Mucomyia browni Kvifte, 2018

Kvifte, Gunnar Mikalsen, Curler, Gregory R. & Marshall, Stephen A., 2018, Aquatic insects in the forest canopy: a new genus of moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) developing in slime on aerial roots, Journal of Natural History 52 (3 - 4), pp. 137-153 : 147-150

Mucomyia browni Kvifte , sp. nov.

( Figure 7 )

Type material

Holotype male. COSTA RICA, San José Province: Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, Tower path, ( WGS84 ) 10.046806° N, 84.008036° W, 1600 m, 18-25.i.2013, leg. ZADBI project (Malaise trap); deposited in MRCA. Eight male and 10 female paratypes: COSTA RICA, San José Province: Moravia , Zurquí de Moravia , Creek 2 North , ( WGS84 ) 10.048127° N, 84.008600° W, 1600 m, leg. ZADBI project (Malaise trap), 3 females, 18-24.ix.2012 ( MRCA, LACM, ZMUB), same but 29.xii.2012 - 3.i.2013, 1 male ( MRCA), same but 3–11.i.2013, 3 females ( MRCA, LACM, ZMUB), same but 11–18.i.2013, 2 males ( MRCA, ZMUB), same but 18–25.i.2013, 2 females ( MRCA), same but 25.i-1.ii.2013, 2 males 1 female ( MRCA, LACM), same but 1–8.ii.2013, 1 male ( MRCA), same but 22–29.iii.2013, 2 males ( MRCA, LACM). COSTA RICA, San José Province: Moravia , Zurquí de Moravia , Creek 2 North , ( WGS84 ), 10.048127° N, 84.008600° W, 1600 m, leg. ZADBI project (Aquatic emergence trap), 29.xi-7.xii.2012. 1 female. Specimens dissected, mounted on micro-slides.

Diagnosis

Adult male. Narrow strip of setae alveoli reaching from frontal patch to interocular suture. Parabasal processes with lower margin parallel to upper margins of parameres, upper margin parallel to gonocoxal condyles, broadly triangular with lateral base subequal to width of gonocoxite and tapering to medial apex. Parameres distinctly hooked apicolaterally. Aedeagus with distal phallomeres fused. Surstylus with two apical tenacula and one medial subapical tenaculum.

