Aspistomella tres Kovac, Kameneva & V. Korneyev, 2024

Kovac, Damir, Kameneva, Elena P., Korneyev, Severyn V., Araújo, Alexandre Santos, Savaris, Marcoandre, Smit, John T., Schneider, Alexander, Schreiber, Robert & Korneyev, Valery A., 2024, Revision of the Aspistomella group of genera (Diptera: Ulidiidae: Pterocallinae: Lipsanini), Zootaxa 5530 (1), pp. 1-117 : 75-81

Aspistomella tres Kovac, Kameneva & V. Korneyev , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:75316625-D2BF-4DDE-A1EA-7440A4792038

GenBank accession number PQ331195

Figs 1 C , 5 D , 7 B , 9 B , 44–47

Material examined. Type. Holotype ♀: “ Bolivia: Buena Vista [ El Cairo ] near Santa Cruz, [17.4734S, 63.6922W], on felled bamboo culm ( Guadua chacoensis , last year), 12.i.2011, Bol 13/11 D. Kovac ” ( SMF) . Paratypes: Bolivia: 2 ♀, Santa Cruz, near Buena Vista (El Cairo) [17.5009S, 63.7050W], on freshly felled bamboo culm (expint, Guadua chacoensis ), 10.i.2011, Bol B4b/11 ; 1 ♀, idem [17.4734S, 63.6922W], on felled bamboo culm ( Guadua chacoensis , last year), 15.i.2011, Bol B20/11 ; 1 ♀, idem [17.4734S, 63.6922W], on felled bamboo culm ( Guadua chacoensis , last year), 17.i.2011, Bol B34/11 ; 1 ♀, idem [17.4734S, 63.6922W], on bamboo culm ( Guadua chacoensis , last year), sheaths removed, 18.i.2011, Bol B80/11 ; 1♂, 2 ♀, idem [17.5009S, 63.6743W], on upright bamboo culm ( Guadua chacoensis , last year), 29.i.2011, Bol B91/11; idem[17.5009S, 63.6743W], larva in bamboo internode ( Guadua chacoensis , last year), emerged on 8.ii.2011, Bol B157/11 , 1 ♀ (leg. D. Kovac) (dissected), idem [17.4734S, 63.6922W], larva in internode of felled bamboo ( Guadua chacoensis , last year), emerged on 18.ii.2011, Bol Z32/3/11 , 1 ♂, idem [17.4734S, 63.6922W], larva in internode of felled bamboo ( Guadua chacoensis , last year), emerged on 25.ii.2011, Bol Z32/4/11 , 1 ♂ (leg. D. Kovac) (dissected) ( SMF; SIZK) .

Non-type: Bolivia: Buena Vista ( El Cairo ) near Santa Cruz, [17.4734S, 63.6922W], on freshly felled bamboo culm ( Guadua chacoensis ), 9.i.2011, Bol B 2b/11, 2 specimens (sex unknown, abdomens missing) (leg. D. Kovac) , idem [17.4734S, 63.6922W], 28.i.2011, Bol B80/11, 1 ♀ (alcohol) , idem, 28.i.2011, Bol B80/11, 1 ♀ (alcohol) , idem, 29.i.2011, Bol B91/11, 1 ♀ (leg. D. Kovac) (alcohol) ; Bol. 70.07, 30.11.2007, 5♀ ( SMF; SIZK); Bol. 77.07, 1.12.2007, 1♂ (alcohol) ( SIZK) .

Larvae. Bolivia: Buena Vista , 6.ii.2011, BolZ32/11, 5 larvae (D. Kovac leg.) ( SMF) .

Diagnosis. Aspistomella tres is similar to A. duo , A. heteroptera , A. lobioptera , and A. steyskali in having the costal vein bent anteriorly before the apex of vein Sc, the costal cell lobate, and the pterostigma very short, shorter than width of costal cell ( Fig. 44 F ), and differs from them by details of the wing pattern: apical quarter of cell r 4+5 entirely dark (in A. heteroptera , A. lobioptera , A. steyskali crossed by hyaline incision); Aspistomella tres is very similar to A. duo in having wing apex without hyaline incisions crossing cell r 4+5, but differs from it by a conspicuously narrower wing and cell dm between crossveins r-m and dm-m with hyaline mark entering cell r 4+5 anteriorly ( Figs 5 C, D ).

