Hoplocheiloma rhytisma, Marshall, 2011

Marshall, S. A., 2011, A review of the genus Hoplocheiloma Cresson (Diptera: Micropezidae), Zootaxa 2806 (1), pp. 1-23 : 17-19

Hoplocheiloma rhytisma new species

Figs. 27–30

Body length 6–8mm. Wing length 6–7mm. General colour: Head and most of thorax orange, posterodorsal part of katepisternum and posterior margin of anepisternum with large silvery-grey patches, proepisternum with a transverse black band just above the long, golden ventral proepisternal setae.

Head: Frons uniformly orange, frontal vitta broad, dull (microsetulose) and slightly tapered anteriorly; orbital strips subshining; two small frontal setae, a larger orbital and inner and outer vertical setae. Ocellar triangle orange. Clypeus pale yellow-orange, middle part with two stout setae and a few small setulae, posterolateral portions of clypeus densely covered with fine white setulae. Lunule with a few scattered black setulae, face weakly sclerotized and pale, densely microsetulose. Palpi well developed, about 0.8 as long as clypeus in lateral view, almost parallelsided, slightly expanded apically, with only small setae. Mentum strongly setose. Arista yellow basally, black distally.

Thorax: Both sexes with a uniform row of small acrostichal and dorsocentral setae, anterior dorsocentral setae not enlarged or thickened; one large prescutellar dorsocentral seta only. Notopleuron with a single large posterior seta and a smaller anterior seta. Vertical rows of katepisternal setae golden, ventral apex of katepisternum with 2–3 long thick setae.

Legs: Fore coxa silvery pruinose and densely covered with white microsetulae on anterior surface, bare and reddish brown on most of posterior surface. Fore femur mostly brown with broad but sometimes diffuse basal and preapical yellow bands. Fore tibia black, tarsomere one of foreleg white, other fore tarsomeres black; mid and hind femora mostly orange-brown with a narrow distal dark band, mid and hind tibiae black, basal two thirds of first tarsomere of mid and hind legs white, tarsomeres otherwise black.

Wing with a distinct circular discal spot, a smaller preapical band crossing R 4+5 and M, and a small indistinct stigmatal spot; otherwise clear ( Fig. 27 ). R 2+3 ending far beyond plane of dm-cu, extending beyond dm-cu by approximately the length of the crossvein ( Fig. 27 ).

Abdomen: Abdominal pleuron of both sexes darkly pigmented except for pale mid ventral area and pale bulge on segment two of male. Tergite one brown, other tergites black, tergites 1 and 2 fused but delineated by a band of silvery microsetulae. Tergite 1 with long pale lateral and dorsolateral setae, other tergites with small black setulae only.

Female abdomen: Tergite 7 with a prominent central pale area. Oviscape shining except for basal silvery white densely microsetulose area that is penetrated by a dorsomedial shining strip. Single spermatheca very elongate on an elongate duct as long as the paired spermathecal duct; paired spermathecae small and spherical with a very long, multiply convoluted base ( Fig. 28 ).

Male abdomen: Pleuron two with an elongate-oval setose pleural sac ( Fig. 29 ). Epandrium yellow, contrasting with black pregenital segments. Genital fork long and narrow, arms converging distally with entire inner surface covered with short, stout spines; basal part of fork medially carinate, carina continuous with trough between fused basal halves of arms. Hypandrium with anterior arms fused into a scoop-shaped sclerite. Distiphallus with long, relatively broad base; distal part half as long as basal part, tapered to a point ( Fig. 30 ). Apex of aedeagal apodeme narrow.

Type material. HOLOTYPE (♂, MTEC) and 3 paratypes (1 ♂, 2 ♀, MTEC): MONTSERRAT: Cassava Ghaut , Beattie House, 16º45.91’N 62º12.95’W, 011- 23.iii.2002, A. Krakower, u. v. light . OTHER PARATYPES: MONTSERRAT: Cassava Ghaut , Beattie House, 13-13.January.2002, at light, M. A. Ivie and K. Marske (1 ♂, MTEC); Cedar Ghaut, 04.viii.2005, G. Martinson, D. Hughley, yellow pan trap (1 ♀, MTEC); Woodlands Riverside House, 140’, 10-12.January.2002, Ivie, Marske, Puliafico (1 ♀, MTEC); Centre Hills N.E. of Fleming Spring Ghaut, 750’, 19.vi.2000, M. Ivie and K. Guerrero (1 ♀, MTEC) .

Comments. Hoplocheiloma rhytisma can be distinguished from the closely related H. dominica (endemic to Dominica) by its more extensive discal wing spot, which extends to R 2+3.

Etymology. From the Greek rhytisma (n.) for “patch”, referring to the silvery-grey patches on the katepisternum and anepisternum.

Figures

FIGURES 27–30. Hoplocheiloma rhytisma new species. 27, female habitus, left lateral; 28, spermathecae and associated structures; 29, male abdomen segments 3–7, right lateral; 30, male terminalia, left lateral. Abbreviations: dp—distiphallus; hy— hypandrium; aa—aedeagal apodeme; ep—epandrium; ps—paired spermathecae (female), pleural sac (male); ss—single spermatheca; gf—genital fork.