Aphestia fisheri, Camargo & Vieira & Rafael, 2024

Camargo, Alexssandro, Vieira, Rodrigo & Rafael, José Albertino, 2024, Taxonomic review of Aphestia Schiner, 1866 (Diptera: Asilidae: Laphriinae) with description of seven new species, Zootaxa 5436 (1), pp. 1-80 : 40-44

Aphestia fisheri sp. nov.

LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:202205B0-75CC-48DD-B1F4-EC4A129F1A14

( Figs 23–25, 40)

Diagnosis. Frons and face white pruinose, middle frons slightly yellowish ( Fig. 23C); mystacal macrosetae and setae yellowish white ( Fig. 23C–D); 2 pairs of black marginal scutellar macrosetae ( Fig. 23G); fore and mid legs with mostly yellowish femora and tibiae ( Fig. 23A–B).

Description. Holotype male ( Figs 23A–E, G–H, 24). Head ( Fig. 23C–D): black, white pruinose, except frons slightly yellowish medially ( Fig. 23C), vertex and occiput brown dorsally; mystacal macrosetae and setae yellowish white ( Fig. 23C–D); ocellar tubercle sparsely pruinose; ocelli whitish, 2 black ocellar setae; vertex brown setose; 14 yellowish postocular macrosetae; occipital and lower occipital setae white; proboscis shining black, proboscial setae whitish and labial yellowish; palpus dark brown, whitish setose ( Fig. 23C–D). Antenna: scape and pedicel brownish yellow, except pedicel apex and postpedicel base light yellow, black setose, scape with a few ventral yellow setae; postpedicel brown with brown pruinosity, sensorial element brown and sensorial area greyish occupying almost the entire length ( Fig. 23E).

Thorax ( Fig. 23A–B, G): black, white pruinose, scutellum golden ( Fig. 23G); postpronotal lobe apex and postalar callus yellowish ( Fig. 23G). Chaetotaxy: white setose, punctations golden, katatergite and anatergite yellowish; macrosetae: 2 notopleural, 1 supra-alar, 2 postalar ( Fig. 23G), 4 marginal scutellar ( Fig. 23G) and 3 posterior anepisternal black (1 yellow).

Wings ( Fig. 23H): translucent; sparse microtrichia on distal half, veins yellow at base and light brown towards apex; cell r 5 open; halteres pale yellow, steam yellow at base and apex almost white.

Legs ( Fig. 23B): mostly yellow, except coxae black, hind femur with wide dark brown spot on mid third; fore and mid tibiae with apex slightly darkened; hind tibia with apical third brown; fore and mid tarsi with first tarsomeres dark yellow, remaining brown; hind tarsus dark brown; coxae white pruinose. Chaetotaxy: coxae yellowish white and trochanters yellowish setose; femora yellow setose, except apical 2/3 of hind femur brown setose; fore femur with 1 anterior, 1 anterodorsal distal, 2 dorsal distal and 3 posterodorsal yellow macrosetae; mid femur with 2 anterior, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal distal and 1 posterodorsal yellow macrosetae; hind femur with 2 anterior (1 black and 1 yellow) and 2 dorsal distal black macrosetae; tibiae with yellow macrosetae and setae, except hind tibia with dorsal black macrosetae and setae (reddish distally); tarsi with dorsal black and ventral reddish macrosetae and setae, except with yellow macrosetae and setae dorsally with few black distally on tarsomeres; brush setae dark yellow to reddish; claws black; empodium reddish; pulvilli reddish yellow.

Abdomen ( Fig. 23A–B): black, punctations brown setose, white laterally; T1 with 4 and T2 with 2 yellowish white lateral marginal macrosetae; T3–6 without macrosetae; sternites pale yellow with sparse concolor pruinosity and setae; S7 with a dark brown band posteriorly.

