Peckia (Peckia) veropeso, Carvalho-Filho, Fernando Da Silva, Soares, Jessica Maria Menezes, Souza, Caroline Costa De & Gorayeb, Inocêncio De Sousa, 2016

Carvalho-Filho, Fernando Da Silva, Soares, Jessica Maria Menezes, Souza, Caroline Costa De & Gorayeb, Inocêncio De Sousa, 2016, Peckia veropeso sp. nov., a flesh fly (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) from the Brazilian Amazon associated with riparian habitats, Zootaxa 4067 (2), pp. 233-238 : 234-237

Peckia (Peckia) veropeso sp. nov.

( Figs 4–11 )

Material examined. Holotype ♂ ( MPEG), labeled as follows: Magalhães Barata / Vila de Calafate / PA-Brasil / 18–21.IV.2015 / SOUZA, C.C. [printed on rectangular white label] // Floresta de várzea / Armadilha de / garrafa PET com / isca de fruta [printed on rectangular white label]. Specimen in good condition with extended terminalia. Paratypes. 5 ♂♂ (2 in MNRJ, 3 in MPEG), same data as holotype; 1 ♂ ( MPEG): Belém-PA-Brasil / Feira do Vero-Peso / 07.IV.2015 / Soares, J.M.M. [printed on rectangular white label] // Doca de / embarcação / Busca ativa [printed on rectangular white label].

Diagnosis. Gena with light golden microtrichosity, with black setae on the upper part and yellow or white setae on the lower part; mid femur of male without a ctenidium on postero-ventral surface; lower calypter without a central dark spot; sternite 5 of male light brown with posterior margin Λ-shaped ( Fig. 10 ); cercus of male with a large dorsal notch with backward-projecting posterior margin ( Figs 5 , 7 ); vesica with a rounded lobe proximally and distally composed of two C-shaped structures connected at their base and each with an acute hook-shaped tip ( Fig. 11 ), basal portion of C-shaped structure with a prominent, pointed and twisted projection directed ventrally ( Fig. 11 ).

Description. Male. Body length: 13.5–19.5 mm (n = 7). Head. Fronto-orbital and parafacial plates and postocular strip with golden microtrichosity ( Fig. 6 ). Ocellar setae equal to or shorter than postoculars. Outer vertical seta thicker and longer than postoculars. First two rows of occipital setae black, others yellow. Frontal setae 10, with two setae situated below the dorsal limit of the lunule. Gena with light golden microtrichosity ( Fig. 6 ), with black setae on the upper part and yellow or white setae on the lower part. Thorax. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 0+1, dorsocentrals 1+2, intra-alars 1+2 (anterior one shorter), supra-alars 2+3, postpronotals 3, postalars 2, notopleurals 4 (two strong), meropleurals 9, katepisternals 2, scutellum with 1 pair of basal setae, 1 pair of lateral setae, 1 pair of apical setae and no discal setae. Scutellum with black setulae ventrally on anterior half. Postalar wall with only black setulae. Prosternum and posterior surface of hind coxa with black setulae. Legs. Mid femur without a ctenidium on postero-ventral surface. Antero-dorsal surface of mid tibia with 1 median seta and 1 apical seta. Hind tibia antero-dorsally with 1 seta in the basal third, 1 in the middle third and 1 preapical seta. Wing. Costal spine absent. Vein R1 bare on dorsal surface. Third costal section bare ventrally. Lower calypter without a central dark spot but bearing a fringe of long setulae along outer margin, extending to its posterior margin. Abdomen. Tergites dark brown in ground color. Tergites 3 to 5 with a band of silvery gray microtomentum on anterior 4/5 on dorsal and lateral surfaces ( Fig. 6 ). Sternites light brown with silvery gray microtomentum, covered with black setulae. One lateral seta on tergites 3 and 4. One pair of median marginal setae on tergite 4. Terminalia. Sternite 5 light brown with posterior margin Λ-shaped. Inner margin of sternite 5 arms with a patch of short and thick black setae on the anterior region ( Fig. 10 ). Syntergosternite 7+8 longer than high in lateral view, its anterior half black and distal half reddish with golden microtrichosity. Epandrium bright orange ( Fig. 5 ). Cercus dark brown, with the tip progressively narrowing towards the apex in lateral view ( Figs 5 , 7 ). Dorsal margin of cercus slightly curved in lateral view, with a large dorsal notch with backward-projecting posterior margin ( Figs 4–5 , 7 ). Cerci in dorsal view longer than wide, with cercal prongs convergent ( Fig. 4 ). Surstylus orange, triangular, with a rounded apex, with tip less sclerotized (smoother, of lighter color and more transparent than the remaining surface) ( Fig. 7 ). Pregonite slightly longer than postgonite, broad at base, and apex perpendicular to basal half ( Fig. 8 ). Postgonite elongated, with a hooked apex ( Fig. 9 ). Basi- and distiphallus connected by a hinge. Juxta without a demarcated connection with phallic tube, as sclerotized as phallic tube ( Fig. 11 ). Juxtal lateral plate long and widened distally in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ). Lateral styli well separated from one another, visible in lateral and apical views, each with a longitudinal groove ( Fig. 11 ). Vesica with a rounded lobe proximally and distally composed of two C-shaped structures connected at their base and each with an acute, hook-shaped tip in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ). Vesica with a pointed, twisted and ventrally-oriented projection parallel to phallic tube and close to the rounded proximal lobe ( Fig. 11 ).

