Ptecticus benecki, Torres-Toro & Pujol-Luz & Wolff, 2022

Torres-Toro, Juliana, Pujol-Luz, José Roberto & Wolff, Marta, 2022, Two new species of Ptecticus Loew, 1855 (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), from bat guano in a Colombian cave, Zootaxa 5116 (1), pp. 61-88 : 67-73

Ptecticus benecki sp. nov.

Figs. 14, 16 , 18 , 20–21 , 24 , 26 , 28–29 , 32–34 , 38–39 , 42, 44, 46 , 48–49 , 55–57 , 58–61 , 66, 68, 70 , 72 .

Diagnosis. Yellow species, except mesonotum and pleura light brown ( Fig. 24 ). Antenna yellow in male and female, ( Figs. 14, 16 ). R 2+3 originating at a distance approximately the longitude of r-m ( Figs. 28, 29 ). Abdomen with segments 1–3 yellow with a basal brown band and 4–7 dark brown ( Figs. 38, 39 ). Terminalia yellow with cerci dark brown ( Figs. 39 , 48 ).

Material examinated. HOLOTYPE: ♂, body length 10.0 mm, wing 10.0 mm. Colombia, Antioquia, San Vicente Ferrer, Vda. Chaparral , Finca La Mosca , organal. 6.266579, -74.360599, 2150m, Guano Carollia perspicillata 03.iii.2019. C. Bota; J. Torres Toro; M. Wolff. Manual. Emergence adults 12.iv.2019. CEUA-88649 (imago + puparium) . PARATYPES: 52 males: body length 8.5–11.5mm, wing 8.0–10.0 mm; 57 females: body length 7.0–11.5 mm, wing 6.5–11.0 mm; puparia: length 9.0–12.0mm. Same locality. Catalogue numbers: CEUA-62578 (♀), 62579 (♀), 88662 (♀), 88664 (2♂, 2♀), 88665 (5♂, 4♀), 88666 (3♂, 2♀), 88667 (3♂, 3♀), 88668 (1♂, 1♀), 88669 (1♂, 2♀), 88670 (2♂), 88671 (♀ dissected), 118122 (3♂, 2♀), 118131 (♂), 118132 (♀ dissected), 118133 (♀), 118134 (♀ dissected), 118135 (♂), 118136 (♀), 118137 (♀), 118138 (♀), 118139 (♂), 118140 (♂), 118141 (♂), 118142 (2♂, 1♀), 118143 (♀), 118144 (1♂, 3♀), 118145 (2♂), 118147 (♂), 118148 (3♀), 118149 (♂), 118152 (♂), 118153 (♀), 118154 (♀), 118155 (♀), 118156 (♀), 118157 (♂), 118158 (♀), 118159 (♀), 118160 (♂), 118161 (1♂, 2♀), 118162 (♂), 118163 (♂), 118164 (2♂, 1♀), 118165 (♀), 118166 (♂), 118167 (1♂, 1♀), 118168 (♀) 118169 (♂), 118170 (♂), 118171 (2♀), 118172 (♂), 118173 (3♀), 118174 (♂), 118175 (1♂, 1♀), 118176 (♂), 118177 (1♂, 1♀), 118178 (♂), 118179 (♂), 118180 (1♂, 2♀), 118186 (♀), 118192 (♀).

