Mesembrinella spicata Aldrich, 1925

Whitworth, Terry L. & Yusseff-Vanegas, Sohath, 2019, A revision of the genera and species of the Neotropical family Mesembrinellidae (Diptera: Oestroidea), Zootaxa 4659 (1), pp. 1-146 : 55-56

Mesembrinella spicata Aldrich, 1925

( Figs 12, 29–30, 104, 119–120, 202, 246, 290, 334, 377, 419, 459, 488)

Mesembrinella spicata Aldrich, 1925: 13 . Holotype male (USNM), examined photographically. Type locality: La Suiza de Turrialba, Costa Rica.

Henriquella spicata: Bonatto & Marinoni (2005: 888) ; Marinho et al. (2017: tab. 1); Velásquez et al. (2017: 109).

Mesembrinella spicata: Cerretti et al. (2017 : tab. 2).

Diagnosis. A medium-sized shiny blue fly, averaging 9.6 mm (8–11/5) in length. Similar to M. mexicana sp. nov. (see under that species for comparison). Face and antenna bright yellow-orange; T5 without discal setae in both sexes; T4 without marginal setae in both sexes; T5 without marginal setae in male, with marginal setae in females. Male with long, slender posterior projections on ST5 ( Fig. 246); cercus and surstylus small and slender ( Figs 29–30).

Redescription. Male. Head. Frons broad, 0.128 (0.11–0.14/5) of head width at narrowest; slightly narrower than width of first flagellomere; fronto-orbital, parafacial and gena bright yellow-gold; frontal vitta with upper 2/3 black, lower 1/3 orange; gena with typical horizontal row of stout setae, rest of the gena with small fine dark setae; postgena orange with long pale setae and small strip of dark setae along anterior edge; occiput dark, covered with silvery tomentum and fine pale setae; median occipital sclerite shiny black; antenna bright orange, pedicel with short brown setae; palpus typical; eye facets uniform in size; frontal setae ascending about 80% of distance to vertex; anterior ocellus about twice the size of posterior ocelli; supravibrissal setae ascending along frontal ridge to about 1/4 of distance to antennal base.

Thorax. Dorsal and pleural areas purple-blue with whitish tomentum, dorsum without tomentose stripes. Chaetotaxy: ac 2:1, dc 2:3, ia 0, ph 1, ppn 3x 3, kat 1:1, meral setae typical, 1 pair stout converging ap, sa absent, 1 lat, 1 stout bas, 1 weak pb, 1 disc; subscutellum moderately developed; spiracles of moderate size, brown; legs: femora shiny blue, tibiae and tarsi brown, tarsal claws black. Wing hyaline with crossvein r-m slightly darkened and some veins with faint yellowing; subcostal sclerite with brown pubescence; tegula black, basicosta light tan; section IV 0.20 of section III; discs of upper and lower calypters light tan; rim of upper calypter with short dark setae, rim of lower calypter with long brown setae.

Abdomen blue with whitish tomentum, all segments lacking marginal; no discal setae on T5. Terminalia in lateral and posterior views with surstylus and cercus unusually small and slender, epandrium very large and divided midway ( Figs 29–30); phallus in lateral and dorsal views with short, stout epiphallus curving slightly backward ( Figs 119–120); T6, STS7+8, pre- and postgonite, ST6 and hypandrium as in Fig. 202; ST2–5 very broad, progressively wider to the rear; ST5 exceptionally large with pair of pointed posterior projections midway ( Fig. 246).

Female. Similar to male except frons 0.226 (0.21–0.24/5) of head width at narrowest, T5 with marginal setae, disc of T5 sometimes with one or more discal setae and with medium-length fine setae. T6 of RV shape with suture midway; T7 reduced to pair of round sclerites; T8 continuous, narrowed and with median suture ( Fig. 290); ST6–8 and hypoproct as in Fig. 334; spermathecae filiform ( Fig. 377); ST1–5 as in Fig. 419.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ³ ( Costa Rica, Cartago; USNM; examined photographically: Fig. 459), labeled: La Suiza / Costa Rica; Pablo Schild / Coll 11-2-23 / ³; Type / 26797 / No. / U.S. N.M. [orange label]; Mesembrinella / spicata / Ald.; USNMENT / 01295433.

