Copestylum gelenitae, Rotheray & Hancock & Marcos-García, 2007

Rotheray, G. E., Hancock, E. G. & Marcos-García, M. A., 2007, Neotropical Copestylum (Diptera, Syrphidae) breeding in bromeliads (Bromeliaceae) including 22 new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 150 (2), pp. 267-317 : 274-276

002. COPESTYLUM GELENITAE SP. NOV.

MARCOS- GARCÍA & ROTHERAY

Diagnosis – male holotype: Face yellow with strong, uninterrupted, black, mid-dorsal vitta from mouth to base of the antennae, black hairs mostly confined to vitta, yellow on rest of face; lateral vittae also strong, reaching mouth ( Fig. 2 ); mesonotum mainly yellow with yellow hairs anteriorly and black hairs posteriorly; scutellum yellow with black hairs; pleura yellow and black with yellow hairs except black meron, katepisternum and anterior part of posterior anepisternum; wing membrane microtrichose except 1A and second basal cells partially infuscated; legs with front and mid femorae yellow and fuscous at base, tibiae black, tarsi yellow, all black haired except for base of front and mid femorae; hind legs black except apex of femora and black haired; abdominal sternites and tergites 2–4 yellow, except for posterior margins that have complete black bands, neither narrowing nor interrupted medially; sternites 2–4 with yellow hairs basally and black hairs posteriorly; genitalia – surstylus narrow and elongate; hypandrium with triangular lateral projection; aedeagus smooth apically ( Figs 26, 27, 28 ); female – similar to holotype male; width of vertex 17.3% width of head. Length: body, 10.75–12.00 mm; wing, 10.16–10.50 mm (N = 3).

Diagnosis – larva and puparium: suckers on abdominal segments 1–6; marginal band of fleshy lobes coated in long, fine, unbranched setae, present on abdomen only, not including the thorax; ventral surface of lobes on abdominal segments 1–6 coated in short, thick, stiff setae; vestiture on the dorsal surface comprising dome-shaped to cylindrical papillae; third pair of lappets part of the marginal band and setalose setulate ventrally almost to apex; posterior breathing tube orange with black tip and transverse ridge about two thirds along the tube; pupal spiracles yellow with openings about halfway down, not clustered at widened apex.

Material examined – holotype: Male with puparium, Mexico, Chiapas, Boquerón , 19 April 2002, ex live epiphytic bromeliad ( Bromeliaceae ), collected by GER, MAM and C. Pérez-Bañón ( NMS) .

Material examined – paratypes: one male with puparia, same data as holotype ( CIBIO); one female with puparium, Mexico, Chiapas, Boquerón (2300 m), 19 July 2003, ex live epiphytic bromeliad ( Bromeliaceae ), collected EGH ( HM) .

Material examined – additional material: two larvae, Mexico, Chiapas, Boquerón , 19 April 2002, ex live epiphytic bromeliad ( Bromeliaceae ), collected by GER, MAM & C. Pérez-Bañón ( NMS) .

Etymology: The name ‘ gelenita’ is a family nickname for my daughter, Elena (MAM).

Taxonomic notes: A yellow species but darker in comparison with C. galentei and C. oscillans as a result of wider black posterior margins to the abdominal tergites, and black markings on the sides of the thorax and on the legs. In these features C. gelenitae is most similar to Copestylum tacanense , with which it also shares narrow elongate surstyli, but it can be separated from that species by its yellow scutum and lateral projections to the hypandrium. The early stages of C. gelenitae are readily distinguished by the vestiture of dome-shaped to cylindrical papillae, not setae, and the longer, posterior breathing tube that is yellow with a black tip. Another species with a similar larva apparently occurs in Chiapas, Mexico, but we failed to rear an adult. It is distinguished from C. gelenitae by having setulate vestiture.

Biology: Adults were reared from larvae in water tanks of epiphytic bromeliads ( Bromeliaceae ), and are known only from Chiapas State, Mexico.

Figures

Figures 1–6. Adult Copestylum, lateral view of the head; scale line = 3.5 mm. 1. Copestylum galantei sp. nov., male holotype; 2. Copestylum gelenita sp. nov., male holotype; 3. Copestylum oscillans sp. nov., male holotype; 4. Copestylum tacanense sp. nov., male holotype; 5. Copestylum tapanti sp. nov., male holotype; 6. Copestylum xalapensis sp. nov., female holotype.

Figures 23–31. Adult Copestylum, male genitalia; right and left figures scale line = 0.50 mm, for middle column figures, left-hand scale line = 0.85 mm. Abbreviations: a, aedeagus; c, cercus; e, epandrium; h, hypandrium; s, surstylus; sl, superior lobes. 23–25. Copestylum galantei sp. nov., male holotype: 23. genitalia and associated structures, lateral view; 24, hypandrium, ventral view; 25. surstylus, ventral view. 26–28. Copestylum gelenita sp. nov., male holotype: 26. genitalia and associated structures, lateral view; 27, hypandrium, ventral view; 28. surstylus, ventral view. 29–31. Copestylum oscillans sp. nov., male holotype: 29. genitalia and associated structures, lateral view; 30. hypandrium, ventral view; 31. surstylus, ventral view.