Apotropina similis, Ramos-Pastrana & Córdoba-Suarez & Riccardi, 2024

Ramos-Pastrana, Yardany, Córdoba-Suarez, Eric & Riccardi, Paula Raile, 2024, Three new species of Apotropina Hendel, 1907 (Diptera: Chloropidae) of the Colombian Andean-Amazon cloud forest, Zootaxa 5512 (3), pp. 435-444 : 440-442

Apotropina similis sp. nov.

( Figs 17–26 )

Diagnosis. Postpedicel rounded, dark brown on upper ¾, yellow on lower ¼ in external surface ( Fig. 17 ); fore coxa dark brown ( Fig. 17 ); all trochanters and anterior apex of tibiae yellowish brown ( Fig. 17 ), tibial organ narrow, dark gray, ~ 3.3× shorter than hind tibial length ( Fig. 17 ); hind tibial spur straight and shorter than tibial width; surstylus narrowed in profile ( Fig. 21 ); cercus at least 1.5× wider than long, with straight setae, one seta as long as the surstylus ( Figs 23–24 ).

Description. MALE (holotype). Body length 3.1 mm. Wing length 3.3 mm. Body dark brown with ochre pruinosity. Head ( Figs 17–18 ). Wider than long dorsally and longer than high in profile. Ocellar seta as long as inner and outer vertical setae. Postocellar seta cruciate, ~ equal in length to ocellar seta. Three strong fronto-orbital setae, the anterior seta ~ ½ the length of posterior setae, the two posterior setae ~ each equal in length to the ocellar seta; anterior fronto-orbital proclinate, posterior two fronto-orbitals lateroclinate. Inner vertical seta proclinate, outer vertical seta lateroclinate. Frons dark brown basally, yellowish on apical ¼, slightly wider than long, lateral margins diverging posteriorly to vertex, apical margin sinuous. Ocellar triangle extending to ~ ⅔ length of frons, posterior margin nearly as wide as frons, lateral margins straight, apex acute; macula blackish. Eye oval, long axis slightly oblique. Face pale yellow, about as high as wide; postpedicel rounded, dark brown on upper ¾, yellow on lower ¼ in external surface; arista black, with short, sparse pubescence, as long as ½ frons; genal height equal to height of postpedicel, with whitish pruinosity: one vibrissa; occiput and postgena dark brown; proboscis brown; palpus yellow with yellow setulae; clypeus darkened. Thorax ( Figs 17, 19 ). Scutum ~ 1.2× longer than wide, pruinose; postpronotal lobe concolorous with scutum, with two long setae equal in length to notopleural setae; 1+1 notopleural setae; 5 strong dorsocentral setae, prescutellar dorsocentral seta ~ 2× longer than remaining dorsocentral setae; pleuron with gray brown pruinosity; katepisternun with pale setulae. Scutellum concolorous with scutum, with black pilosity, apical scutellar seta ~ 3× longer than subapical scutellar seta. Halter stem brown, knob brownish yellow. Wing ( Fig. 20 ). Hyaline; costal ratios measured from h: R 1: R 2+3: R 4+5 is 4: 5.4: 3.5: 1.9; veins R 4+5 and M 1 subparallel; distance between r-m and dm-m 4× length of r-m. Legs ( Figs 17 ). Dark brown; fore coxa dark brown; all trochanters and anterior apex of tibiae yellowish brown, tibial organ narrow, dark gray, ~ 3.3× shorter than hind tibial length ( Fig. 17 ); hind tibial spur straight and slightly shorter than width of tibia. Abdomen ( Fig. 17 ). Tergites brown to dark brown. Terminalia ( Figs 21–24 ). Postabdominal sclerites asymmetric; syntegosternite 7+8 about as long as hypandrium; sternite 6 curved, wider mesally; sternite 5 curved, wider medially, tapering to extremes, ~ 4.5× longer than wide. Epandrium brown, fusiform in profile, with brown pilosity, without laterobasal projection; subepandrial sclerite V-shaped, base narrower than cerci; surstylus with apical half yellow with short yellow setae, base slightly narrower than epandrial height laterally, apex acute; cercus at least 1.5× wider than long, with straight setae, one seta as long as the surstylus; cerci fused basally; anal lobe indistinct. Hypandrium with arms closed; basiphallus triangular; ~ ⅓ shorter than distiphallus; distiphallus sclerotized dorsally; pre- and postgonite equal in length; sperm pump indistinct.

FEMALE. Unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, deposited in LEUA: COLOMBIA, Caquetá, Florencia , Vda.[Vereda] Sucre, 01º52′12″N / 75º40′09″W, 2292 m [eters], 26–28.Sep [IX].2023, Y. Ramos-Pastrana Leg. / Captura con trampa Malaise colocada a nivel de un sistema lótico (al aire) / ( LEUA-67423 ) . PARATYPES: same data as holotype (16 ♂ LEUA-67424–67439 ) .

Etymology. Latin similis , meaning like, resembling; referring to the external morphological similarity with A. ruidosa sp. nov. and A. longicerci sp. nov.

Geographical occurrence. Colombia (Caquetá, Florencia) ( Fig. 25 ).

Habitat. The specimens were collected in a Malaise trap placed over a creek in the Low Montane Rainforest with dense secondary vegetation in the Andean-Amazonian transition corridor of Colombia ( CAM 2018) ( Fig. 26 ).

Figures

FIGURES 17–24. Apotropina similis Ramos-Pastrana, Córdoba-Suarez & Riccardi sp. nov. (LEUA-67423). Male. 17, Habitus, left lateral view, black box shows the detail of the tibial organ in the hind tibia; 18, Head, frontal view; 19, Thorax, dorsal view; 20, Wing; 21, Terminalia, lateral view; 22, Terminalia, posterior view; 23, Terminalia, ventral view; 24, Terminalia illustration, ventral view.

FIGURES 25–26. 25, Geographical occurrence for all species of Apotropina of the Colombia; 26, Malaise trap stretched across small stream in habitat of Apotropina longicerci Ramos-Pastrana, Córdoba-Suarez & Riccardi sp. nov., A. ruidosa Ramos- Pastrana, Córdoba-Suarez & Riccardi sp. nov. and A. similis Ramos-Pastrana, Córdoba-Suarez & Riccardi sp. nov.