Houghia aerata Fleming & Wood

Fleming, Alan J., Wood, Monty, Smith, Alex, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2014, Revision of the New World species of Houghia Coquillett (Diptera, Tachinidae) reared from caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Zootaxa 3858 (1), pp. 1-90 : 32-34

Houghia aerata Fleming & Wood , sp. nov.

Fig. 11 a–f

Diagnosis. One of two species (the other being H. aurifera ) with gold tomentose head, darker on the frons, slightly paler on the parafacial. In H. aerata , however, the eye hairs are short and inconspicuous, unlike the longer eye hairs of aurifera .

Description. Male. Antenna black. When viewed in profile, antenna arises approximately at level of middle of eye. Length of first flagellomere almost extending to facial margin (usually shorter by less than length of pedicel). Facial ridge bare except for a few (usually 3–5) decumbent small setae above vibrissa. Palpus pale, usually distinctly yellowish. Postgena behind postoccipital row, above level of lower facial margin, with a small patch of few black setae. Parafacial pale brassy to gold. Colour of fronto-orbital plate pale brassy to gold on its entire length from vertex to base of antenna (more than 50% coverage). Surface of fronto-orbital plate covered with small recumbent hairs, especially near margin of eye. Ocellar triangle, when viewed from above appearing to be notched anteriorly. Diameter of anterior ocellus equal to, or greater than, diameter of base of adjacent ocellar seta. Ocellar setae arising beside, or slightly in front of, anterior ocellus. Eye bare. Postpronotum with 4 or 5 postpronotal setae. Dark stripes on either side of dorsocentral row of setae, separated from one another by yellow tomentosity. Median and lateral stripes on either side of scutum separate from each other posteriorly. Postsutural dorsocentral setae 4.

Anterior quadrant of anepisternum covered with short setae except for usually 3 to 5 distinctly larger setae. Katepisternum bearing three setae, the middle one always the smallest. Vein R1 bare dorsally. Legs ranging from reddish brown to yellow tinged but overall dark. Coxae dark usually concolourous with remainder of leg. Ground colour of dorsal surface of abdomen dark to black. Ground colour of ventral surface of abdomen entirely black. Sex patches present on tergites 4 and 5. Ground colour of sex patches shiny black. Terminalia: surstylus equilaterally oblong shaped, posterodorsal half bare, apex bearing few short apical spines, tip with strong inwardly apical curve when viewed dorsally. Cerci sharply pointed or distinctly tapered, apex with straight tip, ventral surface haired, separation between cerci straight, up to 85% as long as surstylus. Lobe of sternite 5 small and pointed apically, inner margin covered in dense tomentosity appearing darker than surrounding cuticle, internal edge inwardly curved, apical seta absent.

Hosts. Houghia aerata has been reared only from a sample of 300+ rain forest Macrocneme cabimensis Dyar (11X) and Macrocneme iole Druce (4X) ( Arctiinae , Erebidae ) feeding on foliage of vines in the Apocynaceae .

Holotype. ♂, CNC. Type locality: Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Prov. Guanacaste, Sector Pitilla, Pasmompa (11.01926°, -85.40997°), 440 m, 06/09/2004, Petrona Rios, DHJPAR0011496.

Paratypes. 6 ♂, 7 ♀ ( CNC) Costa Rica, Prov. Alajuela and Guanacaste, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0029683, DHJPAR0008537, DHJPAR0027905, DHJPAR0035906, DHJPAR0011500, DHJPAR0008536, DHJPAR0035889, DHJPAR0035859, DHJPAR0035860, DHJPAR0011483, DHJPAR0008538, DHJPAR0016119.

Etymology. From the Latin adjective, aeratus, meaning “of copper, bronze, or brass”, in reference to the brassy colour of the tomentosity covering all parts of the head, especially the fronto-orbital plate and parafacial. Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Alajuela & Guanacaste, rain forest, 320–700 m elevation.

Figures

FIGURE 11. General morphology of Houghia aerata sp. nov. a. Dorsal habitus. b. Frontal view of head. c. Lateral habitus. d. Posterior view of male terminalia. e. Lateral view of male terminalia. f. Ventral view of sternite 5 + segments 7 + 8.