Curtonotum marriott 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 : 67-70

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-FFDD-FFA3-A6AB-FF3351E1433C
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Curtonotum marriott Kirk-Spriggs
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Curtonotum marriott Kirk-Spriggs , sp. n.

Figs 109 View FIGURES 106–111 , 133 View FIGURES 130–141 , 163 View FIGURES 160–165 , 169, 213, 218, 221, 224, 228, 229, 324.

Etymology. The specific epithet marriott is a noun in apposition, named in honour of Moore Marriott (1885–1949), British comedy actor of the 1930s, who played the toothless old loon in company with Will Hay and Graham Moffatt.

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

Measurements: Overall length unknown (the ♀ measures 6.0 mm; n = 1, PT); length of head and thorax combined 3.3–3.4 mm; length of thorax and scutellum combined 3.2–3.4 mm (n = 2, HT/PT); wing length 5.0 mm (n = 1, HT).

Head ( Figs 109 View FIGURES 106–111 , 133 View FIGURES 130–141 ). Eye height/length ratio: 13:8 (n = 1, HT); frons ( Fig. 133 View FIGURES 130–141 ) conspicuously projecting forwards at point of antennal insertion (viewed in profile), evenly parallel-sided, wider than long, frons length/ width ratio: 9:12 (n = 1, HT), ground colour pale dirty yellow, with 2 pale brown vittae extending full length of frons, surface with minute, but conspicuous 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 long, extending from vertex of head to more than ⅔ length of frons; lateral margins with narrow silver pruinose fascia (adjacent to eye margin), widest at antennal insertions; posterior and anterior orbital setae widely spaced, the latter inserted beyond ½ length of frons; posterior orbital seta moderately strong, slightly outcurved, shorter than lateral vertical seta, with tiny proclinate medial orbital seta inserted immediately ventral to socket of posterior orbital seta; anterior orbital seta rather weak, ⅔ length of ocellar setae; ocellar setae thicker, extending 4 / 5 length of frons; lateral vertical seta slightly shorter than medial; postocellar setae strong, cruciate, shorter than lateral vertical seta; antennal scape and pedicel dirty pale brown, flagellomere 1 concolourous with pedicel basally, darkened apically, grey pruinose, longer than wide, apex bluntly-pointed, arista with 9–11 long, widely-spaced dorsal branches and 3–5 ventral branches in addition to terminal fork; lunule and face uniform silver-grey pruinose throughout, face with broad silver fascia (between eye margin and ptilinal fissure), facial carina developed as a moderately pronounced low ridge, extending full length of face; clypeus pale yellow; 1 pair weak vibrissae inserted on posterior lateral margin and 16 much finer setae bordering genal groove; occiput silver to grey pruinose with strong, black postocular setae; gena very wide, eye height/genal height ratio: 13:1 (n = 1, HT), silver pruinose, with dark macula at basal angle; palpus black-brown, brown microtrichose.

Thorax ( Fig. 109 View FIGURES 106–111 ). Silver to grey pruinose, with four wide, parallel chestnut-brown pruinose vittae on dorsal surface, 2 median vittae extending posteriorly 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 long and strong (shorter than lateral scutellar seta), anterior shorter and finer (ca. ½ length of posterior); 1 pair acrostichal setae same length as anterior dorsocentral seta; presutural seta moderately strong, reclinate, weaker and shorter than posterior notopleural seta; 2 notopleural setae of similar length; 1 strong, reclinate supra-alar seta same length as posterior dorsocentral seta; 2 strong reclinate postalar setae slightly shorter than posterior dorsocentral seta; postpronotum yellow silver-grey pruinose, with 2 strong postpronotal setae of same size, finer and shorter than anterior notopleural seta, with 19 finer black-brown setulae; anepisternum silver-grey pruinose with 3 strong anepisternal setae and 2 moderately strong intermediate setae, surface with 34 fine setulae scattered across surface, with 1 group of 5 longer in posterior corner; laterotergite and meron silver-grey pruinose, glabrous; katepisternum silver-grey pruinose, with 2 katepisternal setae, the more ventral strong, dorsally-directed, the more dorsal much smaller and finer, ca. ⅓ length of ventral katepisternal setae, surface with 25 short, fine setulae at base and along posterior margin.

Scutellum (Fig. 169). Silver-grey pruinose as on mesonotum, with faint medial brown pruinose vitta basally; 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-grey pruinose with 2 moderately strong, brown, ventrally-directed preapical setae, with 20 brown setulae on anterior surface; mid and hind coxae silver-grey pruinose, mid-coxa with 2 very strong, lateral, ventrally-directed, black setae and comb of finer setae medially and 10 black setulae; hind coxa with 1 weaker lateral black seta, 1 ventral black seta and group of brown setulae; femora, tibia and tarsi uniform dirty yellow; fore tibia with 4 strong setae on lateral margin, distance between most basal and second basal greater, with ctenidium of 12–17 very short, sharp, black spinules, widely-spaced, separated from each other by 1–3 basal spinule widths.

Wing ( Fig. 163 View FIGURES 160–165 ). Long, relatively narrow, 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 acute angle; cua 1 relatively long and narrow; anal fold extending less than ½ length of cua 1; halter dirty yellow.

