Elachiptera queposana Mlynarek and Wheeler

Mlynarek, Julia J. & Wheeler, Terry A., 2008, Revision of the Costa Rican species of Elachiptera (Diptera: Chloropidae), Zootaxa 1754, pp. 41-51 : 47-48

Elachiptera queposana Mlynarek and Wheeler , sp. n.

( Figs. 17–21 )

Description: Total length 1.6–2.2mm. Overall colour yellow; head yellow, frontal triangle shining, reaching anterior margin of frons ( Fig. 17 ); ocellar tubercle brown, shining; cephalic setae dark, 4 fronto-orbital setae well-developed, interfrontal setulae lining margin of frontal triangle; occiput mostly black, narrowly yellow medially; gena pale yellow, microtomentose, 0.12 times eye height; postgena as broad as gena, shining; face yellow, shining; scape and pedicel yellow, first flagellomere yellow, brown dorsally and dorsolaterally, arista black, broad and parallel-sided for most of length, tapering in distal quarter, pubescence shorter than width of arista at base ( Fig. 18 ); palpus, proboscis and clypeus yellow.

Scutum yellow, shining, narrowly microtomentose just anterior to scutellum, punctate, two darker dorsocentral lines, especially at anterior margin, ventral margin of notopleuron and supra-alar margin of scutum darker, pronotum black, scutum longer than wide; scutellum yellow, trapezoidal, twice as broad as long, dorsally flat, almost square, microtomentose, apical scutellar bristles strong, on small, brown tubercles on dorsal margin of scutellum, lateral scutellar bristles twice as long as adjacent setae ( Fig. 19 ). Legs yellow, fore tarsus and last two tarsal segments of other legs darker; hind tibia with small, pale, ventral apical spur; femoral organ 2 parallel rows of 3 and 5 tubercles; tibial organ, narrow, oval, pale, occupying middle quarter of hind tibia. Wing hyaline, veins darkened distally, ratio of costal sectors C1: C2: C3: C4—1: 1.1: 1.1: 0.5; halter white.

Abdomen same colour as thorax, three yellow-brown stripes laterally and medially in some specimens; syntergite 1+2 only slightly longer than tergite 3.

Male postabdomen ( Figs. 20, 21 ): Epandrium higher than long in lateral view, wider than high in posterior view, densely setose; surstylus long, slender, straight with 4 strong anterior setae near base, short setae elsewhere; cercus broad, with triangular ventral projection, cercus with sparse setae, 3–4 of which are longer, cerci separated by narrow triangular cleft; distiphallus sclerotized except at apex, strongly projecting and tapering.

Type material: Holotype ɗ: COSTA RICA: Puntarenas: nr. Quepos (9°27.72’N 84°11.7’W), sweep in hay field, 18.xi.2003, V. Dion (LEM). Paratypes: same data as holotype (3ɗ, 2Ψ, LEM); Puntarenas: Quepos (9°27.5’N 84°10.76’W), sweep in open field, 18.xii.2003, V. Dion (1Ψ, LEM); Puntarenas: Quepos (9°27.5’N 84°10.76’W), sweep in open field, 18.xii.2003, S. Boucher (2Ψ, LEM); Puntarenas: nr. Quepos (9°27.72’N 84°11.7’W), sweep in hay field, 18.xii.2003, S. Boucher (1ɗ, 1Ψ, LEM); Puntarenas: NW Quepos (9°28.2’N 84°11.4’W), sweep road side, 19.xii.2003, S. Boucher (1ɗ, LEM); Puntarenas: 10km NW Quepos (9°31.9’N 84°16.4’W), sweep along roadside, 19.xii.2003, S. Boucher (3ɗ, 3Ψ, LEM); Puntarenas: 10km NW Quepos (9°31.9’N 84°16.4’W), sweep along roadside, 19.xii.2003, V. Dion (3ɗ, LEM); Puntarenas: nr. Quepos (9°27.86’N 84°11.6’W), sweep in open field, 18.xii.2003, S. Boucher (2ɗ, LEM); Puntarenas: 36km SE Jacó (9°31.8’N 84°21.8’W), sweep near roadside, 19.xii.2003, S. Boucher (3ɗ, LEM).

Etymology: The species name is derived from the name of the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 21. Elachiptera queposana. 17. head, dorsal. 18. head, lateral. 19. scutellum, dorsal. 20. male genitalia, posterior. 21. male genitalia, lateral. Scale bars = 0.2 mm (Fig. 17); 0.1 mm (Figs. 19, 20).