Copestylum unamas, Rotheray & Hancock & Marcos-García, 2007

Rotheray, G. E., Hancock, E. G. & Marcos-García, M. A., 2007, Neotropical Copestylum (Diptera, Syrphidae) breeding in bromeliads (Bromeliaceae) including 22 new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 150 (2), pp. 267-317 : 298

016. COPESTYLUM UNAMAS SP. NOV.

HANCOCK & ROTHERAY

Diagnosis – male holotype: Face yellow with yellow and black hairs; clear and distinct, black, central vitta reaching from mouth to base of antennae; cheeks shiny with inconspicuous dust and pruinosity ( Fig. 14 ); frons dark yellow and black haired; genae with black vittae and upper half coated in pruinosity; eyes coated with mostly black hairs, some yellow hairs on the posterolateral margins; mesonotum with yellow lateral vittae and triangular mark on posterior margin; hairs of mixed length; yellow hairs anteriorly and black hairs posteriorly; six prescutellar bristles present; scutellum yellow with hairs of mixed length, yellow hairs at base, black elsewhere; one black bristle on dark posterior anepisternum; pleurites dark; legs with femorae black except at apex; tibiae yellow at base, otherwise black; tarsi yellow; legs black haired, except yellow on ventral surface of tarsi; abdomen with tergite 1 black and tergites 2–4 yellow with black apical band; tergites 1 and 2 with yellow hairs anteriorly and black hairs on posterior margin; tergites 3 and 4 black haired, with hairs becoming gradually longer towards the apex; sternite 1 black and black haired; sternites 2 and 3 yellow and yellow haired, except black hairs on posterior margins; sternite 4 yellow and yellow haired only at base, otherwise black; genitalia – apical margin of superior lobes with blunt-tipped distal hook and two teeth not separated by a groove; epandrium with one pair of windows ( Figs 53, 54, 55 ); female unknown. Length: body, 10 mm; wing, 9 mm (N = 1).

Diagnosis – larva and puparium: Anterior fold with a band of pale, brown-tipped spicules, spicules shortening posteriorly and reaching anterior sensilla 3 of prothorax; anterior spiracles as long as wide with either three or four apical openings; vestiture of stout, upright setae on dorsum and lateral margins of the body, setae forming microspicules on the ventral surface; larger spicules on the longitudinal folds of the prothorax; lateral margin of mesothorax with a pair of large, conspicuous brown hooks, sharing the same sclerotized basal plate, margin of basal plate with tiny hooks; lateral margin of metathorax with one hook, as large as those on the mesothorax; antero-ventral margin of metathorax with two groups of up to four large spicules; segmental sensilla on short projections, about as long as vestiture, with between one and five thick, pale coloured, apical setae; sensilla 5–8 of abdominal segments 5–7 on longer fleshy projections than these sensilla on segments 1–4; projections tapering and coated in inconspicuous fine setae; abdominal segment 7 and anal segment tapering, and extended to about 1.5 times as long as abdominal segment 6; posterior breathing tube smooth and shiny at the apex and parallel sided, not widening towards base, and about as wide as a pupal spiracle.

Material examined – holotype: Male with puparium, Mexico, Chiapas State, El Triunfo Biosfere Reserve , July 2003, ex fallen decaying bromeliad ( Bromeliaceae ), EGH ( HM) .

Etymology: The name of this species is taken from the Spanish words ‘ una mas ’, meaning more than one, because just when we had thought we had finished, we always seemed to discover yet another new species.

Taxonomic notes: The adult of C. unamas is similar to C. triunfense in having a clear and distinct central vitta between the mouth and the base of the antennae. It differs from that species in having a yellow abdomen and yellow marks on the mesonotum. The form of the male genitalia is also distinct in having two teeth on the apical margin of the superior lobes, not separated by a deep groove, and only one pair of windows in the hypandrium. The early stages are very similar to other boqueronense group species. The main difference is in the posterior breathing tube that is smooth and shiny at the apex with, at most, only vague indications of punctures. Only triunfense has a similar shiny apex to the posterior breathing tube. C. unamas differs from triunfense in that the posterior breathing tube is parallel sided, and does widen basally and is about as wide as the pupal spiracles. In triunfense the posterior breathing tube widens basally and is wider than the pupal spiracles.

Biology: Reared from a larva found in a fallen, decaying bromeliad ( Bromeliaceae ).

Other species from decaying bromeliads

Figures

Figures 11–14. Adult Copestylum, lateral view of the head; scale line = 3.5 mm. 11. Copestylum boqueronense sp. nov., male holotype; 12. Copestylum mamorum sp. nov., female holotype; 13. Copestylum triunfense sp. nov., male holotype; 14. Copestylum unamas sp. nov., male holotype.

Figures 53–55. Adult Copestylum unamas sp. nov., male holotype, male genitalia; right-hand scale line = 0.50 mm, for left and right column figures; left-hand scale line = 0.85 mm, for middle figure. 53. genitalia and associated structures, lateral view; 54. hypandrium, ventral view; 55. surstylus, ventral view.