Houghia brevipilosa Fleming & Wood

Fleming, Alan J., Wood, Monty, Smith, Alex, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2014, Revision of the New World species of Houghia Coquillett (Diptera, Tachinidae) reared from caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Zootaxa 3858 (1), pp. 1-90 : 40-42

Houghia brevipilosa Fleming & Wood , sp. nov.

Figs. 6 b, 16 a–f

Diagnosis. One of a group of three species with long haired eyes, this species, and H. longipilosa have a predominantly silver head (entirely gold tomentose in H. aurifera ). In H. brevipilosa only the upper part of the frons is gold tomentose, and the apical dark bands on abdominal tergites 3 to 5 are grayish brown rather than black (as in H. longipilosa ), and therefore not as distinctly differentiated.

Description. Male. Antenna black. When viewed in profile, antenna arises distinctly above middle of eye. Length of first flagellomere shorter than facial margin, (usually shorter by at least the length of the pedicel). Facial ridge bare except for a few (usually 3–5) decumbent small setae above vibrissa. Palpus pale, usually distinctly yellowish. Postgena behind postoccipital row, above level of lower facial margin, extensively covered with setae, and fine hairs. Parafacial silver. Colour of fronto-orbital plate gold on upper half, from vertex to midway down face (up to 50% coverage). Surface of fronto-orbital plate covered with small recumbent hairs, especially near margin of eye. Ocellar triangle, when viewed from above appearing to be notched anteriorly. Diameter of anterior ocellus equal to, or greater than, diameter of base of adjacent ocellar seta. Ocellar setae arising beside, or slightly in front of, anterior ocellus. Eye with conspicuous hairs. Postpronotum with 4 or 5 postpronotal setae. Dark stripes on either side of dorsocentral row of setae separated from one another by yellow tomentosity. Median and lateral stripes on either side of scutum separate from each other posteriorly. Postsutural dorsocentral setae 4. Anterior quadrant of anepisternum covered with long setae, none distinctly larger than the others or forming a row. Katepisternum with three setae, the middle one always the smallest. Vein R1 bare dorsally. Legs ranging from reddish brown to yellow tinged but overall dark. Coxae dark usually concolourous with remainder of leg. Ground colour of dorsal surface of abdominal tergite 3 and in some specimens parts of other tergites as well, dark medially but reddish laterally. Ground colour of ventral surface of abdomen partially or entirely reddish or yellowish. Sex patches present on tergites 4 and 5. Ground colour of sex patches light coloured or pale. Terminalia: surstylus bayonet shaped, posterodorsal half bare, apex bearing few short apical spines, tip with light inwardly apical curve when viewed dorsally. Cerci rounded, apex with blunt, hooked tip, ventral surface haired, separation between cerci forms a deep narrow V shape, up to 85% as long as surstylus. Lobe of sternite 5 small and pointed apically, inner margin covered in dense tomentosity appearing darker than surrounding cuticle, internal edge inwardly curved, apical seta absent.

Hosts. Houghia brevipilosa has been reared 130 times, from 6300+ wild-caught dry forest caterpillars of eudamine Hesperiidae , of 19 species in 9 genera, but primarily from Urbanus , Astraptes and Epargyreus . It has been reared only from this group of ACG caterpillars.

Holotype. ♂, CNC. Type locality: Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Prov. Guanacaste, Sector Santa Rosa, Vado Cuajiniquil (10.94041°, -85.68043°), 275 m, 02/15/2006, Freddy Quesada, DHJPAR0006994. Paratypes. 34 ♂, 16 ♀ ( CNC) Costa Rica, Prov. Guanacaste, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0008201, DHJPAR0008203, DHJPAR0008200, DHJPAR0008205, DHJPAR0008209, DHJPAR0008208, DHJPAR0027950, DHJPAR0027951, DHJPAR0008174, DHJPAR0008179, DHJPAR0008196, DHJPAR0008199, DHJPAR0008216, DHJPAR0008217, DHJPAR0008549, DHJPAR0008210, DHJPAR0008220, DHJPAR0008223, DHJPAR0008224, DHJPAR0008231, DHJPAR0008235, DHJPAR0007025, DHJPAR0034359, DHJPAR0006990, DHJPAR0017193, DHJPAR0006992, DHJPAR0007091, DHJPAR0027949, DHJPAR0006968, DHJPAR0037435, DHJPAR0037438, DHJPAR0008186, DHJPAR0008191, DHJPAR0008177, DHJPAR0008182, DHJPAR0008185, DHJPAR0008180, DHJPAR0019564, DHJPAR0008192, DHJPAR0008189, DHJPAR0008176, DHJPAR0008178, DHJPAR0008183, DHJPAR0008197, DHJPAR0008194, DHJPAR0008226, DHJPAR0008175, DHJPAR0008214, DHJPAR0008190, DHJPAR0008228, 09-SRNP-12053, 07-SRNP-20253, 95-SRNP-5156, 94-SRNP-10107, 00-SRNP-6265.

Etymology. From the Latin adjective, “ brevis ”, meaning short, and the adjective “ pilosus ”, covered with hair, in reference to the conspicuous eye hairs that appear to be slightly shorter than those of H. aurifera and H. longipilosa , described below.

Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Guanacaste, dry forest and rain–dry forest ecotones, 8–820 m elevation.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Dorsal view of head detailing eye hairs. a. Eye bare, Houghia fimbriata sp. nov. b. Eye haired, Houghia brevipilosa sp. nov.