Shannoniella cuspidata Townsend, 1939

Nihei, Silvio S., Andrade, Marcos R., Pape, Thomas & Cerretti, Pierfilippo, 2016, The Shannoniella sisters (Diptera: Rhinophoridae), Zootaxa 4061 (1), pp. 85-92 : 86-88

Shannoniella cuspidata Townsend, 1939

(Fig. 1a–f)

Shannoniella cuspidata Townsend, 1939: 251 . Type locality: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro. Holotype ♂ (USNM) (examined).

Type material examined: Holotype ♂ (USNM) labeled “Rio de Janeiro / Dist. Federal / Brasil ”; Serviço Febre / Amarela / M.E.S., Bras.”; “Abril / 1938”; “ Type / Ht ♂” [red label]; “G.N. Tribus Nov. / Shannoniellini / Melanophoridae / Shannoniella / cuspidata TT / ♂ / Det CHTT”. Specimen double mounted, in excellent condition.

Additional material examined: BRAZIL: São Paulo: Adutora, R. Claro, Setembro 1940, RC Shannon Collection, Serviço Febre, Amarela, M.E.S., Bras., Townsend Genotype Collection (1 ♂, USNM); Boracéia [Salesópolis], Est. Biol. Boracéia, 21.v–28.vi.2008, Nihei, Figueiredo & Andrade col. (34 ♂, 1 ♀, MZSP); Boracéia [Salesópolis], Travassos, Ventel J. Lane & Rabello col. (1 ♂, USNM); Paranapiacaba [Santo André], REBIO Alto da Serra de Paranapiacaba, Malaise, 13.viii–17.ix.2009, Lamas, Nihei e equipe col. (26 ♂, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 24.x–20.xi.2009, Nihei, S. e eq. col. (1 ♀, MZSP), [same data as previous but] 20.xi– 17.xii.2009, Nihei S. e eq. col. (2 ♂, MZSP); Salesópolis, (Boracea) [Est. Biol. Boracéia], 14.viii.1947, E. Rabello & Trav. F. & J. Lane. col (1 ♂, MZSP); Est. Biol. Boracéia, 850m, 03.i.1966, Rabello col. (1 ♂, MNRJ); 25.x.1963, J.H. Guimarães col. (1 ♂, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 12–19.i.1972, J.H. Guimarães col. (1 ♂, MZSP); [same data as previous but] Malaise, 16–30.iii.2008, Nihei, Lamas e eq. Col. (7 ♂, 1 ♀, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 30.iii–13.iv.2008, Nihei, Figueiredo & Andrade col. (5 ♂); [same data as previous but] 13– 29.iv.2008, Fernandes col. (12 ♂, 2 ♀♀, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 29.iv–21.v.2008, Figueiredo & Fernandes col. (11 ♂, 1 ♀, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 21.v–28.vi.2008, Nihei, Figueiredo & Andrade col. (45 ♂, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 28.vi–02.viii.2008, Nihei, Andrade & Moll col. (46 ♂, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 02.viii–01.ix.2008, Nihei, Figueiredo & Leite col. (48 ♂, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 01.ix–23.x.2008, Fernandes col. (33 ♂, 1 ♀, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 23.x–24.xi.2008, Fernandes col. (22 ♂, MZSP); [same data as previous but] 24.xi.2008 – 07.i.2009, Nihei col. (12 ♂, MZSP); [same data as previous but] Reserva Biológica Boracéia, Trilha do Poço Verde, Malaise, 17–28.iv.2003, AP Aguiar & RM Rodrigues col. (5 ♂, MZSP); Paraná: S. José Pinhais [São José dos Pinhais], BR 277, Km 54, Luminosa, 22.iii.1985, C.I.I.F col. (1 ♂, DZUP); [same data as previous but] 27.iii.1985, C.I.I.F col. (1 ♂, DZUP).

Redescription. Male. Body length: 4.8–5.7 mm (n = 8) (holotype 5.2 mm); wing length: 4.1–4.3 mm (n = 3) (holotype 4.2 mm).

Colour (Fig. 1a). Body mostly dark brown to black. Head dark brown to black with grey pruinosity on gena, postgena and face; scape dark brown; pedicel yellowish; postpedicel and arista brown, the latter yellowish at base; palpus yellow. Thorax dark brown to black with grey pruinosity on anepisternum and katepisternum. Legs dark brown to black with grey pruinosity on coxae; trochanter and apex of femur yellow. Wing infuscated with brown, but with 4 clear (non-infuscated), hyaline spots on cells r2+3, r4+5, dm and m (holotype with no spot on cell r2+3). Upper and lower calypters slightly infuscated on borders. Abdomen dark brown to black.

