Lepidiella wagneri, Araújo & Bravo, 2019

Araújo, Maíra Xavier & Bravo, Freddy, 2019, Two new species of Lepidiella Enderlein, 1937 (Diptera: Psychodidae) from the Neotropical Region with taxonomic comments about the species of the genus, Zootaxa 4551 (4), pp. 487-493 : 489-490

Lepidiella wagneri , sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 A–J)

Type material. Holotype, male: BRAZIL, Bahia, [Elísio Medrado], Serra da Jibóia, Sede GAMBA [Environmentalist Group of Bahia] [12° 51' S; 39 28' W], (ligth trap), 10.v.2017, Silva-Neto, Mendes e Moura cols. ( MZFS), specimen dissected, mounted on micro-slide. 8 paratypes females: same location, data and collectors as holotype ( MZFS), specimens dissected, mounted on micro-slide.

Etymology. The specific epithet is dedicated to Dr. Rüdiger Wagner for his important contribution to the study of the taxonomy of Psychodidae .

Diagnosis. Male. Head with pair of three branched cornicula and a glandular structure at base of it; eyes separated by 1.5 facet diameters; scape with internal protuberance; interocular suture inverted Y shaped reaching the middle of the vertex; hypandrium subtriangular with microtrichia spread along the sclerite; aedeagus symmetrical, bifid, digitiform; two pairs of parameres, external pair fused apically, inverted V-shaped; internal pair knife-like, ending in curved pointed apex. Female. Cornicula absent; scape without internal protuberance; terminalia with hypopygium trapezoidal; hypogynial valve setose with rounded external margin; cerci two times the length of subgenital plate.

Description. Male holotype. Head with large cornicula, three terminal branches and one oval gland in the base. Vertex dorsally expanded, 1.5 larger than wide. Eyes separated by 1.5 facet diameters; eye bridge with four facet rows; interocular suture inverted Y-shaped ending at the middle of the vertex ( Figs. 2A, 2B ). Antenna ( Figs. 2A, 2D, 2E ) with scape longer than the pedicel, inflated on the inner side. Flagellum with 14 flagellomeres; first flagellomere fusiform, 1.2 longer than second flagellomere; flagellomeres 2–13 fusiform with short internodes; flagellomere 14 with apiculus; pairs of filiform ascoids observed in flagellomeres 2 – 11 ( Figs. 2A, 2D ). Relative palpomere proportions: 1.0:1.2:1.6:2.1 ( Fig. 2A ). Wing 3.3 times longer than wide; wing membrane brownish, with costal cell darker; Sc not reaching C; sc-r absent; radial fork distal to medial fork; R 4 ending at wing tip; CuA not reaching wing margin ( Fig. 2F ). Male terminalia: hypandrium subtriangular, apical margin rounded with microtrichia spread along the sclerite; length of gonocoxite 0.6 times the length of gonostylus; gonostyli bare except in the base with patch of alveoli; 1/3 basal of gonostyli inflated; aedeagus symmetrical, bifid, digitiform; two pairs of parameres, external pair shorter than the internal, fused apically forming an U-inverted shaped plate; internal parameres, narrow, well sclerotized, curved apically, ending in pointed apex; ejaculatory apodeme dorsoventrally flattened ( Fig. 2G ); epandrium two times wider than long, with two foramina and two apical patches of alveoli; cercus digitiform 2.2 times the length of epandrium; left cercus with 10 tenacula; right cercus with 11 tenacula; hypoproct and epiproct subtriangular with apical micropilosity ( Figs. 2H, 2I ).

Female. Morphologically similar to male, except for the following characteristics: cornicula absent; scape with shorter internal protuberance than male ( Fig. 1C ); terminalia with hypogynium trapezoidal; hypogynial valves setose with rounded external margin; cerci two times the length of hypogynium ( Fig. 1J ).

Remarks. Males of eleven species of Lepidiella have cornicula and six of them a scape with an internal basal lobe: L. albipeda , L. cervi , L. monteverdica , L. pickeringi , L. robusta and L. wagneri sp. nov. This group of species is identified in the male identification key below.

Figures

FIGURE 1 (A–H). Lepidiella maculosa sp. nov. (A) head; (B) base of antenna: scape, pedicel and three basal flagellomeres; (C) palpus; (D) wing; (E) male terminalia, dorsal; (F) male terminália, dorsal: hypandrium plate-like; (G) male terminalia, ventral: epandrium, cerci and hypoproct; (H) cercus. (Abbreviations: ae = aedeagus, ep = external paramere, ip = internal paramere).

FIGURE 2(A–J). Lepidiella wagneri sp. nov. (A) head; (B) oval gland of cornicula; (C) base of antenna: scape, pedicel and two basal flagellomeres; (D) last flagellomeres and apiculus; (E) last flagellomeres and apiculus (other format); (F) wing; (G) male terminalia, dorsal; (H) male terminalia, ventral: epandrium, cerci and hypoproct; (I) cercus; (J) female terminalia. (Abbreviations: ae = aedeagus, ep = external paramere, ip = internal paramere).