Leucophora chancani Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/d2431508-81d1-4b8e-a0a2-3d6ff503c29d

Figs. 19–21

Diagnosis. Leucophora chancani sp. nov. can be differentiated from its congeners by the following combination of characters: three longitudinal brown vittae narrow, the central one not extending over the scutellum, cercal plate large and with long lateral setae, processes of sternite 5 with very long setae on outer lateral margins, pregonite with two setae, free paraphallic processes long and papillate dorsally.

Material examined. Holotype 1 ♂ (MACN): “ ARG., Córdoba, / Chancaní, X-1990, / J. Genise, J. Farina / P. Hazeldine [white label, printed]”; “Polinizador/ de Prosopis [White label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 36257 [white label, printed]”; “MR 1414 [white label, printed]”; “Holotype ♂ / Leucophora / chancani [red label, printed]”.

Description

Male (Figs. 19–21)

Body length 10.1 mm, wing length 7.7 mm.

Coloration (Fig. 19). Head black to dark brown, with light grey pruinosity; frontal vitta black with whitish pruinosity (Fig. 19B). Fronto-orbital plate, parafacialia, genae and face with silvery white pruinosity; parafacialia in profile with a wide shifting black patch from level of insertion of antennae to level of tip of postpedicel (Fig. 19C); genae with a dark brown patch from the vibrissal angle to almost the lower margin of the eye and extending towards the posterior margin of eye. Antennae black; pedicel with lower and inner margins brown to dark brown; arista brown with darker base. Prementum dark brown to black. Palpi yellowish brown. Thorax black with whitish grey pruinosity, with three narrow brown longitudinal vittae (Fig. 19D), central vitta filling the space between the acrostichal setae and not extending over the scutellum, lateral vittae filling the space between the posthumeral and supra-alar seta and following the line of the intralar postsutural setae (Figs. 19A, D). Dorsocentral setae with light brown base. Pleura brown without evident patch (Fig. D19A). Legs brown. Coxa and femora densely covered with light grey pruinosity. Femora with darker on dorsal surface. Tarsomere slightly darker. Pulvilli brown. Wing membrane hyaline. Veins brown, yellowish at base. Calypters whitish. Halteres light brown with darker base. Abdomen black anteriorly to brown posteriorly, with a narrow brown longitudinal vitta. Posterior margin of tergites brown. Marginal and lateral marginal setae with dark brown bases (Fig. 19A). Posterior margin of tergite 5, sternite 5, syntergoesternite 7+8, epandrium, surstylus, and cerci yellowish.

Head. Fronto-orbital plate at the narrowest point 1x width of anterior ocellus, much widening anteriorly, with minute scattered setulae; frontal vitta at narrowest point 1.5x width of anterior ocellus, widening towards lunule; eyes separated at narrowest point 3.5x width of anterior ocellus (Fig. 19B). 6 pairs of fr s (Fig. 19C). infr s short. oc s as long as the longest fr s; ocellar triangle with 2 additional pairs of setulae; poc s, shorter than the oc s. i vt s the longest on head, reclinate; o vt s less than the half the length the i vt s, slightly proclinate. Postpedicel 2.1x the pedicel length; arista 1.9x the postpedicel length, plumose, longest hairs 1.4x the postpedicel width. Parafacials 0.5x width of eye. Genae below lowest point of eye margin 0.3x eye height (Fig. 19C). Prementum 0.5x head height. Palpus 0.4x as long as head height, filiform with a slightly acute tip.

Thorax. Chaetotaxy: 5 pairs of psut acr s, prescutelar pair slightly longer than the longest presut acr s (Fig. 19D). Prealar seta present. 5 anepst s. 2+2 kepst s, lower anterior less developed (Fig. 19A).

Legs. Fore femur with a row of fine av setulae on basal half. Mid femur with 6 strong pv setae on basal half and 2 apical setae; a row of a setae scarcely longer than surrounding setulae on basal half and 1 subapical seta; 2 p setae. Mid tibia with 1 ad and pd setae; 2 p setae. Hind femur with a complete row of av and ad setae; 2 subapical d setae, 1 subapical p setae, a row of pv setae on basal half and 3 subapical setae. Hind tibia with 3 av, ad, and p setae; 2 pd setae.

Abdomen. Lateral marginal setae strong (Figs. 19A). Sternite 1 slightly more than 2x wider than long, setulose on posterolateral margin. Sternite 2 less than 2x longer than wide, slightly tapered posteriorly, setulose, longer setae on posterolateral margins. Sternite 3 slightly longer than wide, with lateral margins slightly rounded, setulose, longer setae on posterior half. Sternite 4 slightly longer than wide, strongly tapered anteriorly, setulose, longer setae towards posterolateral margins. Sternite 5 (Fig. 20A) 1.2x longer than wide, anteriorly narrowed, anterior margin notches medially; processes moderately wide, parallel sided distally, apex rounded, inner margin densely covered with long and thin setulae, basally the setulae are directed posteriorly, distal setulae directed inwards, outer surface with very long setae directed posteriorly, becoming longer distally, longest setae almost as long as sternite 5.

Terminalia . Surstylus curved basally and slightly narrow, apically tapered with rounded apex, distal half with sensilla (Fig. 20B); in profile slightly sinuous, tapered towards apex (Fig. 20C). Cercal plate about 1.7x longer than wide, slightly more than 0.5x the surstylus length and tapered distally, with lateral margins sinuous, notched tip; in profile with dorsal surface slightly curved with rounded tip; surface strongly setulose, strong and long setae towards lateral margins, longest setae longer than cercal plate length. Pregonite (Figs. 20E; 21A, B) 2x longer than wide, about 0.5x the postgonite length, finger-like shaped, with 2 long setae, 1 on middle dorsal surface (seta almost 2x longer than pregonite), 1 seta on distal margin (slightly more than 3x the pregonite length), without sensilla. Postgonite 2x longer than wide, curved and very narrow basally, with acute and narrow apex, seta absent, with sensilla on middle third (Fig. 21B). Phallapodeme (Fig. 20D; 21A) in profile parallel sided on basal half, curved and acute basally, expanded on distal half, unpigmented on margins; epiphallus with rounded apex and slightly constricted preapically; distiphallus (Figs. 20D, F; 21A) in profile curved towards middle, with dorsal sclerotization straight and tapered distally, with long free paraphallic processes arising at middle (Figs. 20F; 21A), divergent and basally curved, dorsal margin of processes serrated at middle, apically acute (Fig. 21C, D); acrophallus unpigmented wide basally, in dorsal and in profile view trump-shaped (Figs. 20D; 21A).

Female. Unknown.

Remarks. In external appearance and the structure of the distiphallus L. chancani sp. nov., it resembles those in L. tacuil sp. nov., sharing the dorsally serrated (papillated) free paraphallic processes, but differs in having dark brown to black pedicel and postpedicel, and the almost black mark on parafacialia in L. chancani sp. nov., as well as the position of the 2 setae of pregonite directed in the same direction, also by the absence of seta on postgonite

Etymology. The species’s epithet refers to the location “Chancaní”, where the holotype was collected.

Distribution. Neotropical: ARGENTINA (Córdoba) (Fig. 54A).