Description. Male. Head ( Figs 44 D, E ) ratio (length: height: width) = 1: 1.4: 1.6, frons, parafacial, and gena yellowish brown, except anterior part of frons yellow; lunule and face between antennae yellow, and occiput mostly black, at least in dorso-lateral part. Frons ( Fig. 44 D ) 1.2× longer than wide, with shining, partly brown or black ocellar triangle and brown vertical plates; orbits silver-white microtrichose; parafacial narrow, 0.3–0.4× broader than postpedicel, white microtrichose. Frons with 4–5 parafrontal setulae and 2–4 frontal setae at each side, frontal vitta with 1–3 interfrontal setae at each side; anteriormost setae longer than other and half as long as outer vertical seta; 1 very long orbital seta, as long as ocellar seta, 0.6–0.75× longer than inner vertical seta and 1.7× longer than outer vertical seta; postocellar seta long, 0.5× longer than inner vertical seta; outer vertical seta short, 0.4× longer than inner vertical seta and 4–5× longer than postocular setae forming one row, allied by 4–5 dorsal and 10–16 ventral occipital setae. Lunule very narrow, indistinguishable, orange. Eye 1.4–1.5× higher than long. Face above suture 0.6–0.7× higher than wide at transverse fold, yellow, densely white microtrichose; epistome (below suture) reddish brown to black, sparsely white microtrichose, with metallic greenish or golden sheen, strongly produced anteriorly and separated from upper part of face by deep suture. Clypeus brown or yellow, densely white microtrichose, matt, 0.4–0.5× higher than epistome. Gena brownish yellow, with long genal seta and 4–6 additional, much shorter, setae anterior of it, 0.3–0.4× longer than genal seta. Occiput black, except postgena brownish-yellow, with yellowish to cyan metallic sheen, moderate densely covered with greyish microtrichia partly hiding underlying cuticle; ventral part of occiput (postgena) with 3–4 setae almost as long as genal seta.

Antenna yellow; postpedicel whitish microtrichose, 2–2.1× longer than wide, apically rounded; arista black except yellow at basal 0.2, almost bare. Mouthparts brown, prementum brown or black, subshining. Palp yellow, moderately wide, apically rounded, with 10–12 strong black setulae, of them 5–6 subapical setulae 1.5–2× longer than other setulae.

Thorax ( Figs 44 A–C ) brown to black, with bluish sheen and sparse white microtrichia not hiding underlying cuticle. Mesonotal scutum 1.3× longer than wide; prescutellar area either entirely black, including postpronotal lobes and notopleuron, or widely yellowish brown with brown margins or medially black with yellowish postpronotal lobe and notopleural triangle; black setulose, with 18–20 rows of setulae between rows of dorsocentral setulae; acrostichal prescutellar setae absent in all specimens examined, at most one pair of setulae 1.5× longer than surrounding setulae present; prescutellar area medially setulose and without setulae around dorsocentral setae. Scutellum dorsally very slightly convex, orange to dark brown, sparsely microtrichose, devoid of setulae, often with conspicuous bluish or greenish sheen. Subscutellum subshining, brown to black. Mediotergite subshining black, conspicuously microtrichose. Other setae as described for the genus. All the setae and setulae black.

