Zelia varipennis (Wulp, 1891) Santis & O’Hara & Couri, 2024

Santis, Marcelo Domingos De, O’Hara, James E. & Couri, Márcia Souto, 2024, Partial revision of the exclusively Neotropical species of Zelia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Tachinidae: Dexiinae: Dexiini), with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 5419 (1), pp. 1-52 : 42-44

Zelia varipennis (Wulp, 1891) , comb. nov.

( Fig. 21 )

Scotiptera varipennis Wulp, 1891a: 224 . Type locality: Mexico, Veracruz, Atoyac. References: Guimarães (1971: 35, catalogue; wrongly considered as “N. comb.”); O’Hara et al. (2020: 75, World checklist of Tachinidae ).

Type material examined. Holotype female: “Holo-/type”; “ ♀ ”; “ Atoyac,/ Vera Cruz .,/ April. H. H. Smith”; “B.C.A. Dipt. II/ Scotiptera /varipennis,/ v.d.W.; “ Centra America./ Pres. By / F. D. Godman. / O. Salvin. /1903-172.”; “ NHMUK 013933508 ”.

Diagnosis. Eye bare. Facial carina undeveloped. Head entirely silvery pruinose. Postpedicel blackish. Palpus brownish black, clavate. Scutellum tawny yellow. Katepisternum with 2+1 setae. Wing smoky. Abdomen reddish-brownish with silver pruinosity anteriorly, except tergite 5, being without pruinosity. Abdomen reddish-brownish, tergites 3 and 4 with one erect discal and one pair of median marginal seta; tergite 5 with one pair of discal setae.

Redescription. Female. Body length: 12.5 mm.

Coloration ( Fig. 21 ). Frontal vitta and ocellar triangle dark brown to black. Head with silvery pruinosity, but gena brownish black. Occiput with black setulae. Scape dark brown, pedicel tawny yellow. Postpedicel blackish. Palpus and labella brownish black. Thorax mainly silver pruinosity; scutum with four dark vittae, in prescutum the two inner vittae are thinner than the outer, in postscutum, the inner vittae is half the length of the outer, neither reaching the scutellum. Scutellum tawny yellow, but 1/4 light brown anteriorly. Wing smoky, light brown along the veins. Calypter hyaline. Halter yellow-tawny. Posterior spiracle brownish black. Legs brown to tawny. Claws brown, pulvilum yellow. Abdomen reddish-brownish with silver pruinosity on tergites 3 to 5. Syntergite 1+2 slightly reddish brown, but with silvery pruinosity dorsolaterally. Tergites 3 and 4 slightly reddish brown, but 1/3 silver pruinose, except to central region, in the insertion of the discal setae. Tergite 5 reddish brown, without pruinosity,

Head ( Fig. 21 ). Vertex about 0.3x head width in dorsal view. Frontal vitta, in the narrowest point, 2x wider that than ocellar triangle. Fronto-orbital plate with 9–10 pairs of proclinate setae; about the same width of frontal vitta and parafacial. Fronto-orbital plate with 2 proclinate and 1 reclinate setae, with sparse setulae along its extension. Width of parafacial measured between inner margin of compound eye and antennal insertion is 0.5x the width of gena. Postpedicel slender, 2.5x the combined length of scape and pedicel; longer than the dorsal, longest cilia ca. 6x basal width of arista. Facial ridge with 5 or 6 setulae on lower third. Lower facial margin not protruding, invisible in profile. Eye about 0.72x the head height. Gena about 0.55x eye height. Vibrissa missing loge and convergent, inserted ate the level of lower facial margin. Labella well-developed, swollen apically. Prementum about the same length of palpus.

Thorax ( Fig. 21A, C ). Acrostichals 1+2. Dorsocentral 3+4. Intra-alar 1+3; intra-postalar absent. Supra-alar 2+4, first postsutural weak. Postpronotal lobe with three setae, two forming an anterior row and one posterior. Anepisternum with eight strong setae and with tow upward directed setulae anteriorly. Scutellum with one basal, one lateral, one apical and one discal pairs of setae. Katepisternum with 2+1 setae. Anepimeron with one long setae. Postalar callus with 3 setae. Legs. Fore coxa with many setae anteriorly; fore femur with dorsal and posteroventral rows of setae; fore tibia with 2 preapicals, 2 anterior setae. Mid femur with one anteroventral seta on median third, mid tibia with 2 posterodorsal setae on median third, 5 preapicals, 2 anterodorsals and 3 posteroventral. Hind femur with posteroventral rows of setae three anterodorsal setae on basal half and one ventral setae on distal half; hind tibia with four anterodorsal setae on median half, 4 preapicals, 2 on posteroventral and 2 on anterodorsal surface.

Abdomen ( Fig. 21A, C ). Syntergite 1+2 with a pair of lateral marginal setae. Tergite 3 and 4 with one discal, one median marginal seta and one pairs of lateral marginal seta. Tergite 5 with one pair of discal setae and one row of marginal setae. Terminalia. Not dissected, only female holotype was available.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Mexico (Veracruz, Atoyac).

Figures

FIGURE 21. Zelia varipennis (Wulp, 1891), holotype female (NHMUK). A. Dorsal habitus. B. Head, frontal view. C. Lateral habitus. D. Labels.