Neopleurophora scleropyga, Ament & Amorim, 2013

Ament, Danilo Cesar & Amorim, Dalton De Souza, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the genus Neopleurophora Brown (Diptera: Phoridae), with the description of thirty seven new species, Zootaxa 3657 (1), pp. 1-93 : 8-9

Neopleurophora scleropyga , sp. nov.

( Figs. 8–11, 160, 196, 252–253)

Diagnosis (males). Epandrial medial process trifurcated at apex; hind tibia with 3 anterodorsal and 5–6 posterodorsal setae.

Material examined. Holotype, ♂, COLOMBIA: Putumayo, PNN La Paya, Cabaña Chagra , 0.12ºS, 74.93ºW, 30.iii–15.iv.2002, Malaise trap, 320 m, R. Cobete col. ( IAVH) . Paratype: COLOMBIA: 1♂, Vaupés: Est. Biol. Mosiro-Ijaura (Caparú) Igapo , 1.07ºN, 69.52ºW, 1–9.ii.2003, Malaise trap, 60 m, J. Pinzón col. ( LACM) .

Description. Male. Body length, 2.8 mm. Head. Frons black, pubescent, without median furrow. Flagellomere 1 orange, pubescent, oval. Arista pre-apical, pubescent. Palpus yellowish-brown (genal setae could not be observed). Thorax. Scutum black, pleural sclerites dark brown; anepisternum setulose, with one long seta; scutellum dark brown, with medial and posterior areas gray. Legs light brown, except for yellowish-brown foretibia and foretarsus. Forefemur with ventral row of strong setae in its entire extension. Foretibia with one dorsal seta at basal third and an anterodorsal row of strong setae. Foremetatarsus short (length/width ratio, 3.1). Midtibia with one anterodorsal and four posterodorsal setae ( Fig. 160). Hind femur swollen (height/length ratio, 0.41), without ventral, strong setae. Hind tibia with three anterodorsal and 5–6 posterodorsal setae ( Fig. 196). Wing. Costa 0.47 of the wing length, other wing features as described for the genus. Halter white. Abdomen. Tergites dark brown, with a lighter posterior band and dense microtrichia producing a silvery sheen. Hypopygium brown ( Figs. 8–11). Epandrial medial process trifurcated at apex. Epandrial right posterior margin rounded, ventral apex projecting posteriorly, no subepandrial setulose process. Hypandrium lobes sclerotized, of nearly same size. Hypoproct with two setae. Phallus ( Figs. 252–253). Basiphallus without dorsal process. Core plate membranous. Right arm fused to basiphallus and to ventral plate, constituting a short ventral process. Epiphallus shifted to left side, ending free, with thin, transparent scales.

Female. Unknown.

Geographic distribution. Colombia.

Etymology. The specific epithet scleropyga refers to the sclerotized hypandrial lobes, and is derived from the Greek roots skleros (hard) and pyge (rump, buttocks).

Comments. Besides their phallic morphology with no conspicuous differences, N. scleropyga and N. synaptodrilus present similar sclerotized hypandrial lobes and epandrial right posterior margin rounded. Neopleurophora scleropyga can be differentiated from this species by its epandrial medial process trifurcated at the apex.

Borgmeier (1975) presented illustrations of the hypopygium of a specimen from Rondônia, Brazil, taken as a male of N. scutellata . His drawings allow verifying that it is conspecific with N. scleropyga . For the reasons exposed above, it should not be considered conspecific with N. scutellata .