Los Angeles Co., 13kmNW Wrightwood, Largo Vista Rd., 34°25.32'N, 117°46.06'W; elev. 6516', 21-28.v.2005, S.L. Winterton & A.R. Cline, Malaise in dry wash, CDFA2005-001" [CSCA; specimen # 12J388 (Fig. 11)]; 3 ♂♂, "USA: CA: San Bernardino Co., SBNF: W. of Barton Flats, MT, 34.1677°N,-116.9146°W, 23-31.v.2004 M. Caterino CSCA12L335" [CSCA; specimen numbers 12K356, 13M304, and 13M319 (dissected)]; ♂, "USA: CA: San Bernardino Co. 4 km SE Wrightwood. Lone Pine Canyon, MT 34.317167° -117.582167°, elev. 5388' 23-25.v.2009 S.L. Winterton CSCA09L313" [CSCA; specimen # 09C893 (Figs 12-20)].

Diagnosis.

Megophthalmidia ignea sp. n. may be confused with Nearctic congeners that also have a brown thorax contrasting against cream-colored tibia. Among these, it is similar to Megophthalmidia browni sp. n. and Megophthalmidia mckibbeni sp. n. but may be distinguished from these species by the shape and setation of the apical epandrial processes (Figs 12, 13); shortened and bare, as opposed to elongate in Megophthalmidia browni and setose in Megophthalmidia mckibbeni ). Among congeners, however, it most resembles Megophthalmidia perignea , even in the general shape of the aedeagal complex. Most characteristically, the short aedeagal tine of Megophthalmidia ignea is very thick at its base, distinguishing itself from its sister taxon (Fig. 19). Also, in Megophthalmidia ignea , the apical epandrial processes are longer and more slender (Figs 12, 13) than in Megophthalmidia perignea (Figs 63, 64).

Description.

Male. Body length: 2.6-2.9, 2.8 [n/a] mm (n=4). Wing length: 2.5-2.9, 2.7 [2.9] mm (n=5).

Coloration (Fig. 11). Head dark brown; antennal scape dark brown, pedicel and flagellomeres brown; face dark brown, clypeus and labrum brown to dark brown; palps and labellum cream-colored to pale yellow (palpomeres 1-3 usually slightly darker than others, palpomere 2 with light patch where sensilla present). Thorax brown to dark brown throughout, except at the anterolateral margin of the dorsum and dorsal apronotal area, where it may be narrowly cream-colored or pale yellow; scutum setae golden brown to dark brown. Coxae clearly lighter in color than thorax, cream-colored to pale yellow; femora cream-colored to light brown throughout (sometimes slightly brown at dorsal apex), dark brown at apical margin; tibiae and tarsi cream-colored to pale yellow, with densely-arranged dark brown setae; hind tibial comb yellowish, preceded by 0-3 (usually 3) dark brown setae. Wing hyaline without markings, wing veins brown; haltere stem and knob white to cream-colored. Abdominal segments concolorous brown. Terminalia light brown to brown.

Head. Ocelli slightly raised, median ocellus in line with anterior margin of lateral ocelli, median ocellus approx. 0.3 ×–0.5× size of lateral ocelli; lateral ocellus located approx. 2 × diameter of ocellus from eye margin, separated from median ocellus by approx. 2.2 × its own diameter. Eyes with microsetae, which are approximately as long as width of facet. Frons microtrichose, without setae, flattened. Antennal length 0.9-1.3, 1.1 [1.3] mm (n=5). Face clearly longer than wide, setose; clypeus and labrum microtrichose, without setae. Palpus with four palpomeres; palpomere 1 oblong, without setae; other palpomeres with brown setae; palpomere 2 bearing small pocket of sensilla; palpomere 1 length longer than or subequal in length to palpomere 2; palpomere 3 approx. same length as combined length of palpomeres 1 and 2; palpomere 4 subequal or slightly shorter in length to combined length of palpomeres 2 and 3.

Thorax. Dorsum with evenly-distributed, short, appressed setae, bearing longer setae only along lateral and posterior margins. Antepronotum, proepisternum, and laterotergite bearing setae; remaining lateral thoracic sclerites bare. Costal wing vein extends beyond R5, approx. three-fifths distance between R5 and M1; R1 approximately the same length as r-m or slightly longer; cubital fork below or proximad of r-m base (as in Megophthalmidia occidentalis , Fig. 52); R1, M1, M2, CuA1, and CuA2 with setae on upper surface (lacking setae on M1 + M2). Wing veins A1 and CuP absent.

Male genitalia (Figs 12-20). In some specimens, terminalia distinctly procumbent. Posterior margin of epandrium broadly emarginate at center (Fig. 14). Posterior processes of epandrium relatively short, approx. 2.5 × longer than wide, separated at base by approx. 1.75 × width of process; bare (Figs 12, 13). Gonocoxites as in Figs 15-17. Aedeagal fork bifurcated into tines; shorter tine noticeably thickened (2 –3× wider than paired tine at base), both tines pointed outward apically (Fig. 19).

Female unknown.

Etymology.

The species epithet “ignea” is an adjective, derived for the Latin word for “fiery” in reference to the typical chaparral habitat of this species, whose ecology is shaped by fire.