Paraleucopis paraboydensis Wheeler & Sinclair, 2019

Wheeler, Terry A. & Sinclair, Bradley J., 2019, Systematics of Paraleucopis Malloch with proposal of Paraleucopidae, a new family of acalyptrate Diptera, Zootaxa 4668 (3), pp. 301-328 : 320-322

Paraleucopis paraboydensis Wheeler & Sinclair , sp. nov.

( Figs 17 , 46–48 , 54 , 56 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FD8CE4E8-498D-4A88-AABC-EDB072AD9566

Type material. HOLOTYPE Ƌ, labelled: “Willis Palms Oasis/ Thousand Palms,/ Cal[ifornia, USA]. 17-iv-1955 / W. R. M. Mason; “ HOLOTYPE / Paraleucopis / paraboydensis/ Wheeler & Sinclair [red label]” ( CNC). PARA- TYPES: USA. Arizona: Organ Pipe National Mon. mi. 66 on Hwy 85, 23.iv.1979, K.N. Barber (1 Ƌ, USNM; 1 Ƌ DEBU); Maricopa Co., Usery Mtn Park, 33.475° -111.618°, aspirated from bare skin, 9.v.2013, T.A. Wheeler (1 Ƌ, LEM); same data except, CCDB-23514-F05 (1 Ƌ, barcoded, LEM); Pima Co., Sabino Canyon, 18.iv.1969, W.J. Hanson (1 ♀, LACM); Pima Co. , 35 mi W Tuscon, 18.iv.1969, J.L. Petty (1 Ƌ, LACM); Saguaro National Monu- ment (West.), 1 mi N Visitor Centre, 24.iv.1979, K.N. Barber (1 Ƌ, DEBU). California: same data as holotype (1 Ƌ, CNC).

Recognition. Fronto-orbital setae slender; antenna yellow, separated at most by slightly more than length of pedicel; face with pruinescence on upper half ( Fig. 17 ); parafacial with pruinescence; clypeus shiny; gena mostly shiny, pruinosity not extended posteroventrally below eye; fore coxa and all femora dark; hind femur without anteroventral preapical setae; surstylus gradually tapered with triangular base.

Description. Frons dark to reddish-brown band above antennae; gena dark. Face with pruinescence on upper half; parafacial pruinose. Fronto-orbital setae slender.Antenna mostly yellow, with area surrounding socket of arista and sometimes apex of postpedicel darkened; antennal bases narrowly separated, distance at most only slightly wider than length of pedicel. Clypeus shiny.

Katepisternum with numerous stiff, pale to brownish ventral setae, anterior to mid coxa; short setulae on anterior half. Scutum shiny with dense setulae. Coxae and femora dark, with apex of femora pale; fore tibia mostly pale; mid and hind tibiae darkened in middle, pale basally and apically; tarsomeres on all legs pale, except tarsomere 5 only slightly darkened dorsally; mid tibia with dark ventroapical spur-like seta, one-third length of tarsomere 1.

Male postabdomen ( Figs 47, 48 ): epandrium rounded, evenly sclerotized, setose on posterior half. Hypandrium broad, with pair of short anterior setae; with narrow and broadly rounded postgonite apically. Surstylus gradually tapered with triangular base bearing stiff marginal setae; apex slightly curved medially. Distiphallus tapered to narrow apex. Cercus elongate, 2– 3x longer than wide, longer than dorsal length of epandrium.

Female postabdomen: undissected.

Distribution. This species is known from southern Arizona and California ( Fig. 54 ).

Remarks. DNA Barcode sequence data clearly separates this new species from P. saguaro sp.nov. ( Fig. 56 ).

Figures

FIGURE 56. Neighbour-joining tree of four specimens of Paraleucopis with COI sequences, including unique voucher number, sequence length and GenBank number.

FIGURES 15–18. Heads of Paraleucopis spp. 15, P. bispinosa sp. nov., lateral view; 16, P. saguaro sp. nov., lateral view; 17, P. paraboydensis sp. nov., anterior view; 18, P. saguaro sp. nov., anterior view. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 45–48. Male terminalia and male postabdomen of Paraleucopis spp. 45, P. nigra sp. nov., male terminalia, lateral view; 46, P. paraboydensis sp. nov., postabdomen, ventral view; 47, P. paraboydensis sp. nov., male terminalia, lateral view; 48, P. paraboydensis sp. nov., male terminalia, ventral view. Abbreviations: st—sternite; sur—surstylus; tg—tergite. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 54–55. Distribution of Paraleucopis. 54, P. paraboydensis sp. nov.; 55, P. saguaro sp. nov.