Toxophora paulistana, Cunha, André M., Lamas, Carlos José E. & Couri, Márcia S., 2011

Cunha, André M., Lamas, Carlos José E. & Couri, Márcia S., 2011, Taxonomic notes, new species and identification key to the New World species of Toxophora Meigen (Diptera, Bombyliidae, Toxophorinae), Zootaxa 3038, pp. 51-58 : 55-58

Toxophora paulistana sp. nov.

( Figs. 7–12 )

Material examined. Holotype Male: BRAZIL, São Paulo: Santo Amaro, xi–1960, J. Lane col., ( MZUSP); Paratypes: BRAZIL, Santa Catarina: Nova Teutônia, xi–1968, 1 female, Fritz Plaumann col. ( MZUSP); São Paulo: Barueri, 25–vii–1955, 1 female, K. Lenko col. ( MZUSP).

Diagnosis. Base of antennae with yellow scales; scape covered by short dark brown scales and long yellow scales laterally; mesonotum dark brown with yellow hairs and yellow scales forming a stripe around the lateral margin; prescutellar setae present; wing hyaline with brown infuscation on anterior half; inter-radial crossvein, merging R4 and R2+3; abdomen covered by dark brown scales, posterior margin of tergites II–VII with yellow scales forming thin stripes; posterior margin of epandrium concave; epandrium fused to posterodorsal region of gonocoxite; distiphallus shorter than epiphallus; gonostylus short with thin and pointed apex.

Description. Male. Body length: 8.2–10.7 mm. Wing length: 6.6–8.0 mm. Head. As wide as thorax; holoptic, base of antennae with yellow scales; scape twice as long as pedicel and flagellum together, covered by short dark brown scales and long yellow scales laterally; pedicel with short dark brown scales, except on dorsal surface, little longer than flagellum; flagellum with short dark brown pilosity and short style; face and oral margin bare, proboscis dark-brown, long, with two times length of head in lateral view; palpus one-segmented, brown with short brown setae and half of proboscis length; occiput with yellow hairs and dark brown scales.

Thorax. Pronotum well developed with yellow hairs and seven pairs of strong dark brown setae; one median pair directed backwards, one admedial pair directed to center, and five lateral pairs, three long and two short setae; mesonotum dark brown with dark brown and yellow scales on dorsum and yellow hairs, yellow scales and strong dark brown setae on lateral margin disposed as follow: three pairs on anterior margin, one between post pronotal lobe and prealar setae, four prealar, two supralar, two postalar and one prescutellar on posterior margin; pleurae with white pilosity on katepisternum and metepisternum; anepisternum with light yellow scales and pile, dark brown setae on the postero-superior margin and a row of dark brown setae on superior margin; rest of pleurae bare ( Fig. 7 ); halter yellow; scutellum with dark brown scales on dorsum and yellow scales on margins; posterior margin with small dark brown scales and one pair of dark brown setae on laterals.

Wing. With yellow scales on costa, hyaline surface with brown infuscation on anterior half; inter-radial crossvein linking R4 and R2+3; r-m crossvein at apical third of discal cell; three submarginal cells; calypter with long white hairs.

Legs. With coxae I and II with white scales, coxa III with white scales and four long yellow setae on dorsal surface; trochanter II without dark brown setae; femur I and II with dark brown scales on anterior surface and yellow on posterior, femur II with a row of setae on basal 1/2 of ventral surface, femur III with yellow and dark brown scales, two dark brown setae, one on the anteroventral surface and one on the posteroventral and row of setae on anteroventral surface. Tibia I and II with yellow scales on posterior surface, tibia I with two parallel rows of setae on dorsal surface and one setae on base of posterior surface, tibia II with a row of setae on dorsal surface alternating with long and short setae, tibia III with long brown and yellow scales and white scales on apex, dark brown setae on all surfaces; tarsi dark brown, with brown pile and dark brown setae on ventral surface; pulvilli light brown with nearly the same length as claws.

