Lamproclasiopa puella (Cresson)

Costa, Daniel N. R., Mathis, Wayne N. & Marinoni, Luciane, 2016, A revision of the shore-fly genus Lamproclasiopa Hendel (Diptera, Ephydridae), ZooKeys 631, pp. 1-99 : 87-91

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Ephydridae

Lamproclasiopa puella (Cresson) Figs 133-134, 135-138, 139

Ditrichophora puella Cresson 1931: 91.

Discocerina (Basila) puella . Cresson 1946: 148 [generic combination]. Wirth 1968: 7 [Neotropical catalog]. Lizarralde de Grosso 1989: 24 [list, Argentina]. - Lizarralde de Grosso et al. 2011: 13 [Argentina catalog]. Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 165 [world catalog].

Lamproclasiopa puella . Zatwarnicki and Mathis 2001: 39 [generic combination].

Diagnosis.

This species is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: Small to moderately small shore flies, body length 1.80-2.80 mm. Head: Frons dull, uniformly grayish black concolorous with mesonotum, some specimens with anterior margin yellowish orange, except for ocellar triangle and fronto-orbital stripe slightly grayer, without distinctly marked iridescent microtomentose stripes, some specimens with anterior margin faintly reddish orange. Antenna mostly grayish black to black, only ventral margin of segments yellowish orange. Face nearly unicolorous, grayish black, not distinctively marked; parafacial bare of ventroclinate setulae, generally dull, creamy white anteriorly, grayish black ventrally, similar to facial color. Gena moderately high, gena-to-eye ratio 0.16-0.19. Thorax: Mesonotum uniformly faintly grayish to brownish black, finely microtomentose, faintly subshiny, lacking stripes; presutural supra-alar seta well developed. Scutellum dorsally covered with strong setulae. Wing completely hyaline to faintly infuscate, lacking pattern of spots; vein R2+3 with apical portion extended at same angle to costa; costal vein ratio 0.42-0.46; M vein ratio 0.55-0.60. Forefemur with posteroventral setae slender, not stout and peg-like; femora and tibiae grayish black to black, apices of tibiae yellowish; tarsi entirely yellowish or with apical 1-2 tarsomeres darkened. Abdomen: Tergites more sparsely microtomentose than mesonotum, shinier black or brown, especially laterally and mostly of tergites 4 and 5. Male terminalia (Figs 135-138): Epandrium in posterior view (Fig. 135) generally oval, higher than wide, dorsal portion thin, gradually becoming wider ventrally, widest subapically, apex tapered, rounded pointed, apex and dorsal half bearing more setulae, in lateral view (Fig. 136) with dorsal half almost parallel sided, ventral portion expanded, with rounded ventral margin and shallow, anterior point subapically; cerci in posterior view (Fig. 135) elongate, thin, ventral half tapered to acute point, slightly curved, setulose on dorsal half, in lateral view (Fig. 136) elongate, thin, dorsal half wider than ventral portion, tapered toward ventral apex; in about as wide as long, narrower dorsally and ventrally, widest at midheight, each lateral arm widest ventrally, ventral margin mostly evenly rounded, with a shallow medioventral extension, more or less evenly setulose along length; cercus narrowly hemispherical, slightly curved, gradually tapered toward ventral apex; gonite in lateral view (Fig. 138) rod-like, shallowly arched, apices tapered, with broad, short process beyond midlength, in ventral view (Fig. 137) irregularly V-shaped, arm toward aedeagal base much longer, tapered, more basal arm short, digitiform; aedeagus in lateral view (Fig. 138) narrowly funnel-like, wider basally, apical half tapered to narrow, parallel-sided extension, in ventral view (Fig. 137) elongate, thin, tapered very gradually from base to apex, narrow apex rounded, base arched; phallapodeme in lateral view (Fig. 138) L shaped, each arm tapered to narrowed apex, keel at angle, slightly extended, in ventral view (Fig. 137) narrowly spindle shaped, apices expanded, end toward hypandrium bifurcate; hypandrium in lateral view (Fig. 138) rod-like, shallowly arched, in ventral view (Fig. 138) with anterior half robustly developed, more or less quadrate, anterolateral corners rounded, anterior margin shallowly emarginated, posterior extensions elongate, tapered, posterior margin deeply emarginate, V-shaped.

Type material.

The holotype male of Ditrichophora puella Cresson is labeled "HOLOTYPE/Casa Pangue 4-10.xii.1926./S.Chile: Llanquihue Prov F.&M. Edwards. B.M.1927-63./Holo-TYPE Ditrichophora puella E. T. Cresson Jr./NHMUK010240992". The holotype is double mounted (glued to a plastic triangle) and is in good condition (head missing), and is deposited in BMNH.

Type locality.

Chile. Lanquihue: Casa Pangue (41°03'S, 71°52'W; 779 m).

Other specimens examined.

CHILE. Aysen: Puerto Puyuguapi (44°19.5'S, 72°33.5'W), Feb, 13 Out 1939, G. H. Schwable (1♀; USNM). Lanquihue: Los Riscos (41°13.7'S, 72°44.7'W), 14 Sep 1954, P. G. Kuschel (1♂; USNM); Osorno: Anticura (1 km W; 40°39'S, 72°10'W; 430 m), 1-6 Feb 1978, W. N. Mathis (11♂, 4♀; USNM); Lago Puyehue (SE shore; 40°45'S, 72°25.2'W), 6-10 Feb 1978, W. N. Mathis (3♂; USNM); Pucatrihue (40°32.6'S, 73°43.1'W), 27-30 Jan 1978, W. N. Mathis (4♂; USNM); Puyehue (20 km E.; 40°38.8'S, 72°5.1'W), 25 Jan 1951, A. E. Michelbacher, E. S. Ross (1♂; USNM); Termas de Aguas Calientes (1 km SE; 40°41'S, 72°21'W; 530 m), 7-8 Feb 1978, W. N. Mathis (13♂, 8♀; USNM); Volcan Puyehue (40°36.7'S, 72°8.4'W; 1400 m), 4 Feb 1978, W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM).

Distribution

(Fig. 139). Neotropical: Chile (Aysen, Lanquihue, Osorno).

Remarks.

This species is challengingly similar to Lamproclasiopa aracataca and distinguishing between them is difficult. The diagnostic characters presented in the original descriptions (frons entirely grayish black, antenna mostly grayish black than orange, in opposition to Lamproclasiopa aracataca ) are inconsistent, and specimens of Lamproclasiopa puella could easily be identified as Lamproclasiopa aracataca and vice versa. We dissected the male holotype to confirm the identity of Lamproclasiopa puella , and based on these characters we propose the more reliable, external character: scutellum covered with strong setulae. The shape of structures of the male terminalia also distinguish this species, especially the narrow aedeagus that is straight in ventral view and the less flared posterior hypandrial arms. We have studied specimens from Juan Fernández Islands and these specimens have wings slightly darker than specimens from the continent (Fig. 132). This corresponds to Wirth’s description of Lamproclasiopa fumipennis , but terminalia structures clearly correspond to Lamproclasiopa puella . As we have not been given access to the holotype of Lamproclasiopa fumipennis , we decided not to propose this synonymy as yet.