Paraleucopis auripes Wheeler & Sinclair, 2019

Wheeler, Terry A. & Sinclair, Bradley J., 2019, Systematics of Paraleucopis Malloch with proposal of Paraleucopidae, a new family of acalyptrate Diptera, Zootaxa 4668 (3), pp. 301-328 : 308

Paraleucopis auripes Wheeler & Sinclair , sp. nov.

( Figs 11 , 19 , 23 , 29 )

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Type material. HOLOTYPE Ƌ, labelled: “ARG [Argentina] Catamarca / Andalgala / x-4 -[19]72/ G. E. Bohart ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Paraleucopis / auripes/ Wheeler & Sinclair [red label]” ( LACM) . PARATYPES: Argentina: same data as holotype (5 ♀, LACM) ; same data except 25.xi.1972 (2 Ƌ, 3 ♀, LACM) ; La Rioja, Carrizal , 1.xi.1972, G.E. Bohart (1 Ƌ, CNC) ; Salta, Rio San Lucas , N. San Carlos, 1800 m, 5–6.x.1968, L.E. Peña (1 Ƌ, CNC) .

Recognition. This species is characterized by fronto-orbital setae not distinct; antenna yellow; entire face with thick white pruinescence, extended beneath eye anteriorly; parafacial pruinose; legs yellow, except mid and hind coxae; hind femur with anteroventral preapical seta; surstylus digitiform, strongly tapered to rounded apex; base prolonged posteriorly with angulated margin.

Description. Frons dark brown with yellowish band above antennae; gena yellow. Face entirely clothed in white pruinescence ( Fig. 11 ), extended beneath eye anteriorly; parafacial pruinose. Fronto-orbital setae not distinct. Antenna yellow; antennal bases separated by length of pedicel. Clypeus shiny.

Katepisternum with several stout, pale ventral setae, anterior to mid coxa; short setulae on anterior half. Legs yellow, except mid and hind coxae. Mid tibia with dark ventroapical seta, more than one-quarter length of tarsomere 1. Hind femur with 1 spine-like preapical anteroventral seta ( Fig. 23 ).

Male postabdomen ( Fig. 19 ): epandrium rounded, evenly sclerotized, setose along posterior margin; extend- ed ventrally to partially enclosed hypandrium. Hypandrium broad; anterior setae absent; with rounded postgonite arched with narrow apex. Surstylus digitiform, strongly tapered to rounded apex; base prolonged posteriorly with angulated margin; apex arch slightly posteromedially; setae confined mostly to posterior margin. Distiphallus reduced to slender filaments. Cercus elongate, longer than dorsal length of epandrium; apex rounded.

Female postabdomen: undissected.

Distribution. This species is known from several localities in northeastern Argentina ( Fig. 29 ) in the Monte province of the South American transition zone (Morrone 2015).

Etymology. The species name is from the Latin aurum (golden) and pes (foot), referring to the yellow legs that separate this species from the other Neotropical Paraleucopis .

Figures

FIGURE 29. Distribution of Paraleucopis in South America: P. auripes sp. nov. (●), P. bispinosa sp. nov. (■), P. boharti sp. nov. (▲).

FIGURES 11–14. Heads of Paraleucopis spp. 11, P. auripes sp. nov., lateral view; 12, P. boharti sp. nov., lateral view; 13, P. boydensis, anterior view; 14, P. nigra sp. nov., anterior view. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 19–22. Male terminalia and female tergite 6 of Paraleucopis spp. 19, P. auripes sp. nov., male terminalia, lateral view; 20, P. bispinosa sp. nov., female tergite 6, dorsal view; 21, P. bispinosa sp. nov., male terminalia, anterior view; 22, P. bispinosa sp. nov., hypandrium and phallus, ventral view. Abbreviations: cerc—cercus; distph—distiphallus; epand—epandrium; hypd—hypandrium; pgt—postgonite; phapod—phalapodeme; sur—surstylus. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 23–26. Hindlegs and habitus of Paraleucopis spp. 23, P. auripes sp. nov., hindleg, anterior view; 24, P. bispinosa sp. nov., hindleg, anterior view; 25, P. boharti sp. nov., hindleg, anterior view; 26, P. mexicana, habitus. Scale bars = 0.25 mm, except Fig. 26 where scale bar = 0.75 mm.