Abdomen. Tergite I covered with dark brown scales and white scales laterally; tergites II–VII covered with dark brown scales, yellow scales forming thin stripes on posterior margins ( Fig. 8 ); sternites I–IV with dark brown scales and white scales on posterior margin; sternites IV–VII with dark brown scales and yellow scales on posterior margin. Terminalia with posterior margin of epandrium concave ( Fig. 9 ), with a small projection on center, fused to posterodorsal region of gonocoxite; cercus with a group of small dark-brown setae forming circular spot; hypandrium absent; gonocoxites ventrally fused, without median internal ridge; distiphallus shorter than epiphallus, wide and with broad apex; epiphallus with long base and apex wide with two long projections on lateroventral faces ( Fig. 10 ); gonostylus short with thin and pointed apex; lateral aedeagal apodemes and ejaculatory apodeme short, both not surpassing gonocoxal limits.

Female. Similar to male, except for: dichoptic; lack of setae on femur III; tibia I and II with a row of setae on posterior surface; furca with two parallel rods and a central piece with an anterior spine, all connected by membranous tissue ( Fig. 12 ). Spermathecae with spermathecal bulbs sclerotized, tubular and strongly coiled; spermathecal ducts 1.5 times longer than sperm pump; sperm pump with well developed sclerotized collars with indented margins ( Fig. 11 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to a person or thing native to São Paulo city, Brazil, type-locality of the new species, and is treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Brazil (São Paulo and Santa Catarina).

Taxonomic notes. The examination of non-identified specimens of Toxophora housed at BMNH revealed a population from Mato Grosso ( Brazil) which fits perfectly with the redescription of Toxophora aurea Macquart presented by Cunha et al. (2009), except for the presence of a inter-radial vein ( Fig. 14 ), which is not found in this species ( Fig. 16 ). Dissections of both male and female terminalia of specimens from this population were made that reinforced the hypothesis of conspecificity. Based on this, we believe that this character, alone, is not strong enough to support the description of a new species and we considered it as morphological intraspecific variation of T. aurea .

Examined material of T. aurea var.: BRAZIL, Mato Grosso (cerrado), 12° 50’S, 51° 47’W, 25–ii–1968, 1 male (dissected) and 2 females, RS & RGS Expedition collectors (BM 1968-260), (BMNH); (open field), 12° 50’S, 51° 47’W, 25–iii–1968, 1 male, RS & RGS Expedition collectors (BM 1968-260), (BMNH); (dry forest), 12° 50’S, 51° 47’W, 04–iii–1968, 1 female (dissected), RS & RGS Expedition collectors (BM 1968-260), (BMNH).

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 12. Toxophora paulistana: (7) General habitus, lateral view; (8) Abdomen, dorsal view; (9) Epandrium, dorsal view; (10) Male terminalia, with epandrium removed, lateral view; (11) Spermathecae; (12) Furca.

FIGURES 13 – 24. (13) Toxophora amphitea Walker, 1849, wing; (14) Toxophora vasta Coquillett, 1891, wing, IR: inter-radial crossvein; (15) Toxophora leucon Séguy, 1930, wing; (16) Toxophora aurea Macquart, 1848, wing; (17) Toxophora varipennis Williston, 1901, wing; (18) Toxophora virgata Osten Sacken, 1877, abdomen, dorsal view; (19) Toxophora aurea Macquart, 1848, abdomen, dorsal view; (20) Toxophora zikani d’Andretta & Carrera, 1950, abdomen, dorsal view; (21) Toxophora travassosi d’Andretta & Carrera, 1950, abdomen, dorsal view; (22) Toxophora zikani d’Andretta & Carrera, 1950, scape, dorsal view; (23) Toxophora aurea Macquart, 1848, posterior margin of thorax, dorsal view; (24) Toxophora amphitea Walker, 1849, thorax, lateral view.