Hyphantrophaga similis Fleming & Wood

Fleming, AJ, Wood, D. Monty, Smith, M. Alex, Dapkey, Tanya, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel, 2019, Twenty-two new species in the genus Hyphantrophaga Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, with a key to the species of Mesoamerica, Biodiversity Data Journal 7, pp. 29553-29553 : 29553

Hyphantrophaga similis Fleming & Wood sp. n.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0007325 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen, W. Hallwachs & Jose Perez; individualID: DHJPAR0007325; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAT097-06, 03-SRNP-11568, BOLD:AAE1435; Taxon: scientificName: Hyphantrophagasimilis; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Hyphantrophaga; specificEpithet: similis; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood, 2017; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Alajuela; county: Sector Rincon Rain Forest; locality: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Anonas; verbatimElevation: 405; verbatimLatitude: 10.9053; verbatimLongitude: -85.2788; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.9053; decimalLongitude: -85.2788; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Reared from the larva of the Erebidae, Letis buteoDHJ02; verbatimEventDate: 23-Aug-2003; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0007327 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen, W. Hallwachs & Freyci Vargas; individualID: DHJPAR0007327; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAT099-06, 00-SRNP-20556, BOLD:AAE1435; Taxon: scientificName: Hyphantrophagasimilis; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Hyphantrophaga; specificEpithet: similis; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood, 2017; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Alajuela; county: Sector Rincon Rain Forest; locality: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Rincon; verbatimElevation: 430; verbatimLatitude: 10.8962; verbatimLongitude: -85.2777; decimalLatitude: 10.8962; decimalLongitude: -85.2777; Identification: identifiedBy: M. Wood; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Reared from the larva of the Erebidae, Letis buteoDHJ01; verbatimEventDate: 28-Nov-2000; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0007328 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen, W. Hallwachs & Freyci Vargas; individualID: DHJPAR0007328; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAT100-06, 00-SRNP-20740, BOLD:AAE1435; Taxon: scientificName: Hyphantrophagasimilis; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Hyphantrophaga; specificEpithet: similis; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood, 2017; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Alajuela; county: Sector Rincon Rain Forest; locality: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste ; verbatimLocality: Camino Rio Francia; verbatimElevation: 410; verbatimLatitude: 10.9043; verbatimLongitude: -85.2865; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.9043; decimalLongitude: -85.2865; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Reared from the larva of the Erebidae, Letis buteoDHJ01; verbatimEventDate: 11-Dec-2000; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0007329 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen, W. Hallwachs & Elieth Cantillano; individualID: DHJPAR0007329; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAT101-06, 05-SRNP-22366, BOLD:AAE1435; Taxon: scientificName: Hyphantrophagasimilis; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Hyphantrophaga; specificEpithet: similis; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood, 2017; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Sector Del Oro; locality: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste ; verbatimLocality: Margarita; verbatimElevation: 380; verbatimLatitude: 11.0323; verbatimLongitude: -85.4395; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 11.0323; decimalLongitude: -85.4395; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Reared from the larva of the Erebidae, Letismycerina; verbatimEventDate: 28-Jul-2005; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0045663 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen, W. Hallwachs & Duvalier Briceno; individualID: DHJPAR0045663; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ACGAZ852-11, 11-SRNP-65874, BOLD:AAE1435; Taxon: scientificName: Hyphantrophagasimilis; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Hyphantrophaga; specificEpithet: similis; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood, 2017; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Alajuela; county: Brasilia; locality: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste ; verbatimLocality: Gallinazo; verbatimElevation: 360; verbatimLatitude: 11.0183; verbatimLongitude: -85.372; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 11.0183; decimalLongitude: -85.372; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Reared from the larva of the Erebidae, Letis buteoDHJ01; verbatimEventDate: 25-Sep-2011; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0007326 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen, W. Hallwachs & Freyci Vargas; individualID: DHJPAR0007326; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: ASTAT098-06, 00-SRNP-14698, BOLD:AAE1435; Taxon: scientificName: Hyphantrophagasimilis; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Hyphantrophaga; specificEpithet: similis; scientificNameAuthorship: Fleming & Wood, 2017; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Alajuela; county: Sector Rincon Rain Forest; locality: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste ; verbatimLocality: Sendero Rincon; verbatimElevation: 430; verbatimLatitude: 10.8962; verbatimLongitude: -85.2777; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.8962; decimalLongitude: -85.2777; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2017; Event: samplingProtocol: Reared from the larva of the Erebidae, Letis buteoDHJ01; verbatimEventDate: 23-Oct-2000; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Description

