Ommatius tepui, Scarbrough, 2008

Scarbrough, Aubrey G., 2008, New Ommatius Wiedemann from the Americas with two new species groups, keys, and taxonomic notes (Diptera: Asilidae), Insecta Mundi 2008 (32), pp. 1-14 : 11-12

Ommatius tepui , n. sp.

Fig. 42-48

Description, male. Dark brown. Body 11.5 mm; wing 8.4 mm. Head: Face golden yellow tomentose with mostly yellow vestiture; 5-6 brown bristles in 2 rows; face at antennae 1/10 as wide as head. Palpus and proboscis white or yellow setose. Antennae brown setose; flagellum 2.5 longer than wide. Frons yellowish-brown tomentose, setae fine, short, brown. Occiput largely gray tomentose, white setose, yellowish dorsally; 4-5 postocular bristles per side of head, thin, 2 proclinate on apical 1/3.

Thorax: Scutum largely brown tomentose dorsally, pale yellowish-brown or grayish laterally and posteriorly; vestiture brown, setae sparse, most abundant along anterior and lateral margins; four lateral

and two dorsocentral bristles present, lateral bristles slightly stronger and longer than dorsocentrals. Scutellum gray tomentose, setae sparse, 2 marginal bristles, about 3 times as long as setae. Pleura gray tomentose with largely yellow vestiture; anepimeral bristle absent, long thin setae present. Halter yellow.

Wing: Identical to O. nebulosus (see Fig. 1).

Legs: Coxae gray tomentose, vestiture pale yel-

lowish. Fore and middle femora largely yellow, apical 1/3 anteriorly and dorsally brown; hind femora with apical 1/3 and dorsal 1/2 brown. Fore femora with row of thin yellowish setae ventrally. Middle femora with brown setae and bristles anteriorly; 7 brown anteroventral setae present, 2-3 of these se- Figure 40-41. Spermatheca and ventral view of female

terminalia of Ommatius pulcher (Engel) . tae in middle of row thick; several long thin yellowish setae posteroventrally; preapical posterodorsal bristle thin. Hind femora with brown bristles, 3 anteriorly, 6-7 anteroventrally, and 3 posteroventrally, 2 of these apically and 1 basally; swollen, 4.5 times longer than wide. Tibiae largely yellow, apices of fore and middle tibiae narrowly pale brown; apical 1/2 of hind tibiae brown with peg-like bristle apically, apex of bristle wide and round. Tarsi largely brown, basotarsomere of fore and middle tarsi yellow; bristles brown except 1 yellow bristle on fore tarsi.

Abdomen: Increasingly wider beyond segment 3, slightly spatulate. Tergites largely brown tomentose

with short brown setae; apical corners tergites 3-6 with 2 moderately thick yellow bristles, sides of tergites otherwise with thin, long yellowish setae; sternites brownish-gray or gray tomentose, setae pale.

Terminalia (Fig. 42-48): Dark brown, largely yellowish setose. Ventral lamella with ventrolateral

process strongly produced. Epandrium curved about 80 degrees dorsally on apical 1/3, somewhat concave medially, apex truncate; long thin yellow bristle laterally. Gonostylus flat, apex contrastingly narrow, hooked. Aedeagus sheath wide in dorsal view, distiphallus horizontal, tubular, with sclerotized plate ventrolaterally. Gonocoxal process long and flat, somewhat hooked with short apical spine in posterior view. Hypandrium triangular apically, vestiture brown with 2-3 bristly setae.

Female: Unknown.

Type material. VENEZUELA: T.F. Amazonas [Territorio Federal Amazonas], Puerto Ayacucho (40 km S.) El Tobogan, Canocoromoto , 26.i.1989, by malaise, P.J. Spangler , R. A. Faitoute and C.B. Barr (holotype m, NMNH).

Etymology. The name tepui refers to the towering mesas in the Territorio Federal Amazonas, Venezuela.

Distribution. Venezuela. Flight season, January.

Remarks. Ommatius tepui is distinguished from congeners by the characters in the key and the combined characters of the male terminalia (Fig. 42-48), especially the apically flattened, slightly up-turned epandrium with a truncate apex, and the long, wide, flattened gonocoxal process.