Neogriphoneura pacata Mello & Silva

Mello, Ramon Luciano De & Silva, Vera Cristina, 2008, A taxonomic review of Neogriphoneura Malloch, 1924 (Diptera: Lauxaniidae), with description of three new species, Zootaxa 1806, pp. 35-46 : 41-43

Neogriphoneura pacata Mello & Silva , sp.n.

( Fig. 3 )

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from other congeners by the following combination of characters: frons with wide dark central spot that includes the ocellar triangle; ocellar seta microscopic; a large, dark spot in posterior apex of mesonotum that extends to scutellum; wing slightly clouded on crossvein r-m and darker on crossvein dm-cu.

Description. Male. Head ( Figs. 3A–B ). Ocellar triangle black, close to vertex. Frons yellow; rectangular, wider than long; middle anterior margin strongly concave in dorsal view; a wide dark spot running longitudinally from base of ocellar triangle through middle of frons to anterior margin. Face yellow, unspotted; slightly convex in the lower part. Parafacial whitish pruinose, wide, narrower in the lower part. Gena white. Eye oval, higher than wide, posteroventral outline concave. Antenna orange yellow: scape shorter than pedicel; first flagellomere two times longer than wide; arista long, plumose. Occiput yellow. Chaetotaxy: outer vertical seta reclinate, 1/3 length of inner vertical seta; ocellar seta microscopic; postocellar seta strong; anterior orbital seta inclinate, longer than posterior seta, posterior seta reclinate; 2 genal setae. Thorax ( Fig. 3D ). Mesonotum yellow to brownish, with a large brown spot in its apex extending to base of scutellum; in some specimens there is a pale, median, longitudinal brown stripe; pleurae orange yellow, turning paler towards ventral side; scutellum triangular, bare, flat. Chaetotaxy: dorsocentral setae arranged 0+3 (anterior most seta close to suture); 1 postpronotal seta; 2 notopleural setae; 1 prescutellar acrostichal seta; 6 rows of acrostichal hairs; intra-alar seta absent; 1 presutural and 1 postsutural supra-alar setae; 2 postalar setae; 1 katepisternal seta; 1 anepisternal seta; 1 short proepisternal seta; anepimeron with 2 hairs; 2 scutellar setae, apical pair parallel. Legs: yellow. Chaetotaxy: fore femur with posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of setae, 1 posterior row of setae; fore tibia with 1 apical dorsal seta; mid femur with anterior row of setae and 1 apical posterior seta; mid tibia with 1 preapical dorsal seta, 1 strong apical ventral seta; hind femur with 1 preapical dorsal seta; hind tibia with 1 preapical seta. Wing ( Fig. 3C ): brownish; unspotted, but crossveins slightly clouded and crossvein dm-cu darker; costa sapromyziform; R bare; crossvein r-m in the middle of discal cell; crossvein dm-cu in the middle of r4+5; longitudinal veins almost parallel; anal vein so long as length of cell cup. Halter yellowish brown. Abdomen. Yellowish brown, unspotted; in males segments 7 and 8 fused forming an incomplete ring ventrally. Male terminalia. Epandrium ( Figs. 3E–F ) horseshoe-shaped in dorsal view, and rounded apically in lateral view; membranous region between cercus and epandrium wide. Surstyli very long, free from epandrium. Hypandrium ( Figs. 3G–H ) as a complete ring around aedeagal base; with sub-lateral projection. Paramere absent. Aedeagus ( Figs. 3G–H ) well developed; with medial stylets in apical portion; aedeagal apodeme small. Cercus wide, papillate. Female. Terminalia ( Fig. 3I ). Segments 6 and 7 as incomplete arcs, segment 7 slightly smaller than segment 6; sternite 8 modified as a shield, strongly sclerotized, long. Hypoproct and epiproct small. Cercus long.

Etymology. The epithet of the species comes from the Latin word pacata (Latin) , meaning peace, to refer to the type locality (La Paz). To be treated as a noun in apposition.

Material examined. Holotype, male, BOLIVIA: La Paz, Mapiri, Arroyo Tuhiri, 508m, 15º17’26’’ S 68º15’46’’ W; S. D. Gaimari col., 10.iv.2004 ( USNM). Paratypes, BOLIVIA: as holotype, but 750m, 15º17,8’ S 68º 15,6 W, S. D. Gaimari col., 16.iii.2001, 1 female ( USNM); 19.iii.2001, 1 female ( USNM).

Comments. This species and N. bispoi are similar to N. striga and N. striatifrons , but they differ from them by having the larger spots on the frons. N. bispoi differs from N. pacata in lacking a spot on the mesonotum and base of scutellum. There is another new species from Costa Rica at the collection of UC Davis that has the large frontal spot as N. pacata , but the spot on the mesonotum extends more forwards and is paler, the wing has no spot, the body is reddish yellow, and the wing is brownish yellow with brown veins. There is only one damaged female of the undescribed Costa Rican species, so we preferred not to describe it until more specimens are available.

Figures

FIGURE 3. A – I. Neogriphoneura pacata sp. nov.. Fig. A, head, frontal view; Fig. B, head, lateral view; Fig. C, wing; Fig. D, thorax, dorsal view; Fig. E, epandrium, dorsal view; Fig. F, epandrium, lateral view; Fig. G, aedeagal complex, ventral view; Fig. H, aedeagal complex, lateral view; Fig. I, female terminalia, ventral view; Scales 0,1 mm, except C, 0,5 mm.