Terminalia ( Fig. 24): reddish brown, yellowish white setose; oval in dorsal and ventral views ( Fig. 24A–B); epandrium truncate posteriorly and setose dorsolaterally ( Fig. 24A, E); cercus rounded posteriorly, setose dorsally ( Fig. 24A, E); subepandrial sclerite conic, setose dorsally ( Fig. 24A, E); gonocoxite rounded at base and conic posteriorly, setose dorsally ( Fig. 24C, G–H); gonostylus obtuse, apically setose ( Fig. 24G–H); hypandrium subtriangular, with a mid-anteriorly short indentation ( Fig. 24F); phallus with short prongs ( Fig. 24I–K); parameral apodeme directed ventrally and posteriorly ( Fig. 24I); ejaculatory apodeme fan-shaped ( Fig. 24J).

Length. Body: 10.3 mm; wings: 8.7 mm.

Holotype condition. Specimen glued laterally on a card triangle ( Fig. 23B); right hind tarsus with tarsomeres 2–5 missing; left wing slightly damaged at posterior margin; terminalia dissected.

Female ( Figs 23F, 25). Similar to male, except postpedicel sensorial area smaller ( Fig. 23F) and terminalia dark brown with brown setae; T 9+ T 10+cercus with dark band anteriorly, posterior half rounded, indented medially, sparsely setose dorsally and posteriorly ( Fig. 25A); hypoproct conic ( Fig. 25B); S8 pronounced anterolaterally, posterior conic projection with a shallow indentation at base along outside margin with a sliglty subtriangular protrusion laterally, setose, mid-posterior margin with triangular projection, asetose ( Fig. 25C); spermathecae with 4–5 turns, more sclerotized than spermathecal ducts; sperm pump slightly distinct; genital fork protruding laterally ( Fig. 25D).

Variation. Posterior anepisternal macrosetae totally yellow or totally black; halteres reddish; fore and mid tibiae with dorsal black macrosetae and setae; sternites dark brown.

Etymology. fisheri = a patronym to Dr Eric M. Fisher, Asilid researcher at California State Collection of Arthropods (CSCA), Sacramento, USA.

Distribution. Costa Rica (Heredia and Cartago) and Nicaragua (Río San Juan) ( Fig. 40).

Phenology. The largest number of collecting events for this species was observed in May with sporadic occurrence in June and July (Tab. 1), which coincides with late spring and early summer in the northern hemisphere.

Taxonomic discussion. Aphestia fisheri sp. nov. differs from other congeneric species by the hypandrium subtriangular, with a mid-anteriorly short indentation ( Fig. 24F); cercus rounded at posterior margin ( Fig. 24A, E); subepandrial sclerite conic ( Fig. 24A, E); gonocoxite conic distally ( Fig. 24G–H); and gonostylus obtuse ( Fig. 24G–H).

Material examined. Holotype. COSTA RICA, Heredia, La Sielva Biol. [gical] Sta.[tion], 3 km S.[outh] Porto Viejo. iv–v.[19] 93 P. Hanson / Holotype Aphestia fisheri sp. nov. (♂ COEF) . Paratypes. NIC.[ARAGUA], Rio San Juan, Sara Pique [Sarapiquí], June 24 1976, J.B. Kimsei / Aphestia sp. det. E.M. Fisher [19]78 (1♀ COEF); COSTA RICA, Cartago, 5 km e Turrialba CATIE[Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza] vii–21/22–[19]75, E.M. & J.L. Fisher / Aphestia (?) (=sp. B-Ls) det. E.M. Fisher (1♀ COEF); [Turrialba] La Suiza 24 PablSchild / A.L Melander collection 1961 / 46 / USNMENT 01224869 (1♀ NMNH); Heredia Pr: La Selva Biol. [ogical] Sta.[tion] 3 km S[South] Pto.[Porto] Viejo 10°26’N: 84°01’W / 11.v.1990 H.A. Hespenheide / 27 / Aphestia sp. B det. E.M. Fisher (1♀ COEF); Heredia, La Selva Biol. [ogical] Sta. [tion], 3 km S.[outh] Porto Viejo. iv–v.[19] 93 P. Hanson (1♂ & 1♀ COEF) .