Puliciphora reevesi, Disney, R. Henry L., 2003

Disney, R. Henry L., 2003, Seven new species of New World Puliciphora Dahl (Diptera: Phoridae) with a new key to the Neotropical species, Zootaxa 162, pp. 1-22 : 3-6

Puliciphora reevesi sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

Female

Frons brown with four supra­antennal bristles; a strong pair of anterolaterals; likewise a pair of pre­ocellars, situated level with or slightly below the anterior ocellus and close to latter; four strong bristles on vertex and a pair of long ocellars. Eyes large, with more than 70 ommatidia. Light brown antennae with at least seven SPS vesicles inside postpedicel (third antennal segment). Palps straw yellow lightly tinged brown, with five bristles and at least twice as many hairs. Proboscis typical for genus. Thorax pale brown with a paler median stripe; with short humeral bristles; four longer, almost evenly spaced, bristles near hind margin; and a slightly longer alar bristle each side. Abdominal tergites brown, T1 and T2 being darker than the rest. T1 separate from T2. T4­T6 as Fig. 1 , with T6 represented by its anterior apodemes only or a pale yellowish brown, ghostly, strip linking the bases of the apodemes. Venter pale yellowish brown with numerous hairs whose socket rims are extended rearwards as short platelets. Cerci about three times as long as broad and coloured as venter. Legs straw yellow lightly tinged brown, the hind femora being darkest, and typical for genus.

Material

HOLOTYPE female, U. S. A., Tennessee, Sevier Co., Twin Creeks, 83o29.94’W, 35o41.10’N, Malaise trap, 2­14 August 2000 (W. Reeves) ( CUMZ – 14­52). PARATYPES female, as holotype. female, Mexico, Chiapas, Laranjá, 300 m, July 1977, Hojurasia Deselva ( CUMZ – 4­49).

Affinities

In the key to Nearctic females (Disney, 1998) this species runs to P. borinquenensis Wheeler at couplet 3 lead 1. However, it is immediately distinguished by its vestigial T6, which is fully developed in P. borinquenensis (figure 3). Also the dimensions of the other tergites differ and the eyes are larger in the new species, compared with fewer than 60 ommatidia in each eye of P. borinquenensis . Otherwise the latter closely resembles the new species, which is at risk of being misidentified as this widespread tramp species. Both species also occur in the Neotropical Region and are distinguished in the key below.

FIGURES 7­10. Puliciphora females: (7­9) abdominal tergites 4­6: (7) P. jacobsonorum ; (8) P. venata ; (9) P. setosa ; (10) P. setosa , right eye and right half of frons. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Figures

FIGURES 1 ­ 2. Puliciphora: (1) P. reevesi female, abdominal tergites 5 ­ 6; (2) P. occidentalis male, left face of hypopygium. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.