Elaphropeza biseticauda ( Smith, 1963 )

Freitas-Silva, Rafael A. P. & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2009, Revision of the species of Elaphropeza Macquart, 1827 (Diptera: Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae) from Amazon Basin and some remarks about E. ciliatocosta (Bezzi, 1904), Zootaxa 2245, pp. 32-46 : 33-36

Elaphropeza biseticauda ( Smith, 1963)

( Figs. 1–4 , 16 )

Drapetis (Elaphropeza) biseticauda Smith, 1963: 153 , fig.1 (terminalia 3); Smith 1967: 39.3 (cat.). Elaphropeza biseticauda ; Yang et al., 2007: 372 (cat.).

Diagnosis. Reddish to yellow specimens. Arista short, 4.0 times longer than scape and pedicel combined. Scutellum with at least lateral and basal regions black. Fore femur short and strongly thickened; hind tibia with short apical projection bearing 1 strong anterodorsal bristle. Male terminalia brown, distinctly elongate, left cercus bearing 1 short, very strong apical seta. Right epandrial lamella large with two projections, one larger, the other shorter and slender.

Re-description. Holotype male (except wing and terminalia). Body length 2.0 mm, wing length 1.8 mm. Occiput subshining black with uniform pale yellow tomentum, reddish setation, oral margin reddish yellow. Frons shiny black, V-shaped, eyes almost contiguous just above antennae; face tomentose. Two pairs of upward verticals, inner pair longer, outer one as long as postocular setae; ocellars proclinate, anterior pair moderately long and cruciate, posterior one minute, divergent. Occipitals lacking on vertex. Antenna dark yellow with yellow setation, arista brown. Pedicel with circlet of subequally minute setulae; postpedicel and basal aristomere twice length of scape and pedicel combined; arista normally pubescent, 4.0 times longer than scape and pedicel combined. Palpus yellow, somewhat ovate, shorter than proboscis; proboscis reddish yellow.

Thorax shiny reddish yellow except yellow prescutellar depression, scutellum and subscutellum black with yellow margin; scutum moderately hairy, yellow to reddish setation; yellow tomentum on entire scutellum, subscutellum, postalar callus and metapleuron, scattered on anepimeron and meron. Scutum as long as wide, 4.5 times longer than scutellum. Proepisternum bearing 1 seta on upper part, lacking seta just above fore coxa; postpronotal seta not prominent; 2 notopleural setae (posterior one longer than anterior), 3 supra-alar setae (anterior one longest, posterior one somewhat shorter than anterior), 1 moderately long postalar seta, basal scutellar seta one-third length of apical. Acrostichals biserial, lateral row presutural, median row almost complete; dorsocentrals hardly distinct from intra-alars, apparently in 3 rows, prescutellar seta as long as apical scutellar.

Legs yellow to reddish yellow, clearing from fore to hind leg, all tarsomeres 5 dark brown; yellow to reddish setation. Coxae and trochanters with unmodified setation, tarsi with numerous short ventral setulae. Fore femur short and strongly thickened with rows of short antero- and posteroventral bristles, 1 longer near base, 1 anterior and 1 posterior prominent subapical. Fore tibia bearing 1 prominent subapical posteroventral bristle. Fore tarsomere 1 with ventral squamiform setulae on distal half. Mid femur somewhat thickened, bearing 1 long bristle near base, rows of thin spinule-like antero- and posteroventral bristles, and 1 long anterior subapical bristle. Mid tibia with short ventral spinules and 1 posteroventral subapical bristle. Hind femur somewhat thickened, bearing 4 erect dorsal bristles near base and 1 prominent anteroventral subapical bristle. Hind tibia bearing 1 strong median anterodorsal bristle and short apical projection. Hind tarsomere 1 with several bristles somewhat longer than others.

Wing ( Fig. 16 , specimen from Brazil, Manaus) normally developed, uniformly covered with microtrichia, hyaline; veins yellow to brownish yellow; yellow setation, brownish yellow on first three sections of C; C bearing 1 long seta near base, setae on two proximal sections longer and more spaced than on other sections. Costal index: 37/ 24/25/10; Rs somewhat longer than cross-vein bm-cu; R2+3 arched, reaching C at apical third of wing; R4+5 slightly bowed at apical half, rather parallel to M near margin; M almost straight; CuA1 not reaching wing margin; A1 as a slight fold. Basal medial cell twice longer than basal radial cell, both equivalent in their maximum width; cross-vein bm-cu perpendicular to CuA1; halter yellow.

Abdomen with tergite 1 yellow, membranous; tergites 2–3 and 6 with yellow subtriangular lateral sclerites; tergites 4–5 and 7 completely sclerotized, tergites 4–5 brown; tergite 4 broad with 6 lateral rows of squamiform setae, tergite 5 subequal in length to tergite 4 with 3 rows of squamiform setae; tergite 7 yellow. Tergites 2–3 and 6–7 with unmodified setation. Gland-like structure present between tergites 4–5.

