Mesembrinella lara ( Bonatto, 2005 )

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 : 79-80

Mesembrinella lara ( Bonatto, 2005)

( Figs 41–42 , 131–132 , 208 , 251 , 294 , 338 , 380 , 423 , 463 , 488 )

Huascaromusca lara Bonatto in Bonatto & Marinoni, 2005: 888 . Holotype male (USNM), examined. Type locality: Yacambu National Park , Lara, Venezuela.

Huascaromusca lara: Kosmann et al. (2013: 77) ; Wolff et al. (2017: 253) ; Marinho et al. (2017: tab. 1); Velásquez et al. (2017: 108).

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

Diagnosis. A small fly, averaging 8.75 mm (8–9/4) in length; thorax subshining blue with heavy whitish tomentum; abdomen brighter, shiny blue with faint whitish tomentum. Postpronotal lobe 2x 2; subcostal sclerite bare; outer posthumeral present; acrostichal setae 0:0; pleural area of thorax blue-black.

Redescription. Male. Head. Frons broad, 0.06/1 of head width at narrowest [only holotype male was available to measure]; fronto-orbital and parafacial golden when viewed from above, orange when viewed from below; frontal vitta orange, obliterated by broad fronto-orbitals about 1/3 of way up frons; gena orange with faint whitish tomentum and single row of stout setae from postgena through to bottom of parafacial; postgena orange with white tomentum and fine yellow setae; occiput with pale tomentum and weak yellow setae; median occipital sclerite shiny dark orange; palpus typical; pedicel and first flagellomere orange with pale tomentum, arista dark brown; eye with median facets about 2x size of lateral facets; frontal setae ascending about halfway to vertex; ocellar triangle medium-sized; facial ridge with just a few black supravibrissal setae in short row below.

Thorax. Dorsum with pale bluish tomentum and a pair of narrow tomentose stripes aligned with dorsocentral setae; pleural area like dorsum; chaetotaxy: ac 0:0, dc 2:2, ia 0, ph 1, ppn 2x 2, kat 2:1, meral setae long and slender, as an inverted L with horizontal portion very short, composed of one or two setae, 1 pair converging ap, 1 stout bas, 1 disc, no other setae; subscutellum weakly developed; spiracles yellow-orange; legs: femora orange, tibiae mostly brown, tarsi darker brown. Wings hyaline; disc of upper calypter pale with brown rim and fringe of brown setae; disc and rim of lower calypter pale, rim with long pale setae; subcostal sclerite orange and bare; basicosta and tegula orange; section IV 0.15 of section III.

Abdomen bright shiny blue with faint whitish tomentum. T1–5 each with a pair of stout lateral marginal setae, T4 and T5 with rows of stout setae on posterior margins; disc of T5 with mid-dorsal horizontal row of stout setae, rest of disc with sparse, fine setae. Terminalia. Lateral view: surstylus parallel-sided with slight forward curve, cercus with apical hook, epandrium large ( Fig. 41 ); in posterior view, base of cerci broad, distal 1/3 gradually narrowing to fine tip ( Fig. 42 ); phallus in lateral view with epiphallus of medium width and with moderate backward curve ( Fig. 131 ); in dorsal view, hypophallic lobes narrow ( Fig. 132 ); T6, STS7+8, pre- and postgonite and ejaculatory sclerite as in Fig. 208 ; ST5 as in Fig. 251 .

Female. Similar to male except frons 0.245 (0.23–0.25/4) of head width. T6 of RV shape with suture midway; T7 divided midway; T8 as two separate sclerites ( Fig. 294 ); ST6–8 and hypoproct as in Fig. 338 ; spermathecae filiform ( Fig. 380 ); ST1–5 as in Fig. 423 .

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂* ( Venezuela , Lara; USNM; Fig. 463 ), labeled: VENEZUELA: Lara, / Parque Nac. / Yacambu / 6 – 8 – IV – 1981; A.S. Menke / L. Hollenberg / Collectors ; HOLOTYPE / Huascaromusca lara . / S.R. Bonatto det. [red label]; USNMENT01288293.

Remarks. Bonatto & Marinoni (2005) provided added locality data for the specimen: 7°16ʹN 68°24ʹW. The specimen is in fairly good condition and is typical of other material examined in this study. It had been dissected by Bonatto; the rear half of T4 and all of T5 were removed and the terminalia were separated and placed in a vial under the specimen (except rear part of T4, which is missing).

PARATYPE: Venezuela. 1 ♂, Parque Nac. Yacambu, 6–8.iv.1981, A.S. Menke & L. Hollenberg ( USNM) .

Additional material examined. Venezuela, Miranda. 1 ♀ ♦* ( TLW270 ) , San Antonio de los Altos, IV, IC, 10°24ʹN 66°58ʹW, 1680 m, iv.2003, Y. Velásquez ( MIZA) ; 1 ♀, El Hatillo, Las Marías , 1350 m, 26.v.1976, F. Kaletta ( MIZA) ; 1 ♀, Falcon Curimagus , 1640 m, 22.III.1987, cloud forest, R. Miller & R.L. Stange ( FSCA) .

Distribution. Venezuela.

Remarks. A single specimen ( TLW 270) was barcoded; it was recovered in a distinct group close to M. uniseta and M. bullata ( Fig. 488 ). More specimens are needed to fully resolve relationships within this group.

