Neoephydra zurcheri (Hendel)

Mathis, Wayne N. & Marinoni, Luciane, 2016, Revision of Ephydrini Zetterstedt (Diptera: Ephydridae) from the Americas south of the United States, Zootaxa 4116 (1), pp. 1-110 : 72-75

23. Neoephydra zurcheri (Hendel)

Figs. 100–103 , Map 23

Dimecoenia zurcheri Hendel 1933: 233 .— Oliveira 1954a: 188 [list].— Wirth 1968: 23 [Neotropical catalog].—Lizarralde de Grosso 1989: 58 [list, Argentina].— Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 240 [world catalog].

Neoephydra zurcheri .— Mathis 2008: 10 [generic combination].

Dimecoenia coltaensis Cresson 1935: 353 .— Oliveira 1954a: 188 [list].— Wirth 1968: 23 [Neotropical catalog].— Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 239 [world catalog]. New synonym

Neoephydra coltaensis .— Mathis 2008: 10 [generic combination].

Dimecoenia carrerai Oliveira 1957: 305 .— Wirth 1968: 23 [Neotropical catalog].— Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 239 [world catalog]. New synonym

Neoephydra carrerai .— Mathis 2008: 10 [generic combination].

Diagnosis. Specimens of N. zurcheri are distinguished from similar congeners of the araucaria group by the following characters: appearance generally dark, particularly the legs; face moderately setose; gena moderately high to high; and structures of male terminalia with distinctive conformation. Moderately large shore flies, body length 4.30–4.60 mm; generally dull, grayish blue brown to gray, somewhat subshiny dorsally.

Head: Head ratio 0.66–0.70; frontal ratio 0.42–0.47; mesofrons with dark, blackish blue, metallic luster, pilose laterally; ocellar triangle and parafrons nearly concolorous, microtomentose, brownish gray to charcoal gray; parafrons becoming more charcoal colored anteriorly; fronto-orbits with narrow strip through insertions of frontoorbital setae subshiny, with slight metallic luster, concolorous with mesofrons; number of fronto-orbital setae usually 2, sometimes with a 3rd pair of large setae posterior to other setae. Antenna mostly concolorous, dark, blackish brown. Facial ratio 1.00–1.05; mostly moderately to densely setulose, particularly along oral margin and toward posteroventral portions of face; dorsum of interfoveal hump with subshiny area more or less concolorous with mesofrons, otherwise face densely microtomentose, grayish yellow to grayish brown, slightly brownish dorsally, becoming gradually paler ventrally. Eye ratio 0.91–0.96; gena-to-eye ratio 0.50–0.53; gena high, coloration gray to whitish gray, but with faint tinges of olivaceous green.

Thorax: Mostly microtomentose; scutum mostly brown, darker, subshiny to shiny posteriorly, anterior margin microtomentose, gray to bluish gray, subshiny luster, lateral margins of scutum microtomentose, grayish brown; pleural areas paler, more gray colored ventrally; anepisternum with central area and dorsal margin brownish; otherwise mostly gray; other pleural areas including coxae whitish gray, mostly concolorous. Wing length averaging 4.32–4.40 mm; mostly infuscate, brown; costal vein ratio 0.27–0.29; M vein ratio 0.76–0.78. Legs dark generally; femora dark bluish gray to gray, microtomentose, only slightly darker than ventral pleural areas; tibiae and tarsi darker than femora, more blackish, tarsi also dark, reddish yellow to blackish, nearly concolorous with tibiae.

Abdomen: Generally microtomentose and unicolorous, grayish olivaceous green to gray, becoming paler toward lateral margins, some specimens with faint bluish tinges of metallic luster; ventral surface of tergites frequently whitish gray. Tergite 5 of male somewhat trapezoidal, truncate apically. Male terminalia ( Figs. 100– 103 ): margins of epandrium in posterior view shallowly pedunculate, slightly emarginate at ventral margin of cerci, rounded dorsally; surstyli in posterior view roughly forming isosceles triangle although posterior processes forming ventral angle narrowly separated, apices tapered to point; surstylus in lateral view with posterior process long, anterior margin irregular, posterior margin nearly straight, apex abruptly curved anteriorly at nearly a right angle, bluntly rounded apically, lateral process or prong short, about 1/3 length of posterior process, tapered, rounded apically, with several moderately long setulae at apex.

