Myopa metallica

Barahona-Segovia, Rodrigo M. & Barceló, Matías, 2020, Myopa nebulosa sp. nov. and Myopa bozinovici sp. nov. (Diptera: Conopidae): New thick-headed flies from a threatened biodiversity hotspot in central Chile, Zootaxa 4780 (2), pp. 291-306 : 299-300

Redescription of Myopa metallica

Myopa metallica Camras 1992:84

Figs 17–20

Type locality. Quebrada de Ramón , Santiago , Chile (HT M FMNH)

Diagnosis. MALE & FEMALE. 9.2 ± 2.1 mm length; 4.6 ± 0.8 mm wide; 8.3 ± 1.4 mm length of the wings (n=3).Head, antennal segments and eyes rufous with thorax and legs metallic blue and short hairs of the same color. Wing base red-brownish mixed with dark color. Halters conspicuously red. Second abdominal segment red-brownish, part of first and third abdominal segment are the same color. Other parts are metallic black-blue color with short black hairs distributed around abdomen.

Redescription. Head. Eye rufous; ocellar setae black; frons rufous with many black hairs sparsely distributed; scape, pedicel and flagellum rufous; pedicel three times longer than scape, with several short and strong black bristles positioned dorsally and on outer face; flagellum rufous; subapical arista rufous and basal area 2x wider than the middle; ocellar triangle metallic blue with three ocelli, some rufous; face slightly concave, little projected and rufous as in Figs 17–18 ; covered by some few black hairs; gena and cheeks rufous with short and darkish hairs; clypeus, labrum and palps darkish-brown; post-ocellar hairs abundant and black. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe metallic blue, postpronotal setae black; mesonotum metallic blue, light violet in some parts in the posterior margin; mesonotum with short, thin, black acrostichal setae; notopleuron metallic blue; scutellum metallic blue and five pairs of strong black marginal scutellar setae mixed with thin black setae; proepisternum, anepisternum, katepisternum, anepimeron, katatergite, anatergite and meron metallic blue ( Fig. 4b ). Legs. Coxa and trochanter brownish; femora and tibiae metallic blue densely covered with black pilosity; anterior part of tibiae whitish with black pilosity; tarsi yellow, covered with dense black hairs; claws yellow with apex black. Wings. Bicolored, without spots and with dense microtrichia; wing base red-brownish mixed with blackish parts; veins R 2+3, R 4+5 and M1 slightly sinuous at the apex; halter knob pale rufous; stem yellowish, base brownish. Abdomen. Tergites and sclerites 1–2 completely orange with black pilosity uniformly spaced; tergites and sclerite 3 with anterior part orange and posterior metallic blue; tergite 3 with pilosity uniformly spaced; tergites from 5 to syntergosternite 7+8 metallic blue with black pilosity, uniformly spaced too; terminalia densely covered with thin black pilosity.

Intraspecific variability. One individual with violet reflections on katepisternum, katatergite and meron.

Distribution. From Tal Tal, Antofagasta to Metropolitan region of central Chile ( Fig. 21 ).

Remarks. Endemic species erroneously cited for Bolivia by Stuke (2017). This species was recently rediscovered using citizen science and has a wide but disjunct distribution in the north and central Chile ( Barahona-Segovia et al. 2017, 2018). The labels found in the individuals collected and deposited in MEUC suggest a potential parasitizing of native bee, Euherbstia excellens Friese , which is distributed between 30°–34° ( Montalva & Ruz 2010). This bee has been found in the coastal desert of the Atacama region inhabit with M. metallica (R. Barahona-Segovia pers. obs). This headed-fly species is similar in color pattern to E. excellens .

Figures

FIGURE 21. Distribution of Chilean Myopa species: Myopa nebulosa sp. nov. (black triangles), Myopa bozinovici sp. nov. (red squares) and Myopa metallica (blue circles).

FIGURES 17–20. Myopa metallica Camras. (17) Lateral view (Carrizalillo, male). Scale bar = 1 mm. (18) In situ specimen, lateral view, Tal Tal (Photo: Maritza Zamora Gómez). (19) In situ specimen, dorsal view, Llanos de Challe. (20) In situ specimen, frontal view, Llanos de Challe [Photos 19 and 20: Gabriela Germain Fonck].

FIGURES 3–6. Myopa nebulosa sp. nov. (3) Lateral view of head (Rio Teno, Curicó, male). (4) Lateral view of thorax (Rio Teno, Curicó, male). (5) Dorsal view (Rio Teno, Curicó, male). (6) Color variability (Rio Teno, Curicó, male). Scale bars = 1 mm.