Eucelatoria obumbrata (Wulp) Inclan, Diego J. & Stireman, John O., 2014

Inclan, Diego J. & Stireman, John O., 2014, A new species and synonymy of the Neotropical Eucelatoria Townsend and redescription of Myiodoriops Townsend, ZooKeys 464, pp. 63-97 : 69-72

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Tachinidae

Eucelatoria obumbrata (Wulp) comb. n. Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Hypostena obumbrata Wulp, 1890: 143.

Euptilodegeeria obumbrata (Wulp): Guimarães 1971: 134; Inclán and Stireman 2013.

Erythromelana obumbrata (Wulp): Wood 1985: 39-40.

Type material.

Lectotype male, by designation of Wood (1985: 100), labeled: “LECTOTYPE”, “♂”, "Omilteme,/ Guerrero,/ 8000 ft. [feet]/ July H. H. Smith.", "Central America/ Pres. By F.D. Godman,/ O. Salvin/ 1903-172.", "B.C.A. Dipt. II./ Hypostena obumbrata v.d.W", " Euptilodegeeria obumbrata / Det. CHTT", "LECTOTYPE ♂/ Of Hypostena obumbrata Wulp./ Designated 1979/ D.M. Wood", " Eucelatoria / obumbrata (Wulp)/ det. D.J. Inclán / & J.O. Stireman" (BNHM).

Other material examined.

10 specimens examined. 2 males labeled: “Co-type”, “♂”, "Omilteme,/ Guerrero,/ 8000 ft. [feet]/ July H. H. Smith.", "Central America/ Pres. By F.D. Godman,/ O. Salvin/ 1903-172.", "B.C.A. Dipt. II./ Hypostena obumbrata v.d.W", "PARALECTOTYPE/ Of Hypostena obumbrata Wulp./ Designated 1980/ D.M. Wood", " Cotype/ 23967 U.S.N.M.", "USNM 2049536", " Eucelatoria / obumbrata (Wulp)/ det. D.J. Inclán / & J.O. Stireman", “DI81NM”, “DI82NM” (NMNH); 2 males, as above except without the last label, “DI79NM”, “DI78NM” [1 specimen with terminalia dissected] (NMNH); 1 male, as above except without the “Cotype/…” labeled and having one extra label " Euptilodegeeria obumbrata / Det. CHTT", “DI80NM” (NMNH); 1 male, same as above except without the last two labels and the paralectotype label was attached in 1979, " DI105BM" (BNHM); 1 male, same as above except without the last two labels, the location label "Xucumanatlan [miss spelled Xocomanatlan]/ Guerrero/ 7000 ft./ July. H.H. Smith" and the paralectotype label was attached on 1979, “DI106BM” (BNHM); 1 male and 2 females, "Omilteme,/ Guerrero,/ 8000 ft. [feet]/ July H. H. Smith.", "Central America/ Pres. By F.D. Godman,/ O. Salvin/ 1903-172.", " Eucelatoria / obumbrata (Wulp)/ det. D.J. Inclán / & J.O. Stireman", “DI109BM” [male with terminalia dissected], “DI108BM”, “DI107BM” (BNHM).

Recognition.

This species can be distinguished from Eucelatoria flava sp. n. by the primarily black coloration of the abdomen, with yellow coloration being restricted to the sides of tergites 1+2, 3, and 4. This contrasts with the entirely yellow abdomen of Eucelatoria flava . Eucelatoria obumbrata usually bears median discals on tergite 3 and/or tergite 4, but these are absent in Eucelatoria flava . The terminalia are similar between these species, but differ in several subtle respects including: the basal section of sternite 5 is distinctly shorter and broader basally in Eucelatoria obumbrata ; the surstylus, in lateral view, is equal to the cercus in length or slightly longer, whereas in Eucelatoria flava it is markedly longer. In posterior view, the lateral margins of the cerci are narrowed linearly until the apical cleft, whereas in Eucelatoria flava they are abruptly constricted below the upper lobes; the pregonite of Eucelatoria obumbrata is relatively rectilinear, whereas that of Eucelatoria flava triangular in shape, with a relatively broad at base, and strong narrowing toward apex. Females differ from Eucelatoria carinata in having yellow coloration laterally on tergites 1+2, 3, and 4 (all black in Eucelatoria carinata ), densely haired eyes, more sparsely bristled palpi, and silvery parafrontals (bronzy in Eucelatoria carinata ).

Redescription.

Redescribed from 11 males (including the lectotype and 4 paralectotypes), and 2 females, unless otherwise noted as “N”.

Length: males, 6.2-7.1 mm (x = 6.8 mm); females, 6.1-7.0 mm (x = 6.5 mm).

