Mesoconius scurrus ( Hennig, 1935 ) Marshall, 2019

Marshall, Stephen A., 2019, A revision of the genus Mesoconius Enderlein (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 548, pp. 1-126 : 89

Mesoconius scurrus ( Hennig, 1935) comb. nov.

Fig. 30E

Aristobata scurra Hennig, 1935: 32 ; 1934: pl 2, fig. 7 (nomen nudum).

Zelatractodes scurrus – Steyskal 1968: 20 .

Diagnosis (male holotype)

Length about 14 mm. Thorax and first abdominal tergite bright orange, contrasting with dark brown head and reddish brown abdominal tergites 3–7. Frontal vitta flat and depressed, velvety black excluding raised and densely white microtrichose ocellar triangle; epicephalon shiny brown; lower frons and parafrontals shiny brown, margin sinuate, separated from antennae by antennal shelf. Parafacial silvery, sharply demarcated from brown face. Subantennal pits and upper face shiny brown, upper face carinate, lower face pale and membranous; clypeus shiny brown; palpus narrow, orange. Fore femur and fore tibia brown, fore tarsus white except for black area under basal half of tarsomere 1. Mid and hind femora orange basally; otherwise brown with a contrasting, straight–edged white median band; mid tarsus black; at least tarsomeres 1 and 4 of hind leg white (tarsomere 5 missing). Katatergite not prominent, but obviously collapsed on both sides. Wing almost clear, indistinctly infuscated, with diffuse clear area in distal third. Abdomen red at base (T1 and part of T2), with a pale band between T1 and T2; other segments brown dorsally, venter and epandrium not visible; T1–2 strongly petiolate.

Material examined

Holotype

BOLIVIA • ♂; Mapiri , Lorenzopata; 30 Apr. 1903; SMTD.

Remarks

Although the head bristles are obscured on the holotype, Hennig’s figure clearly shows postocellar, inner vertical and outer vertical bristles ( Hennig 1934). Otherwise M. scurrus seems to be similar to M. versicolorus ( Enderlein, 1922) , from which Hennig differentiated it on the basis of the relatively pale hind femoral base, the red abdominal tergite one and subtle differences in the colour of the hind basitarsus. Of these characters, only the colour of the hind femur distinguishes the only known specimen of M. scurrus from M. versicolorus . Both species remain known from inadequate material and their status will need clarification once new specimens are obtained.

Figures

Fig. 30. Species of the Mesoconius nono group known only from original type specimens. A–B. Mesoconius hoffmannsi (Enderlein, 1922), holotype (Peru), ♂, MNBG. C–D. Mesoconius ottoi nom. nov. (replacement name for Tanypoda garleppi Enderlein, 1922), lectotype (Bolivia), ♀, MNBG. E. Mesoconius scurrus (Hennig, 1935), holotype (Bolivia), ♂, SMTD.