Description. Male. Body length 10.0 mm, wing 10.0 mm. Head ( Fig. 14 , 18 ) almost globular, hairs yellow, only a black tuft behind ocellar tubercle mainly erect, longest hairs slightly longer than length of scape. Frontal callus yellow whitish, markedly prominent, oval, wider than long, almost as long as scape in profile, drop-shaped in frontal view. Frons tapered towards frontal callus, very narrow immediately above it, yellowish white. Ocellar tubercle blackish. Vertex yellowish ( Fig. 18 ). Occiput black. Antenna yellowish, scape slightly longer than broad at distal margin, pedicel with usual subtriangular projection on inner surface not sharpened, flagellar complex round ( Figs. 20, 21 ), subapical arista like terminal flagellomere brownish. Face yellowish white, proboscis yellowish brown. Thorax ( Figs. 24 , 26 ) light brown, sometimes appearing grayish, hairs conspicuous golden and black, scutum hairs generally shorter than frontal hairs; propleuron yellow, with golden hairs; notopleuron yellowish with golden hairs; katatergite yellowish-white with golden hairs; mediotergite yellow with golden hairs; anepisternum yellowish-white extensively bare; katepisternum yellowish-white with golden hairs; anepimeron yellow with golden hairs; laterotergite yellowish-white with a small dark and sclerotized tubercle; scutellum grayish-brown triangular. Wings ( Fig. 28 ) hyaline, shining with the incidence of light, with bare spaces in alula cup and medial cells, pterostigma yellow. Cell r 2+3 low and long, almost 6 times longer than tall, vein R 2+3 arising after and almost at 3/4 of r-m length, almost parallel to R 1, longer than R 4. Crossvein r-m straight, longer than distal margin of discal cell, discal cell with upper posterior margin almost straight, Vein M 3 slightly parallel to M 2 with apical fourth reduced. Wing fold in cup cell pigmented. Halter stem yellowish basally to brown apically, halter knob yellowish brown. Posttegula with a bunch of golden hairs. Legs ( Figs. 32–34 ). Anterior legs hairs mostly yellow. Anterior femur, tibia and basitarsus yellow, second to fifth tarsi dark brown. Mid and hind legs hairs mostly yellow. Mid and hind femur, tibia, and basitarsus yellow, second tarsus mostly yellow, third to fifth brown, darker in hind last two tarsi. Abdomen ( Figs. 38, 39 ) petiolated, yellowish, Tergites 1 to 3 yellow with transverse yellowish brown bands mainly on the basal half, wider along lateral margin of tergites 1 and 2, the remain visible tergites completely shine brown, the venter yellow in segments 1, 2 and apical half of 3, otherwise brown, Terminalia ( Fig. 42, 44, 46 ) yellowish brown. Epandrium arched, slightly longer than wide, proctiger triangular, cerci yellowish brown inserted in the middle of proctiger. Genital capsule rounded, gonostylus as figure 48, posterior sclerotized portion of phallus hook-like as figure 49.

Female. Body length 7.0–11.5 mm, wing 6.5–11.0 mm (fig. 29). Differs from male as follows: Upper frons almost parallel, yellow with two narrow lateral triangular dark bands ending before ocellar triangle ( Fig. 16 ). Terminalia ( Fig. 55 ), genital fork with the apex of anterior margin triangular subacute (figs. 56, 57).

