Eucelatoria flava Inclan & Stireman

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 : 73-77

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Tachinidae

Eucelatoria flava Inclan & Stireman sp. n. Figs 1, 7, 8, 9, 10

Type material.

Holotype male, labeled: " ECUADOR, Napo [Province]/ 7 km. s. [South] Baeza/ 20-25.II.79/ G. &M. Wood 2000m", "HOLOTYPE/ Eucelatoria / flava / Inclán & Stireman [red label]", "DI244CA [specimen ID]" (CNC).

Paratype, 1 male: “DI12CA” (CNC). As above, except the identification type label reads "PARATYPE/ Eucelatoria / flava / Inclán & Stireman [yellow label]".

Etymology.

From the Latin flava, meaning yellow, in reference to the yellow abdomen that distinguishes this species from its close related species, Eucelatoria obumbrata .

Recognition.

This species is morphologically very similar to Eucelatoria carinata and Eucelatoria obumbrata , but can be easily separated by the abdominal coloration. Eucelatoria flava sp. n. has a yellow abdomen, which contrasts with the abdomen of Eucelatoria carinata that is entirely black and Eucelatoria obumbrata that is primarily black, with yellow coloration confined to the sides of styntergite 1+2, and tergites 3 and 4. Additionally, median discal setae are lacking on tergites 3 and 4 in males of this species where they are present on tergites 3 and/or 4 in males of Eucelatoria obumbrata . The eyes of this species are sparsely and short-haired, contrasting with the densely and long-haired eyes of Eucelatoria obumbrata and from the sparsely, but long-haired eyes of Eucelatoria carinata .

Description.

Described from 2 males, unless otherwise noted as “N”.

Length: 6.6-6.7 mm.

As described for Eucelatoria obumbrata except for:

Head (Fig. 7): Eye sparsely haired. Eye 0.88 head height. Vertex width, at its narrowest point, 0.18-0.20 head width. Length of first flagellomere 0.41 head height. Width of first flagellomere 3.0-3.6 parafacial width at its narrowest point. Pedicel length 0.32-0.36 length of first flagellomere. Fronto-orbital fig with 7-9 medioclinate frontal setae, 2 reclinate inner orbital setae in both sexes, male without outer orbitals. The outer vertical seta barely to undifferentiated from the row of postocular setae. Facial ridge with hairs on basal 1/3 or less. Posterodorsal part of the head only with a few black setae behind the postocular row.

Thorax (Fig. 7a, b): Scutum with 2 or 3 presutural acrostichal setae; postsutural acrostichal setae varied from 1 to 2; 2 presutural dorsocentral setae; 3 postsutural dorsocentral setae; 2 presutural intra-alar seta; 4 postsutural intra-alar setae; 1 presutural supra-alar seta, with 1 additional small seta; 3 postsutural supra-alar setae. The first postsutural supra-alar seta is small.

Wing varied from light to dark fumose on cells c, sc, r1, r2+3, and r4+5. Wing vein R4+5 dorsally setose from its base until nearly the crossvein r-m, and R1 bare.

Abdomen (Figs 7a, b; 8): Fully yellow, sometimes the tg5 appearing dark yellowish. Transverse bands of sparse white pruinosity scarcely visible to naked eye. Median discal setae absent on tg3 to tg5. Sexual patches of relatively dense hairs present on the ventral surface of tg4 and tg5, hardly noticeable to naked eye.

Male terminalia (N = 1, Figs 9, 10): The basal section of the st5 distinctly longer than the length of the apical lobes, and the internal sides of the apical lobes almost linear (Fig. 9c). Basal half of hypandrium not strongly bent, in line with more apical portion. Surstylus, in lateral view, slightly narrowed toward the apex ending in a broad rounded apex. Surstylus distinctly longer than cercus. Cercus, in lateral view, nearly straight along anterior and posterior margins, ending in rounded apex (Fig. 9a). In posterior view, cerci abruptly constricted below upper lobes and narrowed on apical 1/3; upper lobe slightly shorter than medial section, but longer than the apical cleft; apical cleft weakly defined (Fig. 9b). Pregonite somewhat triangular in shape, relatively broad at base, narrowing toward apex. Postgonite slightly narrower than in Eucelatoria obumbrata , and narrowed slightly towards apices, distinctly curved anteriorly, with rounded apex.

Geographic distribution and seasonal occurrence.

The only two known specimens of Eucelatoria flava sp. n. were collected in highland cloud forest at about 2000 m in altitude on the eastern slope of the Andes of Ecuador (Fig. 1). The two specimens were collected in February.