Type material. The lectotype male of Dimecoenia zurcheri Hendel , here designated to stabilize and make more universal the use of this name, is labeled “ Paraguay Sa[nta]. Trinidad X. 1914 [Oct 1914]/124 [red on white, handwritten]/Hendel det./ Typus [red]/ Dimecoenia zurcheri Hendel / LECTOTYPE Dimecoenia zurcheri Hendel ♂ [red, handwritten].” Two male and three female paralectotypes (here designated) are labeled with the same locality and date data as the lectotype. The lectotype male and three paralectotypes (1♂, 2♀) are deposited in the DEI; a male and female paralectotype are in the NMW. Hendel's original description does not state how many specimens were in the syntype series. We have examined the six specimens listed above, each of which was reared. Four have their puparium pinned below the adult, and all of the adults are teneral. The abdomen of one of the paralectotypes was removed and dissected; the structures are in an attached microvial.

The holotype male of Dimecoenia coltaensis is labeled “Colta Ecua[dor. Chimborazo: Colta (1°43.6'S, 78°46'W)] 3280 ft./F Campos Collector/♂/ Type No. 51100 U.S. N.M. [red]/ TYPE No. Dimecoenia coltaensis E. T. Cresson, Jr , [red].” The holotype, allotype, and one female paratype are deposited in the USNM (51100). The holotype is directly pinned and appears to have a pale coating of precipitate, which probably resulted from being collected or stored in alcohol before being mounted on the pin. Cresson's original description also lists two male and three female paratopotypes. Cresson labeled one of the latter females with a pink allotype label.

The presumed holotype male of Dimecoenia carrerai is labeled “SAO PAULO, (de) Guaruja, M. Carrera I- 942/60.294.” We are assuming that the specimen indicated here is the holotype despite a discrepancy in the collection number. Oliveira (1957) cited the collection number to be “60 293” and the female to be “60 295.” Either the original citation is in error or the specimen sent for study is not the holotype. We have inquired regarding the latter possibility and have been assured that the specimen sent to us is the only one in their collection. The holotype is in the IOC.

Type locality. Paraguay. Itapúa: Trinidad (27°07'S, 55°47'W).

Additional specimens examined. ARGENTINA. Catamarca: Yunka Suma (5 km N Aconquija; 27°13'S, 66°08'W), 2 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (7♂, 20♀; CNC). Tucumán: El Tala (14 km S; 28°30'S, 65°48'W; 700 m), 13–14 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (1♀; CNC); Finca La Cavera (Tafí Viejo; 26°45'S, 65°16'W), 23–28 Nov 1951, M. L. Aczel, R. Golbach (17♂, 29♀; USNM); San Pedro de Colalao (26°14'S, 65°29'W), 14 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (1♂, 2♀; CNC).

BOLIVIA. Cochabamba: Cochabamba (16°23.3'S, 66°07'W; 2610 m), 25 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (13♂, 1♀; USNM). La Paz: La Paz (near museum; 16°32.5'S, 68°04.3'W; 3360 m), 20 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (30♂, 11♀; USNM).

BRAZIL. Paraná: Curitiba, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Reserva Biológica (25°26.9'S, 49°14'W; 915 m), 4 Jan 2010, D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂, 4♀; UFPR, USNM); Prainha (5 km S Matinhos; 25°51.2'S, 48°33.6'W; beach), 15 Nov 2010, D. and W. N. Mathis (2♂, 3♀; DZUP, USNM). Rio Grande do Sul: Torres (29°21'S, 49°44'W), Jun 1965, N. Papavero (35♂, 24♀; MZUSP, USNM). Santa Catarina: Imbituba, praia de Itapirubá (), Feb 2010, J. C. Almeida (16♂, 2♀; MZUSP).

Distribution (Map 23). Neotropical: Argentina (Catamarca, Tucumán), Bolivia (Cochabamba, La Paz), Brazil (Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo), Ecuador (Chimborazo), Paraguay (Itapúa).

Remarks. This species is closely related to N. ciligena but is distinguished from the latter by the external characters and features of the male terminalia as noted in the description.

MAP 23. Distribution map for Neoephydra zurcheri (Hendel) .

Figures

FIGURES 100 – 103. Structures of male terminalia of Neoephydra zurcheri (Hendel). (100) epandrium, cerci, surstyli, posterior view; (101) same, lateral view; (102) surstylus, lateral view; (103) internal male terminalia (fused hypandrium gonite, aedeagus), ventral view.