Head (Fig. 1b). Eye bare. Arista thickened almost to the tip; arista thickly micropubescent. First and second aristomere elongated, the second as long as the pedicel; third aristomere very long, about 3.7 times as long as the pedicel. Postpedicel elongate, slightly surpassing lower facial margin, about 5.4 times as long as the pedicel. Frontal stripe with subparallel margins, width at vertex about 1.4 times the eye width in dorsal view, and about 0.4 times the head width. No ocellar setae. Inner vertical seta strong and convergent; outer vertical seta not developed. Two or three lateroclinate orbital setae, the uppermost stronger. Nine to ten frontal setae. Parafacial bare, very narrow. Face very broad, deeply sunken. Vibrissal angle below ventral margin of gena, distinctly projected forward and turned inwards. Vibrissa not easily distinguished from the several perivibrissal setae. Facial ridge straight and setulose in full length. Postocular setae short. Proboscis and palpus short.

Thorax. Scutum with long, fine clothing setulae; acrostichals not developed; dorsocentrals 2+3, the presutural ones interspersed by moderately long setulae; no intra-alars; supra-alars 1+1, prealar (first postsutural supra-alar before wing insertion) not developed. Postpronotum with 2 strong and long setae, with fine ground setulae. Posthumeral 1; notopleurals 2, the anterior nearly twice as long as the posterior. Prosternum and proepisternum bare. One upcurved proepisternal and one upcurved proepimeral setae. Two katepisternals. Two long anepimeral setulae, one more developed. Katepimeron bare. Anatergite with fine setulae. Scutellum with one pair of long, divergent subapical setae; one pair of median discal setae close to the margin and about 0.75 times as long as the subapicals; several irregularly developed discal setulae.

Legs. Fore femur with a row of long posteroventral setae, and posterior surface with several developed setae. Fore tibia with one weak submedian posterodorsal seta (not erect in all specimens), and one weak submedian posteroventral seta. Mid tibia with one weak submedian posterodorsal seta. Hind tibia with one submedian anterodorsal, one submedian posterodorsal, and some specimens with one weak posterior seta at the apical third.

Wing (Fig. 1c). Costal spine not differentiated. R1 entirely setulose dorsally; R4+5 setulose dorsally from the base until the apical fourth of the distance to r-m, setulae never reaching r-m. Section of M between crossvein dmcu and apical bend about 1.2 times as long as the preceding section (between dm-cu and r-m crossveins). M reaching costa at wing margin; cell r4+5 open, the distance between M and R4+5 at wing margin about three times as long as crossvein r-m. Vein R4+5 diverging from R2+3, the distance between both at wing margin longer than dm-cu (this about 3/4 the mentioned distance).

Abdomen (Fig. 1d). Tergites covered by long fine setulae. Syntergite 1+2 without the mid-dorsal depression, with several lateral setae, and without median marginal setae. Tergite 3 with one pair of median marginal setae and one pair of lateral marginals. Tergites 4 and 5 each with a row of marginal setae. Male terminalia (Figs 1e–f). As in S. setinervis sp. nov. (see full description below) except for shape of posterior tip of lateral lobe of sternite 5 (Fig. 1e) and shape of cerci and surstylus in posterior view (Fig. 1f).

Female. Differs from male as follows: Body length 4.7–4.9 mm (n = 4); wing length 4.6–4.8 mm (n = 3). Colour. Postpedicel brown, some specimens with yellowish base; arista varying from yellow to brownish. Femora brown with base and apex yellow (or only the apex). Wing infuscated, but 3 clear (non-infuscated), hyaline spots on cells r4+5, dm and m; these spots are larger than in the males, whereas the fourth clear spot on cell r2+3, which is present in the males, is strongly reduced or even absent in females. Head. First aristomere reduced, hardly recognizable; second aristomere elongated, but about 1/3 the length of pedicel; third aristomere very long, 3.4 times as long as the pedicel. Postpedicel conspicuously shorter than in male, about 2.9 times as long as the pedicel. Seven or eight frontal setae. Vibrissal angle less projected forward. Legs. Fore femur without a posteroventral row of long setae; fore tarsus conspicuously laterally compressed.

Distribution. The species appears to be restricted to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (here recorded from the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Paraná).

FIGURE 1. Shannoniella cuspidata Townsend , details of male morphology (a–d. Specimen from São Paulo State, Adutora, R. Claro (USNM). e–f. Specimen from São Paulo State, Boracéia (USNM)). a. Habitus, left lateral view. b. Head profile. c. Right wing, dorsal view, row of setulae on vein R4+5 indicated with red brace. d. Abdomen, dorsal view. e. Sternite 5, ventral view. f. Cerci and surstyli, posterior view.