Puparium. ( Figs. 58–61 , 66, 68, 70 , 72 ). Length Holotype: 10.5 mm; Paratypes: 9.0–12.0mm, including head. Head subtriangular, as long as one tenth of entire puparium, longer than wide. Labrum subrectangular rounded at apex. Antenna short, black, rising dorsolateral in anterior part of head at the middle height of labrum. Eyes prominent, arising in middle of head capsule, lateral setae. Molar area (mo) scarcely visible, ventrocraneal sulcus slightly evident. Chaetotaxy: 2 pairs of labral setae (Lb), 2 pairs of clypeofrontal setae (Cf), 2 pairs of dorsolateral setae (Dl), 1 pair of lateral setae (L), 2 pairs of ventrolateral setae (Vl), usually with 3 pairs of ventral setae (V), (V 3) could be absent or difficult to see and 1 pair of ventroapical (Va) setae in the labral-molar area. Thorax. Prothorax subrectangular, with anterior spiracles prominent; mesothorax rectangular with curved side edges; metathorax rectangular with curved side edges. Chaetotaxy: Prothorax with 2 pairs of anterodorsal setae (Ad), 2 pairs of dorsal setae (D), 1 pair of dorsolateral (Dl), 1 pair of ventrolateral (Vl), and 2 pairs of ventral setae (V), one simple (V 1) and one tripartite (V 2). Mesothorax with 3 pairs of anterodorsal setae (Ad), 1 pair of dorsolateral (Dl), 1 pair of ventroleteral setae (Vl), and 2 pairs of ventral setae (V), one simple (V 1) and one tripartite (V 2). Metathorax with 3 pairs of dorsal setae (D), 1 pair of lateral setae (L), 1 pair of ventrolateral setae (Vl), and 2 pairs of ventral setae (V), one simple (V 1) and one bipartite (V 2). Abdomen. Chaetotaxy in segments 1 st to 7 th 3: pairs of dorsal setae (D), 1st segment with 2 pairs of dorsolateral setae (Dl), remain segments with 1 pair of dorsolateral setae (Dl), 1 pair of lateral setae (L) only in segments 6 th and 7 th, 1 pair of ventrolateral setae (Vl) and 3 pairs of ventral setae (V). Segments 2 nd to 5th with tiny lateral spiracular horn in the middle. Segments 1 to 5 present an elevated wart at each side located at the level of the dorsolateral seta (D1), with a diameter usually bigger than the structural units forming the surrounding of cubital vein + posterior branch of cubital vein; CuP=posterior branch of cubital vein; cup=posterior cubital cell; d=discal cell; h=humeral crossvein; M=medial vein, or media; M 1 =first branch of media; m 1 =first medial cell; M 1+2 =fused first and second branch of media; M 2 =second branch of media; m 2 =second medial cell; M 3 =third branch of media; m 3 =third medial cell; M 3+4 =fused third and fourth branch of media; M 4 =fourth branch of media; m 4 =fourth medial cell; m–cu=medial–cubital crossvein; m–m=medial crossvein; R 1 =anterior branch of radius; r 1 =first radial cell; R 2+3 =second branch of radius; r 2+3 =second + third radial cell; r 4 =fourth radial cell; R 4 =upper branch of third branch of radius; r 5 =fifth radial cell; R 5 =lower branch of third branch of radius; r–m=radial–medial crossvein; Rs=radial sector; sc=subcostal cell; Sc=subcostal vein. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

cuticle ( Fig. 72 ) in dorsal view. Segment 6 th with linear external patch. Segment 8 th semicircular in shape, exhibits posterior spiracle (Ps) dorsally just before apex with anal slit (asl) much shorter than segment 8 th, surrounded by two perianal grooves; chaetotaxy: 1 pair of dorsal setae (D), 1 pair of lateral setae (L), 4 pairs of ventral setae (V), 1 pair of subapical setae (Sa), and 2 pairs of apical setae (Ap).

Etymology: The epithet of this species is named after Dr. Mark Benecke, amazing forensic scientist and friend.

Comments. Ptecticus benecki appears to be a species close to the Mexican species Ptecticus comstocki , based on couplet 30, page 24 of James & McFadden (1982), both share the yellow coloration of the hind tibia, sometimes appearing slightly very light brown, but never dark or black (at least in the male). In both species, the tibiae have mainly yellow pilosity with some black hairs that may be inconspicuous and do not surround tibiae in its basal half. P. benecki can be separated from P. comstocki by i) the abdominal pattern, in P. comstocki yellow abdomen with brown bands present in tergites 2 to 5, while in P. benecki the abdomen is also yellow, but the dark brown bands are present in tergites 1 to 3, the 4 and remaining completely dark ( Fig. 38, 39 ); and ii) the genitalia, in P. comstocki the proctiger are short and rounded (illustrated in figure 65 page 50 in James & McFadden 1982), while in P. benecki proctiger is more prominent with subtriangular appearance ( Fig. 44, 46 ).