Description

Adult male. (n = 9 except when stated otherwise) Head ( Figure 7 (a)) broadly oval; vertex a third of head length, hind margin of head slightly convex; eyebridge of four facet rows, separated by 2 facet diameters; interocular suture U-shaped with median thickening and in some specimens an indistinct spur; 28–50 ocular setae present, reaching second eyebridge facet row from the suture, uniseriate dorsal to eyebridges, biseriate dorsal to eye, triseriate laterally; frontal scar patch broadly oval with median posterior extension reaching interocular suture; clypeus rectangular with two anterior concavities; frontoclypeal suture complete, straight; labrum, maxillae and labium as long as clypeus; labellae fleshy, lateral margins sclerotized, with two dorsolateral setae and spiniform anterior sensillum; palp of four segments, cylindrical except fourth segment spool-shaped; fourth palp segment fully sclerotized; length of palp segments 42:54:63:66; antennae with 14 flagellomeres; scape conical-cylindrical, pedicel globular, flagellomeres 1–11 symmetrically nodiform with internodes slightly longer than nodes except flagellomere 11 with internode a fifth as long as node ( Figure 7 (c)), flagellomeres 12–13 globular, flagellomere 14 dropletshaped ( Figure 7 (c)); pair of ascoids present on flagellomeres 1–11, flanked by pair of small spiniform sensilla with broad round bases; length of antennal segments 91:57:135:135:132: 132:135:132:129:111:111:102:51:21:24:30 (n = 9,9,9,9,9,9,8,7,5,2,1,1,1,1,1,1); ascoids Y-shaped, length of anterior ascoid branches reaching beyond internode of segment; thorax with dorsum, proepisternum, anterior half of anepisternum, laterotergite and dorsal part of scutellum setose; proepisternum with tongue-shaped internal ventral projection; setose anterior half of anepisternum sharply delimited from bare posterior half; prothoracal spiracle naked; metathoracal spiracle densely setose; coxae all with dorsoventral anterior aseriate rows of setae, densest at ventral half of mid coxa; pointed extensions present on anterior side of front tibia and posterior end of mid and hind tibiae; tarsomere 5 without dorsal extension; wing ( Figure 7 (b)) 2 mm long (n = 8); C with two breaks, Sc terminating in wing membrane but approaching R1, reaching level of base of M1+2; wing membrane setose; area dorsal of R1 slightly darker than rest of membrane; R5 terminating in wing apex; radial fork distal to medial fork, both complete; jugum obtusely V-shaped, setose; narrow oval patch of setae present dorsal to jugum; male genitalia ( Figure 7 (d)) with hypandrium reduced; gonocoxites reniform with broad triangular parabasal processes, 1.5 × length of gonostyles; parabasal processes with lower margin parallel to upper margins of parameres, upper margin parallel to gonocoxal condyles, broadly triangular with lateral base subequal to width of gonocoxite and tapering to medial apex; gonostyles conical with blunt apices, with scattered sensilla; aedeagus with basiphallus narrow at base, distally with median keel; distiphallus apparently spatulate with two phallomeres originating from lateral margins of apex of basiphallus; phallomeres narrow, pointed apically, of equal length; gonocoxal condyles angularly arched, approaching medially but not touching, with lateral margin thicker and more strongly sclerotized than rest of condyle; parameres oblong-shaped, hooked at medial basal end at junction with subepandrial membrane, distally hooked towards the lateral; parameres slightly longer than gonocoxite; triangular sclerotization present dorsolaterally on parameres; epandrium ( Figure 7 (d)) broader than long; base with strip-like apodeme, concave with indistinct projection laterally; aperture indistinct; fleshy setose projections present laterally on distal third; subepandrial membrane indistinct; hypoproct oval with slightly pointed lateral edges, with V-shaped concavity anteriorly and weak concavity posteriorly; epiproct present as strip-like sclerite on ventral distal edge of hypoproct; surstyli cylindrical, about as long as epandrium; with two distal and one subapical mesal tenaculum; tenacula with indistinct longitudinal striations, apex rounded.

Adult female (n = 10) similar to male except with length of palps 45:60:66:72 (n = 10,10,10,9), length of antennal segments 87:54:123:111:111:111:108:108:102: 99:93:51:24:27:30 (n = 10,10,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,6,6,6,6,6,6,6), wing length 2.39. Female terminalia ( Figure 7 (e)) with subgenital plate rectangular with two rounded subtriangular distal lobes, pseudospermatheca with curved F-shaped inner sclerotized mesal margins, distally with two triangular sclerites which have their lower margins expanded and slightly produced posteriorly, laterally with hyaline sclerotized margins; elipsoid transverse sclerite present, flanked by pair of comma-shaped sclerites; cerci 1.3 × length of subepandrial plate.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality at Zurquí de Moravia , Costa Rica .

Biology

Most specimens have been collected in Malaise traps in tropical cloud forest. One female specimen was collected from an aquatic emergence trap, however this is not necessarily a reliable indicator of its larval habitat. In European studies of psychodids in emergence traps, there very often is a proportion of specimens of species with known non-aquatic larval stages occurring ( Wagner 1973, G. M. Kvifte and M. Ivkovic, in prep.).

Etymology

Named with admiration and appreciation for Brian V. Brown, Head of the Entomology Department and Curator of Entomology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and co-coordinator of the Zurquí All Diptera Biodiversity Inventory (see Borkent and Brown 2015).

Figures

Figure 7. Mucomyia browni adult male and female. (a) Male head, frontal view; (b) wing; (c) apical flagellomeres of antenna; (d) male terminalia, dorsal view; (e) female terminalia, ventral view. Scale bars = 125 µm (a), 50 µm (c, d), 100 µm (e).