Argentinomyia taina Thompson & Montoya, 2023

Montoya, Augusto L. & Wolff, Marta, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Argentinomyia Lynch-Arribálzaga, 1891 (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of 16 new species, Zootaxa 5234 (1), pp. 1-157 : 126-128

Argentinomyia taina Thompson & Montoya sp. nov.

Proposed standard English name: Taina’s long-antennae flower fly.

Argentinomyia DR sp. 2 Thompson, unpublished

( Figs 77 , 78 and 95 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE. Adult male, pinned, deposited at National Museum of Natural History. Original label: “ DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Neyba Mountain Range , San Juan Serra Neiba ” / “ Trail to Sabana del Silencio, 11km SSW de El Cercado, 18,666 667, -71,500000” / “ 1700–1900 m, 10.vii.2006, N.E. Woodley ”. “ HOLOTYPE / Argentinomyia taina sp. nov. / Thompson & Montoya 2023” ( USNM ENT 01443645 ) . PARATYPES. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. La Vega, Sabana Kelly (= Quéliz) / Valle Nuevo 18,750 116, -70,616826, 2294 m, / 2.iv.2003, D. Pérez, R. Bastardo, B. Hierro (2♀, USNM ENT 00038429 , 01443644 ); …, La Compartición, Pico Duarte, P. N. Armando Bermúdez / 19,025 337, -70,99825, 3087 m, RD-255 / 1.vii.2004, D. Pérez (1♁, USNM ENT 00038438 ; Genitalia dissected) .

Length (n= 3): Body, 8.5–9.3 mm; Wings, 7.5–7.6 mm.

Diagnosis. Frontal triangle with transversal golden-brownish pollinose band touching slightly the sides of the eyes; scutum with three brownish vittae, a median wider brown vitta extending along the thorax, in addition to lateral slender brownish vittae; metatibia mostly brownish apically, yellow basally and slightly obscured on apical 1/5 dorsally; 3 rd and 4 th terga with maculae extending to the apical 2/3; 5 th tergum with a pair of small lateral rounded maculae; surstylus in lateral view very elongated and widened dorsally, with a small extension at the ventral margin.

Description. MALE. Head ( Fig. 77A ): Face black, white pollinose, white pilose; tubercle low, bare, area above the tubercle white pollinose; frontal triangle silver pollinose laterally, black pilose; frontal triangle brownishgrey pollinose, black pilose; gena black; occiput black pilose dorsally, yellow hoary ventrally. Antenna yellowishorange, short, ratio 1.0:1.3:1.4, basoflagellomere as long as the scape and pedicel together, darker toward the end and dorsal on basoflagellomere, pile black, apically rounded; arista brown. Thorax ( Figs 77B–C ): Aeneous grey, yellow-brownish pilose and pollinose, with three brownish vittae, a median wider brown vitta extending along the thorax, in addition to lateral slender brownish vittae. Pleura shining aeneous, grey pollinose, pile yellowish and sparse. Scutellum shining brassy to aeneous, golden pilose. Wing ( Fig. 77C ): Lightly tinged with brown, stigma brownish, membrane microtrichose, except cell c bare on basal 1/3, cells bm, r and cua bare on basal 1/3, the apical margin of the wing to just past the end of third vein brownish, giving the impression of an elongated brown macula; calypter wholly brown; plumula white; halter white, capitulum white. Legs ( Fig. 77C ): Yellow, pro- and mesofemora yellow, metafemur obscured on basal 2/6 and apical 1/6 or little more; pro- and mesotibiae yellow, metatibia brown, only yellow on basal 1/7; 1 st protarsus yellow on basal 1/3, other segments brown, 1 st mesotarsus extensively, other segments brown, metatarsus brown; coxae golden-brown. Abdomen ( Fig. 77B ): Black, parallelsides, 1 st tergum shining metallic aeneous-black; 2 nd tergum with a shallow, diffuse, bluish metallic maculae; 3 rd and 4 th terga with rectangular maculae, medio-apically rounded and extending to the apical 1/2, respectively; 5 th tergum without maculae; pile yellow; male genitalia: surstylus in lateral view ( Fig. 78A ) very elongated and widened dorsally, with a small extension at the ventral margin, shorter than broad; hypandrium in ventral view ( Fig. 78C ) expanded laterally towards the apex; aedeagal lobe in ventral view ( Fig. 78C ) circular, apex rounded.