Wing ( Figs 5 D , 44 F ) 5.5–7.5 mm (♂), 5.9–7.9 mm (♀) long, 3.5–3.75× longer than wide; basicostal cell hyaline; costal cell lobate, 4–4.5× longer than wide, brown in basal and apical quarters of length, with costa conspicuously curved posteriorly and covered with slightly longer setulae before apex of vein Sc ( Fig. 45 F ); pterostigma entirely brown, narrow triangular, 0.3–0.4× longer than wide, vein R 1 with 4–6 setulae dorsally ( Figs 44 F , 45 E, F ), ending slightly distal to middle of R 2+3 first section (between fork and crossvein dm-m) in both sexes; vein R 2+3 faintly arcuate or almost straight, subparallel to costa to very apex. Crossvein r-m conspicuously distal to middle of cell dm in both sexes. Cell r 4+5 5.5–7× longer than wide, apically narrowed. Cell m 1 narrow triangular; ultimate section of M 1 4–5× longer than crossvein dm-m and 2–2.3× longer than penultimate section. Vein CuA sinuate, cell cua with very short posteroapical lobe along vein CuP. Wing pattern with short subbasal crossband from humeral vein to base of cell cua and large dark brown mark widely from apical lobe of costal cell almost to base of cell dm 3 whitish hyaline incisions (one wide triangular at anterior margin extending from cell r 1 into r 2+3 next to crossvein r-m, and two oblique cuneiform at posterior margin, extending from cells m 1 and m 4 into cell r 4+5 at both sides of crossvein dm-m; cell m 4, cup (anal cell sensu Kameneva & Korneyev 2010) and anal lobe grey; anal lobe as wide as cell cua. Alula 3× longer than wide, darkened in apical half. Calypters white, with white ciliae. Halter yellow with brown or black knob.

Legs ( Fig. 44 A ) with yellow fore coxae and all trochanters, and brown to yellow mid and hind coxae; femora yellow, in apicodorsal half mostly brown; tibiae and tarsi brown, in teneral sapecimens pale brownish yellow, black setose and setulose, without conspicuous microtrichia or metallic sheen in examined specimens. Fore femur with 2 rows of posterodorsal and posterior setae, and 1–2 preapical posteroventral setae, all slightly shorter than femur width. Mid femur anteriorly and posteriorly with short setulae, but without long erect setae; mid tibia ventrally with single spur-like seta 1.7–2× longer than tibia width.

Abdomen moderately elongate brown to entirely black, syntergite 1+2 often brownish yellow; tergites finely sparsely microtrichose, with faint cyan metallic sheen, except tergite 5 of ♂ and tergite 6 of ♀ (the latter almost entirely hidden inderneath tergite 5) brown or black without metallic sheen; setulae and setae black.

Male postabdomen ( Figs 46 A–E ) as described for A. duo , but phallus somewhat shorter, only 2.5–3× longer than epandrium height (in A. duo , at least 4× longer than epandrium height).

Female terminalia not dissected, aculeus not flattened, with cercal unit oval and long setulose.

Third instar larva. General structure: As in A. duo , body length 8.4–11.8 mm (median: 9.9 mm; n = 10), width 2.2–2.9 mm (median: 2.75 mm; n = 10).

Pseudocephalon: As in A.duo . Second antennal segment retracted, not visible. Structure and pattern of oral ridges as in A. duo , thirty central oral ridges adjacent to oral cavity, identical on both sides of the body (n = 1 larva).

Cephalopharyngeal skeleton ( Fig. 7 B ) as in Aspistomella duo . Total length about 1.3 mm (n = 2). Indentation between tips of apical tooth and ventral apodeme 0.81–0.83× as deep as wide. Hypopharyngeal sclerite 4.5–4.9× longer than high. Parastomal bars curved, 1.1–1.2× longer than hypopharyngeal sclerite.

Thoracic segments I–III: As in A.duo . Anterior spiracles on thoracic segment I contain 19–25 tubules per row (median = 22, n = 20 rows of tubules from 10 larvae). The number of tubules on the left or right side of the same larva differs by one to four tubules. Spatial pattern of cuticular sensilla and paired spiracular openings as in A. duo .

