Ommatius kuntur, Sánchez & Camargo, 2023

Sánchez, Pável & Camargo, Alexssandro, 2023, The ampliatus species group of Ommatius Wiedemann, 1821 (Diptera, Asilidae, Ommatiinae) in Peru with the description of four new species, Zootaxa 5352 (4), pp. 501-520 : 505-508

Ommatius kuntur sp. nov.

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( Figs 16–30, 66)

Diagnosis. Hind femur black, except narrow base, reddish ventrally ( Fig. 16); epandrium with two apical processes, one dorsal, L-shaped, pointed apically and abruptly curved upwards, the other sub-dorsal, long and narrow, rod-like, as long as base of epandrium and also abruptly curved upwards ( Fig. 17); subepandrial sclerite with ventral process truncate apically (rounded in lateral view and rectangular in ventral view) ( Fig. 22). Female with sternite 8 mostly black setose ( Fig. 28), well produced medially, medioapical margin as long as one third the length of the sternite, and as wide as one third its width ( Fig. 29).

Description of male holotype. Length: body, 12.5 mm; wing, 10 mm.

Head ( Fig. 16). Antenna black, black setose; two black ocellar setae; face, frons and vertex black, the first golden pruinose, about a seventh width of head, the latter with sparse brownish yellow pruinosity; mystacal macrosetae black above and yellowish bellow; palpus black, mixed yellow and brown setose; proboscis black, white setose ventrally, labial setae yellowish; occiput black, gray pruinose with white setae, upper half of margin of eye with 8–10 postocular black macrosetae, uppermost proclinate. Thorax ( Fig. 16). Black; antepronotum and scutum brown pruinose, except for yellow sparse pruinosity on corners of the latter, and around notopleural suture; postpronotum, scutellum, pleura silver pruinose, except on upper side of anepisternum, brown pruinose. Chaetotaxy: pronotum white setose, with two pairs of yellowish macrosetae on antepronotum; postpronotal lobe pale yellow setose; scutum with black macrosetae, 2 notopleural, 1 supra-alar, 1 postalar and 4 postsutural dorsocentral; scutellar disc with few yellow setae, 2 apical scutellar black macrosetae; 1 yellow anepimeral macroseta; anatergal setae absent; katatergal macrosetae yellow; posterior meron + metanepisternum yellow setose. Wing ( Fig. 18). Brownish, apical half darkened by microtrichia; veins dark brown, without costal dilation; crossvein r-m at middle of discal cell; R 4+5 bifurcation slightly posterior to level of apex of discal cell; microtrichia on posterior margin of wing arranged in single row; halter yellow. Legs ( Fig. 16). Coxae silver pruinose; fore and mid femora yellow ventrally, dark brown dorsally, hind femur black, except narrow base, reddish ventrally; tibiae yellow, apex of mid and hind tibia brown, almost apical half in the latter; tarsomeres dark brown, except first ones of fore and mid tarsi, yellow with dark apex ( Fig. 16). Chaetotaxy: Fore femur black setose, long yellow setae ventrally, 1 anterodorsal short black macroseta on basal third; mid femur black setose, long yellow setae ventrally, black macrosetae, 2 anterior, 2 anteroventral, 1 anterodorsal, and 1 posterodorsal, subapical; hind femur mostly yellow setose, macrosetae mostly yellowish, two anterior, 6–7 anteroventral, 7–8 posteroventral, 2–3 apical ones black, 1 anterodorsal, also black, subapical; fore tibia with 2 long posteroventral yellow macrosetae; mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal and 2 anteroventral black macrosetae, 2 posteroventral, 1 yellow, 1 black; hind tibia with 4 black macrosetae dorsally and 1 apical spur-like macroseta; tarsi with black setae, except for one yellow seta on first tarsomere of fore leg. Abdomen ( Fig. 16). Black, yellowish setose, except on tergites 5 to 8, mostly black setose; lateral marginal macrosetae on tergite 1 yellow. Terminalia ( Figs 17, 19–20). Black (except narrow apex of epandrium, apex of gonocoxite and gonostylus, reddish brown), mostly yellow setose, except some black setae on epandrium; epandrium with two apical processes, one dorsal, prominent, L-shaped, pointed apically and abruptly curved upwards, another sub-dorsal, rod-like, long and narrow, as long as base of epandrium and also curved upwards ( Fig. 17); subepandrial sclerite with ventral process with truncate apex, rounded in lateral view and rectangular in ventral view ( Fig. 22); gonostylus long and narrow, pointed apically ( Figs 24–25); gonocoxite less sclerotized apically and posteriorly, in area of insertion of the gonostylus, gonocoxal apodeme virtually absent ( Figs 24–25); ejaculatory apodeme slightly wide in lateral view, as long as phallus ( Fig. 23); hypandrium dome-like in ventral view, posterior apex projected, thin and rounded ( Figs 17, 20).

