Cephalops gracilis, Ramos-Pastrana & Marques & Rafael, 2022

Ramos-Pastrana, Yardany, Marques, Dayse Willkenia A. & Rafael, José Albertino, 2022, Cephalops Fallén and Semicephalops De Meyer (Diptera: Pipunculidae) of Colombia, with description of five new species and an updated key to males of the Neotropical species, Zootaxa 5141 (3), pp. 201-226 : 208-210

Cephalops gracilis sp. nov.

Figs 33–48 , 107

Diagnosis. Male. Antenna with scape and pedicel brown, postpedicel yellow, slightly acute. Legs yellow, except coxae light brown. Abdomen ground color dark, tergite 1 velvety brown dorsally, light brown laterally, gray-brown pruinose; tergites 2–5 with velvety dark brown band dorsally on anterior margin; tergites 2–4 with light brown spots posterolaterally. Surstyli subsymmetrical, shorter than epandrium length, completely setose; with outer and inner margins sinuous, with tips inward directed. Apex of phallic guide stout, long, with distinct translucent lobe apically, with dorsal margin straight and ventral margin sinuous. Phallus trifid, with ducts distinctly separated, thin.

Description. MALE (holotype). Body length 3 mm. Head ( Figs 33–34 ). Eyes contiguous for 21 facets. F, EM, V (mm) = 0.5, 0.6, 0.2. Frontal triangle brown pruinose, with conspicuous brown callus. Postcranium brown, gray pruinose. Antenna ( Fig. 35 ) with scape and pedicel brown, scape with one seta dorsally; pedicel with three setae dorsally and two longer setae ventrally; postpedicel yellow, with acute apex. LPP/WPP = 2. Thorax ( Figs 34, 36 ). Postpronotal lobe light brown. Scutum brown, brown pruinose. Notopleuron concolorous with scutum, gray-brown pruinose. Scutellum brown, brown pruinose, with few tiny setae scattered and eight marginal inconspicuous setae. Mesopleuron and mediotergite brown, gray-brown pruinose. Wing ( Fig. 37 ). Length 7.4 mm. LW/MWW = 2.9; LTC/LFC = 0.7. Membrane slightly brown infuscated; vein r-m located slightly after basal third of cell dm; anal lobe normal. Halter stem and knob ventrally yellow, dorsally brown. Legs ( Figs 33–34 ). Coxae light brown; trochanters yellow; femora yellow, with short setae ventrally, tibiae yellow; tarsomeres 1–4 yellow, 5 brown; pulvilli yellow. Abdomen ( Figs 33–34, 38 ). Ground color velvety dark, tergite 1 dorsally brown, light brown laterally, gray-brown pruinose, with four brown and long setae laterally; tergites 2–5 with dark brown band dorsally on anterior margin, with inconspicuous setae; tergites 2–4 with light brown spots posterolaterally; tergites and sternites 6 and 7 as in Fig. 39 . Syntergosternite 8 brown, brown pruinose, shorter than length of tergite 5, with membranous area apically ( Figs 38, 40 ). Terminalia ( Figs 39–45 ). Epandrium light brown, surstyli yellow ( Fig. 40 ). Surstyli ( Figs 40–42 ) subsymmetrical, shorter than epandrium length, completely setose; with outer and inner margins sinuous, with tips inward directed ( Fig. 40 ); right surstylus with dorsal lobe, distinct lobe apically and tip slightly downward-directed when seen in lateral view ( Figs 41–42 ). Gonopods subsymmetrical, with rigid lobes in the inner margin ( Fig. 43 ). Apex of phallic guide stout, long, with distinct translucent lobe apically, dorsal margin straight, and ventral margin sinuous ( Fig. 44 ). Ejaculatory apodeme mushroom-shaped, with sinuous margins ( Fig. 45 ). Phallus trifid, with ejaculatory ducts distinctly separated, thin ( Fig. 44 ). FEMALE ( Figs 46–48 ). Like male, differing only in the following aspects. Body length 5.5 mm. Eyes dichoptic. Frontal ommatidia larger than adjacent ones. Wing length 6.6 mm. LW/MWW = 3.4. LTC/LFC = 0.7. Ovipositor OL: 1.11 mm, PL: 0.82 mm, B: 0.43 mm; base brown, gray-brown pruinose; piercer yellow, apex shiny ( Figs 47–48 ).

Type material. HOLOTYPE. Male: COLOMBIA, Boyacá, SFF[Santuario de Fauna y Flora] Iguaque, El Níspero , Malaise , 0538’N/7331’W, 2730 m [eters], 13–18.xii.2001, P. Reina leg “M2476 (1 ♂, IAvH) (photographed specimen). PARATYPES. idem 17–21.xii.2001, “M2581 (1 ♂, LEUA); idem “M2476 (1 ♀, IAvH); idem Qda.[Quebrada] Los Mudos, 0544’N/7326’W, 27.ii–17.iii.2003, “M3563 (1 ♀, LEUA) (photographed specimen) . Holotype with left wing mounted on microslide with Canada balsam. Left antenna and terminalia placed in a microvial with glycerin, both pinned along with the specimen.

Etymology. From the Latin gracilis (= thin), the name refers to the shape of the ejaculatory ducts of the phallus in the male genitalia.

Geographical distribution. Colombia (Boyacá) ( Fig. 107 ).

Habitat. The specimens were collected in the Santuario de Fauna y Flora Iguaque reserve, where the vegetation is composed of cloud Andean forests of the cordillera of the Northeast region of Colombia.

Taxonomic notes. Based on males and due to the shape of the phallic guide and phallus, C. gracilis sp. nov. is similar in appearance to C. nigrifrons Rafael, 1990 [see figure 109 presented by Rafael (1990)]. It differs from C. nigrifrons by having the surstyli with outer and inner margins sinuous, with tips inward-directed ( Fig. 40 ) [versus surstyli with outer and inner margins straight in C. nigrifrons , figure 107 presented by Rafael (1990)]; right surstylus with dorsal lobe and distinct apical lobe when seen in lateral view ( Figs 41–42 ) [versus right surstylus with margins straight when seen in lateral view, figure 108 presented by Rafael (1990)]; ejaculatory apodeme mushroom-shaped, with margins sinuous ( Fig. 45 ) [versus ejaculatory apodeme narrowed, figure 110 presented by Rafael (1990)].

Figures

FIGURE 107. Geographical records of Cephalops species in Colombia. Cephalops acutus sp. nov., C. amapaensis, C. gracilis sp. nov., C. klinsmanni sp. nov. and C. lobatus sp. nov.

FIGURES 33–45. Cephalops gracilis sp. nov. (IAvH–2476). Male. 33, Habitus, left lateral view; 34, Habitus, dorsal view; 35, Antenna; 36, Thorax, dorsal view; 37, Wing; 38, Abdomen, dorsal view; 39, Tergites and sternites 6 and 7, ventral view; 40, Terminalia, dorsal view; 41, Left surstylus, lateral view; 42, Right surstylus, lateral view; 43, Hypandrium and gonopods, ventral view, 44, Phallic guide and phallus, left lateral view; 45, Ejaculatory apodeme.

FIGURES 46–48. Cephalops gracilis sp. nov. (LEUA– M3563). Female. 46, Habitus, left lateral view; 47, Abdomen, right lateral view; 48, Ovipositor, dorsal view.