Mesoconius uchumachi, Marshall, 2019

Marshall, Stephen A., 2019, A revision of the genus Mesoconius Enderlein (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 548, pp. 1-126 : 89-91

Mesoconius uchumachi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C743B2B6-AE9F-4739-8E48-FD64B6083EA5

Fig. 36

Etymology

The name of this species is a noun in apposition inspired by the name of the type locality, Cerro Uchumachi.

Material examined

Holotype

BOLIVIA • ♂; La Paz, Coroico, Cerro Uchumachi ; 16°12ʹ43ʺ S, 67°42ʹ49ʺ W; 2550 m a.s.l.; 16 Apr. 2001; S.A. Marshall leg.; cloud forest; CBFC.

Description (male holotype only)

LENGTH. 13 mm.

COLOUR. Mostly orange, but most of head including frons and upper face dark chestnut brown, parafacials and gena silvery white, palpus and clypeus yellow-orange. Fore femur bicoloured, basal half orange and distal half dark brown. Fore tibia dark brown, fore tarsus white, with basal half of tarsomere 1 brown and tarsomere 5 yellowish. Mid and hind femora with indistinct alternating orange and yellowish brown bands, mid and hind tibia and tarsomeres yellowish brown. Thorax orange, except for sharply contrasting black-fringed anterior spiracle. Wing mostly clear, with a broad and distinct discal band and indistinct basal and distal infuscated patches.

HEAD. Entire frons striate, epicephalon and paracephalon weakly striate and shiny, frontal vitta weakly differentiated and not elevated, with anterior margin broad and posterior margin sharply tapered to a point behind ocelli. Postocellar bristles closely spaced and divergent, inner and outer vertical bristles well developed, with a few setulae around their bases; upper fronto-orbital inserted at level of ocelli, lower frontal orbital bristle inserted at point of overlap between epicephalon and orbital strip. Antennae separated by 0.3× width of antennal socket, face strongly carinate; parafacials, gena and lower face strongly microtrichose, subantennal areas shiny on mesal half only, middle of face flat and microtrichose. Clypeus directed anteriorly, meeting face at an angle of about 100°, shiny medially, laterally microtrichose. Postocciput with uniformly small setulae.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite with a small, depressed anterior part and a larger, convex and setulose posterior part. Prosternum microtrichose and with fine setulae. Postpronotal lobe microtrichose, with scattered setulae on lower half. Dorsocentral bristle about half as long as scutellum. Scutellum with minute discal setulae and one pair of long apical bristles (longer than scutellum). Katatergite weakly swollen, without nipple-like process. Vertical row of katepisternal bristles yellow. All coxae with an anteroventral tuft of yellow setae.

MALE ABDOMEN. Abdominal segments 1+2 and basal half of segment 3 petiolate, length of 1+2 double that of tergite 3. Sternite 5 small, pale; S6 broad and somewhat Y-shaped posteriorly. Sternite 7 with a narrow ventral and left lateral linear band; S7 fused broadly with large, unmodified S8. Epandrium with short anteroventral arms (1/5 of epandrial length); ventral part of epandrium strongly incurved in posterior quarter. Hypandrium short, with a broad, scoop-like anterior loop. Ejaculatory apodeme similar in size to epandrium; central body of sperm pump broad, helmet-like. Basiphallus small, frame-like; basal part of distiphallus unusually broad, parallel-sided, sclerotized dorsally (lower side in repose) and spinulose-membranous ventrally; phallic bulb large, elongate; distal distiphallus very short, shorter than phallic bulb.

Remarks

Mesoconius uchumachi sp. nov. is easily distinguished from related species by its combination of an entirely orange thorax and a clear wing with a distinct discal band.

Figures

Fig. 36. Mesoconius uchumachi sp. nov., holotype, ♂, CBFC. A. Entire specimen. B–C. Abdominal apex. D. Thorax and base of abdomen. E. Head and anterior part of thorax.