Asymphyloptera miraflorensis, Ramos-Pastrana & Córdoba-Suarez & Sinclair, 2023

Ramos-Pastrana, Yardany, Córdoba-Suarez, Eric & Sinclair, Bradley J., 2023, Two new species of Asymphyloptera Collin (Diptera: Empididae: Clinocerinae) from Colombia, with an updated key to males of New World species, Zootaxa 5374 (3), pp. 437-444 : 438-440

Asymphyloptera miraflorensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1–7 , 15–16 )

Diagnosis. Postpedicel trapezoidal with a few shorter, yellow scattered setae, apical setae longer; ocellar setae slender, about ½ length of postpedicel; pleura brown on anterior half, light brown on posterior half; 3 dorsocentral setae, middle dorsocentral setae offset; crossvein h weakly defined; phallus strongly arched posteriorly, apex tapered to narrow point, with an expanded surrounding membrane.

Description. MALE (holotype). Head ( Fig. 1 ). Brown pruinose. Postpedicel trapezoidal with a few shorter yellow scattered setae, apical setae longer; slender apical extension arising subapically ( Fig. 2 ). Ocellar setae slender, about ½ length of postpedicel. Labrum slightly shorter than clypeus; palpus brown, subequal in length to labrum, tapered to slender apex ( Fig. 1 ).

Pleura brown in anterior half, light brown in posterior half ( Fig. 1 ). Chaetotaxy stout; 1 short, slender postpronotal seta; 2 stout notopleural setae, lower seta slightly shorter; 3 dorsocentral setae, middle dorsocentral seta offset; 2 apical scutellar setae, subequal in length to dorsocentral setae, lacking lateral scutellar setae ( Fig. 3 ). Legs ( Fig. 1 ). Coxae and trochanters yellowish; femora dark brown, except ventrally yellowish; fore femur slightly wider than middle and hind, with two rows of slender setae ventrally; mid and hind femora slender, about 0.5× thickness of fore femur, with two rows of short, yellowish setae dorsally, one anterior and one posterior; tibiae brown with row of short setae, in fore tibia ventral most strong; hind tibia with apical comb. Wing length 1.4 mm ( Fig. 4 ); crossvein h weakly defined; base of wing with slender setulae along posterior margin. Halter brown.

Male terminalia ( Figs 5–6 ). Cercus with anterior lobe not produced and narrow posterior lobe. Hypandrium prolonged as broad, paired postgonites; apical margin of postgonite acute, not extended anteriorly. Epandrium narrow medially, with upper margin flattened and long setae apically. Surstylus shorter than cercus, arched, tapered to pointed apex, not extending beyond phallus. Phallus strongly arched posteriorly, apex tapered to narrow point, with surrounding expanded and flattened membrane. Ejaculatory apodeme narrow, not expanded.

FEMALE. Similar to male. Terminalia not dissected ( Fig. 7 ).

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♁: COLOMBIA, Huila, Garzón, Vda.[Vereda] Las Mercedes, Parque Natural Regional Cerro Páramo Miraflores, 02º08′06″N / 75º30′04″W, 2074 m [eters], 24. Nov [XI]–8. Dic [XII].2022, Y. Ramos-Pastrana Leg. (1 ♁ LEUA-59591) (photographed specimen) / Captura con trampa Malaise en bh-MB [Bosque húmedo montano bajo] (Vegetación secundaria) . PARATYPES: same data as Holotype (1 ♁ LEUA-59592); (1 ♁ LEUA-59593); (1 ♁ LEUA-59594); (1 ♀ LEUA-59595) (photographed specimen) ; idem (1 ♀ LEUA-59596) ; idem (1 ♀ LEUA-59597); (1 ♀ LEUA-59598); (1 ♀ LEUA-59599); (1 ♀ LEUA-59600); (1 ♀ LEUA-59601); (1 ♀ LEUA-59602); (1 ♀ LEUA-59603); (1 ♀ LEUA-59604); (1 ♀ LEUA-59605); (1 ♀ LEUA-59606); (1 ♀ LEUA-59607); (1 ♀ LEUA-59608) .

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Parque Natural Regional Cerro Páramo de Miraflores.

Geographical distribution. Colombia (Huila, Garzón) ( Fig. 15 ).

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. 16 ).

Taxonomic notes. Asymphyloptera miraflorensis sp. nov. runs to A. lutea in couplet 6 of the key presented by Sinclair (2015). It differs from A. lutea by having the cercus with anterior lobe not produced, posterior lobe narrow ( Figs 5–6 ) [versus cercus with anterior lobe slightly produced, posterior lobe long and slender in A. lutea ( Sinclair 2015, fig. 15)]; phallus with apex forward-directed ( Figs 5–6 ) [versus phallus with apex ventrally-directed ( Sinclair 2015, fig. 15)].

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Asymphyloptera miraflorensis Ramos-Pastrana, Córdoba-Suarez & Sinclair sp. nov. (LEUA–59591). Male. 1, Habitus, left lateral view; 2, Antenna; 3, Thorax, dorsal view; 4, Wing; 5, Terminalia, lateral view; 6, Terminalia illustration, lateral view; 7, Female, habitus, left lateral view (LEUA–59595).

FIGURES 15–16. 15, Geographical distribution for all species of Asymphyloptera of the New World; 16, Malaise trap stretched across small stream in habitat of Asymphyloptera miraflorensis Ramos-Pastrana, Córdoba-Suarez & Sinclair sp. nov. and A. tama Ramos-Pastrana, Córdoba-Suarez & Sinclair sp. nov.