Spathipheromyia goliat, Patitucci & Olea & Mulieri, 2019

Patitucci, Luciano Damián, Olea, María Sofía & Mulieri, Pablo Ricardo, 2019, A review of Spathipheromyia (Diptera: Muscidae) from Argentina with the description of an extra-large new species, Zootaxa 4701 (2), pp. 168-178 : 172-175

Spathipheromyia goliat sp. nov.

Description.

Male ( Fig. 2a ). Length. Body: 4.91–5.67 mm, wing: 4.14–4.64 mm.

Head ( Fig. 2b ). Black. Dichoptic, frons at vertex 1/3 of the head width; eyes bare. Frons with golden pollinosity, fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and face with grey-yellow pollinosity, gena with silver-grey pollinosity; ocellar triangle black, 3-4 pairs of frontal setae and 1 pair of reclinate orbital setae. Fronto-orbital plate setulose. Ocellar setae long and strong. Inner vertical setae reclinate, outer vertical setae divergent. Gena with a ventral row of black setae. Scape and pedicel orange, postpedicel black; in lateral view inserted close to the mid-level of the eye; arista swollen at base, with microtrichia shorter than the width of the base of the arista. Palpus yellow, strongly dilated at apex.

Thorax ( Fig. 2c ). Grey, with two brown vittae between dorsocentral and acrostichal rows of setae that fuse into the transverse suture, and a brown vitta between dorsocentral and intra-alar row of setae; anterior and posterior spiracles dark brown, anepisternum grey with a brown spot. Scutellum brown with two grey lateral spots. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals irregular; dorsocentrals 1+3; basal postpronotal setae 2; intra-alars 1+1; supra-alars 1+1; notopleurals 2, posterior one shorter than anterior one. Prealar absent. Scutellum with a long basal pair of seta and a long apical pair of setae. Anepisternum with a series of 4–5 strong setae, with several setulae close to the brown spot; katepisternals 1+1+1, forming an equilateral triangle, and with short setulae; anepimeron, katepimeron, and meron bare; proepisternals 1–2 upwards; proepimeral one upward seta. Prosternum bare.

Wing. Hyaline with white pollinosity and transparent spots. Crossveins dm-cu sinuose; vein R 4+5 and vein M parallel; veins bare. Both calypters hyaline with yellow margins; lower calypter glossiform, same length as the upper calypter; halter and knobs yellow.

Legs. Femora black with grey pollinosity and apex yellow, tibiae and first four tarsomeres yellow, fifth tarsomere black. Fore femur with an anteroventral and a posterodorsal rows of setae; fore tibia with 2–3 anterodorsal setae and one posterodorsal seta in middle third, four preapical setae. First tarsomere with one seta at base. Mid femur with a row of setae on anterior surface, a row of setae on ventral surface, 1 preapical seta on posterior surface; mid tibia with 3 anterodorsal setae and two posterodorsal setae in middle third, and 3–4 preapical setae. Hind femur with an anterior row of setae at basal middle and an anterodorsal row setae at apical middle; an anteroventral and a posteroventral row of setae, and two setae on dorsal surface at apical third; hind tibia with five setae on anterodorsal surface, 3 setae at basal third on posterodorsal surface, two setae on anteroventral surface, and 4 preapical setae (on posterodorsal, posterior, anterodorsal, and anteroventral surfaces) ( Fig. 2j ).

Abdomen ( Fig. 2d ). Grey. Tergites 1+2–5 with brown triangular spots on lateral surface, and one spot on dorsal surface on tergites 3–5. Sternite 1 bare. Sternite 5 with square shape and two apical lobes, sclerotized; with several long setae on apical middle. Basal margin straight; apical margin “U” shape with several small blunt spines ( Fig. 2e ).

Terminalia. Cercal plate setulose, strongly sclerotized, with apical margin concave ( Fig. 2f ). Surstylus surpassing the apical end of cercal plate in lateral view ( Fig. 2g ), and with a curved preapical process ( Fig. 2h ). Hypandrium longer than wide. Phallus with phallapodeme curved strongly sclerotized, dilated at apex, with bifurcated base that articulates with epiphallus, and longer than hypandrium in lateral view; pregonite developed, kidney-shaped, ventrally fused with the hypandrium; postgonite developed; epiphallus sclerotized, and distiphallus tubular, slightly sclerotized, and not surrounding the acrophallus ( Fig. 2h ).

Female ( Fig. 2i ). Length. Body: 4.95–6.02 mm, wing: 4.34–5.09 mm.

