Syringogaster atricalyx Marshall & Buck, 2009

Marshall, S. A., Buck, M., Skevington, J. H. & Grimaldi, D., 2009, A revision of the family Syringogastridae (Diptera: Diopsoidea), Zootaxa 1996 (1), pp. 1-80 : 22-25

Syringogaster atricalyx Marshall & Buck , new species

Figs. 9–13; Plates 1E, 3A–B, 4A–B, 5A; Map 2

DESCRIPTION: Head mostly dark brown to black; face, parafacial, pedicel, first flagellomere, and first segment of arista reddish. Vertex strongly convex at middle, delimited posteriorly by a rounded ridge. Ocellar triangle shining, bare, broad (0.7X frontal width), almost parallel-sided on upper part, anterior apex broadly rounded and separated from frontal margin by 2X scape length; remainder of frons tomentose and dull. Interfrontal bristles minute, in about four pairs. Ocellar bristles well-developed but thick, relatively short and almost contiguous. Pedicel entirely tomentose. Face with lateral parts shining, shining areas widened ventrally; parafacial setulose and silvery tomentose on expanded ventral part and narrow lateral strip only; shining vibrissal angle bare. Subgena unusually prominent, dark and shining, 2–3X genal height; supracervical collar three times as long as pronotum dorsomedially and with a dorsal brown patch densely covered with sensilla or setulae.

Thorax: Cervical sclerite large, posterior part forming a prominent lamella in front of proepisternum. Pronotum black, short and carinate dorsally but enlarged and prominently ridged laterally. Antepronotum and propleuron shining, bare. Notum black, tomentose on posterior 2/3 only, anterior third shining and microsculptured. Humeral and notopleural carinae prominent, postpronotum raised and bare. Supra-alar carina distinct but low. Pleuron dark brown, shining except for extensive quadrate patch of fine white tomentosity on upper middle part of anepisternum. First prespiracular process rounded, second broadly triangular and scoop-like, both shining black. Subspiracular ridge black, low, weakly bilobed and entirely shining; hind coxa and trochanter dark brown to black. Fore coxa white with brown base, trochanter and base of fore femur white to pale yellow, distal part of fore femur pale brown, fore tibia and most of fore tarsomere 1 dark brown, apex of tarsomere 1 and distal tarsomeres yellow. Anteroventral margin of distal part of fore femur with a row of 10–16 short, stout black bristles, other femoral bristles pale. Mid femur white basally, rest of leg pale brown to yellow. Mid tarsomeres 1–3 and basal half of tarsomere 4 with antero- and posteroventral sawlines. Mid tibia with apicoventral bristle. Hind femur with a white basal ring followed by a shorter brown ring; remainder of leg yellow. Hind femur evenly convex on dorsal surface; ventral surface with two rows of stout bristles, anterior row of 10–13 bristles extending over distal 3/4 of femur, posterior row shorter. Hind tibia dark brown on basal 2/3, yellow on distal third, apex simple, with a very small apical lobe only. Sawlines present on hind tarsomeres 1–4. Metanotum black including lateral condylar articulations with condyles of postnotum and tergite 1.

Wing clear with dark patches over all crossveins, and a large oval discal band extending from below apex of R 2+3 to dm-cu. Fork of CuA slightly distal to bm-cu; A 1 +CuA 2 absent so cell cup rounded on distal corner, CuA 1 extending over half way from dm to wing margin. R 2+3 turned up to costa near apex. Cell r 4+5 gradually tapered from apex to level of r-m; r-m at least half as long as dm-cu.

Abdomen: Abdominal tergites largely shining. Syntergite 1–4 narrow at base, gradually increasing in width to apex of segment 3, which is 3X as wide as base, length of segments 1–3 2X width at apex. Background color dark brown to black, with a broad but incomplete band of yellow over apex of tergite 2 and large circular yellow areas laterally on tergite 3. Tergite 1 minutely punctate, tergites 2–3 bare except for a few scattered setulae. Tergite 4 entirely black; fused to syntergite 1–3 but with a clearly delineated suture line. Tergite 5 yellow medially; female with apical tergites and cerci yellow.

