Mesorhaga parnasete, Santos & Capellari & Limeira-De-Oliveira, 2024

Santos, Ednaldo Bezerra Dos, Capellari, Renato Soares & Limeira-De-Oliveira, Francisco, 2024, Four new species of Mesorhaga Schiner (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Northeastern Brazil, with an identification key to South American species of the genus, Zootaxa 5519 (2), pp. 243-256 : 252-254

Mesorhaga parnasete sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7E450309-307A-42AD-AECE-2D388CDEE9FA

( Figs 25–32 )

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the initial letters of the type-locality of the new species (Parque Nacional de Sete Cidades), a National Park from the state of Piauí, Brazil. Treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Specimens predominantly metallic blue-greenish with golden and bronze reflections. Legs almost entirely light yellow, tarsomeres slightly darkened. Wing membrane ( Fig. 28 ) mostly hyaline, only slightly infuscate basally; vein M 1 strongly curved towards vein R 4+5; vein dm-m about ½ length of distal section of vein M 4. Hypopygium ( Fig. 31 ): cerci dark yellow, thin, weakly sclerotized, distal third slightly more sclerotized and distally widened, surstylus with three lobes subequal in length, the dorsal one slightly longer than the other two.

Holotype ♂ ( Figs 25–30 ). Body length 2.71 mm, wing length 2.82 mm.

Variation. Male (n=4). Body length 2.71–3.69 mm, mean 3.07 mm, wing length 2.82–3.24 mm, mean 3.05 mm.

Head ( Figs 26, 27 ). Vertex deeply excavated; ocellar triangle with 1 pair of black diverging ocellar setae, strong and long, similar to notopleural setae; 1 pair of postocellar setae, divergent, weak and short, similar to presutural acrostichal setae; 2 pairs of postverticals setae, in line with row of postoculars setae, inner postverticals as long and strong as anterior ocellar setae, inner postverticals about 2.0X longer and slightly stronger than outer postverticals; 1 pair of strong vertical setae. Postoculars near vertex, short and uniseriate, longer and multiseriate from middle. Antenna light brown to brown, scape, pedicel and postpedicel subequal in length; pedicel glabrous, with brownish-gray pruinosity, with ring of black distal setae, dorsal and ventral setae longer and stronger; postpedicel subtriangular, slightly wider than long; arista brown to dark brown, glabrous, about 3.0X length of scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Frons bluish-green, face and clypeus with golden reflections and greyish-white pruinosity, denser on frons, around antenna and face. Face narrowing ventrally. Palpus dark brown to black with strong, black distal seta and some additional smaller ones, brown. Labellum dark yellow to brown with yellow setae.

Thorax ( Fig. 29 ). Blue-greenish metallic with golden and bronze reflections; setae black. Chaetotaxy: 3 acrostichal setae, 1 presutural seta, 2 postsutural setae as long and strong as dorsal pedicel setae; 1 + 4 strong dorsocentral setae, increasing in length and diameter posteriorly; 1 presutural intra-alar seta, as long and strong as presutural supra-alar (nearly on transverse suture); postpronotal lobe glabrous, except for very short seta, shorter than pronotal seta; 2 supra-alar setae, 1 presutural, as long and strong as presutural intra-alar; 2 strong and long notopleural setae, subequal in length and diameter. Scutellum concolorous with mesonotum, with two pairs of macrosetae, 1st pair (lateral) slightly shorter and weaker than 2nd pair (apical). Pleurae dark blue, with yellowish-gray pruinosity.

Legs ( Fig. 25 ). Yellow, except for base of all coxae, and tarsomeres 2–5 dark yellow to light brown. Femora with elongated setae, pale on ventral surface, slightly shorter and sparse on fore femur, other surfaces with dark brown to black setae, these slightly longer on anterodorsal surface of fore femur and slightly stronger on distal 1 / 3. Tibiae and tarsi setose, with short, dark brown to black setae, slightly longer only on proximal 1 / 3 of mid tibia; fifth tarsomere of fore and mid legs slightly expanded laterally, this dark brown to black only on mid leg. Fore leg: 25; 30; 18/ 10/ 7/ 5/ 5; mid leg: 20; 33; 21/ 10/ 7/ 5/ 3 and hind leg: 27; 34; 13/ 13/ 8/ 4/ 2.