Figures

FIGURE 488. Neighbor-joining tree of COI DNA barcode sequences of specimens and species of Mesembrinellidae, using K2P distances and generated in BOLD; species names on the tree are followed by BOLD accession number, voucher number, country of origin, number of sequenced base pairs and number of ambiguous nucleotides.

FIGURES 41–46. Left lateral and posterior views of epandrium, cerci and surstyli of Mesembrinella spp. 41–42. M. lara (Bonatto). 43–44. M. nigrocoerulea sp. nov. 45–46. M. purpurata Aldrich.

FIGURES 125–134. Left lateral and dorsal views of phallus of Mesembrinella spp. 125–126. M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann). 127–128. M. bolivar (Bonatto). 129–130. M. decrepita Séguy 131–132. M. lara (Bonatto). 133–134. M. nigrocoerulea sp. nov.

FIGURES 202–208. Male terminalia of Mesembrinella spp. (a = T6, STS7+8; b = pre- and postgonite; c = ejaculatory sclerite; d = ST6; e = hypandrium). 202. M. spicata Aldrich. 203. M. epandrioaurantia sp. nov. 204. M. woodorum sp. nov. 205. M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann). 206. M. bolivar (Bonatto). 207. M. decrepita Séguy. 208. M. lara (Bonatto).

FIGURES 239–251. Male sternites of Lanella spp. 239. L. fusconitida sp. nov. 240. L. fuscosquamata sp. nov. 241. L. nigripes Guimar„es 242. L. perisi (Mariluis). 243. L. purpurea sp. nov. 244. M. latifrons (Mello). 245. M. mexicana sp. nov. 246. M. spicata Aldrich. 247. M. epandrioaurantia sp. nov. 248. M. woodorum sp. nov. 249. M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann). 250. M. decrepita Séguy. 251. M. lara (Bonatto) (ST5 only).

FIGURES 294–299. Female terminalia (T6–T8, epiproct, cerci) of Mesembrinella spp., dorsal view. 294. M. lara (Bonatto). 295. M. nigrocoerulea sp. nov. 296. M. purpurata Aldrich. 297. M. semiflava Aldrich. 298. M. uniseta Aldrich. 299. M. violacea sp. nov.

FIGURES 326–349. ST6–8 and hypoproct of Mesembrinellidae. 326. Laneella fusconitida sp. nov. 327. L. fuscosquamata sp. nov. 328. L. nigripes Guimar„es. 329. L. perisi (Mariluis). 330. L. purpurea sp. nov. 331. Mesembrinella latifrons (Mello). 332. M. guaramacalensis sp. nov. 333. M. mexicana sp. nov. 334. M. spicata Aldrich. 335. M. epandrioaurantia sp. nov. 336. M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann). 337. M. decrepita Séguy. 338. M. lara (Bonatto). 339. M. nigrocoerulea sp. nov. 340. M. purpurata Aldrich. 341. M. semiflava Aldrich. 342. M. uniseta Aldrich. 343. M. violacea sp. nov. 344. M. vogelsangi (Mello). 345. M. zurquiensis sp. nov. 346. M. apollinaris Séguy. 347. M. batesi Aldrich. 348. M. bellardiana Aldrich. 349. M. benoisti (Séguy).

FIGURES 370–400. Spermathecae of Mesembrinellidae. 370. L. fusconitida sp. nov. 371. L. fuscosquamata sp. nov. 372. L. nigripes Guimar„es. 373. L. perisi (Mariluis). 374. L. purpurea sp. nov. 375. Mesembrinella guaramacalensis sp. nov. 376. M. mexicana sp. nov. 377. M. spicata Aldrich. 378. M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann). 379. M. decrepita Séguy. 380. M. lara (Bonatto). 381. M. nigrocoerulea sp. nov. 382. M. purpurata Aldrich. 383. M. semiflava Aldrich. 384. M. uniseta Aldrich. 385. M. vogelsangi (Mello). 386. M. zurquiensis sp. nov. 387. M. apollinaris Séguy. 388. M. batesi Aldrich. 389. M. bellardiana Aldrich. 390. M. benoisti (Séguy). 391. M. bicolor (Fabricius). 392. M. brunnipes Surcouf. 393. M. bullata sp. nov. 394. M. chantryi sp. nov. 395. M. currani Guimar„es. 396. M. cyaneicincta (Surcouf). 397. M. flavicrura Aldrich. 398. M. longicercus sp. nov. 399. M. peregrina Aldrich. 400. M. pictipennis Aldrich.

FIGURES 411–423. Female sternites of Mesembrinellidae. 411. Laneella fusconitida sp. nov. (LACM). 412. L. fuscosquamata sp. nov. 413. L. nigripes Guimar„es. 414. L. perisi (Mariluis). 415. L. purpurea sp. nov. 416. Mesembrinella latifrons (Mello). 417. M. guaramacalensis sp. nov. 418. M. mexicana sp. nov. 419. M. spicata Aldrich. 420. M. epandrioaurantia sp. nov. 421. M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann). 422. M. decrepita Séguy. 423. M. lara (Bonatto).

FIGURES 460–464. Lateral habitus and labels of holotypes. 460. Mesembrinella epandrioaurantia sp. nov. (MJMO). 461. M. woodorum sp. nov. (CNC). 462. M. bolivar (Bonatto) (USNM). 463. M. lara (Bonatto) (USNM). 464. M. nigrocoerulea sp. nov. (INBIO).