Leptocera papallacta Buck, 2009

Buck, Matthias & Marshall, Stephen A., 2009, Revision of New World Leptocera Olivier (Diptera, Sphaeroceridae), Zootaxa 2039 (1), pp. 1-139 : 54-57

Leptocera papallacta Buck , new species

( Figs. 94–101 )

Description. Body length 2.2–4.0 mm. A predominantly dark brown species with few paler areas: anterior part of frons, inner surface of pedicel and basomedial area of first flagellomere sometimes with reddish tone; palpus, knees, apices of tibiae, as well as mid and hind tarsi paler brown. Arista pubescence of medium length. Palpus slender. All bristles of dorsocentral row more or less enlarged (including those near anterior end of scutum). Mid tibia with bristle above distal dorsal longer on average than in related species, usually at least 0.75x as long as distal anterodorsal bristle, rarely just 0.6x as long. Basal half of mid tibia with lowermost bristle of posterodorsal series shorter than lowermost bristle of anterodorsal series. Posteroapical bristles of mid tibia short and of subequal length, sometimes three present.

Male terminalia ( Figs. 94–98 ): Sternite 5 lacking pale desclerotized area in front of field of enlarged microtrichia; hind margin with 4–6 long and robust scales of subequal length. Epandrium with numerous long bristles ventrally. Anterior section of surstylus with anterior process relatively blunt, ventral lobe fairly produced but with few and relatively short bristles. Surstylus with an unusually long, finger-like process arising from membranous region between anterior and posterior section (clearly homologous to short, toothlike process at base of posterior section of L. aequilimbata and other species; visible in lateral and in ventral view). Posterior section of surstylus nearly square in posterior view, with membranous medial portion (ventral margin sclerotized); apex with two strong bristles (lateral one shorter and with blunt tip), posterior surface with fewer long pale hairs than in related species. Cercus with finger-like medial process, its apex microtrichose.

Female terminalia ( Figs. 99–101 ): Tergite 7 long and strongly convex, anteriorly with a pair of strong, cruciate bristles, medial stripe in posterior 2/3 and hind margin shining, lacking tomentosity. Sternite 7 with thickened and narrowly shining hind margin (often difficult to appreciate in slightly teneral specimens). Fused tergite 10 + cerci short, with short hairs. Spermathecae elongate, with transversely ridged basal half and slightly dilated, bumpy distal half.

Type material. Holotype ♂ ( QCAZ) and 61 ♂♂, 41 ♀♀ paratypes ( DEBU, QCAZ): ECUADOR, Prov. Pichincha, Cotopaxi Natl. Pk., Quebrada Mishahuaicu, 3,600 m, 0°38'31"S, 78°29'57"W, 26.x–8.xi.1999, pans along stream, S.A. Marshall. Other paratypes: 2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, same but 25.x.1999, under streamside vegetation ( DEBU). ECUADOR. Prov. Azuay: 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Tarqui, Rd. to Santa Isabel, 2,200–2,800 m, 10–13.iii.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI); 7 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀, Tarqui, 2,800 m, various dates: 7–16.iii.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI); 6 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀, Cerro Tinajillas, 3,100 m, 18–21.iii.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 28 km S Cuenca , 2,500–2,800 m, 15.iii.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI). Prov. Pichincha: 1 ♂, 6 ♀♀, Papallacta, 10,500 ft, 29.i.1958, R.W. Hodges ( MSUC); 1 ♀, Quito, 2,750–2,900 m, vi.1986, N.L.H. Krauss ( USNM). Prov. Loja: 1 ♂, Malacatus, xii.1955, Levi-Castillo ( USNM). PERU. Dpto. Cusco: 1 ♂, Quispicamchis, Huambutio, 2,900 m, 1.ix.1988, A. Freidberg ( USNM).