Wing ( Fig. 28 ). Membrane mostly hyaline, only slightly infuscate basally; veins yellow, except for proximal 1 / 3 of vein R 1 and proximal end of brown subcostal vein; vein M 1 strongly curved towards vein R 4+5; crossvein dm-m about ½ length of distal section vein M 4. Lower calypter yellow, with fan of dark yellow to light brown setae. Halter light brown, knob yellow.

Abdomen ( Fig. 25 ). Robust, only slightly narrower than thorax, green with bluish reflection, sternites brown. Setae dark brown to black, slightly longer and stronger on distal margins of tergites, distinctly longer and stronger on tergites 1 and 5 (series of 2 to 4 black setae, particularly longer on laterals of tergite 1); tergite 5 with long and strong setae, paler on lateroventral margin.

Male terminalia ( Fig. 31 ). Hypopygium brown.Hypandrium thin and elongated, slightly longer than epandrium. Epandrium elongate, subcylindrical, about 3.0X longer than wide, at maximum width with pale setae about 1 / 2 length of epandrial lobe setae; epandrial foramen oval, positioned on medial portion of epandrium; epandrial seta short and weak at base of epandrial lobe; epandrial lobe elongated, about 5.0X longer than wide, at maximum width with 2 setae, 1 long, strong subdistal and 1 short, weak distal, almost inconspicuous; surstylus with three lobes subequal in length: anterior lobe with distinct setae distally, this slightly shorter than median lobe; median lobe robust, narrowed towards apex, slightly longer than anterior lobe; posterior lobe thin and slightly longer than median lobe. Cerci symmetrical, dark yellow, slender, ventrally curved, weakly sclerotized; proximal end semitransparent; subproximal region with bifid appearance in lateral view, semitransparent medially, distal 1 / 3 slightly more sclerotized and distally widened; outer surface with dark setae, subequal in length, as long as subapical seta of epandrial lobe, decreasing in length and diameter toward distal end; distal 1 / 3 with dark setae on medial surface.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂ (pinned, good condition), deposited in CZMA: Brazil, PI [= Piauí], Piracuruca, P. [=Parque] N.[= Nacional] de Sete Cidades , Posto ICMBio , 04°05′57′′S / 41°42′34′′W \ Armadilha Malaise Gd [=grande], 1–15.i.2022, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, D. Limeira & L.M. S Cardoso, cols [=coletores] \ FLO 6746 . PARATYPES: same data as holotype except: FLO 6747 (pinned, terminalia in glass microtube, good condition: 1♂, CZMA) ; idem, \ FLO 6748 (pinned, terminalia in microtube of glass, good condition: 1♂, CZMA) ; idem, \ FLO 6751 (pinned, terminalia in glass microtube, good condition: 1♂, CZMA) .

Distribution. Brazil: Piauí.

Remarks. Mesorhaga parnasete sp. nov. keys to couplet 2 and M. sarukhani in Bickel (2007), but can be differentiated by having all femora entirely yellow (basal ¾ of fore and mid femora dark brown, and hind femur entirely dark brown in M. sarukhani ), fore and mid coxae with yellow anterolateral setae (black anterolateral setae in M. sarukhani ), epandrial lobe with two subdistal setae (two submedian setae on epandrial lobe in M. sarukhani ), epandrium with tapered anterior end (epandrium with rounded anterior end in M. sarukhani ), cerci strongly curved ventrally, with setae along entire dorsal surface (cerci gently curved ventrally, with setae arranged only on proximal 2 / 3 of dorsal surface in M. sarukhani ).

Figures

FIGURES 25–32. Mesorhaga parnasete sp. nov., Holotype ♂, left lateral view. 25, habitus, left lateral view; 26, head, left lateral view; 27, head, frontal view; 28, wing; 29, thorax, dorsal view; 30, post-abdomen, left lateral view; 31, terminalia left lateral view; 32, terminalia illustration left lateral view.