Female terminalia: Tergite 7 simple, without posteromedial emargination. Four spermathecae in two closely associated pairs, each spermatheca smooth, forming half an oval with a smooth, cylindrical cap at tapered end, cap half as wide and one third as long as spermathecal body. The abdomen of one female ( Peru, ROME) was packed with five large, elongate-oval, planoconvex eggs with a densely but evenly granulosereticulate surface .

Male terminalia: Tergites 5 and 6 yellowish medially, brown laterally, unmodified, ventrolateral margins straight; spiracles in pleural membrane. Sternites 4 and 5 small and pale; sternite 6 free from synsternite 7+8. Postabdomen entirely pale. Cercus small, much shorter than the large mitt-shaped surstylus, latter with an apical bristle that is about half as long as the surstylus. Pregonite large, paddle-like; hypandrial arm entire, not broken; apex of ventral hypandrial lobe long-setose. Phallapodeme narrow and simple, without conspicuous posterolateral plates. Basiphallus narrowly cylindrical at base but greatly expanded apically into two equal broad lobes, distal width of basiphallus equal to length; distiphallus complex, directed sinistrally at rest; basal section of distiphallus slightly longer than distal section, made up of two narrow plates; distiphallus with a long, finger-like process directed dorsally at rest; ventral surface with a smaller process, distal part of made up of spinulose plates.

