Elachiptera sacculicornis ( Enderlein, 1911 )

Mlynarek, Julia J. & Wheeler, Terry A., 2008, Revision of the Costa Rican species of Elachiptera (Diptera: Chloropidae), Zootaxa 1754, pp. 41-51 : 49-50

Elachiptera sacculicornis ( Enderlein, 1911)

( Figs. 26–29 )

Gampsocera sacculicornis Enderlein, 1911: 237 .

Melanochaeta festina Becker, 1912: 182 . (syn. Duda 1929: 166) Elachiptera sacculicornis Duda, 1929: 166 .

Description: Total length 1.7–2.5mm. Overall colour black; frontal triangle shining, almost reaching anterior margin of frons; ocellar tubercle black, shining; frons yellow, microtomentose; cephalic setae black, 4 frontoorbital setae well-developed, interfrontal setulae lining margin of frontal triangle and fronto-orbital setulae sparse; gena yellow, microtomentose, 0.25 times eye height; postgena black; face yellow except for median black spot between antennae; scape and pedicel yellow, darker dorsally, first flagellomere yellow, brown dorsally and dorsolaterally, reniform, arista black, broad for most of length, tapering in distal third, pubescence shorter than breadth of arista at base ( Fig. 26 ); palpus, proboscis yellow or yellow-brown, clypeus dark brown.

Scutum black, shining, narrowly microtomentose just anterior to scutellum, scutal setae and setulae long and sparse, scutum slightly longer than broad; scutellum black, microtomentose, trapezoidal, twice as wide as long, flattened dorsally, apical scutellar bristles strong, on small tubercles on dorsal margin of scutellum, subapical bristles also on small tubercles, stronger than adjacent setae, one third as long as apical bristles ( Fig. 27 ). Legs yellow, fore tarsus and last two segments of other tarsi darker; femoral organ a single line of 5 tubercles; tibial organ oval, pale, occupying middle quarter of hind tibia. Wing hyaline, veins darker distally, ratio of costal sectors C1: C2: C3: C4—1: 1.4: 1.2: 0.5; halter white.

Abdomen paler than thorax, shining; syntergite 1+2 subequal to tergite 3.

Male postabdomen ( Figs. 28, 29 ): Epandrium higher than long in lateral view, wider than high in posterior view, densely setose; surstylus long, parallel-sided, evenly recurved anteriorly, with short sparse setae; cercus with small quadrate ventral projection, cercus with sparse short setae; cerci separated by broad semi-circular cleft; distiphallus sclerotized except at apex, strongly projecting and tapering anteriorly.

Material examined: ARGENTINA: Estancia, Elcasal near Mar. Del. Plata, 08.ix.1966, E.O. Callen (1ɗ, 1 unknown, LEM); same except 10.ix.1966 (1Ψ, LEM); Salta: 30km E Salta, Campo Quijano, sweep wet mud, 20.ii.2003, S.A. Marshall (3ɗ, 2Ψ, LEM); Salta: Rosario de Lerma, INESALT yard, Malaise trap, 16– 26.ii.1992, S.A. Marshall (1Ψ, LEM); Jujuy: Calilegua Nat. Park, Estaca El Cero, 900m, forest Malaise FIT, 18–28.xii.1987, S. & J. Peck (1Ψ, LEM); BRAZIL: Parana, muddy river near Londrina, sweep, 2.ii.1990, S.A. Marshall (1Ψ, LEM); COSTA RICA: Heredia: 10 km SE La Virgen (10º20’N 84º05’W), 450–550m, sweep shore of Rio Peje, 14.ii.2003, C. Chenard (2ɗ, LEM); PANAMA: Camaron, Ft. Kobbe, Canal Zone, 17.vii.1952, F.S. Blanton (4Ψ, USNM).

Remarks: This species was originally described from southern Brazil ( Enderlein 1911) and was subsequently reported from additional South American countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, as well as the island of Saint Helena ( Sabrosky and Paganelli 1984). The Costa Rican and Panamanian specimens represent the first Central American record of E. sacculicornis .

Figures

FIGURES 26 – 29. Elachiptera sacculicornis. 26. antenna. 27. scutellum, dorsal. 28. male genitalia, posterior. 29. male genitalia, lateral. Scale bars = 0.2 mm (Fig. 26); 0.1 mm (Figs. 27, 28).