Additional material examined. Costa Rica, Cartago. 1 ³♦* ( TLW290 ) , Turrialba, M.N. Guayabo, Send. Monticulos, 1100–1200 m, 8–12.v.2007, L_N_217200 570300 #91254, Moraga, Azofeifa, Gonzalez, Navarro ( IN- BIO) ; 1 ♀, nr. Tuis 3000 ft, 16–22.vii.1993, W.J. Hanson ( CNC) . Heredia: 2 ♀♀ ♦ ( TLW345 – TLW346 ) , 16 km SSE La Virgen , 10°16ʹN 84°05ʹW, 1150 m, 9–14.iii.2001, flight intercept trap, primary forest, E.G. Riley ( TAMU) .

Puntarenas. 1 ³*, 1 ³, Coto Bus, Z.P. Las Tablas, Est. Biol. Coton, S El. Tajo, 1700 m, 26.viii.1999, L_S_324150 590000 #56966, M. Alfaro ( INBIO); 1 ³, Coto Brus, Z.P. Las Tablas, E.B. Las Alturas, S Acueducto , Orilla R. Coti- to, 1400 m, 12.i.2001, L_S_593300 321900 #61816, M. Alfaro, Manual ( INBIO) ; 1 ³, 1 ♀ ♦ ( TLW352 ) , same data except 1500–1600 m, 13–14.x.2012, Malaise trap, ZADBI ( INBIO) ; 1 ³*, 1³, 1 ♀ *, ♀, Coton, Las Alturas , 1400 m, 5.ix.1991, P. DeVries & M. Wood ( CNC) ; 3 ♀♀, same data except 1500 m, 28.ix.1994, D.M. Wood ( LACM) ; 1 ³♦ ( TLW291 ) , Coto Brus , Z.P. Las Tablas, E.B. Las Alturas, 1500–1600 m, 13–14.x.2012, Malaise trap, Proyecto ZADBI ( INBIO) ; 2 ³³♦ ( TLW292 , TLW374 ) , Coto Brus, Z.P. Las Tablas, E.B. Las Alturas, Acueducto, Orilla, R. Cotito , 1400 m, 12.iv.2001, M. Alfaro Manual ( INBIO) ; 1 ♀, Estación Altmira, 1 km S del Cerro Biolley , Sen- dero a la Fila, 1300–1450 m, 20–23.xi.1995, L_S331700_572100 #7056, M. Moraga ( INBIO) ; 1 ♀, Est. Biol. Las Alturas, 1500 m, Coto Brus , 23.iii–2.v.1992, L_S_322500 591300, F. Arays ( INBIO) ; 1 ♀, 1 km S.O. del Cerro Bi- oley, Sector Altamira, Buenos Aires , 1150–1350 m, x.1994, L S 331500_571700 #3300, Z. Fuentes ( INBIO) ; 1 ♀ ♦ ( TLW353 ) , 1♀, Las Alturas Biol. Stat., 20 air km NE of San Vito , quarry, 1 km N of Rio Bella Vista, 14.viii.1995, C.R. Nelson ( BYU) ; 1 ♀ ♦ ( TLW373 ) , San Vito de Coto Brus, Est. Biol Las Alturas , 1500 m, v.1992, P. Hanson ( CNC) . Mexico, Chiapas. 1 ³, Chis [Chiapas] 6.0 km SW Ocosingo, 1400 m, 22.ix.1992, D.M. Wood ( CNC) ; 3 ♀♀, Chis 6 km S.W. Ocosingo, 1400 m, 20.ix.1991, D.M. Wood ( CNC) . Nicaragua, Jinotega . 1 ♀ *, Selva Negro , ca. 12 km N Matagalpa, Jinotega, 15.viii.1995 ( FSCA) .

Distribution. Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua.

Remarks. Eleven specimens ( TLW 290–292, TLW 345–346, TLW 352–353, TLW 373–374, TLW 376 and TLW 459) were barcoded; they grouped together close to M. mexicana sp. nov. and M. guaramacalensis sp. nov. ( Fig. 488). A female later identified morphologically as M. spicata had a complete row of discal setae on T5, which initially caused it to key to the aeneiventris species-group where it did not fit any of the known species. The terminalia were dissected and it was a perfect match with other M. spicata .