Coniceromyia epicantha Borgmeier

Ament, Danilo César & Amorim, Dalton De Souza, 2016, Taxonomic revision of Coniceromyia Borgmeier (Diptera: Phoridae), with the description of three new species from Brazil, Zootaxa 4086 (1) : 34-35

Coniceromyia epicantha Borgmeier

( Figs. 78–81, 163, 215, 277– 278)

Coniceromyia epicantha Borgmeier, 1923: 338 , figs. 5–7. Refs.: Borgmeier 1925: 120, figs. 6 –7, 1950: 284, textfigs. 3, 7, fig. 2 in plate xvi, fig. 2 in plate xix.

Diagnosis (male). Foretibia with sharp dorsal spine, two strong dorsal setae, anterodorsal strong seta and anterior excavation with many tiny blunt setulae. Wing hyaline.

Material examined. Holotype, ♂, BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: Petrópolis, 9.vi. 1923 (no further information) (MZSP). Paratypes: 3 ♂, BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: Petrópolis, 7.v. 1923; 1 ♂, same data, but 4.vii. 1923 (MZSP). Additional material: ARGENTINA: 1 ♂, Misiones: Parque Nacional Iguazú, 25.68 °S, 54.44 °W, 30.xi– 2.xii. 2003, Malaise trap, B. Brown, G. Kung col. (LACM); BRAZIL: 1 ♂, Rio de Janeiro: Petrópolis, vi. 1927; 1 ♂, same data, but 13.xi. 1950; 1 ♂, same data, but 2.xi. 1923 (no further data) (MZSP); 1 ♂, Minas Gerais: Cabo Verde: Fazenda da Cata, 598 m, 23.ix– 15.x. 2006, Malaise trap (MZSP); 4 ♂, São Paulo: Campos do Jordão: Horto Florestal Estadual, 22.xi. 2010, Malaise trap, Airton & Marcos col. (MZSP).

Redescription. Male. Body length, 2.2–2.5 mm. Head. Frons yellowish-brown, darker dorsally, sparsely setulose, with well-defined median furrow. Flagellomere 1 dark yellow, darker apically, pubescent, elongateconical. Arista apical, pubescent, about half of flagellomere 1 length. Palpus yellow; one small genal seta. Thorax. Scutum, scutellum and pleural regions brown, anepisternum bare. Legs yellowish-brown. Foretibia basal third elevated dorsally with a sharp spine, two dorsal strong setae and one strong anterodorsal seta close to the spine. Foretibia apical half with excavation bearing many tiny blunt setulae, anterodorsal row of four orange strong setulae and one apical strong setula. Foremetatarsus not excavated, with anteroapical setulose process, without differentiated setae ( Fig. 163). Hind femur not swollen (height/length ratio, 0.33), with posteroventral group of tiny blunt setulae with semicircular distribution, tapering toward ventral margin ( Figs. 277–278). Hind tibia with two dorsal setae. Wing (Fig. 215). Costa swollen, 0.43 of the wing length; M 1 concave, curved posteriorly at apex; M 2 slightly concave; antero-posterior distance between M 2 and CuA 1 at CuA 1 apex about 1.2 times the distance between M 1 and M 2 at the same level; CuA 1 sinuous. Halter yellow. Abdomen. Tergites dark brown, with lighter posterior band. Hypopygium light brown ( Figs. 78–81). Epandrium microtrichose area small, with large proximal lateral areas bare; epandrium dorsal and left sutures present. Left epandrial process dorsally setose, with dorsal medially directed lobe, small setulose ventral projection extending subepandrially ( Figs. 79 and 81, black arrow) and two subepandrial processes: medial dented process ( Fig. 81, white arrow) and a proximal elevation with few strong setulae ( Figs. 79 and 81, gray arrow). Right epandrial projection with subepandrial group of setulae. Hypoproct with two setae. Hypandrium without lateral projections.

Geographical distribution. Areas with higher elevation in southeastern Brazil and northeast Argentina.

Comments. The epicantha -group of Coniceromyia (see Ament & Amorim 2010)—comprising Coniceromyia anacleti , C. diaphaniptera , C. epicantha , C. franciscana , C. maculipennis and C. vespertilio —, is an easily recognizable group with clearly apomorphic modifications in the foreleg and in the hypopygium. This group is distributed in the Atlantic Forest and the close relationship between some of its species has been recognized since the first revision of the genus by Borgmeier (1950). Coniceromyia epicantha shares with C. franciscana and C. vespertilio a distinct hypopygium, with characteristic subepandrial processes and a foremetatarsus not excavated.