Amapeza plicata, Marshall, 2022

Marshall, Stephen A., 2022, Amapeza and Nigripeza, new genera of Neotropical micropezid flies (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), Zootaxa 5092 (3), pp. 251-272 : 261-262

Amapeza plicata new species

Figures 5A–5F

Description: Size 7–10 mm. Colour: Head mostly orange except for black palpus and ocellar plate, shiny brown clypeus, and shiny reddish brown epicephalon. Proepisternum with a longitudinal black band just above margin.All femora pale brown with an indistinct preapical yellow band; fore tibia brown, fore tarsomeres 1–3 white, tarsomeres 4 and 5 slightly darkened. Wing with an indistinct discal band extending to apex of discal cell (barely visible on some specimens). Female abdomen with pleuron and tergites uniformly dark; oviscape dark dorsally and preapically, otherwise orange. Male abdomen with tergites and pleuron dark, especially anteriorly in area of pleural sac; without bands or other pale marks.

Head: Frontal vitta parallel sided behind ocelli, slightly expanded and raised in front of ocelli, slightly tapered anteriorly, margin 0.3X frons width.

Thorax: Cervical sclerite prominently bulging and glabrous in female, unmodified in males. Proepisternum with marginal row of about 12 black setae. Postpronotal lobe elevated posteriorly, forming a distinct fold-like setose swelling in females and an indistinct elevated area in males. Two distinct dorsocentral bristles. Suprahumeral bristles variable, usually 1–4 very small exclinate bristles, sometimes absent. Main vertical row of katepisternal bristles dark brown to black, other katepisternal bristles golden.

Female abdomen: Major (paired) spermathecal duct narrow basally then forming a very broad, parallel-sided cylinder, membranous on basal half and sclerotized on distal half, with a truncate apex from which long, twisted, uniform stems lead to 2 funnel-shaped spermathecae. Minor spermathecal duct very small but similar to main duct, leading to a small single spermatheca.

Male abdomen: Genital fork elongate, with a deep cleft between the long, incurved arms; mesal surface of each arm with densely packed short stout bristles but without long hairs or bristles. Distiphallus elongate, basal portion longer than epandrium and with a broad phallic bulb, distal distiphallus recurved dorsally and ending in a small, inconspicuously expanded apex. Ejaculatory apodeme smaller than epandrium.

Type material: Holotype (♀, DEBU) BOLIVIA: La Paz, Heath River Wildlife Centre, 21 km SSW Puerto Heath, 12°40'S 68°42'W, 29. Apr –12. May, 2007, S.A. Marshall (debu0002292092).

Paratypes (all females, INPA unless otherwise indicated): BRAZIL. Amazonas. Reserva Ducke, 26 km NE Manaus, 2.v.78, Arias and Penny ; Rio Jau , Menti Mun , Novo Airao , 04.10. vi.1994, J.A. Rafael; Rio Negro , Parno do Jao , Ig Miratuca, 22–24.vii.1993, L. Saquino, Shannon trap; Novo Aripuana, Reserva Soka, 28.iv–05.v.1999, Ferriera et al., Malaise; Maranhao, Barreirinhas, 024339S, 424634W, 16–17.ix.1999, Rafael and Oliviera, Malaise; S. Pedro da Aqua Branca , F. Esplanada 045905S, 480803W; Para, Tucurui; Puraquequara, ii. viii.1990. eq. Nunes de Mello , Grallipeza affinis det Albuqerque. Chapada, Dec. Acc. No. 2966 ( CMNH, no year, no collector) . PERU. Madre de Dios, Sandoval Lodge , 16.5 km E Puerto Maldenado, 12°36'S, 69°3'W, 28.Apr.2007, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) .

Other material examined (tentatively associated males): BOLIVIA: same collection data as holotype (debu000282128) (1♂, photographed in the field, DEBU) . PERU: Pucallpa J. Schunke, Dec. 3, 1947 (1♂, Frank Hull collection, CNCI, labelled " Grallipeza cantata det Albuqerque") .

Etymology: The species name refers to the fold-like swelling on the posterior part of the postnotum (Latin plicatus = folded), a prominent feature of at least the females of this species.

Comments: Amapeza plicata and Amapeza hyaloptera are closely related and externally similar except for the setose elevation on the posterior part of the postnotum, which is weakly developed on the two A. plicata males examined. The spermathecae and spermathecal ducts of these species are clearly distinct yet share several features such as the very broad, distally truncate, at least partly thin-walled main duct and narrow, funnel-shaped paired spermathecae. The two available males of A. plicata also have unusual features shared with A. hyaloptera and A. camelina , especially the recurved distal distiphallus that ends in large spinulose bulb in A. hyaloptera but only forms an indistinct expansion in A. plicata .

Figures

FIGURES 5A–5F. Amapeza plicata new species, A, living male, Bolivia; B, male sternite 5 (genital fork); C, male terminalia, left lateral; D, female to show wing pigmentation; D, living female, Bolivia.