Curtonotum gonzo Kirk-Spriggs, 2013

Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H. & Wiegmann, Brian M., 2013, A revision of Afrotropical Quasimodo flies (Diptera: Schizophora; Curtonotidae). Part IV — the continental Afrotropical species of Curtonotum Macquart, with descriptions of thirteen new species and a combined phylogenetic analysis of the Curtonotidae , Zootaxa 3684 (1), pp. 1-166 : 94-97

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3684.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E922034E-1247-400B-97F6-1778CF766B91
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E45152-FFC2-FF86-A6AB-FC765165468F
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Curtonotum gonzo Kirk-Spriggs
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Curtonotum gonzo Kirk-Spriggs View in CoL , sp. n.

Figs 119 View FIGURES 118–123 , 143 View FIGURES 142–153 , 179 View FIGURES 172–181 , 259, 262, 265 View FIGURES 259–267 , 302 View FIGURES 295–305 , 310, 311 View FIGURES 306–321 , 328 View FIGURE 328 , 329 View FIGURE 329 .

Etymology. The specific epithet gonzo is a noun in apposition, named after “Gonzo the Great”, a puppet character from Jim Henson’s Muppet Show, as the anterior half of the phallus resembles his head and “beak”.

Description: Male (primarily based on field-pinned HT).

Measurements: Overall length 3.4 mm (n = 1, HT) (a ♀ measures 3.8 mm; n = 1, PT); length of head and thorax combined 2.1 mm; length of thorax and scutellum combined 1.9–2.1 mm (n = 5, HT, PT); wing length 2.3– 3 mm (n = 4, HT, PT).

Head ( Figs 119 View FIGURES 118–123 , 143 View FIGURES 142–153 ). Eye height/length ratio: 9:6 (n = 1, PT); frons ( Fig. 143 View FIGURES 142–153 ) subparallel-sided, as wide as long, frons length/width ratio: 6:6 (n = 1, PT), very slightly wider at vertex than at ventral margin, ground colour dirty yellow-white, faintly darker at vertex between orbital plates and ocellar triangle, medial vittae conspicuous, surface with a few minute, but clearly discernable, pale to dark brown setulae; orbital plates and ocellar triangle silver-grey pruinose; ocelli clear grey with 6 minute dark setulae arranged in 2 closely-approximated regular rows between posterior ocelli; orbital plates extending from vertex of head to 0.8 length of frons, lateral margins with very narrow silver pruinose fascia (adjacent to eye margin), widest at antennal insertions; posterior and anterior orbital setae inserted proximally, the latter inserted beyond ½ length of frons; posterior orbital seta moderately strong, same length as lateral vertical seta, with tiny proclinate medial orbital seta inserted immediately ventral to socket of posterior orbital seta; anterior orbital seta moderately strong, ca. ½ length of ocellar setae; ocellar setae finer, extending 4 / 5 length of frons; lateral vertical seta shorter than medial; postocellar setae strong, cruciate, slightly shorter than lateral vertical seta; antennal scape and pedicel dirty yellow-white, silver-grey pruinose, flagellomere 1 concolourous with pedicel basally, darkened apically, silver-grey pruinose, longer than wide, with evenly rounded apex, arista with 6–7 long widely-spaced dorsal branches and 2 or 3 ventral branches in addition to terminal fork; lunule and face uniform silver-grey pruinose throughout, face with broad silver fascia (adjacent to eye margin), facial carina developed as a low ridge, extending ⅔ length of face; clypeus brown, especially laterally; 1 pair strong vibrissae inserted on posterior lateral margin and 9 much finer setae bordering genal groove; occiput yellow to grey pruinose with moderately strong, black postocular setae; gena narrow, eye height/genal height ratio: 9:1 (n = 1, PT), silver pruinose, abruptly dirty brown beyond basal angle; palpus black-brown, brown microtrichose.

