Cryptosophia aurulenta, Santis, 2018

Santis, Marcelo Domingos De, 2018, A new genus and species of Sophiini Townsend, 1936 (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Brazil, with an updated key to the genera of the tribe, Zootaxa 4500 (3), pp. 433-442 : 436-440

Cryptosophia aurulenta sp. nov.

Type locality. Brazil, Amazonas, Manaus.

Distribution. Brazil (Amazonas state).

Etymology. From the Latin “ aurulenta ” = ornamented with gold, in reference to the golden pruinosity on the scutum.

Description. Female. Body length: 9.9 mm.

Coloration. Face dark yellow. Scape and pedicel dark yellow, postpedicel pale yellow. Arista pale yellow, but proximal 1/6 light brown. Palpus, labella and prementum pale yellow. Tegula and basicosta pale yellow. Calypters whitish. Halter pale yellow. Legs yellow, but distal 1/5–1/6 of fore tibia about brown, fore tarsus dark brown, and mid and hind tarsi dark yellow. Claws light brown with darker tip.

Head ( Fig. 2C ). Ocellar setae short, fine and divergent. Inner vertical seta decussate and short, outer vertical seta absent. Width of parafacial, measured at distance between inner margin of eye and antennal insertion, 3.5 x height of gena. Postpedicel slender, 2.3 x combined length of scape and pedicel; arista long plumose. Labella developed, about 0.4 x as long as prementum, which is about 1.2 x as long as palpus.

Thorax ( Fig. 2B ). Intra-alar setae 1+2, postsutural ones very weak. Intra-postalar seta absent. Supra-alar setae 0+2. Postpronotal lobe with 2 setae, 1 anterior and 1 posterior. Notopleuron with 2 equal-sized setae. Postalar callus with 2 setae, the anterior one about half the size of the posterior one. Wing. Base of vein Rs with 3 setulae ventrally, bare dorsally. Legs. Fore femur without setae; fore tibia with 2 median anterodorsal, 2 anteroventral, 6 preapical, 3 anterodorsal and 3 anteroventral setae. Mid femur with 3 pairs of anteroventral setae; mid tibia with 1 median anteroventral, 2 median anterior and 2 median posterior setae. Hind femur with 1 basal, 2 median and 1 distal anterodorsal setae, 1 median posteroventral seta on basal half, 7 preapical, 3 anterodorsal and 4 anteroventral (middle one longer) setae. Hind femur with 1 anteroventral and 1 posterodorsal setae in apical third and 1 posterodorsal seta in median third; hind tibia with 8 pairs of dorsal setae, 2 anteroventral setae in apical third, 1 anteroventral seta in median third, 2 anteroventral setae in distal half and 4 preapical posterodorsal setae. Claws straight, with curved tip.

Abdomen ( Fig. 2A–B ). Syntergite I+II with 1 or 2 pairs of median marginal setae. Tergites III and IV with 2 pairs of median marginal setae. Tergite V with a row of median marginal setae. Terminalia ( Fig. 3C ). Tergites VI and VII complete dorsally, with a row of few setae along posterior margin; 6th spiracle located ventrally on membrane, anterior to tergite VI, 7th spiracle located ventrally between tergites VI and VII. Tergite VIII absent. Sternites VI and VII complete ventrally, with a row of few setae along posterior margin. Sternite VIII as a narrow strip, with setulae on entire surface. Sternite X as a narrow strip, with setulae only along posterior margin; with lingulae. Cerci well developed, rounded, with several setae apically. Syntergite IX+X absent. Spermathecae ( Fig. 3B ) three in number, equal sized, pear-shaped and bearing an apical pore, posteriorly with an invagination at base of spermathecal duct; surface entirely rugose.

Male. Unknown.

First instar larva ( Fig. 3A ) [about 200 to 300 larvae extracted from single dissected female]. Body length: 0.2 mm. Colorless except for pigmented cephaloskeleton and small brownish-black plates on dorsal surface of segments 5 to 11. Cephaloskeleton thin and lightly sclerotized, with mouthhook almost straight; intermediate region indistinct; dorsal and ventral cornua slightly diverging from each other; accessory sclerite encircling apex of mouthhook; sclerite of salivary gland as a narrow strip. Cuticle apparently smooth, but with a row of small spines on each segment, entirely covering segments 1 to 4 but occurring only laterally and ventrally on segments 5 to 11; dorsal surface of these segments with small subrectangular plates, each with a spine-like projection on posterolateral surface. Segment 11 with a long, slightly curved, backwardly-directed stylet on posteroventral margin. Posterior spiracles with elongate processes where the spiracles are located; felt chamber narrow, visible through cuticle within segment 12.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀, labelled as follows: “ BRAZIL: Amazonas / Manaus – R. Dulke / Arm. Suspensa / 01.x.1981 / J. A. Rafael / 15m ” [printed white label]; “ Cryptosophia / aurulenta sp. nov. / Santis det. 2017” [printed white label]; "Holotipo" [red label] ( INPA).

PARATYPES. 1 ♀, Brazil, Amazonas , Manaus, R. (Reserva) Duke , Arm. Suspensa [= suspended trap], 15 m, 27.viii.1981, J.A. Rafael leg. ( INPA) ; 1 ♀, same data as previous except 1.x.1981 ( INPA) ; 1 ♀, same data as previous except 9 m, 5–15.vii.1994, J.A. Rafael & J. Vidal leg. ( INPA) [dissected]. Biology. Unknown .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Cryptosophia aurulenta gen. and sp nov., holotype ♀ (INPA). A. Lateral habitus. B. Dorsal habitus. C. Head, frontal view.

FIGURE 3. Cryptosophia aurulenta gen. and sp nov., paratype ♀ from Amazonas, Brazil (INPA). A. First instar larva. B. Spermatheca. C. Terminalia. Abbreviations: C, cercus; L, lingulae; S, sternite; T, tergite.