Procecidochares suttoni Norrbom, 2010

Norrbom, Allen L., Sutton, Bruce D., Steck, Gary J. & Monzón, José, 2010, New genera, species and host plant records of Nearctic and Neotropical Tephritidae (Diptera) 2398, Zootaxa 2398, pp. 1-65 : 44-48

Procecidochares suttoni Norrbom , new species

Figs. 69, 82–88, 90

Diagnosis. This species differs from most other species of Procecidochares reported from Mesoamerica in having the anepisternum with a large, shiny, nonmicrotrichose area. It is most similar to P. atra to which it runs in the key of Goeden & Norrbom (2001) to the species of the United States and Canada. It differs in the shape of the hyaline marginal area in cells r 2+3 and r 4+5, which extends deeper into the apical band; it does not reach the apex of vein R 4+5 along the margin, but extends into r 4+5 subapically ( Fig. 90). Most of the alula and the proximal margin of the anal lobe are brown, whereas they are hyaline in P. atra ( Fig. 89). Crossvein r-m is usually more proximal in P. suttoni (distance from bm-cu to r-m/ distance from bm-cu to dm-cu along vein M 0.737–0.803, 0.755 ± 0.028, n= 5 in P. suttoni , 0.762–0.841, 0.809 ± 0.010, n= 10 in P. atra ), and in P. suttoni the posteroapical lobe on cell bcu is slightly smaller, with the bend in cell Cu 2 slightly less pronounced than in most P. atra . The frons in P. suttoni ( Fig. 82) often has a large black or white, posteromedially oriented setula between the posterior frontal seta and the orbital seta that is never present in P. atra . The following couplet can be inserted into the key of Goeden & Norrbom (2001) to separate these two species (with the host and distribution information and “ P. atra ” at the end of the first half of couplet 12 replaced by “12A”).

12A. Wing ( Fig. 90) with hyaline marginal area in cells r 2+3 and r 4+5 extending deeply into apical band, not reaching apex of vein R 4+5 along margin, but extending into r 4+5 subapically. Alula mostly pale brown; proximal margin of anal lobe brown, often connected to band covering bm-cu and Cu 2. Frons ( Fig. 82) with 3–4 frontal setae and often with large black or white, posteromedially oriented setula between the posterior frontal seta and orbital seta. Host Archibaccharis asperifolia . Guatemala................................................................................... suttoni Norrbom

- Wing ( Fig. 89) with hyaline marginal area in cells r 2+3 and r 4+5 irregular in shape but shallower, reaching apex of vein R 4+5 or extending into cell r 4+5 along margin. Alula and proximal margin of anal lobe hyaline. Frons with 2–3 frontal setae, without posteromedially oriented setula between posterior frontal seta and orbital seta. Hosts Solidago spp. Eastern USA & Canada.......................................................................................................... atra (Loew)

Description. Small to moderate sized, body length 3.5–4.5 mm. Mesonotum length 1.32–1.92 mm. Wing length 4.00– 4.90 mm, width 1.55–2.10, ratio 2.33–2.58.

Head ( Fig. 82): Mostly orange and entirely microtrichose, ocellar tubercle, most of occiput, and postgena posteriorly dark brown; gena orange, without brown spot; face and postgena anteriorly whitish microtrichose. Most setae dark brown to black, acuminate. Frons broad, 2.06–2.22 times as broad as width of eye; nonsetulose medially, often (6 of 8 specimens checked) with 1 relatively large, white or black, posteromedially directed setula between posterior frontal seta and orbital seta; with a few white, lanceolate setulae near lateral margin and on ocellar tubercle; 3–4 frontal setae, 1 black, acuminate orbital seta; ocellar seta and medial vertical seta well developed, black, acuminate; lateral vertical seta black, acuminate, 0.74–0.82 times as long as medial vertical seta; postocellar and paravertical setae whitish, lanceolate; postocular setae whitish, lanceolate, all large and subequal; facial ridge setulae fine, brown, acuminate, a few dorsal setulae often yellowish; genal setulae mostly brown, sometimes posteriorly mixed with several white setae; setulae of occiput and postgena whitish, lanceolate. Face with medial carina weak, narrow. Lunule 0.36–0.39 times as high as wide (measured at dorsal margin of antennal sockets). Eye large, 1.41–1.58 times as high as long, with single broad medial vertical green band (observed soon after death, faded in most of the specimens), genal height 0.27– 0.31 times eye height. Antennal first flagellomere 1.3–1.5 times as long as wide (measured on mesal side); arista entirely minutely pubescent, sometimes more sparsely on distal half.

