Parasycorax sigmoidalis, Rossito & Pinho, 2019

Rossito, Lucas & Pinho, Luiz Carlos, 2019, A new species of Parasycorax and new records of Sycorax (Diptera: Psychodidae Sycoracinae) from southern Brazil, Zootaxa 4691 (1), pp. 89-92 : 89-91

Parasycorax sigmoidalis sp. nov.

( Figures 1–7 )

Type material. Holotype male, slide-mounted. BRAZIL, Santa Catarina State, Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, Serra do Tabuleiro State Park , 27°44’47” S, 48°48’29” W, Malaise trap 13.II–02.VIII.2014, L.C. Pinho ( MZUSP) . Paratype male, same data as holotype ( UFSC) .

Diagnosis. The new species differs from all congeners by having a gonostylus with a single mesal branch that is sigmoidal in shape.

Description. Male (n=2). Total length 1.53–1.68 mm. Tegument uniformly brownish. Head: subcircular in frontal view; eyes separated; clypeus quadrangular; labrum triangular; scape cylindrical, larger than pedicel; pedicel spherical ( Fig. 3 ). Flagellomeres XII and XIII missing from specimens; flagellomere I 1.22–1.28 times as long as fII; ascoids sinuous, about 2.0–2.2 times as long as flagellomeres on which they are inserted ( Fig. 2 ). Palpus with four segments ( Fig. 4 ). Lengths of palpus segments (in µm, n=1): 32, 42, 52, 92. Thorax: notum darker than the pleura, coxae and legs. Wing 1.59–1.66 mm long ( Fig. 1 ) with rounded apex; Sc not reaching C; sc-r short (shorter than CuA); h absent; all veins not clearly touching C; Rs incomplete, not reaching R 1; base of Rs incomplete; base of R 4+5 incomplete, not reaching Rs; r-m not developed; m-cu lightly sclerotized. Cerci ( Fig. 5 ) with some apical bristles. Hypoproct ending before the apex of the cercus, subtriangular with blunt apex, with apical micropilosity ( Fig. 5 ). Gonocoxite 132–147 µm long, 83–93 µm wide; base of the gonocoxite having a lateral group of four sensorial setae, all shorter than remaining setae on gonocoxite ( Fig. 7 ). Gonostylus ( Fig. 7 ) 103–123 µm long, with one strongly sinuous, heavily sclerotized mesal branch, 132 µm long; outer branch with six spines, comprising a apical row of three spines, one strong apical, one strong subapical and one strong and long medial; base of the gonostylus with a group of four short sensorial setae inserted dorsally ( Fig. 7 ). Aedeagus ( Fig. 6 ) bifid, almost as long as ejaculatory apodeme. Ejaculatory apodeme almost as long as paramere. Paramere ( Fig. 6 ) plate-like, without bristles.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The name sigmoidalis refers to the sigmoidal (S-shaped) mesal branch of the gonostylus.

Distribution. Currently known only from type locality.

Comments. The type locality, Serra do Tabuleiro State Park, Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, is located in the Atlantic Rain Forest Biome, Brazil. The specimens were collected in a Malaise trap set at ground level in a mature forest, 10 meters upstream from a high waterfall, near dead trees. Other species of Parasycorax have been collected in South America using CDC light traps suspended in the canopy, about 15 meters high ( Bejarano et al. 2008; Santos et al. 2009). Although the Malaise trap that collected P. sigmoidalis sp. nov. specimens was set on the ground, it is possible that canopy fauna were sampled due to its proximity to the canopy of large trees downstream of the waterfall.

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Parasycorax sigmoidalis sp. nov., male. 1. Wing. 2. Flagellomeres V and VI. 3. Scape, pedicel and flagellomere I. 4. Palpus. 5. Cerci and hypoproct. 6. Parameres, aedeagus and ejaculatory apodeme. 7. Gonocoxite and gonostylus, dorsal view.