Terminalia ( Figs. 1–3 , specimen from Brazil, Vitoria do Mearim) brown, distinctly elongate. Cerci separated; left cercus longer bearing 1 long apical seta and 1 very strong and short adjacent seta; right cercus short bearing several setae. Right epandrial lamella ( Fig. 2 ) wide, subrectangular, with two apical projections, one longer with several setae of different lengths, and another projection short and slender bearing few setae; right surstylus not prominent; left epandrial lamella completely fused to hypandrium; left surstylus ( Fig. 3 ) subtriangular with narrowed apical lobe, bearing short marginal setae on distal half. Two rod-shaped apodemes, ventral apodeme longer, almost reaching margin of hypandrium. Hypandrium bearing 2 short setae. Phallus short, slender, somewhat enlarged distally.

Female (from Brazil, Manaus). Body length 1.7–2.3mm, wing length 1.7–2.0mm. Mid tibia lacking spinules. Abdomen generally paler than male. Tergite 8 ( Fig. 4 ) short, separated from sternite which presents lateral projection narrowed subapically, strongly folded; sternite 10 as in Fig. 4 . Cercus brownish yellow. Otherwise similar to male.

Variations. Male body length: 1.7–3.0 mm, wing length: 1.9–2.3 mm. Specimens from Maranhao ( Brazil) have scutum, scutellum and subscutellum clearer, and legs pale yellow.

Type material examined. Holotype 3: [BRITISH] GUIANA, Coll. Richards & Smart, B.M. 1937-776 [white printed label] / Mazaruni , Clearing, 16.ix.1937 [white printed label] / In Colony House [white printed label] / Holotype 3, Elaphropeza biseticauda sp.n. K.G.V. Smith det. 1961 [white hand-written label] / Holotype [white and red round printed label] / BMNH (E)#244911 [white printed label] / [NHM]. Holotype condition: mounted on minute pin; abdomen on slide, glued to hyaline plastic and attached to specimen pin.

Additional material. BRASIL, Maranhao: Vitoria do Mearim, 25–26.ix.1992, R. Coimbra & D. Quirino, [Armadilha] Malaise [3 3, 3 ƤƤ, 1sp. uncertain, INPA]. Para: Alter do Chao, 15–18.ii.1992, J.A. Rafael, Varredura [1 3, INPA]; 13–17.ii.1992 [5 3, INPA; 1 3, NHM]; Tucurui, Rio Tocantins, Chiqueirao, 13.iv.1984, Armadilha suspensa, 1.6m [1 3, MPEG]. Amazonas: Manaus, Reserva da Campina, BR 174, km 60, 19.vi.1992, Joao Vidal & Jailson Vidal [1 3, INPA]; R[eserva Florestal Adolpho] Ducke, 12–19.viii.1988, Isca de Fruta, Yara Coimbra & F. Xavier [1 Ƥ, INPA]; C[ampus] Univ[ersitario], xii.1978, J.A. Rafael, Armadilha de Malaise [1 3, INPA]; i.1979 [1 3, INPA]; v.1979 [1 Ƥ, INPA]; 01.vi.1982 [1 3, INPA]; 11.vi.1982 [1 3, INPA; 1 Ƥ, NHM]; 14.vi.1982 [1 3, 3 ƤƤ, INPA]; 18.vi.1982 [2 3, 1 Ƥ, INPA]; 21.vi.1982 [1 3, 1 Ƥ, INPA]; 22.vi.1982 [1sp. uncertain, INPA]; 24.vi.1982 [2 ƤƤ, INPA]; 29.vi.1982 [1 3, 4 ƤƤ, INPA]; 28.vii.1982 [1 3, INPA]; I[stituto] N[acional de] P[esquisas da] A[Amazonia], [Campus] V8, 14.v.1982 [1 Ƥ, INPA].

Geographical records. Brazil * (Amazonas, Maranhao, Para) and Guiana (Tukeit).

Discussion. Male terminalia of E. biseticauda is very distinct from other know Elaphropeza species, especially left surstylus with two projections, besides the strong and short apical seta on the left cercus. Externally, the hind tibia bears only one anterodorsal bristle, head covered by pale yellow tomentum and scutum yellow to reddish yellow distinguish this species from the other know Neotropical Elaphropeza .

Only males were recorded in the type-locality ( Mazaruni , Guiana). We describe and illustrate the female of this species for the first time and expand its geographical record to include Central and Oriental Amazonian regions. Thus, the occurrence of this species is registered to almost the entire Northern Amazonia.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Elaphropeza biseticauda (Smith, 1963) [3 and Ƥ from Brazil]. 1. Epandrium with cerci, dorsal view. 2. Right epandrial lamella, lateral view. 3. Left surstylus, lateral view. 4. Ovipositor (short setae omitted), lateral view. Abbreviations: cerc: cercus; ej apod: ejaculatory apodeme; l epand: left epandrial lamella; l sur: left surstylus; r epand: right epandrial lamella; tg 8: tergite 8; st 8: sternite 8; st 10: sternite 10; v apod: ventral apodeme. Scale = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 16 – 19. Wings. 16. Elaphropeza biseticauda (Smith, 1963) [3 from Brazil, basal seta not presented]. 17. Elaphropeza flavida (Williston, 1896) [3 from Brazil, basal seta not presented]. 18. Elaphropeza mazaruni (Smith, 1963) [3 from Brazil, basal seta not presented]. 19. Elaphropeza monochaeta (Bezzi, 1909) [lectotype Ƥ]. Scale = 1.0 mm.