Thorax ( Fig. 83): Entirely dark brown to black. Dorsally largely shiny, nonmicrotrichose, including entire postpronotal lobe, anterior half of anepisternum, lateral third of scutum, and most of scutellum. Notopleuron densely grayish to whitish microtrichose on posterior half, extending narrowly posteriorly on lateral margin of scutum to ca. level of postsutural supra-alar seta. Scutum less densely grayish microtrichose medially except extreme anterior margin and sometimes narrow medial area ca. as wide as medial rows of setulae extending to anterior setulae; microtrichose area anterior to transverse suture extending laterally slightly beyond dorsocentral line, slightly broader near suture, posteriorly gradually slightly narrowing, including postsutural dorsocentral seta, acrostichal seta at margin or narrowly included. Scutellum dark brown microtrichose only on anterolateral corner, not extending to basal seta, and on underside. Subscutellum entirely densely dark brown microtrichose. Mediotergite densely whitish gray microtrichose on dorsal half. Pleuron mostly grayish microtrichose; anepisternum shiny nonmicrotrichose except narrowly on dorsal margin, most of area posterior to phragma, and narrowly bordering medial row of setulae; katepisternum shiny nonmicrotrichose except ventral, anterior, and dorsal margins. Following setae well developed, dark brown to black, acuminate: postpronotal, 2 notopleural, presutural and postsutural supra-alar, intra-alar, postalar, 2 dorsocentral (1 presutural; 1 aligned slightly anterior to postsutural supra-alar seta), acrostichal (displaced laterally, almost in dorsocentral line), 2 scutellar, 1 anepisternal, and katepisternal setae. Posterior notopleural seta subequal to anterior notopleural seta. Anepimeral seta whitish, lanceolate, not differentiated from large setulae. Scutal setulae white, lanceolate; medially in 3 irregular stripes 1–3 setulae wide, 1 unpaired stripe on midline and 1 on each dorsocentral line, posteriorly near level of acrostichal seta fusing to form 2 stripes; presuturally with row of setulae anterior to transverse suture and on anterior and lateral margins, extending onto postpronotal lobe, with dorsocentral setulae forming nearly oval pattern, in lateral view lateral setulae closer to notopleural setae than to presutural supra-alar seta; postsuturally without setulae on lateral third except posterior margin with paired cluster of 6–10 setulae anterior to corner of scutellum; without setulae anterior to postsutural supra-alar seta or on intra-alar line. Scutellum strongly convex, broad; without setulae. Pleural setulae whitish, lanceolate except sometimes 1–2 setulae on katepisternum brown, acuminate; on anepisternum anterior to phragma in 3 stripes, 1 along dorsal margin, 1 aligned with acuminate anepisternal seta, sometimes connected to dorsal stripe anteriorly, and 1 shorter and sometimes poorly differentiated stripe midway between second stripe and ventral margin, posterior to phragma with setulae irregularly arranged.

Legs: Femora dark brown except apically. Tibiae and tarsi yellow to orange. Fore femur nonmicrotrichose, shiny on posterior side. Other femora entirely microtrichose. All femoral setae and setulae brown, acuminate.

Wing ( Fig. 90): Pterostigma 0.54–0.61 times length of cell c, 2.36–2.57 times as long as wide. Lobe of cell bcu short, at most 0.30 times as long as width of cell, section of vein Cu 2 distal to bend 0.75–0.86 times as long as section proximal to bend. Crossvein r-m at 0.74–0.80 distance from bm-cu to dm-cu on vein M. Node of Rs and vein R 4+5 dorsally without setulae. Pattern with wing base and 3 broad crossbands mostly moderate brown. Basal brown area extending from costa in cell bc and base of cell c across extreme base of cell br, and bases of cells bm and bcu, and basal margin of anal lobe, extending distally slightly beyond level of fork of veins R 1 and RS, in anal lobe often narrowly connected to posterior part of band over bm-cu. Alula mostly pale brown. First band entirely brown, extending from costa in distal half of cell c and base of pterostigma to posterior wing margin, covering crossvein bm-cu and veins Cu 2 and A 1 +Cu 2, broader on posterior margin. Second band broadly connected to first anteriorly in pterostigma and cells r 1 and r 2+3; extending obliquely to posterior margin on apex of vein Cu 1, covering crossveins r-m and dm-cu; mostly brown, with orange medial area in cell r 2+3 and bordering both sides of r-m. Third (apical) band isolated from second band, triangular hyaline area between them ca. two-thirds as wide as hyaline area between first and second bands; band extending obliquely from apical part of cell r 1 to apices of cells m and r 4+5; mostly brown, with orange medial area in cells r 1, r 2+3, and anteriorly in cell r 4+5. Hyaline marginal area in cells r 2+3 and r 4+5 broad, extending deeply into apical band, not reaching apex of vein R 4+5 along margin, but extending into r 4+5 subapically.