Differs from male as follows: Head. Parafacial with white-grey pollinosity. Legs. First four tarsomeres black on dorsal surface and yellow on ventral surface. Mid femur with 3–4 short setae in basal third on anteroventral surface; and a row of setae on anterodorsal surfaces. Hind femur with a row of setae on anterodorsal surface. Terminalia. Segments wider than long. Tergites 6 and 7 with 2 broad sclerotized plates fused at middle line; tergite 8 with 2 parallel plates; epiproct triangular, cercus longer than epiproct with sclerotized flange ( Fig. 2k ). Sternites 6 and 7 long and rectangular; sternite 8 divided into 2 small and linear sclerotized plates, each with 2 setae on apical margin; hypoproct with oval shape and flange on apical tip; setulose with several setae on distal margin ( Fig. 2l ). Three spermathecae.

Type material examined. Holotype male, pinned, with abdomen dissected, label: “ Arg. Bs. As., Tornquist / Río Sauce Chico (ruta 76) / -38.347186, -62.599310 / 25.X.2016 Mulieri & Olea” print. on white paper; “MACN-En / 13181” print. on white paper . Paratypes: pinned, with abdomen dissected, one female: “ Arg. Bs. As., Tornquist / Río Sauce Chico (ruta 76) / -38.347186, -62.599310 / 25.X.2016 Mulieri & Olea” print. on white paper ; “MACN- En / 13184” print. on white paper ; one female, pinned, label: “ Arg. Bs. As., PPE Tornquist / Ruta 76 247 m. a.s.l. / -38.171434, -62.341294 / 25.X.2016 Mulieri & Olea” print. on white paper; “MACN-En / 13183” print. on white paper ; one female, pinned, label: “ Arg. Bs. As., Ruta Provincial 76 / Ao. Atravezado, transecta / -38.021876, - 61.858028 / 325 m. a.s.l. 25.II.2016 Patitucci” print. on white paper; “MACN-En / 13182” print. on white paper . One male, pinned, label: “Arg., Bs.As. Reta / -38.893646, -60.318592 / 16.II.2018 Mulieri leg.” print. on white paper ( IFML) ; one female, pinned, label: “ Arg. , Bs.As. Reta / -38.893646, -60.318592 / 16.II.2018 Mulieri leg.” print. on white paper ( IFML) . One male, pinned, label: “Arg., Bs.As. Reta / -38.893646, -60.318592 / 16.II.2018 Mulieri leg.” print. on white paper ( MLP) ; one female, pinned, label: “ Arg. , Bs.As. Reta / -38.893646, -60.318592 / 16.II.2018 Mulieri leg.” print. on white paper ( MLP) .

Other specimens examined. ARGENTINA. Buenos Aires: 1919, Pecorino leg., 1 male ( MACN); 08.XII.1902 , Brethes leg., 1 female, 1 male ( MACN); Burzaco , XII.1939 , 1 male ( MACN); Campana, RNE Otamendi , -34.235958, -58.891540, 21.XI to 12.XII.2017 , Patitucci leg., 1 female ( MACN); Mar Chiquita , -37.7469, -57.4332, I.2006 , Mulieri leg., 1 female ( MACN); Mar del Plata, Punta Mogotes , -38.090993, -57.542189, XII.2018 , Mulieri leg. (MACN).

Distribution in Argentina ( Fig. 3c ): Buenos Aires.

Etymology. This species is named after the Philistine giant cited in the biblical Book of Samuel. The name should be treated as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. S. goliat sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters: the size (a very robust and large species), parafacial and face with silver-yellow or brown-yellow pollinosity, gena with silver-grey pollinosity, apex of the palpi strongly dilated, tibiae yellow, fore tibia with one posterodorsal seta, mid tibia without anteroventral seta, and crossveins dm-cu sinuose. Male: sternite 5 with apical margin with several small blunt spines. Female: hypoproct with a flange on apical tip.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Spathipheromyia goliat sp. nov. a–h. Male: a. Lateral view (scale bar: 1 mm). b. Head, frontal view. c. Thorax, dorsal view. d. Abdomen, dorsal view (scale bars: 0.5 mm). e. Sternite 5. f. Cercal plate, posterior view. g. Cercal plate and surstylus, lateral view. h. Phallic complex detailed, lateral view (scale bar: 0.2 mm). i–l. Female: i. Lateral view (scale bar: 1 mm). j. Ovipositor, dorsal view. k. Ovipositor, ventral view (scalebar: 0.2 mm). l. Preapical setae of hind tibia (scalebar: 0.5 mm). (Abbreviations: acroph, acrophallus; ad, anterodorsal; av, anteroventral; blu, blunt spine; distiph, distiphallus; d, dorsal; epiph, epiphallus; epiprct, epiproct; hyprct, hypoproct; phapod, phallapodeme; pd, posterodorsal; pgt, postgonite; pregt, pregonite.)

FIGURE 3. Geographical distribution. a. Spathipheromyia albiceps Malloch, 1934. b. Spathipheromyia atra Malloch, 1934. c. Spathipheromyia goliat sp. nov. and Spathipheromyia magellani Malloch, 1934. d. Spathipheromyia guttipennis (Thomson, 1869). (Red circle: new records; black star: previous distribution, black square: previous distribution of S. magellani.)