Figures

FIGURES 14–17. Heads in frontal view: Ptecticus benecki sp. nov. 14, male; 16, female. Ptecticus pseudospatulatus sp. nov. 15, male; 17, female. Abbrev: fr cl= frontal callus, lw fr= lower frons, md ar= medial area of upper frons, oc tub= ocellar tubercle, prbs= proboscis, vrt= vertex. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 18–19. Heads in dorsal view: 18, P. benecki sp. nov. male; 19, P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. male. Abbrev: fr cl= frontal callus, oc tub= ocellar tubercle, vrt= vertex. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 20–23. Antennae: P. benecki sp. nov. 20, inner face; 21, outer face. P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. 22, inner face; 23, outer face. Setation is omitted. Abbrev: art t flgm= arista-like terminal flagelomere, ped= pedicel, scp= scape. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 24–25. Thorax: 24, P. benecki sp. nov.; 25, P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. Abbrev: pprn lobe= pospronotal lobe, sct= scutum, sctl= scutellum, trn sut= transverse suture. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 26–27. Pleura: 26, P. benecki sp. nov.; 27, P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. Abbrev: anepm= anepimeron, anepst= anepisternum, hlt= halter, kepm= katepimeron, kepst= katepisternum, ltg= laterotergite, mr= meron, mtanepst= metanepisternum, mtg= mediotergite, mtkepst= metakatepisternum, mtn= metanotum, npl sut= notopleural suture, pprn= postpronotum, pprn lobe= postpronotal lobe, prepm= proepimeron, prepst= proepisternum, sct= scutum, sctl= scutellum. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 28–31. Wings: P. benecki sp. nov. 28, male; 29, female. P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. 30, male; 31, female. Abbrev: A1=first branch of anal vein; al=alula; bc=basal costal cell; bm=basal medial cell; br=basal radial cell; c=costal cell; C=costal vein; Cu=cubital vein or cubitus; CuA=anterior branch of cubital vein; cua=anterior cubital cell; CuA+CuP=anterior branch

FIGURES 32–37. Legs scheme: P. benecki sp. nov. 32, anterior; 33, middle; 34, hind. P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. 35, anterior; 36 middle; 37, hind. Figure modified from A. Leal & Cruz de Oliveira (1979).

FIGURES 38–41. Abdomen: P. benecki sp. nov. Male. 38, specimen dry; 39, specimen in ethanol solution. P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. Male. 40, specimen dry; 41, specimen in ethanol. Abbrev: T1= 1st tergite, T2= 2nd tergite, T3= 3rd tergite, T4= 4th tergite. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 42–47. Schemes of male genitalia: P. benecki sp. nov. 42, lateral; 44, ventral, 46, dorsal. P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. 43, lateral; 45, ventral; 47, dorsal.Abbrev. cerc= cercus, epand= epandrium, ge= genital capsule, gonst= gonostylus, prct= proctiger, ph= phallus.

FIGURES 48–51. Pictures of male terminalia: P. benecki sp. nov. 48, lateral; 49, posterior inner portion of the phallus. P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. 50, lateral; 51, posterior inner portion of the phallus.Abbrev. cerc= cercus, epand= epandrium, ge= genital capsule, ph= phallus. Scale bar. 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 52–57. Genitalia of female: P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. 52, last abdominal segments; 53, genital fork; 54, genital fork lateral. P. benecki sp. nov. 55, last abdominal segments; 56, genital fork; 57, genital fork lateral. Abbrev. cerc= cercus, gen fk= genital fork. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 58–61. Puparium of P. benecki sp. nov.: 58, head and first thoracic segment ventral; 59, head and first thoracic segment dorsal; 60, second-third thoracic segments and abdomen ventral; 61, second-third thoracic segments and abdomen dorsal. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 66–71. SEM of puparia: P. benecki sp. nov. 66, head; 68, abdominal segment sixth showing the sternal patch; 70, eight abdominal segment. P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. 67, head; 69, abdominal segment sixth showing the sternal patch; 71, eight abdominal segment.

FIGURES 72–73. An integument difference between the two puparia herein described: 72, P. benecki sp. nov.; 73, P. pseudospatulatus sp. nov. In circle cuticular wart. Abbrev. Dl=dorsolateral setae; ph= pupal respiratory horns.