Other material examined. ECUADOR. Prov. Cañar : 1 ♀, El Tambo, 2,800 m, 4–7.iii.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) . Prov. Carchi : 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, Páramo El Angel , 17.3 km NW El Angel, 3,400 m, 0°42'5"N, 78°0'0"W, 1–3.xi.1999, pan traps among Espeletia, S.A. Marshall (DEBU) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Páramo El Angel , 24 km NW El Angel, 3,800 m, 0°44'40"N, 78°2'2"W, 3.xi.1999, dung traps in moss, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, El Angel , 2,700 m, 23–25.vi.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, Bosque El Arrayán, 6 km E San Gabriel, 2,830 m, 0°32'33"N, 77°47'26"W, 4.xi.1999, ditch nr. forest, sweep, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) ; 1 ♂, Troya , 2,650 m, 10–12.vi.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Troya , 2,950 m, 11–13.vi.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, San Isidro, 2,500 m, 23.vi.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, San Gabriel , 3,000 m, 10.vi.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 3 ♀♀, Tulcán , 2,800 m, 27.vi.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, Guandera For. Res. , 15 km E San Gabriel, trail to station, 3,300 m, 0°35'11"N, 77°44'37"W, 1.xi.1999, sweeping, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) . Prov. Cotopaxi : 1 ♀, 40 km N Latacunga , 3,350 m, 17–25.vi.1985, páramo, carrion, S. & J. Peck ( DEBU) ; 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Salcedo , 2,650 m, 22.ii.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 1 ♂, Lasso , 5.xi.1954, H.R. Yust ( USNM) ; 1 ♂, 34 km W Pujili , 3,650 m, 15.i.1978, W.N. Mathis ( USNM) . Prov. Loja : 1 ♀, Loja, 2,500 m, 23–25.iii.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) . Prov. Napo : 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Baeza , 9.ii.1983, malaise trap, Sharkey & Masner ( DEBU) ; 1 ♀, 22 km W Baeza , 8,000 ft, 15.v.1975, P. Spangler ( USNM) ; 4 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, Quito-Baeza pass, 4,000 m, 1.iii.1979, elfin forest, dung trap, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) ; 1 ♂, 7 ♀♀, Quito-Baeza road, 4,000 m, 10–18.ii.1983, open páramo, pan traps, L. Masner ( DEBU) ;; 23 ♂♂, 22 ♀♀, above Papallacta , 4,000 m, ii.1983, páramo and elfin forest, Sharkey & Masner ( DEBU) ; 7 ♂♂, 34 ♀♀, Lago Papallacta , 3,400 m, 0°20'29"S, 78°10'23"W, lake shore, on mud, 5.xi.1999, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) ; 1 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, “ Puerto Misahuallí , 350 m ” [apparently mislabelled], 18–22.ii.1983, M.J. Sharkey ( DEBU) . Prov. Pichincha : 1 ♀, same but 2,500 –3,000 m ( USNM) ; 2 ♂♂, 41 km E Quito , 15.v.1954, Spangler & Langley ( USNM) ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, 6 km W Quito-Baeza pass, 4–8.xi.1999, pans/dung, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) ; 4 ♂♂, 10 km NW Quito, Valley nr. Hostería San Jorge, 3,000 and 3,050 m, 0°7'28"S, 78°31'31"W, 23.x.1999, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) ; 1 ♂, 15 km NW Nono, road to Mindo , 2,000 m, 0°1'58"S, 78°39'19"E, 24.x.1999, roadside sweep, cow dung, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) ; 1 ♂, Pomasqui , 2,200 m, 6.vi.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 1 ♀, 2 km W Cayambe , 2,300 m, 7.vi.1965, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Cotopaxi Natl. Pk., Lago Limpiopungo , 3,800 m, 0°36'10"S, 78°28'35"W, 25.x.1999, edge lake, nr. cow dung, S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) ; 1 ♂, 34.5 km E Tandapi , 2,835 m, 24–29.vi.1975, bamboo shrub, dung trap, S. Peck ( DEBU) . PERU. Dpto. Cusco : 2 ♀♀, Cusco, 3,200 m, 20–21.xi.1962, L.E. Peña ( CNCI) ; 1 ♀, 5 km N Paucartambo, trib. Río Paucartambo , 2,860 m, 13°15'S, 71°37'W, 28.viii.1989, J.K. Gelhaus ( ANSP) . Dpto. Junín : 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Pachacayo , 27.v.1934, Bishopp No. 22869 ( USNM) .

Etymology. The species name is a noun in apposition and refers to Papallacta in Napo Province, Ecuador, the first productive collecting locality for this species known to us.

Distribution. Andes of Ecuador and Peru at altitudes of 2,200 –4,000 m.

Discussion. Leptocera papallacta sp.n. is the only species in the L. caenosa group with a long process arising from the base of the posterior section of surstylus (other species have a short, tooth-like process at most). Externally, the species most closely resembles the allopatric L. neocurvinervis from Chile and Argentina, but the latter lacks the finger-like process of the male cercus, has more but weaker scales on male sternite 5, and spermathecae with weakly striate surface sculpture. Furthermore, in L. papallacta sp.n. the bristle above the distal dorsal mid tibial bristle is usually longer than in other species (usually ≥0.75x as long as distal anterodorsal; in other species at most 0.6x as long).

Figures

FIGURES 94–101. Leptocera papallacta sp.n. (Ecuador). Male terminalia (phallus and postgonites omitted): (94) lateral; (95) left cercus; (96) posterior; (97) ventral; (98) sternite 5. Female terminalia: (99) dorsal; (100) spermathecae; (101) ventral. cp—finger-like process of cercus, proc—process at base of posterior section of surstylus, sa—shining area of tergite 7.