Head (Fig. 2): Parafacial covered with dull silver to slightly bronze pruinescence in male, silvery in female. Fronto-orbital fig and vertex black in ground color, covered with silver pruinescence (appearing grayish or brownish from certain angles), usually with a faint golden or bronzy pruinescence. Frontal vitta usually entirely black, sometimes fading to dark-brown toward antenna. Pedicel black and first flagellomere black, covered with fine microtrichia, and appearing grayish. Arista long, with minute setae, black with brown on basal 1/3 or less, thickened only on basal 1/4 or less. Eye densely haired, with long ommatrichia. Eye 0.85-0.90 head height in male, 0.85 in female. Vertex width, at its narrowest point, 0.17-0.22 head width in male, 0.24-0.25 in female. Length of first flagellomere 0.38-0.58 head height in male, 0.40-0.42 in female. Width of first flagellomere 2.57-3.80 parafacial width at its narrowest point in male, 2.0-3.33 in female. Pedicel length 0.25-0.36 length of first flagellomere in male, 0.33-0.36 in female. Fronto-orbital fig with 8-11 medioclinate frontal setae in male, 5-6 in female; 2 reclinate inner orbital setae in both sexes; female with 2 proclinate outer orbital setae, male without outer orbitals. The outer vertical seta varied from scarcely to moderate differentiated from the row of postocular setae in both sexes. Ocellar setae well-developed, proclinate. Parafacial bare and extremely narrow with the narrowest point equal to or narrower than the basal width of the palpus in both sexes. Facial ridge with hairs on basal 2/5 or less (occasionally higher, but if so, short and hairlike above lowest third), and lower margin of face descending to the level of vibrissa. Subvibrissal ridge short, usually with 1 or 2 setae; postgena narrow, with a distinct but small genal dilation. Posteroventral part of the head with the majority of setae fine and white-yellowish and posterodorsal part of the head without black setae behind the postocular row. Palpus yellowish; sparsely to moderately bristled; almost uniform in width, but sometimes slightly broadened at the apex.

Thorax (Fig. 2a, b): Shiny black in ground color; presutural scutum with thin white pruinescence, postsutural scutum with much sparser pruinescence revealing underlying black ground color. In dorsal view, only the presutural scutum appears grayish; whereas in lateral view the postsutural scutum appears grayish as well. Faint white pruinose stripes on presutural scutum leaving 4 black vittae; the inner 2 vittae longer and thinner, almost 1/2 the width of each of the outer 2 vittae. Prosternum with several hair-like setae. Postpronotum usually with 3 setae in a line. Proepisternum bare. Katepisternum with 3 setae. Scutum setae highly variable, with 2 or 3 presutural acrostichal setae; postsutural acrostichal setae varied from 1 to 3; 2 or 3 presutural dorsocentral setae; 2 or 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae; 1 presutural intra-alar seta, occasionally with 1 or 2 additional small seta; 2 to 4 postsutural intra-alar setae; 3 postsutural supra-alar setae, rarely 2. The first postsutural supra-alar seta is small or rarely absent. Scutellum with 3 pairs of setae: basal bristles of moderate length, short, usually divergent or parallel lateral bristles, long, divergent subapicals and without apical setae.

Legs entirely black. Tarsal claws longer than 5th tarsomere in male and shorter than 5th tarsomere in female. Mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal seta, 2 posterodorsal setae, and 1 ventral seta. Hind tibia with anterodorsal setae uneven in length and not closely spaced; 2 well-developed posterodorsal setae, rarely with 1 additional shorter seta; 2 well-developed anteroventral setae. Upper and lower calypteres brownish-yellowish. Wing varied from light to dark fumose on cells sc, r1, r2+3, and sometimes on r4+5. Females with nearly hyaline wings. Wing vein R4+5 dorsally setose from its base nearly to crossvein r-m, and R1 bare, rarely only with 1 or 2 setae. Vein M smoothly curved at bend and ending at wing margin, separately from vein R4+5.

Abdomen (Figs 2a, b; 3a, b): Mostly black with yellow laterally on tg1+2 to tg4. Transverse bands of sparse white pruinosity on basal 1/3 to 2/3 of tergites 3 to 5, more noticeable medially on the black areas of the abdomen. Mid-dorsal depression of tg1+2 only extending approximately half way to hind margin. One pair of median marginal setae on tg1+2 and tg3; a row of median marginals on tg4 and tg5; 1 pair of lateral marginal setae on tg1+2 and tg3; median discal setae present on tg3, usually also on tg4 in males, but absent in females. Males with dense patches of very short setae (sex patches; Cerretti et al. 2014a) present on the ventral surface of tg4 and tg5 (Fig. 3). Sternites completely overlapped by tergites. Females with spine-like setae on ventral margins of tg4 making two irregular rows of short, stout, curved and closely set of 7-10 spines per each row, which are concentrated in the distal 2/3 of the tergite (Figure 4a).

Male terminalia (N = 2, Figs 5, 6): Sternite 5 with median cleft smoothly V-shaped; inner margin somewhat projecting, with minute setae; internal margins of the apical lobes slightly convex anteriorly; apical lobe slightly rounded apically with small scattered, setae (Fig. 5). The basal section of st5 distinctly longer than the length of the apical lobes. Hypandrial arms separated. Pregonite slightly curved anteriorly and tapered to a narrow rounded tip. Postgonite well developed, parallel sided and strongly curved anteriorly, with rounded apex. Epiphallus reduced. Surstylus with small hairs on the outer surface. Surstylus, in lateral view, slightly narrowed toward the apex, and ending in a broad rounded point. Surstylus and cercus subequal in length, or surstyli slightly longer. Cercus, in lateral view, slightly curved along its anterior and posterior margins, ending in a rounded apex (Fig. 5). In posterior view, cerci narrowed linearly from upper lobes to apical cleft and then constricted on apical 1/3; upper lobe and medial section subequal in length, upper lobe longer than the apical cleft; apical cleft weakly defined (Fig. 5). Distiphallus divided at base into long, thin sclerite posteriorly and broader winged and sclerotized portion anteriorly, the latter studded with small dentate structures.

Female terminalia (Fig. 4): Tergite 6 laterally reduced in size. Tergite 7 fused with the sternite 7 and modified into a strong piercing ovipositor that is curved downward and anteriorly. Sternite 6 small, with hairs on its posterior margin. Cerci strongly reduced.

Geographic distribution and seasonal occurrence.

Specimens of Eucelatoria obumbrata have been collected in southwestern Mexico (Fig. 1) at high altitudes of about 2000 m. All of the specimens were collected in July.