Schildia guatemalae Martin, 1975

Dikow, Torsten & Bayless, Keith M., 2009, Taxonomic revision of the genus Schildia Aldrich, 1923 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae) with the description of new extant and extinct species, Insect Systematics & Evolution 40, pp. 253-289 : 273-274

Schildia guatemalae Martin, 1975 ( Figs 19–21 , 37 ) ( Martin, 1975: 190, 191)

Schildia sp. ( Martin 1965: 114; Martin 1968b: 5).

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the five pairs of presutural dorsocentral setae, the minute empodia, the relatively long anteriorly oriented postsutural dorsocentral setae and the large apruinose spot on the katepisternum.

Redescription. Head: Face grey pruinose, wide, wider than adjacent ommatidium; mystax white, 2 setae; vertex wide, wider than face at clypeal–facial margin, grey pruinose; occipital triangle apruinose, distance between triangle and median eye margin more than adjacent ommatidium; occiput laterally brown pruinose, median dorsoventral stripe silver pruinose, ventro-laterally apruinose; postocular setae yellow; proboscis brown; Antennae: scape and pedicel light yellow, light yellow setae dorsally and ventrally; postpedicel proximally light yellow, brown distally, silver pruinose, about 1.5 times as long as combined length of scape and pedicel; stylus brown, 1/3 as long as postpedicel, composed of 1 element.

Th orax: Predominantly brown, parts silver and brown pruinose; antepronotum, postpronotum, and median postpronotal lobes silver pruinose; lateral postpronotal lobes apruinose, light yellow; scutum brown, predominantly apruinose, only extreme lateral and posterior margins silver pruinose; presutural dc setae: 2 short, 1 intermediate, 1 short, 1 long, postsutural dc setae: 4 anteriorly oriented setae as long as short presutural dc setae, 3–4 short acr setae, 1 npl and 1 spa seta; anepisternum predominantly silver pruinose with brown pruinosity posteriorly, few yellow anepisternal setae on anterior and dorsal margins; anepimeron brown pruinose, proepimeron silver pruinose, katepisternum with central apruinose spot, remaining parts brown pruinose, meron+metanepisternum brown pruinose anteriorly, apruinose medially, and silver pruinose posteriorly, metkatepisternum yellow, silver pruinose; scutellum brown, brown pruinose, 4 very short apical scutellar setae; Legs: light yellow to brown; coxae and trochanters light yellow; pro and mes femora light yellow with 2 transverse light brown bands, met femur mostly light brown, clubbed in distal 2/5, club brown, yellow transverse band at proximal margin of club, scattered brown setae on pro and mes femora, met femur with distinct rows of brown macrosetae; pro and mes tibiae light yellow with 2 light brown transverse bands, met tibia brown with median yellow transverse band, as wide as width of tibia, all tibiae with brown erect macrosetae in rows, pro and mes tibiae with 3 long apical macrosetae, met tibia with 1 median and 2 apical macrosetae; tarsus light yellow to brown, proximal tarsomere always longer than 2 following tarsomeres combined, short and long macrosetae on all tarsomeres; all empodia minute; median claw more than half as long as lateral claw; Wings: length = 3.7 mm; microtrichia scattered on wing, trichoid spicules short, symmetrical dorsally and ventrally, 20–25 on M1 between r-m and diversion of M1 and M 2; cell d large, terminating in M 2 and M 3, r-m situated proximal to separation of M3 and CuA1; R1 reaching C well proximal to R5 and M1 joining C, R2+3 straight proximally and smoothly arching posteriad distally; halter light yellow, knob dark brown, length = 0.7 mm.

Abdomen: Brown, T3-5 yellow anteriorly; T2 length = 2.3 mm, T2 with yellow transverse band medially, T2–3 with short, erect, evenly spaced macrosetae, remaining T with irregularly spaced and longer macrosetae, T7–8 with lateral sensory areas; Male terminalia ( Figs 19–21 ): epandrial halves fused medially, distal tip hook-shaped and arched ventrally, medio-distally with protuberance approximating cerci; epandrium and hypandrium fused proximally, gonocoxite and hypandrium fused to form a gonocoxite-hypandrial complex; Aedeagus: not protruding from hypopygium, very short, prong dorso-ventrally flattened; Female genitalia: ♀ unknown.

Type material. The ♂ holotype is labeled “ Guazaeápan Guat. II-VIII-52 (handwritten) / R.H. Painter Col. / HOLOTYPE Schildia guatemalae Chas H. Martin (species name handwritten, red label)” ( USNM). The specimen is double mounted (minuten in cork) and is in very good condition .

Distribution. Guatemala ( Fig. 37 ). Biodiversity hotspot/high-biodiversity wilderness area: Mesoamerica/– ( Fig. 37 ).

Figures

Figs 13–24. Male terminalia of Schildia species with gonostyli (dark grey) and lateral processes of gonostyli (light grey) shaded in lateral views. (13–15) S. adina sp.n.: 13, lateral; 14, dorsal; 15, ventral. (16–18) S. gracillima: 16, lateral; 17, dorsal; 18, ventral. (19–21) S. guatemalae: 19, lateral; 20, dorsal; 21, ventral. (22–24) S. jamaicensis: 22, lateral; 23, dorsal; 24, ventral. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig. 37. Map of the Neotropical region with biodiversity hotspots and wilderness areas, shaded in grey, showing distribution of Schildia guatemalae (triangle), S. jamaicensis (square), †S. martini sp.n. (star) and S. microthorax (circle). Open symbols, type localities.