Houghia gracilis Fleming & Wood

Fleming, Alan J., Wood, Monty, Smith, Alex, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2014, Revision of the New World species of Houghia Coquillett (Diptera, Tachinidae) reared from caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Zootaxa 3858 (1), pp. 1-90 : 51-53

Houghia gracilis Fleming & Wood , sp. nov.

Fig. 23 a–f

Diagnosis. One of a pair of sibling species, the other being H. graciloides , with orange ground colour on sides and ventral surface of tergites 3 and 4 and extensive but sparse sex patches on tergites 3 to 5; with ocellar setae arising distinctly behind anterior ocellus, and with a row of minute black hairs on lower 1/4 of facial ridge above the usual decumbent supravibrissal setae ( H. fimbriata has minute whitish hairs on lower half of facial ridge; H. sexmaculata has sex patches on tergites 3 to 5 on a black ground colour, and several species have the ocellar setae arising behind the anterior ocellus). Eye apparently bare, even under high magnification.

Description. Male. Antenna black. When viewed in profile, antenna arises approximately at level of middle of eye. Length of first flagellomere extending to facial margin. Facial ridge with, in addition to the decumbent vibrissae, a row of minute, inconspicuous, hairs. Palpus pale, usually distinctly yellowish. Postgena behind postoccipital row, above level of lower facial margin, with a small patch of few black setae. Parafacial silver. Colour of fronto-orbital plate pale brassy to gold on its entire length from vertex to base of antenna (more than 50% coverage). Surface of fronto-orbital plate almost bare. Ocellar triangle, when viewed from above appearing rounded anteriorly. Diameter of anterior ocellus equal to, or greater than, diameter of base of adjacent ocellar seta. Ocellar setae arising behind anterior ocellus but closer to anterior than to posterior ocelli. Eye bare. Postpronotum restricted to the three main postpronotal setae. Dark stripes on either side of dorsocentral row of setae separated from one another by yellow tomentosity. Median and lateral stripes on either side of scutum separate from each other posteriorly. Postsutural dorsocentral setae 4. Anterior quadrant of anepisternum covered with short setae except for usually 3 to 5 distinctly larger setae. Katepisternum with three setae, the middle one always the smallest.

Vein R1 bare dorsally. Legs ranging from reddish brown to yellow tinged but overall dark. Coxae distinctly yellow tinged, usually contrasting with darker remainder of legs. Ground colour of dorsal surface of abdominal tergite 3 and in some specimens parts of other tergites as well, dark medially but reddish laterally. Ground colour of ventral surface of abdomen partially or entirely reddish or yellowish. Sex patches present on tergite 3, as well as on tergites 4 and 5 (though sometimes small or absent on 5). Ground colour of sex patches not distinctly shiny. Terminalia: surstylus equilaterally oblong shaped, posterodorsal half haired, apex bearing many stout apical spines, tip with light inwardly apical curve when viewed dorsally. Cerci sharply pointed or distinctly tapered, apex with straight tip, ventral surface bare, separation between cerci straight, about as long as surstylus. Lobe of sternite 5 oversized and rounded apically, inner margin covered in dense tomentosity appearing darker than surrounding cuticle, internal edge straight, single long apical seta emanating from apex.

Hosts. Houghia gracilis has been reared 43 times, from 27 species in 19 genera of primarily herbaceous monocot-eating caterpillars of Hesperiinae (Hesperiidae) in ACG dry forest, cloud forest, and rain forest, from a sample of 10000+ caterpillars. This long list of hosts overlaps with that of H. graciloides , but emphasizes grasses and other short-lived monocot leaves, instead of large and long-lived monocot leaves.

Holotype. ♂, CNC. Type locality: Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Prov. Alajuela, Sector San Cristobal, Sendero Perdido (10.8794°, -85.38607°), 620 m, 03/16/2004, Anabelle Cordoba, DHJPAR0008435. Paratypes. 67 ♂, 34 ♀ ( CNC) Costa Rica, Prov. Guanacaste & Alajuela, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0008405, DHJPAR0023638, DHJPAR0008388, DHJPAR0020981, DHJPAR0008428, DHJPAR0008410, DHJPAR0008434, DHJPAR0023687, DHJPAR0005478, DHJPAR0007105, DHJPAR0008426, DHJPAR0007004, DHJPAR0019553, DHJPAR0040663, DHJPAR0008389, DHJPAR0036598, DHJPAR0008395, DHJPAR0027864, DHJPAR0008435, DHJPAR0019556, DHJPAR0019555, DHJPAR0019739, DHJPAR0011062, DHJPAR0009995, DHJPAR0035680, DHJPAR0048669, DHJPAR0008736, DHJPAR0011501, DHJPAR0008384, DHJPAR0019658, DHJPAR0008401, DHJPAR0008383, DHJPAR0008420, DHJPAR0015016, DHJPAR0011502, DHJPAR0008402, DHJPAR0008377, DHJPAR0008378, DHJPAR0008429, DHJPAR0008407, DHJPAR0008427, DHJPAR0005519, DHJPAR0011537, DHJPAR0008404, DHJPAR0036528, DHJPAR0048678, 04-SRNP-14819, 07-SRNP-58539, 08-SRNP-55459, 03-SRNP-27474, 06-SRNP-30815, 05-SRNP-49341, 04-SRNP-13675, 06-SRNP-2206, 05- SRNP-3370, 08-SRNP-2615, 94-SRNP-9198, 95-SRNP-11509, 95-SRNP-11286, 96-SRNP-10085, 96-SRNP- 10082, 96-SRNP-10080, 03-SRNP-1707, 03-SRNP-15894, 03-SRNP-10734, 96-SRNP-11563, 95-SRNP-11563, 96-SRNP-10277, 02-SRNP-5947, 02-SRNP-32717, 94-SRNP-10453, 95-SRNP-8542.1, 06-SRNP-20139.

Etymology. From the Latin adjective, gracilis , meaning slender, in reference to the narrower appearance of the fly, especially of the abdomen, compared to the majority of other species.

Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Alajuela & Guanacaste, rain forest, cloud forest, and dry forest, 17–1460 m elevation.

Figures

FIGURE 23. General morphology of Houghia gracilis sp. nov. a. Dorsal habitus. b. Frontal view of head. c. Lateral habitus. d. Posterior view of male terminalia. e. Lateral view of male terminalia. f. Ventral view of sternite 5 + segments 7 + 8.