Ommatius laticrus, Scarbrough & Perez-Gelabert, 2006

Scarbrough, Aubrey G. & Perez-Gelabert, Daniel E., 2006, A review of the asilid (Diptera) fauna from Hispaniola with six genera new to the island, fifteen new species, and checklist, Zootaxa 1381, pp. 1-91 : 58-61

Ommatius laticrus sp. nov.

( Table 1, Figs. 49, 55, 67–74)

Male. Black, pleura entirely tomentose, hind tibia wide. Measurements, body 8.4–8.8 mm, wing 6.0– 6.1 mm. Head: Face yellowish-gray to gray tomentose, setae dorsally sparse, shorter than scape and pedicel combined, about 1/2 as long as 6 brown bristles; face at antenna 1/ 6.7–1/7.4 times as wide as head. Palpus and proboscis whitish setose, latter with narrow base yellowish ventrally. Antenna black setose, one setae below pedicel about as long as flagellum; flagellum about as wide as pedicel; scape brownish-yellow. Frons yellow tomentose, brown setose. Ocellar tubercle oval, longer than wide, black setose, 2 setae slightly shorter than 3 antennal segments. Occiput yellowish tomentose with sparse setae dorsally, gray with abundant setae ventrally; 7–8 blackish, proclinate bristles dorsally, apex just beyond posterior margin of eye.

Thorax. Prothorax yellowish tomentose, pale setae and bristles, sometimes blackish. Scutum brown tomentose, narrow sides and prescutellum brownish-yellow tomentose; setae sparse, brown dorsally, pale laterally; 4 lateral and 3 dorsocentral bristles black, notopleural bristle about 1/2 as long as supra-alar bristle, all thicker and most longer than dorsocentrals. Scutellum brownish-yellow tomentose, sparse brown setose, 2 blackish marginal bristles. Pleura yellowish-gray to gray tomentose, anepisternum and katepisternum with thin, discontinous, black tomentose stripe; anepisternum sparsely setose; anepisternum and katepisternum with black bristles; anepimeron with white bristly seta; metacoxa blackish. Halter yellowish.

Wing ( Fig. 49): Hyaline, apical 1/3 sparsely brownish microtrichose. Base of cell r 4 beyond cell d, narrow, about 1/2 as wide as cell at wing margin. Crossvein r-m before just apical 1/3 of cell d. Cell m 1 wide, base extremely narrow, about 1/5–1/12 as wide as at basal 1/3, much wider apically with vein M 1 angular. Cell m 3 petiolate, stalk 1/2 to about as long as rm, apex pointed.

Legs. Coxae whitish tomentose with thin whitish vestiture, black except yellow fore coxae; hind coxa partly yellow. Trochanters pale yellow, except narrow apical margins and hind trochanter dorsally, latter yellow ventrally. Femora black setose, usually thin black bristles except pale yellowish seta-like bristles on hind femur ventrally. Fore and middle femora pale yellow except mostly blackish anteriorly and posterior 1/5–1/4; hind femur black except pale yellow base and incomplete wide preapical band; fore femur about as wide as hind femur, with row of 6–7 thin bristles dorsally, and shallow longitudinal groove posteriorly, about 1/2 as long as femur with pale yellow long, hooked, setae ventrally, and 2 long thin bristle basally; middle femur with thin anteroventral bristles on basal 1/2, 3 rows of short peg-like bristles on apical 1/2, and 4–5 long stout posteroventral yellowish bristles, about 1/2 as long as middle femur; hind femur narrow, about 8 times longer than wide. Fore and middle tibiae narrow, pale yellow, brownish anteriorly, apices brown, thin blackish bristles 1/2–2/3 as long as tibiae, blackish setose except yellowish ventrally; hind tibia brown, slightly narrower than hind femur laterally, black setose, short blackish bristles. Tarsi black except basal tarsomere of fore and middle basal tarsomere pale yellow, bristles and setae black; hind tarsus with basal tarsomere short, about as long as tarsomeres 2–3 combined, second tarsomere as long as wide, about same width as basal tarsomere, tarsomere 3–5 narrower.

Abdomen: Black, apical margin of segments and lateral margins of tergites yellowish; black setose dorsally; sparse grayish or brownish gray tomentose, most dense on basal 4 segments, black setose except pale, often long, thin on basal segments; tergite 1, 3–5 laterally and apical corner sternite 3 with long black bristles. Sternite 3–5 ( Fig. 55) with row of black bristles, those on 3 sparse, longer, those on 5–6 more abundant and shorter; apical margin of sternites 6–7 produced, with dense setae or thin bristles, those on 6 margined with sparse, apically hooked, thin bristles and tight cluster of apically angled bristles medially; sternite 6 ( Fig 55) with sparse setae and 2 thin bristles laterally; cluster of abundant thin black setae basally. Sternite 8 black setose.

Terminalia ( Figs. 67–71): Black, black setose. Epandrium with ventral emargination apically. Aedeagus tubular apically, curved dorsally, prominent ventral spine present. Gonostylus minute. Hypandrium broadly triangular.

Female. Measurements, body 8.1–14.0 mm, wing 7.3–9.8 mm. Face with 4–6 brown bristles; face at antenna 1/6.7–1/7.0 as wide as head. Thorax brownish-yellow tomentose; prosternum partly to entirely yellow. Wing with base of cell m 1 1/4 as wide as cell at basal 1/3. Femora and tibiae normal, not unusually wide or with unusual vestiture. Basal tarsomere of hind tarsus as long as those on anterior 2 tarsi, first and second tarsomeres only slightly wider than third tarsomere. Abdomen with thin grayish tomentum except large oval spots laterally on tergites 3–5 and sternites 3–5 medially, black, atomentose; tergites 3–5 and sternites 4–7 with sparse, usually black, bristles laterally. Sternite 8 yellowish apically. Terminalia ( Figs. 72–74).

Types. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: RD-176 Southern slopes of / Cerro Gordo , Baní [Peravia prov.], on way to / Salinas , 18 o 16.038'N 70 o 20. / 630'W 23.xi.2003, D.Perez, R.Bastardo, A. Francisco (d) (holotype ♂, USNM) . Paratypes, RD-229 – 2 km road to San / Juan near bridge on Viajama / Azua prov., 294 m, 18 o / 35.245' N 70 o 58.085' W, 20.iv. / 2004, D.Perez, B.Hierro, R. / Bastardo (1 ♂, USNM) ; RD-217- 5 km S. Cabral / near road to Polo , Barahona prov., 411 m, 18 o 11.273.'N / 71 o.14.970'W, 9.iv.2004, D. / Perez, B Hierro, R Bastardo (d) (1 ♀, USNM) ; same data as holotype (1 ♂, 9 ♀, USNM, MHND) ; RD-198 Matadero , start of / hills Peravia prov., 450 m / 18 o 24.464N 70 o 25.736'W / 14.xii.2003, D.Perez, B. / Hierro R.Bastardo (d) (4 ♀, USNM) ; RD-248 Entrance to Sabana / Iglesia Santiago prov., 372 m, / 19 o 20.196'N 70 o 45.483'W / 29.iv.2004, D.Perez, B.Hierro, / R.Bastardo (1 ♀, USNM) .

Distribution. Known only from the type locality.

Etymology. Latin laticrus , from latus for wide and crur for shank, referring to the wide hind tibia.

Remarks. Ommatius laticrus is distinguished from congeners by the characters in the key, and combined characters of the terminalia ( Figs. 67–74). The female is distinguished by the shining black spots on the sides of the tergites and long bristles along the lateral margin of the sternites.