Abdomen. Ground colour of tergites 1–5 yellow-grey pruinose, clothed in relatively long black, overlapping setulae, arranged in regular rows, those at apical margins longer and stronger; tergite 1 simple, devoid of maculae; tergite 2 with oblique, subrectangular brown-black pruinose dorsolateral macula on either side only; tergites 3–5 with wide, concolourous median fascia and well-separated and reduced concolourous T-shaped dorsolateral macula, lateral margin of tergites 2–5 with subelliptical concolourous macula in basal ½ to ⅓; sternite 6 ( Fig. 218 View FIGURES 218–227 ) medially expanded, with sides evenly rounded, with relatively deep, U-shaped apical excision, clothed in short black irregular brown setulae, those at apical margin longer and more prominent.

Terminalia ( Figs 221, 224 View FIGURES 218–227 ). Hypandrium ( Fig. 221 View FIGURES 218–227 , hy) short and broad, with broad-based rounded-truncate dorsobasal lobe, posterior bridge dorsally and ventrally produced (rounded to slightly angulate in profile); hypandrial arms curved, narrow basally, expanded apically (viewed laterally), with 1 setulae proximal to postgonite (obscured by epandrium on Fig. 221 View FIGURES 218–227 ), sclerotised area of medial lobes (viewed dorsally), expanded medially, narrowed apically, not overlapping; postgonite (pg) weakly sclerotised, long, narrow and straight, free basally; epandrium (ep) slightly broader dorsally than ventrally (viewed laterally), straight on dorsal margin, posterior margin slightly angled posteriorly, ventral margin with extensive row of long, regular to irregular, apically-directed setae; cercus (ce) not prominent, longest setae longer than longest setae on ventral margin of epandrium, with elongate fused ventral process; surstylus (ss) relatively long, widest basally, narrowed in apical ⅔; phallus (as in Fig. 224 View FIGURES 218–227 , ph, bp, dp) heavily sclerotised, brown; phallapodeme (ph) fully fused to basiphallus, subtriangular (viewed laterally), with basal margin developed into 2 narrow lateral lobes, bifurcated at point of connection with hypandrium; ejaculatory apodeme (missing from specimen figured in Fig. 224 View FIGURES 218–227 ) free, duct inserted at junction of phallapodeme and basiphallus; basiphallus (bp) narrow and regular for basal ½, then abruptly narrowed, with heavily sclerotised spur-like extension of left side clearly visible through cuticle, inner lateral margin developed into convex, prominent angulate, subrectangular extension, with semicircular indentation before distiphallus; distiphallus (dp) short, subdivided into forked baso-ventral process (bvp) and straight apico-dorsal process.

♀ Similar to ♂, except in the following respects: wing length 4.7–5.1 mm (n = 2, PT). Postabdomen ( Figs 228, 229 View FIGURES 228–233 ) 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; spermatheca ( Fig. 213 View FIGURES 203–217 ) long, smooth, obclavate .

Variation. As only 4 specimens are known, insufficient material is available to assess variability.

Differential diagnosis. Curtonotum marriott sp. n. is mainly separable from its congeners, C. moffatt sp. n. and C. platyphallum , on the form of the male terminalia, especially the shape of the distiphallus ( Figs 224–227 View FIGURES 218–227 ) and of male sternite 6 ( Figs 218–220 View FIGURES 218–227 ) (see above key for details). Females of Curtonotum marriott sp. n. can be separated from its congeners by the 2 distinct basal spots on sternite 6 ( Figs 228–229 View FIGURES 228–233 ), that are absent in C. moffatt sp. n. and C. platyphallum . Given the degree of inter- and intraspecific variation in the shape of the spermatheca ( Fig. 213 View FIGURES 203–217 ) in other species with obclavate spermathecae, it is unlikely that the shape of this structure has any significant value in distinguishing the species.

Type material examined. NIGERIA: holotype ♂, “Ibadan / Nigeria / Afr iv.24.[19]36 [printed & handwritten] // VanZwal- / uwenburg / &McGough // HOLOTYPE ♂ / Curtonotum / marriott sp. n. / A.H. Kirk-Spriggs 2011 [printed; red card]” (USNM). In good condition; dissected, abdomen and terminalia in micro-vial pinned beneath specimen. Paratypes (all labelled: “ PARATYPE ♂ / Curtonotum / marriott sp. n. / A.H. Kirk-Spriggs 2011 [printed; blue card]”): CAMEROON: 1♂, 2♀, “ CAMEROON / Kribi (beach) / 28–29, XI.1987 / FINI KAPLAN” (TAU).

Distribution. Cameroon and Nigeria ( Fig. 324 View FIGURE 324 ). Records of this species are too few to draw many conclusions regarding habitat preferences. The Cameroonian record is coastal bordering the Guineo-Congolian rainforest, while Ibadan in Nigeria lies 128 km from the coast and approximately 48 km inside the northern boundary of the Lowland Rain Forest zone of Western Nigeria, although these forests differ from the wetter forests to the south in the higher proportion of deciduous trees. Pending additional records the distribution is best interpreted as transitional between the Guineo-Congolian rainforest and savanna (e. g., White and Werger 1978; Kirk-Spriggs 2003).

Bionomics. Occurring in the Atlantic Equatorial Coastal Forest and Nigerian Lowland Forest major habitat types and in the Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests vegetation type (Appendix III) .