Agrophaspidium psilotum Wheeler and Mlynarek

Wheeler, Terry A. & Mlynarek, Julia J., 2008, Systematics of Agrophaspidium, a new genus of Neotropical Chloropidae (Diptera), Zootaxa 1926, pp. 41-52 : 48-49

Agrophaspidium psilotum Wheeler and Mlynarek , sp. n.

( Figs. 22–25 )

Description (male only): Total length 1.6–1.8mm. Frons pollinose, yellow anteriorly, brown posteriorly; frontal triangle almost reaching anterior margin of frons, shining except for apex; ocellar tubercle black, shining; 8–9 short fronto-orbital setae; 5–8 interfrontal setulae pale except for pair at anterior margin of frons; ocellar bristles dark, small, inconspicuous; postocellar bristles strong, short; inner and outer vertical bristles dark, strong, short; eye bare, genal height 0.08–0.09 times eye height; vibrissa, slender, longer than genal setae; postgena and occiput sparsely pollinose; face pale, sparsely pollinose; antenna pedicel yellow, darker than first flagellomere; first flagellomere yellow; arista brown to black, slender; proboscis and clypeus brown, palpus yellow.

Scutum brown, mostly shining, sparsely pollinose; postpronotum sparsely pollinose, slightly paler than scutum; notopleuron pollinose; scutellum dark, scutellar projections well-developed; apical and sub-apical tubercles 0.33 times length of scutellum; scutellar bristles strong, as long as tubercles; thoracic pleurites shining. Legs yellow except for wide brown band around all femora. Wing: ratio of second to third costal sectors 1.8–2.0:1; halter white. Abdomen pollinose, brown, slightly paler than scutum.

Male postabdomen: epandrium large and bulbous, much broader than rest of abdomen ( Fig. 22 ); surstylus with outer lobe broad distally, branched at apex, with pointed apical projection, inner lobe long, narrow, pointed ( Figs. 23–25 ); cercus broad, complex, with multiple shallow lobes apically ( Figs. 23–25 ).

Type material: Holotype ɗ: COSTA RICA: Prov. Guanacaste, Guanacaste National Park, Pitilla Biol. Stn., 800m, 11.ii.1995, L. Masner, yellow pan beside stream (LEM). Paratypes: COSTA RICA: Prov. Limon, 4km NE Bribri, 50m, xii.1989 – iii.1990, P. Hanson (1ɗ, DEBU); Higuito, San Mateo, P. Schild (3ɗ, USNM); La Suiza de Turrialba, July, P. Schild (1ɗ, USNM); La Suiza de Turrialba, xi.1922, P. Schild (1ɗ, USNM).

Etymology: The species name is from the Greek psilos (bare), referring to the mostly shining frontal triangle and bare surstylar apex.

Figures

FIGURES 22 – 25. Agrophaspidium psilotum. 22. male abdomen, lateral. 23. male genitalia, lateral. 24. male genitalia, posterolateral. 25. male genitalia, posterior. Abbreviations: cer — cercus; epd—epandrium; i sur—inner surstylar lobe; o sur—outer surstylar lobe. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.