Polytrichophora flavella, Mathis, Wayne N. & Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz, 2012

Mathis, Wayne N. & Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz, 2012, A revision of the new world species of Polytrichophora Cresson and Facitrichophora, new genus (Diptera, Ephydridae), ZooKeys 231, pp. 1-116 : 35-37

Polytrichophora flavella sp. n. Figs 5358

Diagnosis.

This species is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: Small to moderately small shore flies, body length 1.85-2.25 mm.

Head: Frons largely dull to faintly subshiny, brown with moderate investment of gray to yellowish gray microtomentum, anterior margin with some orange coloration; fronto-orbits narrow, gray to whitish gray. Antenna mostly yellow; basal flagellomere tannish yellow apicodorsally; arista with 5 dorsal rays. Face at narrowest point about equal to combined length of pedicel and basal flagellomere; face more densely microtomentose than frons, microtomentum with faintly shiny, mostly gray to whitish gray; parafacial and gena becoming slightly more whitish to silvery white than face; parafacial becoming wider ventrally with moderate ventral dilation; gena moderately high, height less than combined length of pedicel and basal flagellomere; gena-to-eye ratio 0.17-0.21.

Thorax: Mesonotum mostly dull to faintly subshiny, moderately densely microtomentose, mostly tan to brown, becoming gray laterally and anteriorly; pleural area mostly gray. Anterior margin of wing lacking spine-like setae; costal vein ratio 0.65-0.80; M vein ratio 0.55-0.64. Legs, including most of coxae, yellow; forefemur lacking a row of 9-10 short, stout setulae along apical half of anteroventral surface; forefemur with a row of 4-5, of moderately well-developed, evenly spaced, posteroventral setae on apical half, each seta less than width of femur; tibiae mostly gray, only apices yellowish; basal tarsomeres yellow, apical 1-2 becoming slightly darker, mostly tannish yellow.

Abdomen: Tergites mostly blackish to brown gray, subshiny, with gray microtomentose areas laterally; dorsum of tergite 5 of male not darker than preceding tergites and usually with distinct, semicircular, grayish areas laterally; tergite 5 of male somewhat pointed posteriorly, lacking distinctive row of setulae apically. Male terminalia (Figs 53-57): Epandrium narrowly connected dorsally, in posterior view (Fig. 53) generally wedge-shaped, wider dorsally, tapered laterally, with a subapical, abrupt indentation, producing conspicuously more narrowly apices, setation more concentrated on dorsal half, setulae on ventral ¼ minute, in lateral view (Fig. 54) elongate, height about 3 × width, with posterior margin arched and anterior margin with a shallow but distinct point, ventral portion with thumb-like apex and a subapical, anterior, shallow indentation; aedeagus complex with distinct basiphallus and elongate, contorted, distiphallus, basiphallus in lateral view (Fig. 57) sausage-like, distiphallus contorted, basiphallus in ventral view (Fig. 56) slightly asymmetrical, with a moderately deep, apical emargination; phallapodeme in lateral view (Fig. 57) with a distinct through short keel, generally elongate with keel at end toward hypandrium, in ventral view (Fig. 56) rod-like, slightly curved asymmetrically; gonite in lateral view (Fig. 57) elongate, rod-like, sinuous, in ventral view (Fig. 56) elongate, wider toward hypandrium, shallowly pointed subapically; hypandrium in lateral view (Fig. 57) elongate, very shallowly curved, pointed at each end, in ventral view (Fig. 56) H-shaped but with crossing bar much more toward connection with gonite.

Type material.

The holotype male is labeled "PERU. Madre de Dios: Manu, Rio Manu,250 m[,] Pakitza, 12[sic, 11]°7[six, 56.6]'S, 70[sic, 1]°58 [sic, 16.9]'W, 9-23 Sep 1988[,] Wayne N. Mathis/USNM ENT 00285978 [plastic bar code label]/HOLOTYPE ♂ Polytrichophora flavella Mathis & Zatwarnicki, USNM [red]." The holotype is double mounted (minuten pin in a block of plastic), is in excellent condition, an d is deposited in the USNM. Thirty-seven paratypes (22♂, 15♀; USNM) bear the same label data as the holotype. Other paratypes are as follows: PERU. Madre de Dios: Río Manu, Erika (near Salvación; 12°50.7'S, 71°23.3'W; 550 m), 5-6 Sep 1988, A. Freidberg, W. N. Mathis (1♂, 2♀; USNM); Rio Manu, Pakitza (11°56.6'S, 71°16.9'W; 250 m), 9-23 Sep 1988, W. N. Mathis (23♂, 15♀; USNM); Rio Manu, Pakitza (5 km E; Aguajal; 11°58.2'S, 71°17'W; 250 m), 19 Sep 1988, W. N. Mathis (11♂, 8♀; USNM).

Type locality.

Peru. Madre de Dios: Rio Manu, Pakitza (11°56.6'S, 71°16.9'W; 250 m).

Other specimens examined.

Neotropical. PERU. Loreto: Iquitos (14 km W; 03°52.1'S, 73°28.2'W), 16 Feb 1984, W. N. Mathis (2♀; USNM).

Distribution

(Fig. 58). Neotropical: Peru (Loreto, Madre de Dios).

Etymology.

The species epithet, flavella, is the Latin word for yellowish and refers to the yellow legs of this species.

Remarks.

This species, like Polytrichophora agens , has some asymmetry in structures of the male terminalia. Unlike Polytrichophora agens , however, this species has yellow legs, including most of the coxae, and the epandrium is rounded ventrally and has a subapical, anterior process (Figs 53-55).