Houghia aurifera 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 : 34-35

Houghia aurifera Fleming & Wood , sp. nov.

Fig. 12 a–f

Diagnosis. The presence of long eye hairs and bright gold tomentosity on the entire head, darker and more golden on the fronto-orbital plate, distinguish this species. Houghia aerata also has a gold head, but paler and more yellowish on face and lower part of parafacial and the eye hairs are minute. Houghia brevipilosa and H. longipilosa , also with long haired eyes, have the head mostly silver, with gold tomentosity confined to the frons.

Description. Male. Antenna black. When viewed in profile, antenna arises distinctly above middle of eye. Length of first flagellomere shorter than facial margin, (usually shorter by at least the length of the 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, extensively covered with setae, and fine hairs. 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 rounded 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 with conspicuous hairs. 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 long setae, none distinctly larger than the others or forming a row. Katepisternum with 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 bayonet shaped, posterodorsal half bare, apex bearing many stout apical spines, tip with light inwardly apical curve when viewed dorsally. Cerci rounded, apex with blunt, hooked 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, single long apical seta emanating from apex.

Hosts. Houghia aurifera has been reared once from each of 14 species of caterpillars in 9 families, and 45 times from small hesperiine and eudamine Hesperiidae feeding on herbaceous plants and small woody plants, in ACG rain forest and dry forest, out of a sample of 15000+ caterpillars. While this appears to be a “generalist”, its somewhat variable DNA barcode suggests the need for further exploration for the presence of cryptic species.

Holotype: ♂, CNC. Type locality: Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Prov. Guanacaste, Sector Mundo Nuevo, Vado Miramonte (10.77175°, -85.43400°), 305 m, 04/15/2007, Jose Cortez, DHJPAR0019684.

Paratypes. 28 ♂, 37 ♀ ( CNC) Costa Rica, Prov. Guanacaste, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0019687, DHJPAR0048633, DHJPAR0034504, DHJPAR0008299, DHJPAR0039257, DHJPAR0006706, DHJPAR0046408, DHJPAR0008308, DHJPAR0010001, DHJPAR0008546, DHJPAR0008221, DHJPAR0008302, DHJPAR0024607, DHJPAR0007097, DHJPAR0008303, DHJPAR0015027, DHJPAR0024572, DHJPAR0024590, DHJPAR0024591, DHJPAR0024589, DHJPAR0024579, DHJPAR0027802, DHJPAR0048408, DHJPAR0048422, DHJPAR0048423, DHJPAR0048412, DHJPAR0048411, DHJPAR0045668, DHJPAR0048555, DHJPAR0048631, DHJPAR0048424, DHJPAR0030230, DHJPAR0045667, DHJPAR0011504, DHJPAR0011497, DHJPAR0008548, DHJPAR0023615, DHJPAR0048427, DHJPAR0049641, DHJPAR0049566, DHJPAR0048376, DHJPAR0008540, DHJPAR0024585, DHJPAR0035716, DHJPAR0019682, DHJPAR0024592, DHJPAR0008304, DHJPAR0008539, DHJPAR0011499, DHJPAR0040720, DHJPAR0049637, DHJPAR0021965, DHJPAR0024587, DHJPAR0019686, DHJPAR0048681, DHJPAR0046442, DHJPAR0048426, DHJPAR0048419, DHJPAR0029865, DHJPAR0049639, DHJPAR0048425, 09-SRNP-12023, 12-SRNP-40498, 08-SRNP-55893.

ARIZONA: 1 ♂ “ USA AZ Huachuca Mtns./ Ramsey Cyn. Hamburg/ Trail 10.viii.2013 / 31º26.2'N 110º19.2'W / ca. 6200' J. E. O’Hara// Legs off for DNA / OH 10-08-13 -002”.

Etymology. From the Latin adjective, aurifera , meaning “gold-bearing”, in reference to the bright golden tomentosity on the fronto-orbital plate and parafacial.

Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Guanacaste and Prov. Alajuela, 95– 600 m.; USA, southern Arizona.

Figures

FIGURE 12. General morphology of Houghia aurifera 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.