Cardiacephala vitrata, Ferro & Marshall, 2018

Ferro, Gustavo Borges & Marshall, Stephen A., 2018, A revision of the Neotropical ant-like genus Cardiacephala Macquart, including Plocoscelus Enderlein syn. nov. (Diptera: Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), Zootaxa 4429 (3), pp. 401-458 : 456

Cardiacephala vitrata new species

( Figs. 103–105 )

Description (female only): Body length 9 mm, wing 6 mm. Palpus mostly dark brown, white on outer face. Clypeus dark brown with pale microsetulae. First flagellomere brown with pale microsetulae. Fronto-orbital plates brownish and shiny. Frontal vitta brown. Epicephalon and paracephalon dark brown, smooth and shiny. Row of katepisternal setae brownish. Mid and hind femora dark brown, hind femora white basally. Fore tarsus dark brown with gold/whitish pubescence ventrally at base of tarsomere one. Oviscape black.

Head: Palpus broadened basally and gradually tapering to apex. Clypeus short, length less than half of width. Two frontal setae. Frontal vitta and epicephalon smooth, with no clear divisions. Inner vertical seta insertion flat, without tubercle. Paracephalon smooth, without swelling (not extending beyond the vertex). Vertex rounded. Line of black supracervical setae strong.

Thorax: Mesonotum with white pruinose. Scutellum upturned, triangular. Femora with sparse black setulae. Mid and hind tibia flattened, but sulcus on outer face weak. Wing with stigmatal and discal bands, apex clear. Crossvein r-m clear, without small dark spot. R4+5 and M1+2 ending separately in wing margin. A1+CuA2 as long as CuA2.

Abdomen: Tergites with brownish setae, T1+2 and T3 posterior margin with silver pruinose. Female abdomen: Single spermathecal duct apically broad, ending in a cylindrical spermatheca. Paired spermathecal duct apically broad before splitting into stems. Paired spermathecal duct stems thin and smooth basally, followed by a small rounded swelling and a small appendix ( Fig. 63 ). Paired spermathecae striate and sac-like (distally swollen and tapered basally), deeply invaginated from apex to base.

Type material: Holotype: ECUADOR. Puerto Orellana, Tiputini Biodiversity Station, 0º38.2’S 72º08.9’W. VIII.1999. leg. Kotrba (1 ♀, QCAZ).

Distribution: Ecuador.

Etymology: The specific name is from the Latin for “glass”, referring to the clean and hyaline wing apex of this species.

Comments: Cardiacepala vitrata differs from all congeners due to the hyaline wing apex. This species is somewhat similar to C. picina , however the combination of a uniformly dark brown mid femur and a clear corssvein r-m (without black spot) is also remarkable.

Figures

FIGURES 103–105. Cardiacephala vitrata. 103, female, dorsal view; 104, female, lateral view; 105, female genitalia, lateral view.

FIGURES 62–65. Cardiacephala picina. 62, female, lateral view. Abbreviations: Dsc—Discal band; Stg—Stigmatal band, 63, female genitalia, ventral view; 64, male, dorsal view; 65, male genitalia, lateral view.