Abdomen ( Fig. 84): Tergites entirely dark brown to black; mostly grayish microtrichose, in female shiny nonmicrotrichose on posterior half to two-thirds of tergites 4 and 5 and all of tergite 6; in male shiny nonmicrotrichose on posterior half of tergite 4 except for narrow medial microtrichose area and on posterior threefourths of tergite 5 except for narrow medial microtrichose area extending to ca. midlength. Syntergite 1+2 with fine, acuminate, yellow to brown setulae on basal third, with nonsetulose medial gap, and with whitish, lanceolate setulae on most of posterior third, becoming finer and yellowish laterally, and brown on lateral margin. Tergites 3–5 nearly evenly setulose, most setulae brown, acuminate, those on basal fourth to third except laterally white, lanceolate. Female tergite 6 with setulae brown, acuminate posteriorly, on anterior half with most setulae whitish except laterally.

Male terminalia ( Fig. 69): Epandrium and surstyli brown. Surstyli broad, together broader than epandrium, short and rounded, apex bluntly truncate and medially directed, without posterodorsal lobe; medial surstylus short, with 2 prensisetae, lateral prensiseta very small. Glans short, stout, mostly sclerotized; acrophallus stout, with 45° angle subapical turn.

Female terminalia: Oviscape ( Figs. 84–85) (measured ventrally from apex of basal medial desclerotized area, which is elongate and slender) 0.9–1.0 mm long, 0.47–0.51 times as long as mesonotum (1.24 mm measured to basolateral corner in larger specimen); entirely dark brown, shiny, nonmicrotrichose. Setulae fine, brown, acuminate. Eversible membrane ( Fig. 86) with pair of taenia dorsally and ventrally. Aculeus ( Figs. 87– 88) 0.93 mm long, ca. 6.6 times as long as wide, tapering on distal fifth to elongate triangular tip. 2 spermathecae dark, globose.

Remarks. Procecidochares suttoni appears to be the sister species of P. atra , which is widespread in eastern Canada and the United States. The galls of P. suttoni ( Fig. 111–113) are very similar to those that P. atra induces on several species of Solidago ( Foote et al. 1993, Sutton et al. 2005).

Distribution. Guatemala. The type series was collected in highland areas (> 1000 m elevation) of Guatemala (Santa Rosa, Suchitepéquez, Zacapa). The full distribution may extend to other countries as the host plant ranges from central Mexico to Nicaragua (TROPICOS database).

Biology. The type series was reared from leafy axillary galls on Archibaccharis asperifolia (Benth.) S.F. Blake ( Asteraceae : Astereae ) ( Figs. 110–113).

Type data. Holotype ♀ ( USNM USNMENT00671427 ), GUATEMALA: Zacapa: Santa Cruz - San Lorenzo Road, 15.06692°N 89.68659°W, 1488 m, emerged 5–9 Dec 2008 reared ex leafy gall on Archibaccharis asperifolia (07G34) collected 19 Nov 2007, B.D. Sutton, G.J. Steck, A.L. Norrbom, J. Monzón . Paratypes: GUATEMALA: Santa Rosa: Cerro Mira Mundo , Finca Mira Mundo, 14.20402°N 90.51535°W, 1850 m, 6m Malaise trap, 21–24 May 2008, Sutton & Monzón, 1♀ ( FSCA) . Suchitepéquez: Santa Barbara , Pacific slope of Volcan Atitlan, Finca Panama, vic. 14.539°N 91.2°W, 1000–1500 m, Nov 2007, Pérez, 3♂ ( FSCA) ; same, May 2008, 2♂ ( FSCA) . Zacapa : road to plateau N of San Lorenzo, 15.09418°N 89.67226°W, 1879 m, emerged 15 Dec 2007 reared ex leafy gall on Archibaccharis asperifolia (07G34) collected 18 Nov 2007, B.D. Sutton, G.J. Steck, A.L. Norrbom, J. Monzón, 1♂ ( UVG) ; Santa Cruz - San Lorenzo Road, 15.07593°N 89.68542°W, 1638 m, emerged 30 Nov 2007 reared ex leafy gall on Archibaccharis asperifolia (07G34) collected 18 Nov 2007, B.D. Sutton, G.J. Steck, A.L. Norrbom, J. Monzón, 1♀ ( USNM USNMENT00104214 ) ; Santa Cruz - San Lorenzo Road, "cow pasture", 15.07382°N 89.68455°W, 1599 m, emerged 9 Dec 2008 reared ex leafy gall on Archibaccharis asperifolia (07G34) collected 18 Nov 2007, B.D. Sutton, G.J. Steck, A.L. Norrbom, J. Monzón, 2♂ ( USNM USNMENT00671423–24 ) ; Santa Cruz - San Lorenzo Road, 15.06692°N 89.68659°W, 1488 m, emerged 5–9 Dec 2008 reared ex leafy gall on Archibaccharis asperifolia (07G34) collected 19 Nov 2007, B.D. Sutton, G.J. Steck, A.L. Norrbom, J. Monzón, 3♂ ( FSCA) , 6♂ ( USNM USNMENT00671425–26 , USNMENT00671428–32 ) .

Etymology. This species is named for Bruce Sutton, one of the collectors of the type series.