Euricrium Enderlein

Amorim, Dalton De Souza & Schnell, Guilherme, 2017, A new species of Euricrium Enderlein from southern Brazil, new records for E. varians (Lane), a new combination, and a key for the Neotropical species of the genus, Zootaxa 4231 (3), pp. 327-340 : 329-333

Genus Euricrium Enderlein

Euricrium Enderlein, 1911: 142 . Type species: Euricrium ruebsaameni Enderlein.

= Zygomma Enderlein, 1911: 143 [preocc., nec Zygomma Bronn, 1859 , Coelenterata]. Type-species: Zygomma fasciatellum Enderlein.

= Mapiria Edwards, 1934: 368 . Type-species: Mapiria transversalis Edwards.

= Muhabbetiola Koçak, 2009 in Koçak & Kemal: 6 [replacement name for Zygomma Enderlein ].

References: Amorim (1992), catalogue (species in the genera Euricrium and Zygoneura ): 61; Menzel & Mohrig (2000), redescription of Zygomma fasciatellum Enderlein , type-species of Zygomma ; Mohrig (2003), new species, redescription of Zygoneura alboantennata Lane : 38; Koçak & Kemal (2009), unnecessary new name for Zygomma ; Mohrig & Menzel (2014), resdescription and illustration of the types of Zygoneura alboantennata Lane : 144, Zygoneura boliviana Edwards : 146, Zygomma fasciatellum Enderlein : 143, 144, 147, Zygoneura freemani Lane : 148, Zygoneura glaberrima Edwards : 149, Euricrium ruebsaameni Enderlein : 135, 136, 143, 145, 150, 151, Mapiria transversalis Edwards , Zygoneura varians Lane : 152, new combinations.

Diagnosis (modified from Mohrig 2003). Flagellomeres elongate, last antennal segments white or brown; palpus elongate, three-segmented, basal segment very short, no deepened patch of sensilla on 1st palpomere; thorax dark brown, in some cases yellow with brown markings, often shiny; fore tibia with a broad distal comb-like row of bristles, but no depression; claws toothed, teeth very small; wing membrane with dark markings in most species, some species unmarked; M1 strongly arched or scarcely modified; gonostylus always with an apical tooth, surrounded by spines.

Euricrium edwardsi , sp. n.

( Figs 1, 2 , 5, 6 , 9 , 11 , 13, 14 , 17)

Material examined. Holotype male, on permanent slide mounting, Brazil, State of Paraná, Araucária , sweeping at industrial pine ( Pinus taeda and P. elliotii ) log yards, 26.x.2015, G. Schnell e Schühli col. ( MZUSP) . Paratypes, 51 males, 30 females ( MZUSP), same data as holotype ( MZUSP), 3 males, 3 females ( DZUP) ; 13 males, same data as holotype, but 10.x.2015 ( MZUSP) ; 1 male, same data as holotype, but 14.vi.2013 ( MZUSP) (on permanent slide mounting) ; 1 female, same data as holotype ( DZUP) (on permanent slide mounting).

Description: Body length: 2.7 mm. Pubescence short.

