Rafaelomyia exu Soares & Capellari, 2023

Soares, Matheus M. M., Capellari, Renato S. & Ramos-Pastrana, Yardany, 2023, Rafaelomyia, a remarkable new genus of South American long-legged flies (Diptera, Dolichopodidae), Zootaxa 5389 (2), pp. 151-172 : 157-160

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5389.2.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CDC5E9AC-B029-4D3F-B4C9-75EC018BA9C3
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10406668
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038687B7-5E20-6D34-FF33-4012FA8304F8
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Rafaelomyia exu Soares & Capellari
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Rafaelomyia exu Soares & Capellari sp. nov.

( Figs 3–4 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 )

Diagnosis (males). Body length 3.3–4.0 mm ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ); femora mostly brown to dark brown except base and apex of all femora yellow ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ); femur II with antero- and posteroventral rows of long and strong setae ( Fig. 3B, D View FIGURE 3 ); vein R 2+3 thickened at middle ( Fig. 3F View FIGURE 3 ); cercus unbranched ( Fig. 4C, D View FIGURE 4 ); hypandrium with a deeply concavity at apex, forming two narrow lobes, each lobe with pointed apex ( Fig. 4H, I View FIGURE 4 ); phallus trident-shaped at apex, lateral processes of phallus bifurcated at apex ( Fig. 4G View FIGURE 4 ).

Description. Male ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Body length 3.3–4.0 mm; wing length: 3.1–3.5 mm, width: 0.9–1.0 mm (n = 5). Head ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Similar to Rafaelomyia inpa sp. nov. except as noted: face slightly narrowing at middle, as wide as ocellar tubercle; arista-like stylus about 3/4 as long as eye height. Thorax ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Mesonotum mostly metallic dark green. Wing ( Fig. 3A, F View FIGURE 3 ). Mostly hyaline, slightly brownish on anterior margin; R 2+3 thickened at middle. Legs ( Fig. 3A, B, D View FIGURE 3 ). Mostly brown to dark brown, except apex of coxa I, all trochanters and base and apex of all femora yellow to dark yellow. Leg I ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ). Podomere ratios: 37, 31, 20/6/5/4/4. Outer edge of coxa I with row of long sparse setae, apical edge with 3–4 slender setae. Femur I with antero- and posteroventral rows of short slender setae, ending in 1–2 posteroventral longer preapical setae. Tibia I with 2 short anterodorsal setae at 2/6 and 3.5/6 and 5.5/6 and 1 dorsal longer preapical seta, ventral row of long setae from basal 1.5/6 to apex, about as long as diameter of tibia (MSSC). It 1 with posteroventral row of short erect setae, slightly longer than width of podomere ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ), with anterior row of long setae from base to basal 1/2, decreasing in length towards apex (all MSSC). Leg II. Podomere ratios: 37, 35, 22/11/8/5/4. Femur II with anteroventral row of strong setae decreasing in length from base to apical 4/6, 1 long anteroventral preapical seta, with 1 strong posteroventral seta at basal 1.5/6 followed by row of short setae increasing in length at apical 5/6 (all MSSC) ( Fig. 3B, D View FIGURE 3 ). Tibia II with 3 pairs of short antero- and posteroventral setae at 1.5/6 and 3.5/6 and 1 preapical, 2 ventral setae, 1 short at 3/6 and 1 long at apex (about 1/2 as long as IIt 1). Leg III. Podomere ratios: 56, 55, 14/18/14/9/6. Femur III with 1 strong ventral seta at basal 2/6 followed by thinner curved seta (MSSC) ( Fig. 3D View FIGURE 3 ), with dorsal row of long erect setae decreasing in length from base to apical 4/6, followed by long dorsal seta, 1 short antero- and 1 short posteroventral preapical setae. Tibia III with 4 pairs of antero- and posterodorsal setae at: 1.5/6, 3/6, 4.5/6 and apex, 3 ventral setae, 2 short at 2.5/6 and 4/6, 1 longer at apex (about 2/3 as long as IIIt 1). Abdomen ( Fig. 3A, E View FIGURE 3 , 4A View FIGURE 4 ). Mostly metallic green with bluish reflections. Tergite 6 with 2–3 lateral rows of strong setae. Sternites 1–4 unmodified, sternite 5 divided into two long narrow hemitergites, sternite 6 short, subrectangular, with 1 long posterior seta. Hypopygium ( Figs 3E View FIGURE 3 , 4B–I View FIGURE 4 ). Mostly pale brown, somewhat subtriangular, with 1 epandrial seta. Cercus mostly pale brown, unbranched, 2X longer than epandrial capsule ( Figs 3E View FIGURE 3 , 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Cercus somewhat digitiform, with rounded apex, and inner wide basal process, with pointed projection at middle, outer surface covered with long setae, increasing in length at apex, dorsal edge with row of long sparse setae, inner surface covered with short, slender pale setae ( Fig. 4C, D View FIGURE 4 ). Surstylus somewhat quadrangular, with truncated apex, about 1.5/4 as long as epandrial capsule, inner edge with 1 long seta, ventral edge with long slender setae ( Fig. 4B, E View FIGURE 4 ). Hypandrium with deeply concavity at apex, forming two narrow lobes, each lobe with pointed apex ( Fig. 4H, I View FIGURE 4 ). Phallus as long as epandrial capsule, trident-shaped at apex, lateral processes of phallus bifurcated and sharpened at apex ( Fig. 4F, G View FIGURE 4 ). Postgonite noose-shaped, surrounding base of phallus, fused to hypandrial arms ( Fig. 4F View FIGURE 4 ). Ejaculatory apodeme short and somewhat digitiform, well sclerotized, slightly narrowing at apex ( Fig. 4F View FIGURE 4 ).

Female. Unknown.

Type examined material. HOLOTYPE ♂ ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ) labelled as: “ PERU: Cusco, Quincemil | Rio Araza , 13°21′18″S | 70°53′22″W, 1000 m | 22–26.viii.2012 sweep | JA Rafael, RR Cavichioli” “HOLOTYPE | Rafaelomyia exu | Soares & Capellari [handwritten in red label]” ( MUSM) GoogleMaps . Holotype condition: Good, not dissected, right IIIt 2– 5 broken off and left wing damaged. PARATYPES: Same data as holotype (3 ♂, one dissected, MUSM; 3 ♂, INPA) GoogleMaps .

Remarks. Rafaelomyia exu sp. nov. is easily recognized by the femur II with antero- and posteroventral rows of strong setae ( Fig. 3D View FIGURE 3 ), male cercus unbranched ( Fig. 4C, D View FIGURE 4 ), surstylus truncated at apex ( Fig. 4E View FIGURE 4 ) and the phallus trident-shaped in ventral view ( Fig. 4G View FIGURE 4 ).

Etymology. The new species is named after the Orisha Exu, the messenger spirit in the pantheon of deities of Afro-Brazilian religions. It alludes to the phallus reminiscent of a trident ( Fig. 4G View FIGURE 4 ), an object commonly used in Exu’s representations. Treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution. The new species is known to occur only from the type locality in Peru ( Fig. 13A, C View FIGURE 13 ).