Neoephydra inca, Mathis, Wayne N. & Marinoni, Luciane, 2016

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 : 58-60

17. Neoephydra inca sp. nov.

Figs. 79–81 , Map 17

Diagnosis. Specimens of N. inca are distinguished from similar congeners of the araucaria group by the following characters: appearance generally dark, particularly the legs; face moderately setose; gena high; and structures of male terminalia with distinctive conformation. Medium-sized to moderately large shore flies, body length 3.30– 4.60 mm; generally dull, grayish brown to gray with some subshiny areas dorsally.

Head: Head ratio 0.72–0.74; frontal ratio 0.49–0.53; mesofrons with dark bluish green to greenish metallic luster, generally 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 fronto-orbital setae subshiny, with some faint metallic luster, number of fronto-orbital setae usually 2. Antenna mostly concolorous, blackish brown. Facial ratio 0.97–1.03; mostly moderately 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 brown to gray, paler along oral margin. Eye ratio 0.97–0.98; gena-to-eye ratio 0.51–0.53; gena high, coloration gray to whitish gray but with faint tinges of olivaceous green to brown posteriorly.

Thorax: Mostly microtomentose; scutum mostly brown, darker and subshinier posteriorly; anterior margin microtomentose, especially postpronotum, gray to brownish gray; pleural areas paler, more gray colored especially ventrally; anepisternum with central area, dorsal and sometimes posterior margins brownish, otherwise mostly gray; other pleural areas including coxae whitish gray, although lighter, whitish ventrally. Wing length averaging 3.83–3.96 mm; mostly palely infuscate, faintly brown; costal vein ratio 0.26–0.29; M vein ratio 0.76–0.80. Legs dark generally; femora gray, microtomentose, only slightly darker than ventral pleural areas; tibiae and tarsi mostly concolorous, reddish yellow.

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. 79–81 ): margins of epandrium in posterior view parallel, rounded dorsally; surstyli in posterior view roughly forming isosceles triangle with an apical process; surstylus in lateral view basically rectangular with an apical, digitiform, short process and a longer lateral prong, length of lateral prong about equal to width of surstylus at base, lateral prong with sub-basal tuft of setulae, anterior margin between apical process and lateral prong shallowly produced, shallowly triangular.

Type material. The holotype male is labeled “ PERU. Cuzco: Quispicamchis [sic, Quispicanchi], Huarcapay, 2900m, 1 Sep 1988, WNMathis/ HOLOTYPE Ƌ Neoephydra inca Mathis USNM [red].” The holotype is double mounted (minuten in a plastic elastomer block), is in excellent condition, and is deposited in the USNM. The allotype female and 36 paratypes (36Ƌ, 3♀) bear the same locality label as the holotype. Other paratypes are as follows: ARGENTINA. Jujuy: Abra Laite (85 km S Abra Pampa; 23°12'S, 65°47'W), 29 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (13♂, 5♀; CNC); Barrios (S La Quiaca; 22°15'S, 65°32'W; 3500 m), 31 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (1♀; CNC); Cajas (35 Km E La Quiaca; 22°15'S, 65°18'W; 3800 m), 24 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (10♂, 19♀; CNC, USNM); Cangrejillos (S La Quiaca; 22°25'S, 65°34'W; 3500 m), 28–29 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (44♂, 77♀; CNC, USNM); Cerrillos (22°19'S, 65°49'W; 3600 m), 31 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (34♂, 40♀; CNC, USNM); Cienagas (2 km SW; road to Pirquitas; 22°41'S, 66°31'W), 3 Nov 1968, L. E. Peña (1♀; CNC); Cienaguillas (22°05'S, 65°53'W; 3650 m), 28 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (16♂, 13♀; CNC); La Quiaca (22°06'S, 65°37'W; 3500 m), 23 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (1♂, 2♀; CNC); Lecho (32 km E La Quiaca; 22°13'S, 65°27'W), 4 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (11♂, 19♀; CNC, USNM); Río Cincel, S. L. Pozuelos (22°22'S, 66°01'W; 3800 m), 3 Nov 1968, L. E. Peña (1♀; CNC); Río Seco (5 km S Santa Catalina; 22°06'S, 66°18'W; 3500 m), 25 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (6♂, 5♀; CNC); Santa Catalina (22°05'S, 66°18'W; 3700 m), 25 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (1♂, 1♀; CNC); Suripugio (22°10'S, 65°22'W), Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (4♂; CNC); Tilcara (12 km S; 22°35'S, 65°22'W; 2000 m), 23 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (8♂, 5♀; CNC); Yavi (2 km W; 22°08'S, 65°28'W; 3400 m), 31 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (1♂, 2♀; CNC); Yavi Chico (22 km E La Quiaca; 22°06'S, 65°28'W; 3500 m), 24 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (9♂, 19♀; CNC). Tucumán: San Miguel de Tucumán (30 km N; 26°50'S, 65°13'W; 700 m), 15 Oct 1968, L. E. Peña (1♀; CNC).

BOLIVIA. Cochabamba: Colomi (5 km E; 17°17.9'S, 65°52.2'W; 3370 m), 24 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (2♂; USNM); Japo (18 km W; 17°35'S, 66°56.2'W; 4060 m), 23 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (6♂, 1♀; USNM); Lequepalca (1 km E; 17°37.7'S, 66°57'W; 3970 m), 26 Mar 2001, A. Freidberg, W. N. Mathis (14♂, 3♀; USNM); Lequepalca (2 km W; 17°37.7'S, 66°57'W; 3970 m), 23 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (17♂, 5♀; USNM); Sacaba (20 km E; 17°25.1'S, 65°53.9'W; 3450 m), 24 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (1♂, 1♀; USNM). La Paz: El Alto (14 km S; 16°40.1'S, 68°11'W; 3900 m), 20 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM); El Alto (23 km S; 16°42.7'S, 68°11.2'W; 3860 m), 21 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (1♀; USNM); Guaqui (Lake Titicaca; 16°35.6'S, 68°51.2'W; 3840 m), 28 Mar 2001, A. Freidberg, S. D. Gaimari, W. N. Mathis (17♂, 4♀; USNM); Guaqui (Lake Titicaca; 16°35.6'S, 68°53.5'W), 19 Apr 2001, A. L. Norrbom (2♀; USNM); Patacamaya (17 km NE; 17°09.5'S, 67°56.7'W; 3800 m), 21 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (3♀; USNM); Tiahuanaco Ruins (16°33.7'S, 68°40.7'W; 3870 m), 28 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (4♂, 5♀; USNM). Oruro: Pazña (S of town; 18°36.2'S, 66°54.7'W; 3750 m), 22 Mar 2001, W. N. Mathis (17♂, 8♀; USNM).

PERU. Puno: Pusi (15°26'S, 69°56'W), 18 Oct 1965, J. C. Hitchcock (2♂, 1♀; USNM).

Type locality. Peru. Cuzco: Quispicanchi, Huarcapay (13°38'S, 71°40'W; 2900 m).

Distribution (Map 17). Neotropical: Argentina (Jujuy), Bolivia (Cochabama, La Paz, Oruro), and Peru (Cuzco, Puno), between 13°–26°S and 65°–71°W.

MAP 17. Distribution map for Neoephydra inca sp. nov.

Etymology. The specific epithet, inca , is taken from the general name of the Native Americans who frequent the area where this species is found and is a noun in apposition to the generic name.

Figures

FIGURES 79 – 81. Structures of male terminalia of Neoephydra inca sp. nov. (79) epandrium, cerci, surstyli, posterior view; (80) same, lateral view; (81) surstylus, lateral view.