Eucelatoria huitepecensis, Burington, 2022

Burington, Zelia L., 2022, A taxonomic revision of the Eucelatoria ferox species group (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 5143 (1), pp. 1-104 : 18-19

Eucelatoria huitepecensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1E , 3 , 48 , 177 )

Type material. Holotype ♀, labeled “ MEXICO Chis 5km / w. Sn Cristobal/ Huitepec 2750 [altitude in meters]/ 15.IX. 91 M. Wood”, “ HOLOTYPE / Eucelatoria / huitepecensis/ ZL Burington [red label]”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00284” ( DMW).

Recognition. This species is most similar to E. ferox , as both possess a facial ridge with setulae on the lower half or more, two longitudinal parallel thoracic vittae, and dense bright tomentum covering the entire ventral part of T1–5. They differ in that the thoracic vittae of E. huitepecensis sp. nov. are partially divided by a thin line of tomentum, nearly invisible without magnification, confluent with the row of dorsocentral setae.

Etymology. From the type locality, Mt. Huitepec (= Cerro Huitepec).

Description. Female [described from 1 specimen]. Length 7.1 mm.

Head. Parafacial, fronto-orbital plate, vertex, post-orbital plate, vibrissal angle, gena, and postgena tomentum dense yellow, appearing golden bronze. Occiput tomentum ash-gray. Pale occipital setae yellow-gray. Ocellar setae strong, subequal to length of anterior reclinate orbital seta. Gena with 2–3 setae, subvibrissal ridge with 2 setae. Facial ridge with setulae on lower half to two-thirds. Postocellar setae one-half length of ocellar setae. Paravertical seta three-fourths length of postocellar setae. Outer vertical seta one-half length of inner vertical seta. Reclinate orbital setae 2, the posteriormost slightly turned lateroclinate. Frontal setae 7, last frontal seta level with base of postpedicel, or slightly beyond. Eye with short setulae, each setula no longer than 2–3 facets. Eye height to head height ratio 0.82. Postpedicel length 0.42 height of head. Facial ridge length 0.55 height of head. Parafacial width 0.09 lateral length of head. Pedicel 0.33 length of postpedicel. Postpedicel 2.5 times width of parafacial in lateral view. Vertex 0.30 width of head in dorsal view. Palpus dark brown to reddish-brown, lighter colored near apex than at base; flattened, slightly dilated at apex; with several short, stout setae dorsoapically, longer stout setulae apicolaterally; with thin short setulae on medial margin from base to nearly apex.

Thorax. Dorsomedial length 1.36 times thorax width. Lateral tomentum yellow-gray. Dorsal tomentum dirty yellow to gray, grayer medially. Inner and outer vittae nearly indistinguishable, seeming fused into a single barshaped vitta stretching along the entire length of the notum, such that there appear to be only two thoracic vittae; under bright light and magnification resolving into two bar-shaped vittae narrowly separated by thin band of tomentum confluent with dorsocentral row of setae, fused at anterior and posterior ends. Inner vittae separated medially by broad, subrectangular band of tomentum from anterior to posterior margins of notum. Scutellar dorsal tomentum yellow, denser near apex, covering entire dorsal surface of scutellum. Postpronotum with 4 setae. Presutural area with 2 supra-alar setae. Postsutural area with 4 dorsocentral setae, the second seta smaller and weaker. Scutellum with 1 pair of discal setae. Fore tibia with 2 posterodorsal setae. Wing lightly infuscated at base and on anterior portion between costa and radial sector. Calypters cream colored.

Abdomen. Cuticle and setulae entirely black. Dorsal tomentum bands yellow-gray; covering one-third to onehalf of T3–5; with wide median vitta. Ventral tomentum bands covering nearly entire surface of abdominal tergites; yellow, with small gray patches near posterior margins of segments. T4 with 1 pair of medial marginal setae and 1 pair of lateral marginal setae with 3–4 long setae accompanying each primary marginal seta.

Terminalia. Piercer extending past base of abdomen, in lateral view broadly curved along entire length; in posterior view, parallel sided on basal half, then gradually tapered to apex. Aculeate lobe at least 4.5 times height of segment 7 base. End tergite not visible. Cercus not visible. Postgenital plate with at least 10 setae.

Male. Unknown.

Host(s). Unknown.

Geographic extent and seasonal occurrence. This species is known only from the holotype, collected on a montane forest peak at 2700 m elevation in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas range, southern Mexico ( Fig. 177 ) .

Discussion. The strong ocellar setae of E. huitepecensis sp. nov. suggest an affinity closer to E. ferox than to E. inclani sp. nov., but the partially fused, narrowly separated longitudinal thoracic vittae are unique.

Figures

FIGURE 1. CO1-based neighbor-joining tree of 12 species of the Eucelatoria ferox species group, with inset illustrations of mesonota. The outgroup is Eucelatoria armigera (Coquillett). Node labels indicate support values over 60. Scale bar = 2% genetic difference. The E. charapensis (Townsend) sequence with the axial break is of poor quality but is included to show unity of El Bigal specimens with the rest of the metapopulation. Mesonota are illustrated with setal annuli only for clarity. A. E. gustavogutierrezi sp. nov. B. E. kopis sp. nov. C. E. ritavargasae sp. nov. D. E. ferox (Townsend). E. E. huitepecensis sp. nov. F. E. auriceps (Aldrich). G. E. gladiatrix (Townsend). H. E. borealis sp. nov. I. E. yanayacu sp. nov.

FIGURES 2–5. Female habitus photographs of Eucelatoria ferox group spp., dorsal view. 2. E. ferox (Townsend), Chapare Province (ZLB_E.Ferox 00399) (DMW). 3. E. huitepecensis sp. nov., holotype (ZLB_E.Ferox 00284) (DMW). 4. E. inclani sp. nov., holotype (ZLB_E.Ferox 00397) (CNC). 5. E. aurata (Townsend), Nova Teutonia (ZLB_E.Ferox 00232) (DMW).

FIGURES 48–49. Female habitus photographs of Eucelatoria ferox group spp., lateral view. 48. E. huitepecensis sp. nov., holotype (ZLB_E.Ferox 00284) (DMW). 49. E. inclani sp. nov., holotype (ZLB_E.Ferox 00397) (CNC).

FIGURES 174–179. Distribution maps of Eucelatoria spp. 174. E. yanayacu sp. nov., E. gladiatrix (Townsend), E. falcata sp. nov., E. charapensis (Townsend), and E. fordlandia sp. nov. 175. E. strigata (Wulp) and E. aurata (Townsend). 176. E. hafelei sp. nov., E. gustavogutierrezi sp. nov., and E. ritavargasae sp. nov. 177. E. ferox (Townsend), E. huitepecensis sp. nov., and E. inclani sp. nov. 178. E. kopis sp. nov., E. sica sp. nov., E. makhaira sp. nov., and E. tenebrionis sp. nov. 179. E. rivalis (Reinhard), E. luctuosa (Wulp), E. woodorum sp. nov., E. crambivora sp. nov., and E. jorgecortesi sp. nov.