Cladochaeta abbrevifusca, Grimaldi, David A. & Nguyen, Tran, 1999

Grimaldi, David A. & Nguyen, Tran, 1999, Monograph on the spittlebug flies, genus Cladochaeta (Diptera, Drosophilidae, Cladochaetini), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 241, pp. 1-316 : 170-171

Cladochaeta abbrevifusca , new species

Figures 94-97

DIAGNOSIS: Very closely related to C. devriesi based on male genitalia. Thorax mostly yellow; externally distinguished from devriesi and other species based on dark infuscation on costal edge of wing, with apical edge abrupt, not diffuse; arista with 1 ventral and 3 dorsal branches. Male genitalia differ from devriesi based on abbrevifusca having broader base of aedeagus, tip of aedeagus of slightly different shape; surstyli with finer and more setulae; surstyli with longer apical lobe; ventral margin of cercus with lightly sclerotized strip, as well as several other features.

Description: head: Length relative to head moderate (HL/HD = 0.76 [HT]). Eyes with sparse, fine pile; lower hind margin with very slight indentation seen in lateral view. Antenna with pedicel and flagellomere I light brown; arista with 1 ventral and 3 dorsal branches; ventral branch between d-3 and apical fork; branches of apical fork slightly shorter than d-3. Front with frontal vittae golden, shiny; 7-8 minute interfrontal setulae. Frontal-orbital setae: Proclinate orbitals ca. 0.7 X length of posterior reclinates; anterior reclinate orbitals small, ca. 0.3 X size of proclinates, immediately lateral to proclinates. Face light yellow, almost whitish, flat, and of moderate width (FW/HW = 0.32 [N = 6]). Cheeks shallow (CD/ED = 0.08). Proboscis and palp yellow.

THORAX: Notum, scutellum, and postnotum ochre to yellow; pleura slightly darker. Anterior dorsocentrals ca. 0.7 X length of posterior dorsocentrals; post. dorsocentrals midway between scutellum and ant. dorsocentrals. Acrostichals in 6 even rows; acrostichal setula immediately anterior to ant. dorsocentral seta enlarged, ca. 1.5 X length of other acrostichals and slightly thicker; prescutellar acrostichals not enlarged. Anterior scutellars parallel; posterior scutellars slightly cruciate. Postpronotal lobe with 1 large seta, ventral one slightly smaller. Legs entirely light yellow; forefemur with ventrolateral row of 3 larger setae; 1 larger dorsolateral seta. Wing lightly fuscous with darker, diffuse clouds of infuscation on costal edge over apical half of vein R 2+3 and small cloud over dm-cu. Distal edge of cloud over vein R 2+3 abruptly ended near apex of R 2+3. Vein R 2+3 slightly curved; apex of R 2+3 gradually meeting costal vein. Veins R 4+5 and M parallel. Crossvein dm-cu straight, but oblique to, not perpendicular to, vein CuA 1. Wing tip slightly pointed, not rounded. Halter light brown.

ABDOMEN: All tergites dark brown to black. Female terminalia with moderate sclerotization. Apical tergite an inverted U-shaped sclerite, more sclerotized than penultimate tergite. Apical sclerite bilobed, irregularly U- shaped; mostly separated but connected by anterior bridge. Pointed, roughly triangular sclerite lies between lobes of apical sternite. Male genitalia: Cercus with ventrolateral margin pointed, lying partly under epandrium; sclerotized strip on ventral margin of cercus, slightly detached from cercus. Epandrium height about equal to width. Ventrolateral halves of epandrium sharply narrowed to points at apices. Posteroventral margins of epandrium each with row of ca. 7 setae. Aedeagus heavily sclerotized, smooth; funnel-shaped, except for subapical slit and apex; apex pronged, with one prong overlying the other. Dorsal, basal part of aedeagus ca. 4.5X with width of apex. Aedeagus ca. 0.85 X length of epandrium. Aedeagal apodeme scoop shaped. Apical surface of surstylus a narrow triangle in posterior view, with long dorsal lobe; apical surface with ca. 50 fine setulae. Apex of long dorsal lobe on surstylus with 3-4 long, fine setulae. Hypandrium and gonopods lightly sclerotized. Hypandrium with quadrate, smooth anterior margin and deep ventral keel. Gonopods deep, laterally flattened, with ventral keel. Apical sternites not examined.

Types: Holotype, Male: COLOMBIA: Medellin , coffee finca, 5000 ft, XI/55, W. B. Heed (not dissected) . Paratypes: COLOMBIA: 50 km W Bogota, VII/60, W. B. Heed & H. L. Carson (2♂, UT slide no. 263 ; 1♀) (all in AMNH) .

Other Material Examined: BOLIVIA: Coroico , IV/58, M. Wasserman (1♂, UT slide no. 265 ) ( AMNH) . VENEZUELA: Caripe , X-XI/56, M. Wasserman (1♂, UT slide no. 262 ) ( AMNH) .

ETYMOLOGY: In reference to the abbreviated, terminal margin of the patch of infuscation on the wing.

Figures