FEMALE ( Figs 77D–F ). Similar to male except for usual sexual dimorphism, but differing in the frontal triangle with transversal golden-brownish pollinose band touching slightly the sides of the eyes. Thorax comparatively more bluish, lateral vittae slender. Abdomen bluish, with a pair of apically rounded maculae on 3 rd to 4 th terga, reaching to the apical 1/2 of each segment, there is an additional small rounded macula on 5 th tergum reaching the apical 1/2.

Taxonomic notes. Argentinomyia taina sp. nov. is similar to A. praeusta and A. aurifacies differing by the following combination characters: the frontal triangle with a transversal golden-brownish pollinose band, touching slightly the sides of the eyes; scutum with three brownish vittae, a median wider brown vitta extending along the thorax, in addition to lateral slender brownish vittae ( Figs 77A, C, D, F ); metatibia mostly brownish apically, yellow basally and slightly obscured on apical 1/5 dorsally ( Figs 77A, C, D, F ); 3 rd and 4 th terga with maculae extending to the apical 2/3; 5 th tergum with a pair of small lateral rounded maculae ( Figs 77B, E ). In A. aurifacies sp. nov. the face extensively covered by golden pollinose and pilose; female frontal triangle with a transversal golden-brownish pollinose band ( Figs 14A, C, D, F ); metafemur yellow, only obscured on basal 2/6 and apical 1/6 or little more ( Figs 14A, C, D, F ); 3 rd and 4 th terga with rectangular maculae, extending to the apical 2/3, respectively; 5 th tergum with a pair of small lateral rounded maculae, reaching the 1/2 of the segment length ( Figs 14B, E ). In A. praeusta the female frontal triangle with a medial white pollinose vitta ( Figs 65A, C, D, F ); metafemur obscured on apical 1/3 or little more ( Figs 65A, C, D, F ); 3 rd and 4 th terga with maculae extending to the apical 1/2; 5 th tergum without a pair of small lateral rounded maculae ( Figs 65B, E ). Based on males, A. taina sp. nov. differs from A. aurifacies sp. nov. and A. praeusta in having the surstylus in lateral view ( Fig. 78A ) very elongated and widened dorsally, with a small extension at the ventral margin [versus surstylus with dorsal margin slightly concave and ventral margin slightly convex in A. praeusta ( Fig. 66A ); surstylus with dorsal and ventral margins approximately of the same width in the whole length in A. aurifacies sp. nov. ( Fig. 15A )]; hypandrium in ventral view expanded laterally towards the apex in A. taina sp. nov. ( Fig. 78C ) and A. praeusta ( Fig. 66C ) [versus hypandrium narrowed laterally towards the apex in A. aurifacies sp. nov. ( Fig. 15C )] (see “diagnosis” under each species or key).

Etymology. Noun in apposition, the name “ taina ” refers to the extinct indigenous civilization who inhabited the Islands of the West Indies.

Geographical range. The known range of Argentinomyia taina sp. nov. (n= 4) is restricted to the Cordillera Central in the Dominican Republic (San Juan Sierra Neiba, La Vega, Sabana Kelly (= Quéliz) / Valle Nuevo, La Compartición, Pico Duarte) ( Fig. 95 ). The species is endemic to the West Indies domain at middle and high altitudes (1700–3087 m) in the Hispaniola province .

Figures

FIGURE 14. Argentinomyia aurifacies sp. nov., male Holotype (USNM ENT 01443646): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (USNM ENT 00038431): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 15. Argentinomyia aurifacies sp. nov., male Holotype, genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 65. Argentinomyia praeusta (Loew, 1866), male (USNM ENT 01443776): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (USNM ENT 01443777): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 66. Argentinomyia praeusta (Loew, 1866), male genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 77. Argentinomyia taina sp. nov., male Holotype (USNM ENT 01443645): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (USNM ENT 01443644): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 78. Argentinomyia taina sp. nov., male Holotype, genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 95. Geographical distribution of Argentinomyia species in the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands.