Neoephydra penai, Mathis, Wayne N. & Marinoni, Luciane, 2016

Mathis, Wayne N. & Marinoni, Luciane, 2016, Revision of Ephydrini Zetterstedt (Diptera: Ephydridae) from the Americas south of the United States, Zootaxa 4116 (1), pp. 1-110 : 63-64

19. Neoephydra penai sp. nov.

Figs. 85–87 , Map 19

Diagnosis. Specimens of N. penai are distinguished from similar congeners of the araucaria group by the following characters: appearance generally dark, particularly the legs; face moderately setose; gena moderately short; and structures of male terminalia with distinctive conformation. Medium-sized to moderately large shore flies, body length 3.90–4.10 mm; generally dull, grayish brown to gray with some subshiny areas dorsally.

Head: Head ratio 0.65–0.71; frontal ratio 0.52–0.55; mesofrons with dark brownish green, metallic luster, generally pilose; ocellar triangle and parafrons nearly concolorous, microtomentose, brownish gray to charcoal gray; parafrons becoming more charcoal colored anteriorly; fronto-orbits with narrow strip through insertions of fronto-orbital setae subshiny, with some faint metallic reflections; number of fronto-orbital setae 2. Antenna mostly concolorous, blackish brown. Facial ratio 1.0; mostly moderately setulose particularly along oral margin and toward posteroventral portions of face; dorsum of interfoveal hump with subshiny area more or less concolorous with mesofrons, otherwise face densely microtomentose, yellowish gray, gradually paler ventrally. Eye ratio 0.95– 0.97; gena-to-eye ratio 0.31–0.35; gena moderately short, coloration gray to whitish gray but with faint tinges of olivaceous green posteriorly.

Thorax: Mostly microtomentose; mesonotum mostly brownish green, darker and subshiny posteriorly; anterior margin microtomentose, gray to bluish gray; pleural areas paler, more gray to faintly bluish or greenish gray ventrally; anepisternum with dorsal margin faintly brownish, otherwise faintly bluish gray; other pleural areas including coxae mostly whitish to bluish gray, concolorous. Wing length averaging 3.10–3.21 mm; mostly faintly infuscate, palely grayish brown; costal vein ratio 0.27–0.29; M vein ratio 0.74–0.77. Legs dark generally; femora gray, microtomentose, only slightly darker than ventral pleural areas; tibiae and tarsi, mostly reddish yellow, thinly microtomentose.

Abdomen: Generally microtomentose and unicolorous, grayish olivaceous green to gray, becoming paler toward lateral margins, some specimens with faint bluish tinges of metallic luster; ventral surface of tergites frequently whitish gray. Fifth tergite of male somewhat trapezoidal, truncate apically. Male terminalia ( Figs. 85– 87 ): margins of epandrium in posterior view very gradually narrowed posteriorly, rounded dorsally; surstyli in posterior view as 2 moderately robust, digitiform processes, with narrow but distinct gap between, lateral margins slightly concave; surstylus in lateral view with short, blunt, lateral prong at basal 1/3, lateral prong bearing robust tuft of long setulae, extended surstylar process robustly elongate, curved subapically, generally digitiform process.

Type material. The holotype male is labeled “Vegas del Flaco Talca , CHILE. 29. XI. 1957 [29 Nov 1957] L. E. Peña./ HOLOTYPE Neoephydra penai Mathis [red, handwritten].” The holotype is glued to the side of a pin, is in good condition (several setae are missing or are partially displaced), and is deposited in the CNC. The allotype female and one paratype (Ƌ) are labeled with the same label data as the holotype.

Type locality. Chile. Talca: Vegas del Flaco (34°56'S, 70°02'W).

Distribution (Map 19): Neotropical: Chile ( Talca ), Neoephydra penai is known only from the type locality.

Etymology. The specific epithet, penai , is a genitive patronym to honor Mr. Luis E. Peña G., collector par excellence, facilitator and enthusiast of Chilean entomology, and friend.

MAP 19. Distribution map for Neoephydra penai sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 85 – 87. Structures of male terminalia of Neoephydra penai sp. nov. (85) epandrium, cerci, surstyli, posterior view; (86) same, lateral view; (87) surstylus, lateral view.