Thorax ( Fig. 119 View FIGURES 118–123 ). Silver-grey pruinose, with four narrow parallel chestnut-brown pruinose vittae on dorsal surface, 2 median vittae extending from anterior margin to region of anterior dorsocentral seta socket, 2 lateral vittae shorter, extending from ⅔ length to region of posterior dorsocentral seta socket, 2 pairs of dorsocentral setae, posterior very long and strong (shorter than lateral scutellar seta), anterior shorter and finer (ca. ¾ length of posterior); 1 pair acrostichal setae finer, but as long as anterior dorsocentral seta; presutural seta moderately strong, reclinate, as long and strong as posterior notopleural seta; 2 notopleural setae the anterior slightly longer than posterior; 1 strong supra-alar seta slightly exceeding length of posterior dorsocentral seta; 2 postalar setae moderately strong, same size as acrostichal setae; postpronotum dirty yellow-grey pruinose, with 2 strong postpronotal setae, the more dorsal longer and reclinate, the more ventral shorter and proclinate, with 8 finer blackbrown setulae; anepisternum silver-grey pruinose with 3 strong anepisternal setae and 2 moderately strong intermediate setae, surface with 24 fine setulae scattered across surface, 3 arranged in a group in posterior corner; anepimeron, laterotergite and meron silver-grey pruinose, glabrous; katepisternum silver-grey pruinose, with 2 katepisternal setae, the more ventral strong, slightly dorsally-directed, the more dorsal much smaller and finer, ca. 0.4 length of ventral katepisternal setae, surface with 12 short, fine setulae at base and along posterior margin.

Scutellum. Silver-grey pruinose as on mesonotum, disk clothed in black, irregular, overlapping setulae; 2 pairs of strong scutellar setae, with variable number of weaker basal and intermediate scutellar setulae.

Legs. Fore coxa silver-yellow pruinose with 2 moderately strong, brown, ventrally-directed preapical setae and comb of finer setulae medially, with 15 brown setulae on anterior surface; mid and hind coxae yellow-grey pruinose, mid-coxa with 2 very strong, lateral, ventrally-directed, black setae and comb of finer setae medially; hind coxa with 1 weaker lateral black seta, 1 brown setula and 1 strong ventral seta; femora, tibia and tarsi uniform dirty yellow; fore tibia with 5 strong setae on lateral margin of variable length, with ctenidium of 9–10 short, sharp, black spinules, separated from each other by 1 or more basal spinule widths.

Wing ( Fig. 179 View FIGURES 172–181 ). Long, relatively broad, tip evenly-rounded, veins chestnut-brown, membrane very faintly infuscate brown throughout, very slightly darker in region of dm–cu crossvein; costa with prominent costal spines in basal 4 / 5 from costal break; dm–cu crossvein with gentle medial angle; cua 1 relatively short and narrow; anal fold extending less than ½ length of cua 1; anal lobe broad, squarely rounded; halter dirty white.

Abdomen. Ground colour of tergites 1–5 silver-yellow to grey pruinose, clothed in relatively long black, overlapping setulae, arranged in regular rows, those at apical margins longer and stronger with dark rings around the bases of the sockets; tergite 1 simple, devoid of maculae; tergite 2 with oblique, subquadrate brown-black pruinose dorsolateral macula on either side only; tergites 3–5 with narrow, brown median fascia and well developed “T-shaped” brown lateral maculae, but not merging with median fascia, lateral margin of tergites 2–5 with subtriangular maculae in basal ½; sternites 3 to 6 ( Fig. 302 View FIGURES 295–305 ) laterally expanded, sternite 5 especially so; sternites 4 and 5 with modified extremely long and thick setae; sternite 6 narrow basally, expanded apically, with sides evenly rounded and shallow and broad U-shaped apical excision and group of long strong setae medially; tergite 6 absent, sternite 7 weakly sclerotised.