TYPE MATERIAL: Holotype ♂ ( UASC; see also Plate 1E for photograph of holotype and paratype in copula) and 5♂, 4♀ paratypes ( UASC, DEBU): BOLIVIA. La Paz, Heath River Wildlife Centre, 12º40’S, 68º42’W, 28.iv–12.v.2007, S.A. Marshall. Other paratypes: BOLIVIA. La Paz , 5 km W Mapiri, Arroyo Tuhiri , 750 m, 15º17.8’S, 68º15.6’W, 16.iii.2001, S.D. Gaimari (7♂, 1♀, CBFC, USNM, CSCA); Palos Blancos, Alto Beni, 11–15.i. 1976, 600 m, L.E. Peña (1♂, CNCI); La Paz, 38 km S Guanay, 7–12.iv.2001, roadside stream pan traps, S.A. Marshall (1♀, debu00188895); La Paz, Mapiri , 15º17.8’S, 68º15.6’W, 750 m, 16.iii.2001, W.N. Mathis (2♂, 2♀, CBFC, USNM); La Paz, Heath River Wildlife Centre, 12º40’S, 68º42’W, 28.iv–12.v.2007, S.M. Paiero (9♂, 3♀, including 5 specimens in 95% alcohol, DEBU); Cochabamba, Villa Tunari, Hotel Los Tucanes, 16º58.39’S, 65º23.79’W, 323 m, 4.ix.2000, along trail, on vegetation, S.D. Gaimari (1♀, CSCA). BRAZIL. Pará, Fordlandia, Tapajos, vii.1952, T. & S. Dobzhansky (2♂, 1♀, AMNH). ECUADOR. Jatun Sacha Biological Reserve , 6 km E Misahuallí, 450 m, 1º4’S, 77º37’W, 2–7.v.2002, O. Lonsdale (1 ♂, DEBU); Same locality as above, S.M. Paiero (1♀, used for sequence data, DEBU); Same locality as above, M. Buck, on foliage and on pendulous Heliconia inflorescences (3♀, DEBU); Napo, Puerto Misahuallí , 350 m, ii.1983, M.J. Sharkey (2♂, 2♀, CNCI); Pto . Orellana, Río Tiputini , 0º38.2’S, 76º8.9’W, 12–26.viii.1999, W. Mathis, A. Baptista & M. Kotrba (12♂, 6♀, USNM); nr. Yasuní Natl. Pk., Tiputini Biodiversity Station , 0°37’55”S, 76°8’39”W, 220–250 m, 6.ii.1999, T. L. Erwin et al., Trans. 8, Sta. 7, fogging in terra firme forest, Lot #2076 (1♂, USNM); Napo, Res. Etnica Waorani, 1 km S Onkone Gare Camp, Trans. Ent. , 3.vii. 1995, 220 m, 0º39’10”S, 76º26’W, T. L. Erwin et al., insecticidal fogging of mostly bare green leaves, some with covering of lichenous or bryophytic plants in terra firme forest, Trans. 4, Sta. 3, Project MAXUS Lot #1093 (1♀, USNM); Reserva Etnica Waorani, 1 km S Onkone Gare Camp, Transect Ent. , 25.vi.1994, 0°39’25.7”S, 76°27’10.8”W, 216.3 m, T. L. Erwin et al., Trans. 5, Sta. 1, fogging in terra firme forest, Lot #730 (1♂, USNM); same as previous but 216.3–220 m, ii, vi, and x, 1994-1996, Lots #948, 949, 1029, 1407, 1419, 1553, 1560, 1712 (3♂, 8♀, USNM); Sucumbíos, Sacha Lodge, 0.5ºS, 75.5ºW, 270 m, 25.vii–3.viii.1994, malaise, P. Hibbs (1♂, USNM). PERU. Madre de Dios, Tambopata Wildlife Res., 30 km SW Pto. Maldonado, 12º50’S, 69º20’W, 290 m, 13–31.viii.1982, J.J. Anderson (1♂, 1♀, USNM); Manú, Río Manú , Pakitza , 250 m, 12º7’S, 70º58’W, 9–23.ix.1988, W.N. Mathis & A. Freidberg (13♂, 5♀, USNM); Río Manú , 5 km E Pakitza, Aguajal , 19.ix.1988, W. Mathis (2♂, 1♀, USNM); Manú, Erika (near Salvación), 550 m, 5–6.ix.1988, A. Freidberg (5♂, USNM); Manú, Cocha Cashu Biological Station , 380 m, 11º55’S, 77º18’W, malaise trap, 2–6.ix.1986, and screen sweep, 30.viii.1986, D.C. Darling (6♂, ROME, ROM863593 and 863572); Cocha Cashu Biological Station , 12–20.x.1986, malaise trap (1♂, ROME, ROM868011 ); Loreto, Dist. Indiana, 15 km NE Iquitos, 16 and 20.ii.1984, W. Mathis (2♂, USNM); Explorama Lodge, 80 km NE Iquitos on Amazon River, 24.vi/ 20.vii.1990, malaise trap, Menke & Awertschenko (1♂, USNM); Río Tambopata Reserve , 30 km SW Puerto Maldonado, 12º12’S, 69º16’W, 19.ix–10.x.1984, tropical moist forest, D.A. Grimaldi (2♀, AMNH); Madre de Dios, Los Amigos Biological Station , 2–14.vi.2006, S.M. Paiero & J. Klymko (5♂, 4♀, one used for sequencing, DEBU, MUSM); Los Amigos Biological Station , 6–10.vi.2006 (3♂, 2♀), treefall pans, 2–14.vi.2006 (2♂), S.M. Paiero & J. Klymko ( DEBU).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: PERU. Dpto. Huánuco, Río Llullapichis, right tributary of Río Pachitea, Station “Panguana” (of H.-W. Koepcke), 9°36’53”S, 74°55’57”W, 220 m, primary forest, 50 yellow pan traps in a 300 m long row, for 15 days in ix.1981, daily checks, M. v. Tschirnhaus, “X274” (34 specimens in alcohol, ZSMC).

ETYMOLOGY: Syringogaster atricalyx , a Steyskal manuscript name, is descriptive of the black abdominal base.

COMMENTS: The dark brown thorax and abdominal base distinguishes this species from other species in the figurata -group ( S. figurata , S. plesioterga ). The male genitalia within this group are very similar but S. atricalyx can be distinguished from the other species by the straight and slender median ventral process of the distiphallus. Syringogaster amazonensis also has a broad syntergite and similar coloration, but differs from S. atricalyx in the number of spinules on the fore femur, coloration of the fore tarsus and the more basal position of the CuA fork (see key).