Female ( Figs 26–30). Similar to male, except for: palpus mainly brown to black setose, yellow setae also present; anepimeral macroseta black; 3 postsutural dorsocentral macrosetae; crossvein r-m posterior to middle of discal cell; hind tibia without apical spur-like macroseta; tarsi with black setae ( Fig. 26); tergite 8 shiny black, tergite 9+10 short dorsally ( Fig. 27); sternite 8 mainly black setose, with row of 4–5 stout black macrosetae obliquely arranged from proximal two-thirds towards its apical corner (one yellow mixed), well produced medially, medioapical margin as long as third the length of tergite, and as wide as a third its width ( Figs 28–29); arms of genital fork thin, furcal apodeme short, plate-like; three spherical spermathecae ( Fig. 30).

Etymology. A masculine noun in apposition, from the Quechua language, meaning condor, sacred animal that in the Andean cosmovision symbolizes the world above or the world of the gods (the hanan pacha).

Variation. A female paratype from Ayacucho presents hind femur apically with two anteroventral macrosetae black, in addition the abdomen is mostly black setose dorsally.

Holotype condition. Right foreleg missing.

Taxonomic discussion. Ommatius kuntur sp. nov. can be separated from other species in the ampliatus group by the diagnosis given above. Additionally, other useful characters to separate this species are palpus partially to predominantly brown setose; fore and mid femora at least yellow on basal third to half posteriorly ( Fig. 16); hind femur mostly dark reddish brown to black ( Fig. 16); and unusually thick gonocoxal macroseta absent ( Figs 24–25).

The most similar species is O. quadratus ( Figs 58–65). However, through a comparison of the original description, drawings, and images of the holotype, some slight differences are noted. O. quadratus has a dark reddish brown hind femur with the extreme base yellow ( Fig. 62), while Ommatius kuntur sp. nov., has a shiny black hind femur with only the extreme base ventrally with a small dark reddish spot ( Fig. 16). The hind tibia in O. quadratus is almost entirely yellow with apical third dark yellow; hind tarsus almost completely yellow with last four tarsomeres slightly dark brown towards apex ( Fig. 58). In Ommatius kuntur sp. nov. the apical half of the hind tibia and the hind tarsus are dark brown to almost completely black ( Fig. 16).

The main differences can be observed in the female terminalia. In O. quadratus , according to Scarbrough (2002), the cercus is apically strongly oblique; the internal apical margin of the hypoproct is rounded; the T 9+10 has its apical corner concave with a long spoon-shape depression ( Figs 64–65); the S8 has its medioapical margin produced and truncate with corners acutely angled, and sides parallel, slightly raised, joined with a deep notch laterally, notched surface slightly excavated with 1 stout macroseta ( Figs 64–65 [socket of macrosetae indicated by yellow arrows]).

In Ommatius kuntur sp. nov. the cercus is rounded apically; the hypoproct has a small notch at the apical margin, internally, and with a slight projection internally, subapically; the T 9+10 has rectangular corners and its apical corner is straight without long spoon-shaped depression; the S8 also possesses a medioapical margin produced and truncate with acute corners, and sides parallel, slightly raised ( Fig. 29). However, the parallel sides are joined to a shallow notch laterally and the notched surface is not excavated and does not possess a stout macroseta ( Fig. 29). In contrast, there is a row of 4–5 stout macrosetae obliquely arranged from the proximal two-thirds of the S8 surface to its apical corner ( Fig. 29). Such an array of macrosetae is absent in O. quadratus ( Figs 64–65).

Distribution. Peru, Departments of Ayacucho (Moyobamba) and Cuzco (Kosñipata Valley) ( Fig. 66). Both montane forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Known specimens were collected in April, July, August, October and December.

Type material. Holotype: PERU, CU Valle de Kosñipata , S. Pedro 1520 m 13°03’23”S, 71°32’55”W 24.x.2007 C. Castillo / HOLOTYPE ♁ Ommatius kuntur Sánchez & Camargo (MUSM) . Paratypes: Same data as holotype (1 ♁); same data as holotype, except date, 25.vii.2007 (1 ♀); PERU, CU Valle de Kosñipata, Rocotal 2052 m 13°06’48”S, 71°34’13”W 10.xii.2007 C. Castillo (1 ♀) / PARATYPE ♀ Ommatius kuntur Sánchez & Camargo (MUSM) ; PERU.AY. La Mar , Moyobamba 13°’05’14”S, 73°30’23.5”W, 1918 m. Malaise, “bosque” 27.iv.2022 M. Alvarado / PARATYPE ♀ Ommatius kuntur Sánchez & Camargo (MUSM) ; same data as previous one except date, 30.viii.2022 (3 ♁); PERU. AY. La Mar, Moyobamba 13°’04’47”S, 73°31’20”W, 1726 m. 29.viii.2022 M. Alvarado Trampa de luz “café sin sombra” (1 ♁, 1 ♀) .