Mesoconius ruficrus, Marshall, 2019

Marshall, Stephen A., 2019, A revision of the genus Mesoconius Enderlein (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 548, pp. 1-126 : 119-121

Mesoconius ruficrus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:16125162-2840-41C0-9A13-EA78074DC451

Fig. 49 A–E

Etymology

The specific name refers to the mostly red mid and hind legs of this species.

Material examined

Holotype

PERU • ♀; Cusco, Wayqecha Biological Station , 9 km NE of Challabamba; 13°11ʹ18ʺ S, 71°35ʹ06ʺ W; 3100 m a.s.l.; 7–8 Dec. 2011; S.A. Marshall leg.; DEBU307-17 sequenced for CO1; MUSM.

Description (female holotype only)

LENGTH. 17 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly black; clypeus and palpus orange; face and antenna reddish brown, area between and below postocellar bristles orange. Cervical sclerite yellow. Thorax mostly dark reddish brown, scutellum and supra-alar area orange, anterior part of scutum with two short, faint reddish longitudinal fasciae and a similar central strip just anterior to scutellum; pleural suture reddish. Hind and mid legs orange, except for black distal hind tarsomeres and black mid tarsomeres; fore leg dark reddish brown, except for orange basal half of femur and yellow tarsomeres (base of tarsomere 1 black). Wing broad, uniformly tinted reddish-orange. Abdomen mostly orange, including upper half of pleuron and entire oviscape.

HEAD. Epicephalon and paracephalon shiny, weakly striate. Frontal vitta broad and short, only slightly raised, indistinct behind ocelli, where it splits a microtrichose patch between postocellar bristles. Frontal vitta extending as a very narrow strip to anterior margin of frons. Postocellar bristles and inner vertical bristles well developed. With only a single well-developed fronto-orbital, inserted just above point of overlap between orbital plate and epicephalon.

THORAX. Scutum inconspicuously microtrichose; dorsocentral and acrostichal setulae very small. Cervical sclerite oblong, with a small, depressed anterior portion divided by a vertical carina; posterior portion elevated and conspicuously depressed at middle. Prosternum microtrichose and conspicuously setulose. Postpronotal lobe sparsely microtrichose, anterior surface with a small, shiny patch; posterior surface sloped and microtrichose, except for ventral carina. Dorsocentral bristle slightly longer than scutellum. Scutellum with minute discal setulae and one pair of long apical bristles (longer than scutellum). Vertical row of katepisternal bristles mostly black, bottom few golden. Katatergite not swollen, without median process, evenly convex and microtrichose. All coxae with an anteroventral tuft of long, golden bristles.

ABDOMEN. Abdominal segment 1 short and petiolate on basal half only, T2 short and expanded posteriorly, with a dark anteromedial spot. T3–5 slightly narrower than T2. Pleuron densely microtrichose on dorsal third, greatly expanded on segments 3–5. Bursa small, with a small and distal ventral receptacle, spermathecal ducts similar in length and width, arising separately from apex of bursa. Single spermatheca elongate, but not distinctly thickened; paired spermathecae bent, widened and pipe-shaped.

Remarks

Mesoconius ruficrus sp. nov. is similar to the sympatric M. quadritheca sp. nov. and to the Bolivian species M. nigra sp. nov. These species share the limited constriction at the abdominal base, but M. ruficrus sp. nov. has red legs, in marked contrast to the black legs of the other two species. An apparent undescribed fourth species in this group, characterized by basally red and distally black femora, a bicoloured pleuron (black dorsally and pale ventrally) and broad black wings is known only from a photograph of a female ( Fig. 49F ), taken at the same time and place where the holotype of M. ruficrus sp. nov. was collected.

Figures

Fig. 49. A–E. Mesoconius ruficrus sp. nov. A. Living ♀. B. Posterior part of thorax, lateral view. C. Head. D. Holotype, ♀, MUSM, dorsal view showing wing. E. Spermathecae and associated structures. — F. Undescribed species of Mesoconius Enderlein, 1922 from Wayqecha Biological Station, Peru.