Elmohardyia distincta, Marques, Dayse W. A. & Rafael, José A., 2015

Marques, Dayse W. A. & Rafael, José A., 2015, Elmohardyia Rafael (Diptera, Pipunculidae) from northeastern Brazil: new records and description of new species, Zootaxa 3972 (3), pp. 301-327 : 308-310

Elmohardyia distincta sp. nov.

Figs 45–60

Diagnosis. Tergite 2 with narrow basal gray pruinose band and two posterolateral gray pruinose spots. Sternite 6 with two subapical protuberances. Surstyli asymmetrical. Left surstylus strongly developed, twisted, about 2.2X longer than right surstylus, with basal lobe acute on median face. Right surstylus with pointed apex. Right gonopod weakly developed. Apex of phallic guide with three additional processes.

Description of male holotype. ( Fig. 45 ). Body length 5.4 mm. Head. Eyes contiguous for a distance of twenty facets. F, EM, V = 0.5 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.4 mm. Frontal triangle and face gray pruinose. Postcranium dark, graybrown pruinose dorsally and gray pruinose laterally and ventrally. Antennae ( Fig. 46 ) with scape dark brown; pedicel dark brown to black, with three dorsal and four ventral bristles; postpedicel dark brown, lighter towards the margins. LPP/WPP = 2. Labellum dark brown. Thorax. Postpronotal lobe brown, gray-brown pruinose. Scutum dark brown to black, brown pruinose. Notopleuron brown, gray pruinose with eight weak bristles. Scutellum dark brown to black, gray-brown pruinose, with inconspicuous bristles. Mesopleuron and mediotergite dark brown to black, gray pruinose. Wing. ( Fig. 47 ). Length 5.7 mm. LW/MWW = 3.3. LTC/LFC = 1.3. Membrane light brown infuscated, almost entirely covered with microtrichia, except for cells bc, small basal area of c, basal three quarters of sc, basal one third of r1, basal half of br and superior part of bm without or with very sparse microtrichia. Vein rm placed in the basal third of cell dm. Vein dm-cu straight. Halter brown with middle part of stem yellow. Legs. ( Fig. 45 ). Coxae dark brown to black, gray pruinose. Trochanters dark yellow. Femora dark brown to black with base and apex yellow, entirely gray pruinose posteriorly. Tibiae yellow, darker in distal half, gray pruinose. Tarsi dark brown, except fifth tarsomere darker or entirely black. Pulvilli yellow. Abdomen. ( Fig. 48 ). Dark brown to black, gray pruinose on tergite 1, on a narrow band on the base of tergite 2 and on posterolateral spots on tergites 2– 5; tergite 1 with three stout black bristles laterally. Tergite and sternite 6 as in Fig. 49 . Sternite 6 ( Fig. 50 ) with two subapical protuberances. Syntergosternite 8 dark brown to black, slightly longer than tergite 5, brown pruinose anteriorly, gray pruinose laterally and posteriorly ( Fig. 48 ) and with large, somewhat rounded, membranous area ( Fig. 51 ). Terminalia. Epandrium and surstyli light brown to yellow ( Fig. 52 ). Surstyli ( Figs 52–53 ) asymmetrical. Left surstylus strongly developed, twisted, about 2.2X longer than right surstylus, with basal lobe acute on median face ( Fig. 53 ); with a large sinus medially in lateral view ( Fig. 54 ). Right surstylus with acute apex ( Figs 53, 55 ). Subepandrial sclerite as in Fig. 56 . Right gonopod slightly developed ( Fig. 57 ). Phallic guide, when seen in lateral view ( Fig. 58 ), with three additional processes, two placed dorsally and one laterally; when seen in dorsal view ( Fig. 59 ) the two dorsal processes seem placed laterally ( Fig. 59 ). Phallic guide with a distinct groove ( Figs 58–59 ). Phallus ( Fig. 58 ) with distinct subapical spicule. Ejaculatory apodeme as in Fig. 60 . Female unknown.

Variation (paratype). Body length 5.3 mm. Wing length 5.5 mm. Tergite 2 with basal band of gray pruinescence connected medially to the two posterolateral spots.

Type Material. HOLOTYPE ♂: “ BRASIL, MA[ranhão], Mirador, Parque Est.[adual] Mirador, Base da Geraldina, 06°37'25"S, 45°52'08"W ” “Armadilha Suspensa, 13–19.x.2012, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, L.L.M. Santos & L.S. Santos” “ Holotype ♂, Elmohardyia distincta Marques & Rafael ” ( CZMA). PARATYPE: idem, 5.vii.2007, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira & J.C. Silva (paratype ♂, INPA).

Holotype condition. Left wing detached, mounted on microslide, right hind leg with distal tarsomeres lost. Terminalia placed in microvial with glycerin.

Etymology. From Latin, distinct = distinct, refers to the structure of the male terminalia, with a twisted left surstylus and a peculiar phallic guide.

Distribution. Brazil: Maranhão (Cerrado Biome).

Discussion. Elmohardyia distincta sp. nov. is close to E. inepta (Hardy) and E. spuria Rafael due to the pattern of abdominal pruinosity and the shape of the phallic guide. Elmohardyia distincta sp. nov. differs from E. inepta and E. spuria by sternite 6 with its two curved protuberances (three spine-like projections in E. inepta ; one elongated projection in E. spuria ) and by the twisted left surstylus (somewhat subquadrate in E. inepta ; C-shaped in E. spuria ).

Figures

FIGURES 45 – 60. Elmohardyia distincta sp. nov. Holotype male. 45, Habitus, lateral view; 46, Antenna; 47, Wing; 48, Abdomen, dorsal view; 49, Tergite and sternite 6, ventral view; 50, Sternite 6, ventral view; 51, Syntergosternite 8, posterior view; 52, Terminalia, ventral view; 53, Surstyli, ventral view inclined; 54, Left surstylus, lateral view; 55, Right surstylus, lateral view; 56, Epandrium, surstyli and subepandrial sclerite, dorsal view; 57, Hypandrium and gonopods, ventral view; 58, Phallic guide and phallus, right lateral view (arrows indicate additional processes of phallic guide); 59, Phallic guide, dorsal view; 60, Ejaculatory apodeme.