Paragrallomyia quadrifurca, Ferro & Marshall, 2020

Ferro, Gustavo Borges & Marshall, Stephen A., 2020, A redefinition of Paragrallomyia Hendel (Diptera: Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae) and a revision of the P. albibasis complex, Zootaxa 4822 (1), pp. 39-70 : 60

Paragrallomyia quadrifurca new species

( Figs. 39–42 )

Description: Body length 7 mm; wing 5 mm. Head and abdomen brown, thorax dark brown. Palpus dark brown except for white outer face. Clypeus brown with sparse pale microsetulae. First flagellomere brown. Fronto-orbital plate dark brown. Row of katepisternal setae brownish. Fore tibia brown. Fore tarsus white with brownish pubescence ventrally at base of tarsomere one. Hind femur mostly brown, narrowly white basally and with a small angled preapical white ring. Tergites black. Oviscape brown.

Head: First flagellomere covered by pale microsetulae. Frontal vitta with a darkened spot anterior to ocellar plate. Frontal vitta flat, not swollen anterior to ocellar plate. Epicephala merging immediately posterior to ocellar plate ( Fig. 39 ). Epicephalon somewhat swollen above frontal vitta level.

Thorax: Mesonotum with lines of thin brownish microsetulae. Anterior half of postpronotal lobe bare. Femur covered with sparse black microsetulae. Mid and hind tibia almost cylindrical, sulcus on outer face weak. Female cervical sclerite brown, somewhat swollen on posterior end. Cell r 4+5 open at the tip of the wing.

Female abdomen: Single spermathecal duct broadened apically. Single spermatheca cylindrical, basally tapered and broadened on apical half with small rounded appendices ( Fig. 40 ). Paired spermathecal duct broad apically before splitting into stems. Paired spermathecal duct stems smooth and slightly curved, with a cylindrical appendix apically before the spermathecae. Paired spermathecae oval, invaginated apically only. Male abdomen: Copulatory fork with small inner basal lobes, less than half as long as the arms, arms long and curved ( Fig. 42 ). Ejaculatory apodeme smaller than epandrium and with a diminute blade, length subequal to sperm pump. Phallapodeme short, not extending to anterior limit of hypandrium. Distiphallus long, longer than epandrium, phallic bulb subequal in length and width. Distal distiphallus short and thin, 1/3 of length and almost half of width of basal distiphallus.

Type material: Holotype: PANAMA. Colon. Santa Rita Ridge. 10 miles SE Colon, 270 m, dung trap, 10– 12.VI.1977, S. Peck coll. (1 ♂, DEBU00241945 ) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA. Puntarenas, Corcovado Ntl. Park, 150 m, dung trap, 15–16.VIII.1983. D. H. Lindeman coll. (1 ♀, 1 ♂, DEBU00258209 , DEBU00259945 , MNCR) ; Puntarenas, Corcovado Ntl. Park, 150 m, dung trap, 15–16.VIII.1983. D. H. Lindeman coll. (3 ♀, 2 ♂, DEBU00258205 , DEBU00258211 , DEBU00259951 , DEBU00259952 , DEBU00258208 ) .

Distribution: Costa Rica, Panama.

Etymology: The specific name refers to the conspicuous four copulatory fork arms.

Comments: This Central American species is similar to P. thiemei , differing mainly by the conspicuously developed and curved male genital fork arms and the brownish colour of the head.

Figures

FIGURES 39–42. Paragrallomyia quadrifurca n. sp. 39, female, dorsal view; 40, female internal reproductive structures, ventral view; 41, male, lateral view; 42, copulatory fork and internal reproductive structures, ventral and lateral view, respectively.