Abdominal segments I–VII. Abdominal segments I-VII bear 13 cuticular sensilla on each side of the body and a pair of rudimentary lateral spiracles (see Fig. 8 A ). Ventrally, the creeping welts on abdominal segments I–VII are arranged as follows: CW1 ( Fig. 47 A ): three rows of long and acute spinules, first and third row continuous, middle row with about ten slightly curved short rows vertically shifted relative to each other. All bristles directed posteriorly. CW2 ( Fig. 47 B ): two discontinuous or incomplete rows (b) followed by a continuous central row (c), followed by a row of large spines (row d) arranged as follows: two short horizontal central rows, each consisting of two groups of large spinules each, four to six spinules in each group, three large spinules between them, central rows laterally flanked by five inclined curved rows angled to body midline, each inclined row with anterior large spinules interconnected with a posterior group of smaller spinules; last row e with more or less continuous small spinules. All spinules directed posteriorly. CW3 – CW7 ( Fig. 47 C ): similar to CW2, but with an additional anterior row of anteriorly oriented spinules (row a). In addition, the two central horizontal rows in row d and one adjacent inclined row on each side have a double row of large spinules ( Fig. 47 C , inset). The anterior row of large spinules is anteriorly oriented and the posterior row is posteriorly oriented.

Caudal segment. The caudal segment bears 13 cuticular sensilla on each side of the body (see Fig. 8 ). Caudal creeping welt CW8 structured similarly to CW3 – CW7, but last row arranged along the anterior margin of perianal pad with anteriorly directed bristles; large spinules less inclined, not connected to smaller spinule rows ( Fig. 47 D ).

Posterior spiracles ( Figs 47 E , 9 B ) oval-angular, length 0.5–0.72 mm (median = 0.6, n = 15), width 0.43–0.59 mm (median = 0.48, n = 15), shortest distance between spiracles 0.93–1.34 mm (n =19). Spiracular slits with 12–15 turns, shape similar as in A. duo , but terminal turn long, rather narrow and spiracular slits 1 and 2 symmetrical. Apical part of yellow area not club-shaped and with sharp margins. Spiracular Hair group 1: 7–11 hair trunks, Hair group 2: 1 hair trunk, Hair group 3: 5–8 hair trunks and Hair group 4: 11–14 hair trunks (n = 4 spiracles). Anal complex as in A. duo .

Puparium. Length 8.4 mm; maximum width at 4 th abdominal segment, 2.1 mm (n = 1).

Remarks. The three reared males are teneral and apparently faded colour in alcohol; body brown, wings almost entirely hyaline with faint traces of dark pattern as in females.

Etymology. The species name means “three” in Latin, reflecting the wing pattern, which is similar to the number “3”, and is a noun in apposition.

Remarks. Aspistomella tres can be distinguished from A. duo as described under A. duo remarks.

Biology. Larvae inhabit water-filled bamboo internode cavities of Guadua angustifolia , biology as in A. duo .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitat, adults and larvae of bamboo-inhabiting Ulidiidae in Bolivia (Aspistomella sp., Ulivellia sp.). A, a stand of Guadua angustifolia subsp. chacoensis along a stream in the Buena Vista region; B, Aspistomella duo sp. nov. on a bamboo culm; C, Aspistomella tres sp. nov. on a bamboo culm; D, ulidiid larvae inhabit young bamboo culms that still have basal culm sheaths (arrow); E, entry hole made by a Crambidae (Lepidoptera) caterpillar; F, interior view of the bamboo internode wall showing a Crambidae caterpillar, the area eaten up by the caterpillar (a), the crambid entry hole (b) and the protective web made by the caterpillar (c); G, opened internode cavity of a freshly felled bamboo culm showing ulidiid larvae floating on the water surface or crawling in the terrestrial part of the internode; H, ulidiid larvae gathering at the bottom of a drying up internode; I, two ulidiid larvae and a syrphid larva floating on the water surface (the arrow points to the siphon of the syrphid larva). (All photographs by Damir Kovac.)

