Entesia dolichochele, Winterton & Irwin, 2023

Winterton, Shaun L. & Irwin, Michael E., 2023, Revision of the South American stiletto fly genera Entesia Oldroyd and Melanothereva Malloch, with the description of a new genus (Therevidae: Agapophytinae), Zootaxa 5269 (1), pp. 1-82 : 12-17

Entesia dolichochele sp. n.

( Figs 5–7 ; 12C,D ; 13A ; 49 )

Zoobank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:73EE2010-7209-439A-B0FC-403A7835697F

Diagnosis. Pale grey pubescent and yellow species; male with postocular macrosetae in a single row and additional occipital macrosetae irregularly arranged; male frons narrower than anterior ocellus; claws relatively elongate and narrow; wing opaque white with dark speckling; posterior surface of midcoxa and medial furrow of prosternum with setae absent; scutellum with one pair macrosetae; hind femoral subapical seta present.

Description. Body length. 6.0– 7.5 mm (male), 7.0–8.0 mm (female). Head. Densely overlain with grey pubescence; frons flat, light brown dorsally, greyish silver ventrally, markings absent (male) or with brown suffusion (female), female with sparsely distributed short, dark setae, male frons width at narrowest point narrower than anterior ocellus but eyes not contiguous; male postocular setae as a single row, additional setae irregularly arranged medially on occiput, macrosetae vary from white to yellow and occasionally black; occiput relatively convex, overlain with grey pubescence; genal setae white; antennal scape shorter than flagellum, dark yellow, densely overlain with grey pubescence admixed with relatively few dark macrosetae; flagellum orange, terminus dark. Thorax. Overlain with dense grey pubescence; scutum brown, lighter laterally and with grey dorsocentral vittae, scattered short dark setae, longer and pale posteriorly, macrosetae black; scutal chaetotaxy: np, 4; sa, 1; pa, 1; dc, 4–9; sc, 1; scutellum brownish orange, dark brown anteromedially; prosternum without setae in medial furrow; lateral lobe of cervical sclerite lacking macrosetae; pleuron with dense silver-grey pubescence, anepisternum with faint brownish suffusion dorsally; pleuron with white setae on anepisternum and katepisternum, katatergite setae uniform pale; coxae yellow, overlain with silver-grey pubescence, setae and macrosetae few in number, pale, mid- and hind coxa without setae on posterior surfaces; femora brown, sometimes with yellow basally and apically, extensive long pale setae, hind femur with single subapical anteroventral macroseta; tibiae and tarsi dark yellow; claws relatively elongate and narrow; wing whitish with irregular fine brown speckling, venation yellow, darker distally and on cross-veins, costal margin setae arranged in two rows; haltere stem yellow, knob white. Abdomen. Sternite 1 lacking medial tuft of setae; male abdomen dark yellow, suffused with grey laterally, without silver velutum on tergites, elongate pale setae denser laterally; tergite 2 with setae of uniform length, unmodified; terminalia dark yellow; female abdomen brown with greyish pubescence. Male terminalia. Epandrium with dark medial vitta, sub-quadrangular; outer gonocoxal process relatively short, truncated and subtriangular, macrosetae relatively fine; distiphallus narrow, straight. Female terminalia. As per genus description.

Etymology. The species epithet is a noun derived from the Greek, dolichos –– long; chele –– claw, nail; referring to the elongate claws.

Comments. Entesia dolichochele sp. n. is known only from Argentina. This is as pale, dune-associated species that is variable in colour and body size. Like other dune associated species, the tibial and tarsal macrosetae, and claws, are relatively elongate. The opaque white wing with dark speckling and scutal marking are distinctive for this species. The type series represents well-preserved specimens from Santa Cruz and Neuquen Provinces, although this species is relatively widely distributed ( Fig. 49 ) with poorer quality, non-type specimens examined from an additional five provinces.

Type material— Holotype male, ARGENTINA: Santa Cruz Province: 5 km W Comandante Luis Piedrabuena [-50.0011, -68.9866], 130 m, 25.XI.1966, E.I. Schlinger, M.E. Irwin (MEI153952; MACN) . Paratypes. ARGENTINA: Santa Cruz Province: 5 males, 2 females, same data as holotype, 10.XII.1966, 25.XI.1966, low dunes (MEI153950–1, 153954–5, 153958–9, 153987; MACN, CSCA) ; 2 males, 2 females, 2 km S Caleta Olivia [-46.4888, -67.4855], 10 m, 12.XII.1967, E.I. Schlinger, M.E. Irwin, coastal dunes (MEI153963, 153439, 153988, 153990; CSCA) . Neuquen Province: 1 female, 10.2 km S Zapala [-38.9992, -70.0881], 1020 m, 17.XII.1966, E.I. Schlinger, M.E. Irwin (MEI153981; CSCA) .

Other material examined — ARGENTINA: Catamarca Province: 1 male, Los Corales , 46 km S Santa Maria [-27.0049, -66.2514], Malaise in white dunes, M.E. Irwin F.D. Parker, S. Roig (MEI106754; CASC) ; 3 males, 1 female, 45 km S Belén [-27.9619, -67.2064], 1175 m, hand netted in small wash, 14.IX.1999, 7–9.IX.1999, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker ( CSCA) ; 1 female, 6 km N Santa Maria [-26.6555, -66.0191], 19.II.1967, sand dunes, 1900 m (MEI153982; CSCA) . Chubut Province: 1 female, 24 km W Sarmiento [-45.5174, -69.2944], 21–31.XII.2005, M.E. Irwin, Malaise in dry wash ( CSCA) ; 1 female, 25 km S Comodoro Rivadavia [-45.9968, -67.5988], 7.I.2006, M.E. Irwin, hand netted on hillside dune ( CSCA) . La Rioja Province: 1 male, Sierra de Sanogasta, Los Tambillos , 5 km E Piedra Pintada [-29.3598, -67.7857], 12–15.X.1997, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker, S. Roig, Malaise (MEI106818; CSCA) ; 1 female, Sierra de Arganaraz , 24 km N Chepes [-31.2036, -66.7122], 825 m, Malaise in dry canyon, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker ( CASC) . Mendoza Province: 1 female, Santa Rosa, Nacunan [-34.0462, -67.9527], G. Debandi, 15.XII.1995 (MEI106759; CSCA) . Salta Province: 6 males, 10 km S Cafayete [-26.1501, -65.9551], 26.X–13.XI.2003, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker, Malaise in Prosopis -covered dunes, 1644 m (MEI164036–40; CSCA) .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Entesia dolichochele sp. n.: A. Male, oblique view; B. same, lateral view.

FIGURE 6. Entesia dolichochele sp. n.: A. Female, oblique view; B. same, lateral view.

FIGURE 7. Entesia dolichochele sp. n.: A. Male head and thorax, anterior view; B. same, oblique view (Scale line: 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 12. Entesia spp., male terminalia: E. blackmani (Oldroyd): A. epandrium; B. gonocoxites with phallus in situ, ventral view; E. dolichochele sp. n.: C. epandrium; D. gonocoxites with phallus in situ, ventral view; E. glauca sp. n.: E. epandrium; F. gonocoxites with phallus in situ, ventral view; E. guttata sp. n.: G. epandrium; H. gonocoxites with phallus in situ, ventral view (Scale line: 0.25 mm).

FIGURE 13. Entesia and Melanothereva wings: A. E. dolichochele sp. n.; B. E. rubida (Wulp); C. M. lugubris (Macquart) (Scale line: 0.75 mm).

FIGURE 49. Distribution map of Entesia dolichochele, E. hyaline, E. maculicornis, E. blackmani and E. delicata.