Mesoconius cosanga, Marshall, 2019

Marshall, Stephen A., 2019, A revision of the genus Mesoconius Enderlein (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 548, pp. 1-126 : 25-27

Mesoconius cosanga sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:58017DCD-03F4-4131-99EA-9D7ADA383EA2

Fig. 7

Etymology

The specific name of this species is a noun in apposition taken from the name of the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; Napo, 4.2 km S of Cosanga , pipeline trail; 2150 m a.s.l.; 7 Nov. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; UGIC176-15/MYCRO077-15, sequenced for CO1; QCAZ.

Description (female holotype only)

LENGTH. 15 mm.

COLOUR. Burnt orange, except as follows: parafacial, postgena and most of gena silvery microtrichose, palpus and clypeus yellow; lower face white; frontal vitta anterior to ocelli velvety black, lower frons dark reddish brown. Cervical sclerite entirely pale yellow and subshining. Scutum with two narrow, sublateral golden vittae (lines of golden microtrichia) broken by deep transverse suture and ending well before scutellum; area between postpronotal lobe and narrow golden vittae darkened by black microtrichia; middle of scutum with a very narrow, indistinct black vitta. Fore tibia dark brown to black, fore tarsus white, except at base; mid and hind femora with a narrow and indistinct white band, before middle on mid femur and at middle on hind femur. Wing uniformly brownish-yellow infuscated. Abdomen pale and lightly sclerotized between darker, fully sclerotized syntergite 1+2 and oviscape.

HEAD. Epicephalon very finely striate, dull; paracephalon smooth and shiny; frontal vitta not visibly extending posterior to ocelli. Fronto-orbital bristle small, inserted on lower, microtrichose part of epicephalon well anterior to ocellar triangle. Upper face broadly raised, convex at middle, subantennal areas mostly shiny, silvery microtrichose in lower quarter.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite not distinctly divided into anterior and posterior portions. Acrostichal and dorsocentral setulae sparse and minute, but in distinct rows. Postpronotal lobe subshining, very sparsely microtrichose, with some scattered small pale setae, anterior margin bare and almost vertical, posterior margin setulose and only slightly less vertical than anterior margin. Dorsocentral bristle very small, similar in size to scutellar setulae and about ⅓ as long as supra-alar. Scutellum with four small discal setulae and pair of long, closely spaced apical bristles (longer than scutellum). Katatergite very prominent, with a long, nipple-like, microtrichose pointed process. Notopleuron with two widely spaced black bristles. Vertical row of katepisternal bristles golden. Fore coxa with black anteroventral setae, mid and hind coxae with anteroventral golden setae.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. As described for M. albitergum sp. nov.

Remarks

Mesoconius cosanga sp. nov. is very closely related to the Colombian species M. albitergum sp. nov., with which it shares the distinctive desclerotization of the middle abdominal segments. It differs from M. albitergum sp. nov. in having white fore tarsi, a pale anterior spiracle and a mostly orange notum without broad black vittae. Mesoconius cosanga sp. nov. and M. albitergum sp. nov. were recovered as a single branch on the CO1 tree, but with a deep split between the species.

Figures

Fig. 7. Mesoconius cosanga sp. nov., holotype, ♀, QCAZ. A. Head and notum. B. Habitus. C. Head and thorax. D. Spermatheca and associated structures.