Terminalia ( Figs 259, 262, 265 View FIGURES 259–267 ). Hypandrium ( Fig. 259 View FIGURES 259–267 , hy) long, with moderately broad-based roundedtruncate dorsobasal lobe, posterior bridge dorsally and ventrally produced; hypandrial arms narrow basally, expanded apically (viewed laterally), with 2 very long setulae proximal to postgonite, sclerotised area of medial lobes (viewed dorsally), closely abutting; postgonite (pg) free basally, long and narrow; epandrium (ep) broader dorsally than ventrally (viewed laterally), gently curved on dorsal margin, posterior margin slightly angled, ventral margin with group of long, strong regular to irregular setae of variable length; cercus (ce) narrow, usually partially retracted into epandrium, longest setae shorter than long setae on ventral margin of epandrium, with elongate fused ventral process; surstylus (ss) widest basally, long and narrow, slightly curved apically; phallus (as in Figs 262 View FIGURES 259–267 , ph, bp, dp; 265, bp, dp) heavily sclerotised, brown; phallapodeme ( Fig. 262 View FIGURES 259–267 , ph) fused to basiphallus, subtriangular (viewed laterally), with basal margin developed into 2 broad lateral lobes, bifurcated at point of connection with hypandrium; ejaculatory apodeme (ea) free, duct inserted at junction of phallapodeme and basiphallus; basiphallus ( Figs 262, 265 View FIGURES 259–267 , bp) very broad basally and for most of length, slightly expanded apically, preapically with weakly sclerotised “window”, left side with expanded blade, right side reduced to cordiform extension which continues down right side of distiphallus (may be homologous with baso-ventral process); distiphallus (dp) long, scimitarlike (viewed laterally), membranous area narrow.

♀ Similar to ♂, except in the following respects: wing length 3.0 mm (n = 2, PT). Postabdomen ( Figs 310, 311 View FIGURES 306–321 ); sternite 8 (s8) weakly sclerotised and reduced; sternite 10 (s10) laterally flattened proximally, with medial division; tergite 10 (t10+ce) fused to free cerci, spinose with some sparse short terminal setulae .

Variation. Some variation is apparent in the ground colour of the frons. In the Nigerian and Cameroonian specimens this is dirty white, while in the Ghanaian specimens the vittae and dark areas between the orbital plates are darker brown. The male terminalia is consistent, however, and this is here regarded as intraspecific variation only.

Differential diagnosis. Curtonotum gonzo sp. n. is sufficiently different from other species in the genus to be ascribed to a species-group of its own ( gonzo species-group). The form of the phallus in particular is fundamentally different from other described species of the genus. Whether the Madagascan endemic species C. sternithrix Tsacas belongs to this species-group remains in question. The two species share a number of similarities, including the laterally expanded male sternite 5, modified setae on male sternites 4 and 5, and the cordiform structure of the basiphallus. The two species differ dramatically in other respects however and the characters noted are more likely plesiomorphic characters of the common ancestor of the two species. Only a molecular study would help resolve relationships.

Type material examined. [ GHANA]: holotype ♂, “Kwadaso / 21.7.1969. [handwritten] // light trap / on field / UV light [handwritten] // leg Endrödy- / Younga S. [handwritten] // HOLOTYPE ♂ / Curtonotum / gonzo sp. n. / A.H. Kirk-Spriggs 2011 [printed; red card]” (HNHM). In good condition. Dissected, abdomen and terminalia in micro-vial pinned beneath specimen. Paratypes (all labelled: “ PARATYPE ♂ [or ♀] / Curtonotum / gonzo sp. n. / A.H. Kirk-Spriggs 2011 [printed; blue card]”): CAMEROON: 1♂, “Cameroon: Prov. Nord / Dépt. Faro: village Ndom- / Beoué ( NW of Wak ) / 07°45'27"N, 13°31'32"E / 8.v. 2006, 565m / F. Menzel, CAM11 // River bank of Mayo Ndom- / Beoué, above herb / vegetation near bank, / swept” ( DEI). [ GHANA]: 2♂, 2♀, same data as holotype (all HNHM). NIGERIA: 1♂, “N. NIGERIA: / River Bagel / at crossing of / Bauchi-Dass / road, 3.iv.1990 / J.C. Deeming [handwritten] // roosting in / moist cave / in bank of / dry river [handwritten] // NMW.Z. / 1981- 001” [terminalia on micro-slide] ( NMWC) GoogleMaps .

Distribution. Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria ( Figs 328 View FIGURE 328 , 329 View FIGURE 329 ). Records indicate that the species may be mainly associated with fragmented rainforest remnants.

Bionomics. Occurring in 3 major habitat types; predominantly in Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands and in Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests (Appendix III). Collected at UV-light in Ghana and roosting in moist cave in the bank of a dry riverbed in Nigeria.