Houghia confinis 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 : 43-45

Houghia confinis Fleming & Wood , sp. nov.

Figs. 10 d, 18 a–f

Diagnosis. One of a group of seven closely related species in ACG, and many more in Central and South America, the H. crypta group, in which the second postsutural dorsocentral seta is missing, leaving a gap between first and third setae ( H. omissa , H. confinis , H. triangularis , H. destituta , H. crypta , H. biseriata , H. bivittata ). Houghia 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 silver. Colour of fronto-orbital plate gold only at vertex, adjacent to ocellar triangle, the remainder silver (up to 25% coverage). Surface of fronto-orbital plate almost bare. Ocellar triangle, when viewed from above appearing to be sharply pointed 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 restricted to the three main postpronotal setae. Dark stripes on either side of dorsocentral row of setae, separated from one another with brownish or gray tomentosity, appearing paler than stripes, but darker than remainder of scutum. Median and lateral stripes on either side of scutum united to one another posteriorly. Postsutural dorsocentral setae 3, with a gap between first and third seta. Anterior quadrant of anepisternum covered with long setae, none distinctly larger than the others or forming a row. 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 haired, apex bearing few short apical spines, tip with strong inwardly apical curve when viewed dorsally. Cerci rounded, apex with blunt, hooked tip, ventral surface bare, separation between cerci straight, about 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 confinis has been reared 17 times, and entirely from a sample of 3000+ grass-eating butterflies ( Nymphalidae ) belonging to seven genera that eat only Poaceae , except for a single additional rearing from a wildcaught pupa of an unknown (and unknowable) species of hesperiine skipper butterfly ( Hesperiidae ). However, there also remains the possibility that what was identified as a hesperiine pupa might have been actually a nymphalid butterfly pupa.

Holotype. ♂, CNC. Type locality: Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Prov. Guanacaste, Sector Pitilla, Sendero Laguna (10.98880°, -85.42336°), 680 m, 09/28/2011, Freddy Quesada, DHJPAR0046632.

Paratypes. 8 ♂, 10 ♀ ( CNC) Costa Rica, Guanacaste, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0048658, DHJPAR0008786, DHJPAR0045641, DHJPAR0021835, DHJPAR0008790, DHJPAR0046618, DHJPAR0046568, DHJPAR0048570, DHJPAR0044896, DHJPAR0046624, DHJPAR0048563, DHJPAR0008784, DHJPAR0021968, DHJPAR0008529, DHJPAR0048569, DHJPAR0045595, DHJPAR0048571.

Etymology. From the Latin adjective, “ confinis ”, meaning adjacent, in reference to the convergence of the pair of dark stripes on each side of the scutum that unite or converge toward one another at the level of the third postsutural dorsocentral seta.

Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Alajuela & Guanacaste, rain forest and dry forest, 160–680 m elevation.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Ventral view of abdomen showing different configurations of sex patches. a. Houghia graciloides sp. nov., showing characteristic sex patch on tergites 3, 4, and 5. b. Houghia longipilosa sp. nov., with sex patch present on tergites 4 and 5 only. c. Houghia omissa sp. nov., with sex patch present on tergite 4 only. d. Houghia confinis sp. nov with sex patch on tergites 4 and 5. e. Houghia macilenta sp. nov., with no sex patch at all.