FIGURE 5. Aspistomella, wing. A, A. pachitea sp. nov.; B, A. heteroptera Hendel; C, A. duo sp. nov.; D, A. tres sp. nov.; E, A. lobioptera Hendel; F, A. steyskali sp. nov.; G, A. lunata (Hendel); H, A. enderleini sp. nov. Abbreviations: C—costal vein; c—costal cell; dm—discal medial cell; h—humeral crossvein; M1—first branch of media; M4—fourth branch of media; m1— first medial cell; m4—fourth medial cell; ptstg—pterostigma; R1—anterior branch of radius; r1—first radial cell; R2+3—second branch of radius; R 4+5 —third branch of radius; r 4+5 —fourth + fifth radial cell. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 7. Cephalopharyngeal skeletons of Aspistomella (A–B) and Ulivellia (C–D) and scheme for measuring the mouthhook and posterior spiracles (E–F). A, Aspistomella duo sp. nov.; B, A. tres sp. nov.; C, Ulivellia arcuata sp. nov.; D, U. tenoris sp. nov.; E, mouthhook measurements; F, posterior spiracles measurements.The scale of A–D is the same.Abbreviations:at—apical tooth, cr—cibarial ridge, da—dorsal apodeme, db—dorsal bridge, dc—dorsal cornu, ds—dental sclerite, hs—hypopharyngeal sclerite, mh—mouth hook, n—neck, pb—parastomal bars, ps—pharyngeal sclerite, pt—preapical tooth, tp—tentorial phragma, va—ventral apodeme, vb—ventral bridge, vc—ventral cornu, w—light window. Measurements: sd—shortest distance, sw— spiracular width,—a–e, see Material and Methods. (All figures by Alexander Schneider.)

FIGURE 8. Schematic representation of the types of cuticular sensilla and their distribution on thoracic and abdominal segments (A) and caudal segment (B, C) of Ulivellia tenoris sp. nov. (identical to other Ulivellia and Aspistomella species). Abbreviations: T1–T3 = thoracic segments 1–3, A1–A7 = abdominal segments 1–7. Legend of sensilla types in the figure. (All figures by Alexander Schneider.)

FIGURE 9. Larvae and puparia of Aspistomella (A–B, F–G, I) and Ulivellia (C–E, H). A, A. duo larva, posterior spiracles; B, A. tres larva, same; C, U. tenoris larva, right posterior spiracle; D, U. arcuata larva, right posterior spiracle; E, U. arcuata puparium, right posterior spiracle; F, Aspistomella sp. larva, right posterior spiracle; G, A. duo, empty puparial exuvium; H, U. tenoris empty puparial exuvium; I, A. duo larva, creeping welt on fifth abdominal segment. Arrow indicates an incomplete second row of large spinules. (All photographs by Damir Kovac.)

FIGURE 44. Aspistomella tres sp. nov. holotype ♀. A, habitus, left; B, same, dorsal; C, mesonotum, dorsal; D, head, dorsal; E, same, anterior; F, wing, anterobasal part. Abbreviations: c—costal cell; C—costal vein; ptstg—pterostigma; R1—anterior branch of radius. Scale bar: 1 mm (same for A and B).

FIGURE 45. Aspistomella tres sp. nov. SEM views ♂. A, head, left; B, face and gena, anterolateral; C, gena: microtrichia; D, postgena: microtrichia; E, lobe of costal cell and pterostigma; F, microtrichia and spinulose setulae on costal vein; G, mesonotum, setulae and microtrichia; H, same, enlarged. (All photographs by Damir Kovac.)

FIGURE 46. Aspistomella tres sp. nov. ♂ genitalia. A, postabdomen, posterior; B, same, lateral; C, hypandrium, anterior; D, surstylus, anteroventral; E, same, lateral. Abbreviations: cerc—cerci; ph—phallus; phapod—phallapodeme; pi p—pimple-like process; s—seta; sur—surstylus.

FIGURE 47. A. tres sp. nov., SEM views of ventral abdominal creeping welts (CW) and anterior spiracles. (A-E) and Aspistomella sp., anterior spiracles (F). A, CW1 on abdominal segment I; B, CW2 on abdominal segment II; C, CW4 on abdominal segment IV, magnified area shows a double row of large spinules; D, CW8 on abdominal (caudal) segment VIII; E, right posterior spiracle of A. tres sp. nov.; F, left anterior spiracle of Aspistomella sp. Abbreviations: a-e—creeping welt rows a–e. (All photographs by Damir Kovac.)