Mesoconius pasachoa, Marshall, 2019

Marshall, Stephen A., 2019, A revision of the genus Mesoconius Enderlein (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 548, pp. 1-126 : 43-45

Mesoconius pasachoa sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BE206484-2EBE-442A-AD70-3AA5E440DD7F

Fig. 15

Etymology

The name of the species is a noun in apposition taken from the name of the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; Pichincha, Pasachoa Reserve ; 00°25ʹ28ʺ S, 78°30ʹ58ʺ W; 2800 m a.s.l.; 14 Jun. 2011; S.A. Marshall leg.; MYCRO 330-18 sequenced for CO1; QCAZ.

Description (holotype female only)

LENGTH. 18 mm.

COLOUR. Uniformly black to dark brown, including wing membrane and abdominal pleuron but excluding white fore tarsomeres 2–4, white distal half of fore tarsomere 1 and ventral side of tarsomere 5, white parafacial and postocular strips, and brown first flagellomere.

HEAD. Epicephalon and paracephalon finely striate, subshining; frontal vitta weakly differentiated, posteriorly tapered to a broad, densely microtrichose patch extending to level of inner vertical bristles; broad and broadly tapered anteriorly, reaching frons margin. One large fronto-orbital bristle at point of overlap between epicephalon and orbital strip. Antennae separated by double width of antennal socket, upper quarter of face strongly and broadly carinate, lower face flat. Clypeus mostly bare. Lower back of head densely short-setose.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite with a microtrichose, subquadrate posterior portion and a small bare anterior portion. Fore tibia narrow and strongly flattened on basal ¾, outer face with a bare central vitta on basal ¾, distal ¼ expanded. Tarsomere 1 of fore leg shorter than other tarsomeres combined. Mid and hind femora shiny and almost bare basal to pale band near midpoint, setulose and slightly swollen distally. Notum almost bare, minutely microtrichose, with rows of indistinct acrostichal and dorsocentral setulae; postpronotal lobe microtrichose. Dorsocentral bristle strong, twice as long as scutellum. Scutellum with two–four small discal setulae and long apical bristles (longer than scutellum). Katatergite very prominent, with a long, tapered, microtrichose nipple-like process. Notopleuron with two long, widely spaced bristles. Vertical row of katepisternal bristles black. Coxae with anteroventral black setae.

ABDOMEN. Abdominal segment 1 and base of segment 2 petiolate; length of 1+2 double that of tergite 3. Bursa smooth, with a distal part forming a common spermathecal duct; ventral receptacle distinct and finger-like, with a smooth rounded apical part; single spermatheca small, tuberculate, on a short duct arising laterally near apex of common duct (extension of bursa); paired spermathecae with a very long, broad duct divided into two parts: basal 4/5 broader, more membranous and accordian-like, distal 1/5 narrow and smooth, splitting into strongly convoluted stems leading to each spermatheca. Paired spermathecae large and elongate, almost cylindrical, slightly expanded and invaginated apically.

Remarks

Although known only from a single female from a mountain reserve near Quito, this species is distinctive both for its almost entirely black pigmentation and the details of the spermathecal complex.

Figures

Fig. 15. Mesoconius pasachoa sp. nov. A–B. Holotype prior to capture, ♀, QCAZ. C. Head. D. Spermathecae and associated structures.