Neoephydra lenti (Oliveira)

Mathis, Wayne N. & Marinoni, Luciane, 2016, Revision of Ephydrini Zetterstedt (Diptera: Ephydridae) from the Americas south of the United States, Zootaxa 4116 (1), pp. 1-110 : 61-63

18. Neoephydra lenti (Oliveira)

Figs. 82–84 , Map 18

Dimecoenia lenti Oliveira 1954a: 188 .— Wirth 1968: 23 [Neotropical catalog].— Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 239 [world catalog].

Neoephydra lenti .— Mathis 2008: 10 [generic combination].

Diagnosis. Specimens of N. lenti are distinguished from similar congeners of the araucaria group by the following characters: appearance generally dark; face moderately setose; gena high; and structures of male terminalia with distinctive conformation. Moderately large shore flies, body length 4.10–4.40 mm; generally dull, grayish brown to gray with some subshiny areas dorsally.

Head: Head ratio 0.70–0.73; frontal ratio 0.49–0.53; mesofrons with dark blackish blue, metallic luster, generally pilose; ocellar triangle and parafrons nearly concolorous, microtomentose, brownish gray to charcoal gray; parafrons more charcoal colored anteriorly; fronto-orbits with narrow strip through insertions of frontoorbital setae subshiny, with some metallic reflections, concolorous with mesofrons; number of fronto-orbital setae usually 2, sometimes with a 3rd large seta posterior to other. Antenna mostly concolorous, blackish brown. Facial ratio 0.80–0.83; mostly densely setulose particularly along oral margin and toward posteroventral portions of face; dorsum of interfoveal hump with subshiny area more or less concolorous with mesofrons, otherwise face densely microtomentose, grayish brown to gray, gradually paler ventrally. Eye ratio 1.18–1.23; gena-to-eye ratio 0.57–0.61; gena high, coloration gray to whitish gray but with faint tinges of olivaceous green.

MAP 18. Distribution map for Neoephydra lenti (Oliveira) .

Thorax: Mostly microtomentose; scutum mostly brown, darker and subshiny posteriorly; anterior margin microtomentose, gray to bluish gray, subshiny luster concolorous with mesofrons; lateral margins of scutum microtomentose, grayish brown; scutellum concolorous with posterior portion of scutum; pleural areas paler, more gray colored ventrally; anepisternum with anterior and posterior margins brownish, otherwise becoming gray; other pleural areas including coxae whitish gray, concolorous. Wing length averaging 3.30–3.39 mm; mostly infuscate, brown; costal vein ratio 0.31–0.36; M vein ratio 0.64–0.68. Legs dark generally; femora gray, microtomentose, only slightly darker than ventral pleural areas; tibiae darker than femora, more blackish; tarsi (based on basitarsi of holotype) also dark, concolorous with tibiae.

Abdomen: Generally microtomentose and unicolorous, grayish olivaceous green to gray, becoming paler toward lateral margins, some specimens with faint bluish tinges of metallic luster; ventral surface of tergites frequently whitish gray. Tergite 5 of male somewhat trapezoidal, truncate apically. Male terminalia ( Figs. 82–84 ): margins of epandrium in posterior view parallel, rounded dorsally; surstyli in posterior view roughly forming isosceles triangle with narrowly bifurcate apical half; surstylus in lateral view elongate with a blunt lateral process and an elongate, slightly apically curved, parallel-sided, digitiform process, blunt lateral process bearing a long tuft of setulae.

Type material. The holotype male is labeled “ COL. INST. O. CRUZ NO. 749/El Tatio-Geyser- 5200 m. Prox. S. Pedro de Atacama Prov. Antofagasta - Chile IV-1952. HERMAN LENT./ HOLOTYPE Dimecoenia lenti Oliveira [red].” The holotype is pinned directly, most tarsi are missing, and setae are frequently missing or are not oriented normally. The allotype female and 14 adult paratypes (10♂, 4♀; IOC) are labeled with the same label data as the holotype except for collection numbers, which are from 750–759 and 761–764. Twelve larvae and 36 puparia were also included in the type series. We have not examined the immature stages but they are presumably in the IOC. None of the adult specimens of the type series is in good condition. They appear matted and were probably collected in alcohol and were later dried and glued to points.

Type locality. Chile. Antofagasta: El Tatio Geyser (22°19.9'S, 68°0.8'W). Distribution (Map 18): Neotropical: Chile (Antofagasta). Neoephydra lenti is known only from the type locality.

Remarks. Among taxa of Ephydrini , this species occurs at the highest elevation (5200 m).

Figures

FIGURES 82 – 84. Structures of male terminalia of Neoephydra lenti (Oliveira). (82) epandrium, cerci, surstyli, posterior view; (83) same, lateral view; (84) surstylus, lateral view.