Sarcofahrtiopsis kuna Pape & Méndez, 2004

Pape, Thomas & Méndez, Julio, 2004, Two new species of Sarcofahrtiopsis (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), Zootaxa 485, pp. 1-7 : 2-4

Sarcofahrtiopsis kuna Pape & Méndez , sp. nov. (Figs 1–3)

Etymology. The word Kuna (or Cuna) is the name of a Panamanian tribe living mostly in the semi­autonomous territory Comarca de Kuna Yala along the Caribbean coast of eastern Panama. The species name is a noun in apposition.

Type material. Holotype ɗ, PANAMA: Colon Province, Galeta Island, 19.iv.2002, J. Méndez, on dead crab ( Cardisoma guanhumi ) ( SMNH; the holotype is glued on its right side to a piece of cardboard, left foreleg and right midleg missing, terminalia extended and visible). Paratypes – Panama: 6ɗ 2Ψ with same data as holotype; 2ɗ with data as holotype but caught 27.ix.2002 on dead Cardisoma crassum ; Colon Province, San Lorenco, 1ɗ: 15.x.2001, 1ɗ: 23.x.2001, 1ɗ 3Ψ: 25.x.2001, J. Méndez, emerged from crab bait; Colon Province, Galeta Island, 2ɗ: 7.iv.2002, 21ɗ 2Ψ: 17.viii.2002, J. Méndez. Paratypes in SMNH except for 4ɗ in INBio.

Description. Male: Length 4.5–5.5 mm. Head. Parafrontal and parafacial plate with golden yellow microtomentum; 3 pairs of parafrontal bristles, the uppermost pair reclinate; parafacial setae in a single row along the lower anterior eye margin. Frontal vitta dark; ocellar triangle with one pair of long ocellar bristles; external and internal vertical bristles well developed. Antennal scape and pedicel dark brown, with distal margin of pedicel light brown, first flagellomere blackish grey, almost reaching the level of vibrissal insertion; arista plumose in proximal half; palpus blackish. Gena and postgena grayish with a faint yellow tinge, with scattered, rather stout setae. Postocular bristles in three irregular rows.

Thorax. Grey or yellowish grey microtomentose with 3 black dorsal vittae. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 0 (occasionally a weakly developed presutural) + 1 (weak prescutellar), dorsocentrals 2 + 3, intra­alars 1 + 2, supra­alars 1 + 2, postpronotals 2–3, postalars 2, notopleurals 2; scutellum with 2 strong marginals (lateral and subapical), apicals 0, discals 1. Pleuron with meropleurals 5, katepisternals 2–3 almost in line (middle one weaker), prosternum and metasternum bare, proepimeron with depressed part bare, lower part with two setae, the ventralmost reduced; postalar wall bare. Wings uniformly infuscated, costal spine absent, vein R1 setulose to level of subcostal break, two ventral setae at node of R4+5­ R2+3, vein R4+5 setose dorsally from junction of R2+3 almost to crossvein r­m. Legs dark; forefemur with several bristles along anterodorsal and anteroventral margins; foretibia with one anteroventral and one posterior bristle; midfemur with two anterior and two anteroventral bristles: midtibia with one anteroventral and two posterior bristles; hindtibia with two anterior, one anteroventral, and two posterodorsal bristles.

Abdomen. T1+2 blackish; T3–T5 with a median dark band which spreads laterally at the posterior margin of each segment; one lateral marginal bristle on each of T1+2–T3, T4 with row of 6 marginal bristles; T5 with row of 8–10 posterior marginal bristles; ST2–4 and ventral parts of tergites with hair­like setae; ST5 with posterior margin produced or convex medially. Terminalia blackish brown with olive grey microtomentum, cerci tapering and pointed distally; surstylus convex, not pointed distally and with scattered hair­like setae near tip; postgonite straight with curved tip and one long bristle near middle of ventral (=anterior) margin; pregonite strongly curved, with a row of stout bristles on dorsal (=posterior) margin. Phallic vesica with a proximal extension about the length of the swollen part of distiphallus when measured along the straight, proximal side. Vesical extension bifurcated in two prongs of about equal length; both prongs flat, rectangular, with one set at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the vesical extension and close to its base.

Female: Length 4.0–5.0 mm. Like the male except for slightly shorter claws and pulvilli and different terminalia.

Biology. Breeds in dead semiterrestrial crabs, Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille , which is the large semiterrestrial crab common along the Caribbean coast. Mature larvae abandon the breeding medium in about three days; adults emerge from the puparia one week later.

Distribution. Neotropical — Panama. Records so far only from the Caribbean coast.

Figs 1–6. Male terminalia of Sarcofahrtiopsis spp., left lateral view. 1–3. S. kuna sp. nov., 4–6. S. chiriqui sp. nov. 1, 4: Terminalia. 2, 5: Distiphallus. 3, 6: Surstylus and cercus.