Spathidexia luteola Fleming & Wood 2015

Fleming, AJ, Wood, D. Monty, Janzen, Daniel, Hallwachs, Winnie & Smith, M. Alex, 2015, Seven new species of Spathidexia Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) reared from caterpillars in Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Biodiversity Data Journal 3, pp. 4597-4597 : 4597

Spathidexia luteola Fleming & Wood 2015 sp. n.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: 04-SRNP-45008 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs; individualID: 04-SRNP-45008; individualCount: 1; sex: M; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; Taxon: scientificName: Spathidexia luteola; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Spathidexia; specificEpithet: luteola; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Cacao ; verbatimLocality: Gongora Bananal; verbatimElevation: 600; verbatimLatitude: 10.88919; verbatimLongitude: -85.47609; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.88919; decimalLongitude: -85.47609; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Vacerra aeas (Hesperiidae); verbatimEventDate: 03-Apr-2004; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0011066 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs; individualID: DHJPAR0011066; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: 04-SRNP-14634; Taxon: scientificName: Spathidexialuteola; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Spathidexia; specificEpithet: luteola; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Santa Rosa ; verbatimLocality: Bosque San Emilio; verbatimElevation: 300; verbatimLatitude: 10.84389; verbatimLongitude: -85.61384; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.84389; decimalLongitude: -85.61384; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Moerisstroma (Hesperiidae); verbatimEventDate: 22-Oct-2004; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0018741 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs; individualID: DHJPAR0018741; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: 04-SRNP-45008; Taxon: scientificName: Spathidexialuteola; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Spathidexia; specificEpithet: luteola; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Cacao ; verbatimLocality: Gongora Bananal; verbatimElevation: 600; verbatimLatitude: 10.88919; verbatimLongitude: -85.47609; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.88919; decimalLongitude: -85.47609; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Vacerraaeas (Hesperiidae); verbatimEventDate: 03-Apr-2004; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: DHJPAR0018742 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs; individualID: DHJPAR0018742; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; otherCatalogNumbers: 04-SRNP-45008; Taxon: scientificName: Spathidexialuteola; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Spathidexia; specificEpithet: luteola; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Cacao ; verbatimLocality: Gongora Bananal; verbatimElevation: 600; verbatimLatitude: 10.88919; verbatimLongitude: -85.47609; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.88919; decimalLongitude: -85.47609; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Vacerraaeas (Hesperiidae); verbatimEventDate: 03-Apr-2004; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: occurrenceDetails: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu; catalogNumber: 04-SRNP-45008 ; recordedBy: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs; individualID: 04-SRNP-45008; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: adult; preparations: pinned; Taxon: scientificName: Spathidexialuteola; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Diptera; family: Tachinidae; genus: Spathidexia; specificEpithet: luteola; Location: continent: Central America; country: Costa Rica; countryCode: CR; stateProvince: Guanacaste; county: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste; locality: Sector Cacao ; verbatimLocality: Gongora Bananal; verbatimElevation: 600; verbatimLatitude: 10.88919; verbatimLongitude: -85.47609; verbatimCoordinateSystem: Decimal; decimalLatitude: 10.88919; decimalLongitude: -85.47609; Identification: identifiedBy: AJ Fleming; dateIdentified: 2014; Event: samplingProtocol: reared from caterpillar of Vacerraaeas (Hesperiidae); verbatimEventDate: 03-Apr-2004; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: CNC; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: Pinned Specimen

Description

Male (Fig. 4a, b, c), head: Frontal vitta dark black, narrowed apically to less than the width of the ocellar triangle, face 6 times as wide as frontal vitta; frontal bristles arise no lower than level of pedicel; yellow hairs lining the margin of the frontal vitta; antenna orange along upper half, first flagellomere darkening apically; arista black and plumose, trichia at least 4 times as long as width of base of arista, tapering at apex of arista; proclinate orbital bristles absent; parafrontal almost entirely silver, gold along apex following margin of frontal vitta, with minute hairs over its entire surface; parafacial silver; palpi orange; short row of yellow supravibrissal hairs along facial margin. Thorax: dull greyish-gold when viewed dorsally with two smoky longitudinal grey bands; three post sutural dorsocentral bristles; scutellum concolorous with thorax over its entirety, thorax silver grey when viewed laterally; anterior femur bearing silvery pruinosity; anterior pair of legs with femur bearing silvery pruinosity slightly yellow 1/6 of its length past knee, tibiae yellow and hirsute with black tarsi, 2nd and 3rd pair of legs black entirely. Wings: pale smoky greyish in color, vein R4+5 setose up to crossvein r-m; vein R1 bare. Abdomen: abdominal tergites dark shiny black medially, with bright grey band covering 1/10th of anterior margin of T3, and up to 1/5th or more of T4 and T5, these bands wrapping around to the underside. Bright yellow blotches appear along tergites T1+2, T3 and the anterior half of T4; T3, T4 and T5 possessing medial marginal bristles. Lateral marginal bristles on T1+2. Medium length yellow hairs visible over entire body, in particular visible extending from underside of T1+2.

Female (Fig. 4d, e, f), head: Frontal vitta dark black, narrowed apically to less than the width of the ocellar triangle, face 8 times as wide as frontal vitta; frontal bristles arise no lower than level of pedicel; yellow hairs lining the margin of the frontal vitta; antenna orange along upper half, first flagellomere darkening apically; arista black and plumose, trichia at least 4 times as long as width of base of arista, tapering at apex of arista; proclinate orbital bristles present; parafrontal almost entirely silver, gold along apex surrounding ocellar triangle and following margin of frontal vitta, sparse minute hairs over upper half of fronto-orbital plate; parafacial silver; palpi orange; short row of yellow supravibrissal hairs along facial margin. Thorax: greyish-gold when viewed dorsally with four longitudinal grey vittae, these only slightly visible post-suturally, appearing broken at thoracic suture; three post sutural dorsocentral bristles; scutellum bearing white or yellowish pruinosity over its entirety; legs anterior femur bearing silvery pruinosity, anterior pair of legs with tibiae yellow and hirsute with black tarsi, 2nd and 3rd pair of legs black entirely. Wings: pale smoky greyish in color, vein R4+5 setose up to crossvein c-m; vein R1 bare. Abdomen: abdominal tergites dark shiny black medially, with bright grey band covering 1/3rd or more of tergal surface arising at the margins of abdominal tergites T3, T4 and T5, these bands wrapping around to the underside. Bright yellow blotches appear along tergites T1+2, T3 and the anterior margin of T4; T3, T4 and T5 possessing medial marginal bristles, ovipositor concealed within segment 5. Lateral marginal bristles on T1+2. Small yellow hairs visible over entire body, not as hirsute as males but still present, in particular visible extending from anepimeron, and from underside of T1+2.

Diagnosis

Species closely resembling S. clemonsi , differs from the former due to the presence of yellow tibiae on the front pair of legs, yellow/pale hairs covering the entire body, and costal spine is reduced in S. luteola , not absent as in S. clemonsi . This species is quite similar to Spathidexia brasiliensis , from which it can be differentiated by the former having an orange pedicel and narrow ocellar triangle.

Etymology

From the Latin adjective, “luteus”, yellow, in reference to the pale yellow hairs covering the body of this species, particularly prominent on the underside of the abdomen.

Distribution

Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Guanacaste, dry forest and dry forest-rain forest interface, 300 --– 600 m elevation.

Ecology

Reared from 2 species of Hesperiidae , Hesperiinae, eating Lasiacis ( Poaceae ) (2 records), bearing 1-5 larvae per caterpillar.