Elachiptera melinifrons Mlynarek and Wheeler

Mlynarek, Julia J. & Wheeler, Terry A., 2008, Revision of the Costa Rican species of Elachiptera (Diptera: Chloropidae), Zootaxa 1754, pp. 41-51 : 46

Elachiptera melinifrons Mlynarek and Wheeler , sp. n.

( Figs. 12–16 )

Description: Total length 2.0mm. Overall colour yellow; head yellow, frontal triangle shining, reaching anterior margin of frons; ocellar tubercle black, shining; frons microtomentose; 4 fronto-orbital setae well-developed, interfrontal setulae pale; occiput yellow with two vertical black stripes extending from cephalic foramen to vertex (occiput darker in one paratype); gena pale yellow, microtomentose, genal height 0.2 times eye height; face pale yellow, shining; scape and pedicel yellow, first flagellomere reniform, yellow, slightly darker dorsally, arista brown, broad and parallel-sided for most of its length, pubescence shorter than width of arista at base ( Fig. 12 ); palpus, proboscis and clypeus yellow.

Scutum yellow, microtomentose, slightly darker along ventral margin of notopleuron, pronotum black, scutal setulae short and sparse, scutum only slightly longer than wide; scutellum yellow, trapezoidal, 1.7 times wider than long, microtomentose, dorsally flat; apical scutellar bristles strong, on minute brown tubercles on dorsal margin of scutellum, lateral scutellar bristles stronger than adjacent setae ( Fig. 13 ). Legs yellow, hind tibia with small, pale, ventral, apical spur; femoral organ not visible in type specimens; tibial organ oval, occupying middle quarter of hind tibia. Wing hyaline, veins pale, darker distally, ratio of costal sectors C1: C2: C3: C4—1: 1.2: 0.8: 0.4; halter white.

Abdomen yellow, darker laterally and medially; syntergite 1+2 almost 1.5 times as long as tergite 3.

Male postabdomen ( Figs. 14–16 ): Epandrium higher than long in lateral view, wider than high in posterior view, with dense setae; surstylus long with slight widening and anterior bend at two-thirds of length to apex, surstylus with 4 strong anterior setae near base and sparse short setae elsewhere; cercus broad, with narrow ventral projection, cercus with sparse setae including strong ventral seta, cerci separated by broad semi-circular cleft; distiphallus sclerotized except at apex, tapering anteriorly.

Type material: Holotype ɗ: COSTA RICA, San Jose, July, H. Schmidt ( USNM). Paratypes: same data as holotype (1ɗ, 1Ψ, USNM).

Etymology: The species name is derived from the Latin melinus (honey-coloured) and frons, referring to the pale yellow head.

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 16. Elachiptera melinifrons. 12. antenna. 13. scutellum, dorsal. 14. male genitalia, posterior. 15. male genitalia, lateral. 16. male hypandrial complex, ventral. Scale bars = 0.2 mm (Fig. 12); 0.1 mm (Figs. 13, 14).