Aspistomella sachavaca Smit & Kameneva, 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 : 64-66

Aspistomella sachavaca Smit & Kameneva , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7B262B5F-3A13-42C0-BA6C-4FBD097754FF

GenBank accession number PQ331196

Figs 2 D , 6 A , 38

Material examined.Type. Holotype: 1♀: “ Peru, Madre de Dios Rio Tambopata / Sachavacayoc centre / 12º51’10.7”S 69º22’02.4”W [12.8530S, 69.3673W] / 29.x. 2008, 195 m a.s.l., leg. J.T.Smit ” ( RMNH 556517 ) (both midlegs missing) . Paratypes: 1♀, “ Peru, Madre de Dios / Rio Tambopata Picaflor concession / 12º46’26.3”S 69º24’36.3”W [12.7740S, 69.4101W] / 16.iv.2009 Leg. J.T.Smit ” , 1♀, 05– 10.06.2010, 1♀, 07– 22.11.2010 [leg. J.T.Smit].

Diagnosis. Aspistomella sachavaca are smaller flies (WL <5 mm), differing from all other species of the group of genera also by the combination of the moderately developed pterostigma, vein R 1 apically setulose, crossvein r-m at the level of R 1 apex, head with moderately wide anteriorly shining frons, face below lunule with sooty black microtrichose area extending far beyond bases of antennae, moderately produced epistome and outer vertical seta well expressed, 0.4–0.5× longer than inner vertical seta, prescutellar acrostichal seta present, wing wide, 2.3–2.4× longer than wide; almost straight perpendicular or slightly arcuate hyaline interspace crossing whole wing from apex of R 1 to apex of cell m 4, dark subapical crossband widened posteriorly, ultimate section of vein M 1 sinuate; cell m 1 with hyaline area in apical half; and mid tibia with 1 long ventroapical seta.

Description. Male. Head ( Figs 38 B, C ) ratio (length: height: width) = 1: 1.3–1.4: 1.95; frons, parafacial, and gena reddish brown, most of epistome and occiput dark brown to black; face below lunule almost with sooty black microtrichose area expanded ventrolaterally far beyond bases of antennae ( Fig. 38 C ). Frons moderately wide, slightly narrowed posteriorly ( Fig. 38 B ), 0.65× as long (from lunule to anterior ocellus) or 1.3× (from lunule to inner vertical seta) as wide (at lunule); vertex black, steel shining, sparsely microtrichose; orbits in posterior half, parafacial, narrow transverse band on face above fold, gena and occiput silver-white microtrichose; parafacial half as wide as postpedicel. Vertical plates with 2 orbital setae (anterior half as long as posterior). Frontal plates and anterior half of frontal vitta convex and shining, devoid of any microtrichia; with 3 white microtrichose elongate areas: 2 on orbits anterior of vertical plate and one anterior of ocellar triangle; 3–5 parafrontal setulae, 5–6 pro- and lateroclinate frontal setae in sublateral row and 2–3 long interfrontal setae on each side, on shining part of dark brown or orange frontal vitta ( Figs 38 B, C ). Eye 1.5× higher than long. Face above transverse fold with white microtrichose crossband. Epistome sparsely white microtrichose, with metallic cyan sheen. Clypeus brownish-yellow, laterally brown or black, densely snowy-white microtrichose, matt, 0.3× higher than epistome. Gena high, 0.33× higher than eye, dark brown to black, densely microtrichose, with moderately long genal seta and 3–4 additional long peristomal setae anterior of it, 0.3–0.8× longer than genal seta. Occiput densely grey to white microtrichose.

Antenna brown; scape and pedicel with numerous black setulae; postpedicel brown, grey microtrichose, 1.3– 1.4× longer than wide, apically rounded; arista entirely black, 2-segmented, bare. Mouthparts black, prementum black, shining. Palp yellowish brown, crescent-shaped, apically rounded, with 18–25 strong black setulae, of them 3–4 subapical setulae 1.5–2× longer than other setulae.

