Aulacigaster zurqui, Rung, 2018

Rung, Alessandra, 2018, A new species of Aulacigaster from Zurquí de Moravia, a Costa Rican cloud forest (Diptera: Aulacigastridae), Zoologia (e 13047) 35, pp. 1-6 : 3-5

Aulacigaster zurqui sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ 52A173E0-D52E-4898-A14B-672805277A01

Figs 2–10

Type material. The holotype is mounted on a pin together with three labels as in Fig. 10. The holotype is double mounted (minuten in a block of plastic), is in fair condition (missing both wings, left arista, left foreleg, there is a hole in the scutellum and the abdomen is dissected). It is deposited in the MNCR (Museo Nacional in Costa Rica) together with the female paratype. The female paratype, also collected by the project ZABDI, has the following label information: Costa Rica. Prov. Cartago. Paraíso. P.N.Tapantí, 1600 m, 2–9 Dec 2012, Malayse, Zabdi-331, 09°43’21”N , 83°46’30’W, #105651.

Type locality. COSTA RICA.Prov. San José. Moravia. Zurquí de Moravia (10 ° 02’58”N, 84 ° 00’57”W) .

Diagnosis. This species can be separated from all congeners by having a triangular 1 st flagellomere and body stout, uniformly dark-brown to black.

Description. Coloration and vestiture: Vertex mostly polished, with a densely microtomentose stripe posterior to ocellar tubercle, with a shiny spot extended from ocellus to eye margin; ocellar tubercle dull microtomentose; frons uniformly microtomentose, silver under certain angles; antenna pale yellow to yellowish, infuscate on dorsal margin; face dark-brown to black, yellowish ventrally; gena mostly yellowish; facial band absent, face entirely glossy; palpus white. Pleural region uniformly black; scutum mostly completely microtomentose; scutellum dull microtomentose; postpronotum yellowish to pale brown, scarcely microtomentose, subshiny; anepisternum mostly dull; katepisternum subshiny to dull; halter mostly white; wings hyaline. Fore coxa brown to black, fore femur brown, apical 1/4 yellow, fore tibia yellowish, fore tarsus yellowish; mid coxa brown to black, mid femur brown or brown to black, apical 1/4 yellow, mid tibia yellowish, mid tarsus mostly yellowish; hind coxa brown, hind femur brown or brown to black, apical 1/4 yellow, hind tibia yellowish, hind tarsus yellowish. Abdomen completely dark brown to black; female abdomen uniformly microtomentose medially.

Morphology. Body robust, scutal ratio 1.1–1.2. Head: Head higher than long (head ratio 0.7–0.8); 1 st flagellomere triangular; face convex, at level of pseudovibrissal seta approximately 2/3 times the width of the longest axis of 1 st flagellomere; medial vertical seta 1/2–3/4 length of lateral vertical seta; 3 strong peristomal seta present, following pseudovibrissal seta, posteriormost seta the longest.

Thorax. Acrostichal setae in 2 rows; scutellum strongly raised (angle with scutum less than 135°), approximately triangular, apex rounded, disk of scutellum convex; basal scutellar seta a little less than 1/2 length of posterior seta; wings with one row of stronger setae on Coastal vein.

Male abdomen and terminalia: Surstylus inconspicuous in lateral view in unprepared specimens, folded beneath the epandrium and appearing as a strongly setose postero-ventral region. After preparation, an approximately triangular sheath can be observed in lateral view, bearing 2 long setae, one pre-apical and one apical; subepandrial sclerite with 2 lateral arms on each end, nearly parallel, well sclerotized; anterior dorsal process of gonopod subequal in size to anterior dorsal process; gonopod subrectangular, wider than high in profile, with posteriormost ventral process pointed, at base as wide as base of anterior dorsal process; anteriormost ventral process bearing 5 strong, strong setae; cerci lost during preparation.

Measurements: Body length 2.5 (male)–2.6 (female) mm. Wing (female only) length 3 mm, wing width 1.1 mm.

Etymology. The specific epithet, zurqui , is the cloud forest where the species was collected. The name is a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Neotropical: COSTA RICA (San José and Cartago).

Ecology. Nothing is known about the habits and biology of this new species.