Parasycorax trispina, Faé & Sanches & Pinto & Santos, 2023

Faé, Carolini Pontara, Sanches, Mariana Bessa, Pinto, Israel De Souza & Santos, Claudiney Biral Dos, 2023, A new species of Parasycorax, Duckhouse (Diptera, Psychodidae, Sycoracinae) from the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil and Geographic Distribution of the genus, Zootaxa 5256 (1), pp. 94-98 : 94-97

Parasycorax trispina sp. nov.

( Figures 1–5 )

Type material. Holotype male, slide-mounted. BRAZIL, Espírito Santo, Muniz Freire municipality, Santa Barbara , 25.IV.2016, locality, 20°26′21.4″S 41°24′12.4″W, Pinto, I.S. col., holotype male ( MZFS).

Diagnosis. The first flagellomere is twice as large as the second flagellomere, gonostylus armed with three sclerotized spines with a subterminal setae, presence of sensory setae at the base of the gonostylus and in the ventral part of the gonocoxite.

Description. Male. Head: Scape cylindrical, same length as the pedicel; antenna of holotype with seven flagellomeres, the others lost; ascoids lost; flagellomere I approximately 2.12 times larger than flagellomere II ( Fig. 1 ). Palpus with four segments, the last one being approximately 2.0 times as long as third segment; palpus formula = 1.1: 1.2: 1.2: 2.5 ( Fig. 2 ). Wing with a rounded apex; Sc fused distally with R 1. R 1 not reaching the wing margin; sc-r short; h absent; all veins not clearly touching C; Rs incomplete, not connected to R 1; base of Rs incomplete; base of R 4+5 incomplete, not reaching Rs; rm not developed; CuA and CuP slightly sclerotized ( Fig. 3 ). Gonocoxite slightly longer than wide; base of the gonocoxite with a ventral group of short sensory setae; gonostylus with three long spines sclerotized; one long and thin bristle of apex of the gonostylus; base of the gonostylus a group of short sensory setae ( Fig. 4 ). Cerci with apical micropilosity and some apical bristles. Hypoproct ending before the apex of the cercus, subtriangular, with apical micropilosity ( Fig. 5 ).

Female. Unknown

Etymology. The name trispina refers to the three long spines of the gonostylus.

Comments. General characters of Parasycorax described by Duckhouse (1972) are present in Parasycorax trispina sp. nov. This species is distinguished by presenting distinct characteristics in its gonostyle with three long sclerotized spines and a long, thin bristle at the apex of the gonostyle. Parasycorax trispina sp. nov. is morphologically similar to Parasycorax satchelli (Barreto, 1956) in having gonostylus set with three spiniform bristles, but the position of these spines and the general shape of gonostylus is very distinctive for these two species.

The species P. satchelli , Parasycorax bidentis Santos, Ferreira & Bravo, 2009 , Parasycorax sigmoidalis Rossito & Pinho, 2019 and Parasycorax trispina sp. nov. occur in the Atlantic Forest biome of Brazil, with sympatry for P. bidentis and P. satchelli . P. utriensis has its occurrence in Colombia located on the Pacific coast of South America. Parasycorax filipinae ( Quate, 1965) differs from other species in that it occurs in the Philippines.

Most species of Sycoracinae are described from the western hemisphere where studies on the control of Leishmaniasis are intensified. This may be a consequence of the use of CDC light traps to collect phlebotomines, which coincides with one of the forms of capture of the Sycoracinae group ( Bejarano et al. 2008; Santos et al. 2009).

The new species can be included in the key of Rossito & Pinho (2019) in the couplet ‘4’, as follows:

4. Gonostylus set with three thick spiniform bristles............................................................ 5

- Gonostylus set with at least fifteen bristles of varying shape; Colombia....... P. utriensis ( Bejarano, Duque & Vélez, 2008)

5. First flagellomere is little longer than the second flagellomere; gonostylus set with three spiniform bristles; one inserted at apex, two on mesal surface; Brazil....................................................... P. satchelli ( Barretto, 1956)

- First flagellomere is twice as large as the second flagellomere; gonostylus set with three long sclerotized spines, placed very close to each other on mesal surface, and a long, thin bristle at the apex; Brazil.... P. trispina (Faé, Sanches & Santos, 2022)

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Parasycorax trispina sp. nov., male. 1. Head, frontal view. 2. Palpus. 3. Wing. 4. Gonocoxite, gonostylus, ejaculatory apodeme, aedeagus and parameres. 5. Cerci and hypoproct.