Female unknown.

Remarks. The distiphallus of this species is similar to those of six species of Peckia (s. str.) ( Peckia hillifera (Aldrich) , Peckia hondurana Dodge , Peckia keyensis Dodge , Peckia lutzi (Lopes) , Peckia spectabilis (Aldrich) , and Peckia villegasi Dodge ) in having a vesica with a rounded lobe proximally and distally composed of two Cshaped structures connected at their base and each with an acute hook-shaped tip in lateral view. Due to these similarities in the distiphallus, these species have been grouped in the hillifera species-group ( Dodge 1965; Lopes 1973), which was recovered as monophyletic by Buenaventura & Pape (2015). However, P. veropeso sp. nov. differs from these species in having the vesica with a prominent, pointed and twisted projection directed ventrally in the basal portion of the C-shaped structure, close to the rounded proximal lobe and parallel to the anterior margin of the phallic tube. In the other species this projection is not twisted and is directed anteriorly and perpendicular to the phallic tube. Also, in lateral view, the cercus of P. veropeso sp. nov. has a large dorsal notch with a backwardprojecting posterior margin, a combination of features found only in P. keyensis ( Buenaventura & Pape 2013) .

Biology. Peckia veropeso sp. nov. seems to be restricted to the periodically inundated riparian habitats locally termed “várzea”. The two localities where the specimens were collected are inundated by riverine freshwater that becomes brackish during some periods of the year. The Ver-o-Peso street market is an urbanized space without forest cover that, in some periods of the year, is also inundated. Among the species of the hillifera -group, at least P. lutzi , P. hillifera and P. villegasi are also associated with coastal environments such as mangrove forests and oceanic beaches (Barbosa et al. 2015; Carvalho-Filho, personal observation). Based on the list of material analyzed by Buenaventura & Pape (2013) it is possible to hypothesize that P. keyensis , P. hondurana and P. spectabilis are also associated with coastal environments.

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL—Brazil (Pará).

Etymology. The specific epithet “ veropeso ”, which should be treated as a noun in apposition, refers to the Vero-Peso market where the first specimen was collected. The Ver-o-Peso market is a famous open-air market and part of Brazil’s national heritage. It is located at the Guajará Bay riverside and is one of the iconic symbols of the city of Belém ( Fig. 3 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. 1 – 2. Inundanted forest of Vila de Calafate. 1. Margin of forest. 2. Inside of forest. 3. Ver-o-Peso street market, with beached boats during the low tide. 4 – 6. Peckia (Peckia) veropeso sp. nov., holotype ♂. 4. Cerci, dorsal view. 5. Male terminalia, lateral view. 6. Habitus, lateral view.

FIGURES 7 – 11. Peckia (Peckia) veropeso sp. nov., paratype ♂. 7. Epandrium, surstylus and cercus, with arrow pointing to dorsal notch, left lateral view. 8. Pregonite, lateral view. 9. Postgonite, lateral view. 10. Sternite 5, ventral view. 11. Distiphallus, with arrow pointing to pointed projection of vesica, lateral view. Abbreviations: jp = juxta lateral plate; ls = lateral stylus; ve = vesica.