Thorax ( Figs 38 A, D ) brown to black, on pleura with silvery sheen and sparse grey and brown (posterior of transverse suture and in supra-alar area) microtrichia not hiding underlying cuticle. Mesonotal scutum 1.25× longer than wide; black setulose, with 12–14 rows of setulae between rows of dorsocentral setulae; acrostichal prescutellar seta strong; prescutellar area with 2–4 rows of setulae between posterior dorsocentral setae. Scutellum dorsally slightly convex, dark brown to black, subshining, very short and sparsely microtrichose, without setulae. Subscutellum and mediotergite shining black. All the setae and setulae black.

Wing ( Figs 6 A , 38 F ) 5.4–5.6 mm long, 2.6–2.7× longer than wide; basicostal cell hyaline; costal cell straight, 5–6× longer than wide, brown in basal and apical quarters of length, with costa slightly thickened and covered with longer setulae before apex of vein Sc; pterostigma entirely brown, triangular, 1.6–1.8× longer than wide, vein R 1 with 8–10 setulae dorsally, ending at level of crossvein r-m level in both sexes; costal vein between apices of R 1 and R 2+3 conspicuously arcuate; vein R 2+3 slightly undulate. Crossvein r-m at proximal 2/5 of cell dm. Cell r 4+5 4.0–4.5× longer than wide, apically narrowed. Cell m 1 narrow triangular, with pointed apex; ultimate section of M 1 2.7× longer than crossvein dm-m and 1.2–1.4× longer than penultimate section. Vein CuA Z-shaped, forming moderately long posteroapical lobe of cell cua along vein CuP, 1.7× longer than its anterior shoulder. Wing pattern with short but rather wide subbasal crossband from humeral vein through cell cua into alula, wide discal crossband from apical quarter of costal cell and pterostigma into basal half of cell cua 1, with moderately wide, somewhat arcuate, but not oblique hyaline interspace from apex of vein R 1 through base of cell r 4+5 and apex of cell dm into apex of cell cua 1; apex of cell m 1 with oblique triangular hyaline incision reaching cell r 1 anterior of crossvein dm-m ( Fig. 6 A ). Cell cup and anal lobe 1.3× broader than cell cua 1. Alula 2.2× longer than wide, grey, darkened in apical half. Calypters white, with long white cilia, some almost as long as calypters. Halter yellow with knob basally brown.

Legs ( Figs 38 A, E ) mostly black, except fore coxa, fore trochanter and apices of femora and whole tarsi brownish yellow; femora with metallic sheen, sparsely grey microtrichose. Fore femur with 2 rows of posterodorsal and posterior setae half as long as femur width, and 3–4 moderately strong posteroventral setulae in apical half. Mid femur anteriorly with short suberect setulae; mid tibia moderately thickened, ventrally with one spur-like setae 1.2× longer than tibia width.

Abdomen black, with syntergite 1+2 silvery microtrichose, other tergites shining and very sparsely grey microtrichose, black setose and setulose.

Male unknown.

Female terminalia: not dissected; aculeus with ovoid, long-setulose cercal unit (exposed).

Etymology. The species is named after its type locality, Sachavacayoc, Madre de Dios, Peru. The name is considered to be a noun in apposition (the placename) with “yoc” elided.

Figures

FIGURE 2.Adults of bamboo-inhabiting Ulidiidae from Peru.A–C, Aspistomella lobioptera on a bamboo culm; D, Aspistomella sachavaca sp. nov.; E–F, Ulivellia laetitiae sp. nov. on a bamboo culm showing wings during courtship or territorial behaviour. (All photographs by John T. Smit.)

FIGURE 6. Aspistomella, wing. A, A. sachavaca sp. nov.; B, A. schnusei sp. nov.; C, A. angustifrons (Hendel); D, A. garleppi sp. nov.; E, A. crucifera (Hendel); F, A. quinquincisa sp. nov.; G, A. teresensis sp. nov.; H, A. obliqua sp. nov. Abbreviations: C—costal vein; c—costal cell; M1—first branch of media; m1—first medial cell; ptstg—pterostigma; r1—first radial cell; rm—radial-medial crossvein. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 38. Aspistomella sachavaca sp. nov., holotype ♀ (RMNL). A, habitus, left; B, head, dorsal; C, head, anterior; D, mesonotum, dorsal; E, fore legs; F, wing, anterobasal part; G, labels. Scale bar: 1 mm.