Cardiacephala picina ( Cresson, 1930 ) Ferro & Marshall, 2018

Ferro, Gustavo Borges & Marshall, Stephen A., 2018, A revision of the Neotropical ant-like genus Cardiacephala Macquart, including Plocoscelus Enderlein syn. nov. (Diptera: Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), Zootaxa 4429 (3), pp. 401-458 : 438-440

Cardiacephala picina ( Cresson, 1930) new combination

( Figs. 62–65 )

Plocoscelus picinus Cresson, 1930: 334 .

Description: Body length 6 mm, wing 4 mm. Palpus mostly dark brown, white on outer face. Clypeus dark brown with pale microsetulae. First flagellomere black with pale microsetulae. Fronto-orbital plates brownish and shiny. Frontal vitta brown. Row of katepisternal setae brownish. Mid and hind femora white basally and with an angled preapical white ring. Fore tarsus dark brown with gold/whitish pubescence ventrally at base of tarsomere one. Oviscape black and shiny, apical portion yellowish. Epandrium yellow.

Head: Palpus broadened basally and gradually tapering to apex. Clypeus short, length less than half of width. Two frontal setae. Frontal vitta with a narrowed depression centrally, reaching ocellar triangle. Inner vertical seta insertion flat, without tubercle. Paracephalon smooth, without swelling (not extending beyond the vertex). Vertex rounded. Line of black supracervical setae strong.

Thorax: Mesonotum white pruinose with sparse pale microsetulae. Scutellum upturned, triangular. Femora with sparse black setulae. Mid and hind tibia flattened, but sulcus on outer face weak. Wing with stigmatal and discal bands, apex clear with a dark and narrow preapical pigmentation. Crossvein r-m with small dark spot. R4+5 and M1+2 meeting at the wing margin. A1+CuA2 as long as CuA2. Female cervical sclerite slightly swollen at posterior end.

Abdomen: Tergites with brownish setae, T1+2 and T3 posterior margin with silver pruinose. Female abdomen: Single spermathecal duct apically broad, ending in a cylindrical spermatheca. Paired spermathecal duct apically broad before splitting into stems. Paired spermathecal duct stems thin and smooth basally, followed by a small rounded swelling and a small appendix ( Fig. 63 ). Paired spermathecae striate and sac-like (distally swollen and tapered basally), deeply invaginated from apex to base. Male abdomen: Ejaculatory apodeme reduced, blade small and short, sperm pump wider than blade ( Fig. 65 ). Phallapodeme extending to anterior limit of hypandrium. Distiphallus long, longer than epandrium, ending in a phallic bulb, phallic bulb subequal in length and width.

Type material: Holotype (1 ♀, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, not examined): PANAMA. Canal Zone, Red Tank, Coll. N. Banks, 30.VI. 1924.

Material examined: COSTA RICA. Cartago, Tapanti Natl. Pk. Ranger Sta., 1200 m, Pans in kitchen compost, 7–11.X.1999, M. Buck (2 ♂, DEBU 00105430, DEBU 00105434); ECUADOR. Pichincha, Maquipucuna Biol. Res., river trail, 1200 m, 0º7’34” N 78º37’57” W, 28.IV.2002, S. A. Marshall (1 ♀, 1 ♂, DEBU 00178602, DEBU 00195849); Pichincha, Maquipucuna Biol. Res., river trail, 1200 m, 27.X.1999, S. A. Marshall (7 ♀, DEBU 00100019, DEBU 00100020, DEBU 00100051, DEBU 00100040, DEBU 00100052, DEBU 00177807, DEBU 00111991); Pichincha, Maquipucuna Biol. Res. Treefall, yellow pans, 1200 m, 0º7’34” N 78º37’57” W, 26– 28.IV.2002, M. Buck (2 ♀, DEBU 00186632, DEBU 00186633); Pichincha, 250 m, 47 km S Sto. Domingo, Rio Palenque Station, 17–25.II.1979, S. A. Marshall (3 ♀, DEBU).

Distribution: Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama.

Comments: Although the type could not be examined, we identified specimens from Costa Rica and Ecuador that match Cresson’s (1930) description and we are confident that our concept of this species is correct. C. picina is disctinctive for its rounded vertex, the basal and apical third of mid and hind femora white (middle portion dark brown). The female’s cervical sclerite, swollen in posterior half, is also unusual.

Figures

FIGURES 62–65. Cardiacephala picina. 62, female, lateral view. Abbreviations: Dsc—Discal band; Stg—Stigmatal band, 63, female genitalia, ventral view; 64, male, dorsal view; 65, male genitalia, lateral view.