Male ( Fig. 1 ). Head ( Fig. 17). Head capsule rounded, only slightly higher than long; setation short, sparse. Three ocelli present, mid ocellus slightly larger than lateral ocelli. Eyes reniform, eye bridge complete, narrow, with three more or less irregular rows of ommatidia, and numerous fine interommatidal setulae. Antennae longer than abdomen; scape and pedicel dark, subglobular, setose. Flagellum dark, slightly lighter towards apex; 14 flagellomeres, first flagellomere slightly longer than remaining flagellomeres, terminal flagellomere longer than penultimate; flagellomere body cylindrical, 2.2 times longer than width, distal neck 0.85 times length of flagellomere body. Flagellum bare of microtrichia, setation on flagellomere body long, about as long as flagellomere width ( Fig. 5 ). Face wide, setose; clypeus narrower, clearly separated from face, setose. Labrum beaklike, subtriangular, well sclerotized, with some very few setae. Lingua with dense fringes apically. Maxillae with lacinia absent. Maxillary palpus elongate, 3 palpomeres; first palpomere only partially sclerotized, bare; palpomeres 2–4 setose, palpomere 2 with four setae and numerous short hyaline sensory hairs; palpomere 3 widest, with four setae; fourth palpomere longest, with 8 setae. Labial palpus developed; labellum 1 non-setose, much smaller than 2; labellum 2 with numerous, partly spine-like setae ( Fig. 17). Thorax ( Fig. 9 ). Scutum in profile slightly arched, anterior parapsidal suture weak, median transverse suture not traceable, 8–10 supra-alars of different size and a pair of irregular rows of dorso-centrals present. Scutellum clearly separated from scutum, bearing some setae of different lengths in an irregular row. Postpronotum bare. Antepronotum with three setae at posterior margin. Proepisternum with sparse fine setae. Proepimeron subtriangular, elongate, extending into anterodorsal corner of katepisternum. Anepisternum relatively small, largely separated from proepisternum by membranous area, entirely devoid of setation; anepisternal cleft distinct, complete. Katepisternum subtriangular, larger than anepisternum, pre-episternum 2 slender. Mid-pleural pit evident, less sclerotized than surrounding sclerites. Anepisternum with deep cleft dorsally. Metepisternum with wide dorsal membranous area around posterior spiracle. Metepimeron very narrow. Openings of anterior and posterior spiracles without any striking features. Laterotergite drop-shaped, only slightly projected outwards. Suture between mediotergite and laterotergite distinct. Mediotergite in profile only slightly arched, darker. Postphragma slightly developed ventrally, barely reaching anterior end of first abdominal segment. Halter with stem and knob subequal in length, with fine setae, stem whitish, knob brown. Legs. Anterior coxa and femora creamy yellow, coxa with dark marking at proximal end, tibia light yellow, darkened by covering of short setae, tarsus darkening to tip. Midleg colored as foreleg, but slightly darker. Hind coxa light brown, femur light yellow on basal half, light brownish along distal half, tibia yellowish brown with short dark setation, tarsus dark yellow, darker to the tip. Fore tibia with distal comb with 11 setae, but no depression. Tibial spurs 1:2:2, mid and hind tibiae with one of the spurs slightly shorter. Pretarsal claws slightly curved and with discrete row of small teeth. Empodia well developed. Wing ( Fig. 13 ). Length, 2.3 mm, 3.7 times longer than wide. Membrane mostly translucent, a dark maculation over distal half of M-fork and over mid third of cubital fork. Membrane densely covered with short microtrichia. C ending very close to wing apex; Sc short, ending free before origin of M-fork; R1 short, about half of r-m length, Rs relatively long, ending just before tip of M2, first sector of Rs short, somewhat oblique; r-m long, more than 4 times length of first sector of Rs; medial fork branching beyond mid of wing, M-fork only slightly shorter than length of M2; M1 strongly arched. First sector of CuA very short; CuA2 sharply bent on distal third; CuP extending beyond half length of CuA; A1 very short, with some sclerotization making it darker than surrounding area; A2 absent. Abdomen: Sclerites densely covered with setae, tergites and sternites brown. Terminalia ( Fig. 11 ). Gonocoxites with setae of various lengths, mid connection between gonocoxites wide. Gonocoxal apodemes interconnected by weakly sclerotized transverse bridge. Gonostyli slightly elongate, about 2.4 times longer than largest width, entirely covered with setae of different length, pointed distally; a strong apical tooth present, with one additional dorsal and three subterminal ventral spines. Aedeagus with long, well sclerotized ejaculatory apodeme. Aedeagal teeth present. Tegmen of aedeagus wider than long, broadly rounded distally, with long ventral apodemes. Tergite 9 trapezoid, with setae of various lengths, lacking either setae or microtrichia on distal third. Tergite 10 extending laterally at distal end beyond tergite 9. Cerci pretty large, setose, rounded distally. Sternite 10 weak, bilobed, each lobe with a pair of setae.

Female ( Fig. 2 ). Mostly as males, except as follows. General color similar, but much darker. Flagellomeres with short neck, clearly different from males, distal neck about 0.2 length of flagellomere body ( Fig. 6 ). Wing membrane with much darker maculae than males, dark mark on M-fork extending to anterior margin of R1, mark over cubital fork reaching posterior margin over CuA, tip of wing with conspicuous dark cloudy mark covering almost half of M-fork ( Fig. 14 ). Abdominal pleural membrane mostly creamy-yellowish, darker on segments 4–6.

Etymology. This species is named after the great British dipterist Frederick Wallace Edwards, F.R.S. (1888– 1940), who published relevant contribution to the taxonomy of different families of Bibionomorpha and Culicomorpha, and had as well contributions to the phylogenetic relationships between groups of flies, and to the very concept of kinds of similarities.

Comments. This species is clearly close to E. glaberrimum . These two species share the general shining blackish color of the mesonotum, but also the strong M1 curvature, the lack of darker markings on the wing membrane of males, and the gonostylus with a pointed apex. The shape of the male flagellomeres, however, clearly diverge between these two species. The neck of the flagellomeres of E. edwardsi , sp. n. is much longer than that of E. glaberrimum , as illustrated by Mohrig & Menzel (2014). The description of the female of E. glaberrimum here, that shows some important dimorphic features, may help to detect additional male/female associations in material of other species of the genus. The degree of infuscation of the wing in males shows some variation between specimens.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Habitus. 1. Euricrium edwardsi, sp. n., male paratype. 2. E. edwardsi, sp. n., female paratype. 3. E. varians (Lane), male from Araucária, State of Paraná. 4. E. varians (Lane), female from Araucária, State of Paraná.

FIGURES 5 – 8. Basal flagellomeres (arrow indicates flagellomere 4). 5. Euricrium edwardsi, sp. n., male paratype. 6. E. edwardsi, sp. n., female paratype. 7. E. varians (Lane), male from Araucária, State of Paraná. 8. E. varians (Lane), female from Araucária, State of Paraná.

FIGURES 9 – 10. Lateral view of thorax. 9. Euricrium edwardsi, sp. n., female paratype. 10. E. varians (Lane), female, Araucária, State of Paraná. An = anepisternum; AnP = antepronotum; EmI = proepimeron; EmII = anepimeron; EsI = proepisternum; Kt = katepisternum; Sp = spiracle.

FIGURES 11 – 12. Ventral view of male terminalia. 11. Euricrium edwardsi, sp. n., paratype. 12. E. varians (Lane) from Araucária, State of Paraná.

FIGURES 13 – 16. Wing. 13. Euricrium edwardsi, sp. n., male paratype. 14. E. edwardsi, sp. n., female paratype. 15. E. varians (Lane), male. 16. E. varians (Lane), female from Araucária, State of Paraná.