Male (Fig. 25). Length: 8-12 mm. Head (Fig. 25b): vertex 1/4 of head width; two reclinate upper orbital setae; ocellar setae arising beside anterior ocellus; ocellar triangle silver, concolorous with fronto-orbital plate; fronto-orbital plate silver with a slight gold tinge over frontal setae, setulose, setulae not extending below lowest frontal seta; frontal setae extending up to base of postpedicel; parafacial silver and bare; facial ridge bare; eye densely haired; pedicel black, concolorous with postpedicel; arista brown, very minutely pubescent, distinctly thickened on basal 1/3-1/4. Thorax (Fig. 25a, c): dull brassy-grey tomentose dorsally, grey tomentose laterally; four prominent dorsal vittae, outermost two broken across suture, innermost pair unbroken across suture, extending to 3rd postsutural dorsocentral seta; postpronotum with five setae arranged in a triangle; chaetotaxy: acrostichal setae 3:3; dorsocentral setae 4:4; intra-alar setae 3:3; supra-alar setae 2:3; two katepisternal setae; lateral scutellar setae shorter than subapical setae, curving inwards medially; apical scutellar setae subequal in length to basal scutellar setae crossed apically; one pair of discal scutellar setae; scutellum black over basal 20%, remainder concolorous with scutum. Legs (Fig. 25c): black in ground colour; fore femur with dense silver tomentum on posterodorsal surface; hind coxa bare. Wing (Fig. 25a): pale translucent, hyaline, not distinctly infuscate; vein R4+5 with only 2-3 setulae at base. Abdomen (Fig. 25a, c): ground colour black; mid-dorsal depression on ST1+2 almost reaching hind margin; median marginal setae present on T3; a complete row of marginal setae present on T4; discal setae only on T5; sex patch covering ventral surfaces of T4-T5 and posterior 1/3 of T3; distinct tomentose bands along anterior edge of T3 and T4, broken medially by a dorsocentral stripe; T5 with silver tomentum covering anterior half. Terminalia (Fig. 25d, e, f): sternite 5 (Fig. 25f) with a deeply excavated median cleft, smoothly U-shaped, margins covered in dense tomentum. Lateral lobes of sternite rounded apically, with 2-3 strong setae surrounded by many shorter, weaker setulae. Anterior plate of sternite 5 from subequal to slightly longer than apical lobes; unsclerotised "window" ovoid to slightly rectangular, as wide as median cleft. Cerci in posterior view (Fig. 25d) triangular and slightly shorter than surstyli, blunt and rounded at apex, completely separate medially, appearing slightly divergent; in lateral view with a strong downward curve in apical 1/3; densely setulose along basal 2/3 dorsally, setulose ventrally along entire length (visible in lateral view). Surstylus in lateral view (Fig. 25e) almost parallel-sided along its length, ending in a slightly downcurved apex, making the structure appear blade-like; when viewed dorsally, surstyli appearing to point outwards, not strongly convergent. Pregonite short, not well-developed, 1/2 as long as distiphallus, bare and squared-off apically. Postgonite slightly narrow, 1/3 as wide as pregonite, sharply pointed and curved at apex. Distiphallus vaguely cone-shaped (could be seen as rectangular), only weakly flaring apically with a slender arrow-shaped median longitudinal sclerotised reinforcement on its posterior surface and a broad, anterolateral, apically clubbed sclerotised acrophallus on each side, joining the plate of opposite side on anterior surface near apex.

Female. Length: 8-11 mm. As male, differing only by the presence of two pairs of proclinate orbital setae.

Diagnosis

Hyphantrophaga similis sp. n. can be distinguished from all other Hyphantrophaga species by the following combination of traits: parafacial, fronto-orbital plate and ocellar triangle all silver, frontal setae extending up to base of postpedicel. Differs from its most similar congener H. niveifacies by the colour of the wings and the presence of only two katepisternal setae.

Etymology

From the Latin adjective " similis ", meaning similar or resembling, in reference to its similarity to the Brazilian species H. niveifacies (Macquart, 1851).

Distribution

Costa Rica, ACG, Alajuela and Guanacaste Provinces, 320-430 m elevation.

Ecology

Hyphantrophaga similis sp. n. has been reared seven times from three species of Lepidoptera in the family Erebidae , Letis buteo DHJ01, Letis buteo DHJ02 and Letis mycerina (Cramer, 1777), in rain forest and dry-rain lowland intergrade.