Heteromphrale chilensis ( Kroeber )

Winterton, Shaun L. & Gaimari, Stephen D., 2011, Revision of the South American window fly genus Heteromphrale Kroeber, 1937 (Diptera, Scenopinidae), ZooKeys 84, pp. 39-57 : 45-48

Heteromphrale chilensis ( Kroeber) Figures 12 C–D4C–D5C–D79C–E 10B

Pseudatrichia chilensis Kröber 1928: 31.

Heteromphrale chilensis ( Kröber). - Kröber 1937: 221; Hardy 1966: 2; Kelsey 1969: 286; 1971: 284.

Type material.

Holotype female, label data: "CHILE Concepción, P. Herbst" / "coll. Lichtwardt" / " Pseudatrichia chilensis det. Kröber” / “HOLOTYPUS”. (DEI) (micropinmounted, reasonable condition except abdomen greasy and antennae missing).

Other material examined.

CHILE: Elqui Province: 10 km N La Serena, 10 m, -29°49.27', -71°16.20', 8.X.2003, M.E. Irwin, ex. hand net in coastal dunes [3 males (CASC) (MEI165208, 165209, 165210), 1 female (CASC) (MEI165211), 3 males (CSCA) (MEI165206, 165207 165212)].

Diagnosis.

Antennal flagellum orange brown, abruptly pear-shaped; female frons with extensive pile; mouthparts much smaller than oral cavity; scutum with glabrous, glossy dorsocentral spot (linear in female); wing with vein R4 diverging from R5 at point in basal quarter of cell r5; abdomen vivid matte-white with brown suffusion laterally (also medially in female), and with dark brown spot encompassing tergite 2 sensory patch; tergite 2 sensory patch distinct as two small patches; male epandrium not bulbous, without dense fringe of setae; hypandrium lobes sub-triangular with scle rotized lateral margins; distiphallus arms divergent; lateral aedeagal bulbs relatively small; female sternite 8 rounded posteriorly, without fringing elongate setae; acanthophorite spines robust and stout.

Redescription.

Body length: 2.6-3.2 mm [male], 4.8 mm [female]. Head (Figs 4 C–D, 5 C–D). Frons cream-white, female frons with yellow to light brown patch dorsomedially, sometimes more extensive brown-orange suffusion, surface wrinkled, sparsely distributed with small, pale setae; parafacial in male dark orange medially, white along eye margin (in female entirely yellow); ocellar triangle grey pubescent, raised, with anterior ocellus slightly larger than posterior ocellus; occiput and postgena dark with pale yellow with orange-brown suffusion marginally; face white with brown suffusion; mouthparts pale, relatively small in size, much smaller than oral cavity; pale yellow, including labellum, labellar setae, and small cylindrical palpus; prementum in male dark orange (in female pale yellow); flagellum orange-brown, abruptly pyriform, tapered distally; scape and pedicel brown with a few minute pale setae. Thorax (Figs 5 C–D, 7). Scutum light brown to grey, yellow on postpronotal lobe, anterior part of scutum adjacent to postpronotum, notopleuron, supra-alar area and postalar callus (in female, with yellow more extensive in these areas); entire thorax overlain with dense glaucous pubescence; glossy black dorsocentral patches present at point posterior third of scutum, patches round in male, elongate in female, paired median brown vittae in anterior half; scutellum dark medially, pale marginally; prosternum yellow, bare; proepisternum and proepimeron orange (in female yellow); anepisternum orange in dorsal half and along posterior margin (in female yellow), except white along dorsal margin and grey to brown pubescent anteroventrally; katepisternum grey to brown pubescent, except orange in upper part (in female yellow); anepimeron white to yellow, darkened anteriorly; meron shining glossy brown, except white pubescent dorsally; legs pale cream with uniform or mottled brown suffusion, tibiae orange, with dorsal surface pale; hind tibia becoming darker distally; tarsi dark. Wing. Venation pale brown; vein R4 diverging from R5 at point in basal quarter of cell r5; aberrant specimens with either spurious vein present between distal part of R5 and C (Fig. 7B) or R4 incomplete basally; haltere mostly cream-white. Abdomen (Fig. 7). Vivid matte-white to cream with brown suffusion laterally; dark brown band posteriorly (more obvious in female), tergite 2 with dark brown band level with and encompassing sensory setal patch; sternites white with brown suffusion laterally; sparse elongate setae on most segments. Male genitalia (Figs 2 C–D, 10B). Epandrium brown basally and pale yellow marginally; sub-quadrangular with posterior margins tapered, fine setae along margin; hypandrium halves small, sub-triangular with multiple lobes directed posteromedially, dark sclerotized along anterior and lateral margins; gonocoxite with darkly sclerotized, acuminate, dorsal process; gonostylus large, posteriorly directed and united medially, apparently fused to gonocoxites; gonocoxal apodeme broadly flattened, outer margin curved, inner margin straight; ejaculatory apodeme minute, directed ventrally; lateral aedeagal bulbs small; ventral apodeme dark sclerotized; distiphallus divergent laterally around gonostylus, medially directed process from between distiphallus projecting towards hypoproct, curved anteriorly, apex spatulate. Female genitalia (Figs 9 C–E). Sternite 8 with posterior edge rounded, with longish setae around fringe; acanthophorite spines long and robust.

Comments.

Originally described in Pseudatrichia , Kröber (1937) later erected Heteromphrale to accommodate this species. Although the female holotype is faded, encrusted with naphthalene and dust, and the abdomen is greasy, the distinctive bone-white color of the abdomen is still observable, along with the brown coloration around the tergite 2 sensory patch. In the original description, Kröber (1928) described the flagellum as red-yellowish color, but the antennae are now lost from the type specimen.

Heteromphrale chilensis is easily distinguished from other species of Heteromphrale by the glabrous dorsocentral patches on the scutum (elongate in females), mostly bone-white coloured abdomen, basally bulbous antennal first flagellomere, and the relatively tiny mouthparts. As in Heteromphrale blanca sp. n., the tergite 2 sensory patch is large and distinct, and is divided into two small patches with the setae directed medially, and the epandrium is not bulbous as in Heteromphrale cyanops , but in Heteromphrale chilensis there is no dense fringe of long white setae. Also like Heteromphrale blanca sp. n., the female sternite 8 is rounded, but in Heteromphrale chilensis , the edge is not fringed with long wispy setae, and the acanthophorite spines are robust.

Distribution.

Known from Chile ( Biobío Region ( Concepcíon Province) and Coquimbo Region (Elqui Province)).