Elachiptera cultrata Wheeler and Forrest 2002, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wheeler, Terry A.
name: Forrest, Jessica
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Chloropidae
Elachiptera
Elachiptera cultrata

description: <i>Elachiptera cultrata</i> Wheeler and Forrest, sp. nov. (Figs. 1­5) Diagnosis.­ This species may be distinguished from other New World species of <i>Elachiptera</i> by the combination of the breadth of the arista, the shining, yellow scutum with black dorsocentral stripes, the primarily black upper half of the occiput, the presence of a short, pale hind­tibial spur and the shape of the male genitalia. Description.­ Total length 1.8­4.1mm. Frons yellow, palest anteriorly, subshining, longer than broad; frontal triangle shining yellow except for black ocellar tubercle; triangle with slightly convex sides, extending almost to anterior margin of frons; antenna yellow ventrally, darkened dorsally; first flagellomere reniform; arista black, densely haired, flattened, broad basally, evenly tapering; occiput with yellow spot behind frontal triangle, black on remainder of dorsal half; face yellow, shining; eye with short ommatrichia; gena yellow, palest anteriorly, 0.1 times eye height; vibrissal angle not projecting; palpus and proboscis pale yellow; proboscis short, fleshy. Cephalic chaetotaxy: 5­6 fine, reclinate fronto­orbital setae, two only slightly longer than rest; several interfrontal setulae on anterior of frons, median pair relatively strongly developed; single row of setulae along border of frontal triangle; ocellar bristles short, erect, convergent; postocellar bristles long, cruciate; inner vertical bristles not easily distinguished from surrounding setulae; outer vertical bristles long; setulae along occipital and genal margins; vibrissa approximately twice as long as subvibrissal setulae. Thorax mostly shining, dark yellow with black, posteriorly tapering dorsocentral stripes present in most specimens; ventral margins of notopleuron and anepisternum dark; scutellum and posterior margin of scutum pollinose; scutum slightly longer than broad; scutellum dorsally flattened, trapezoidal, broader than long. Thoracic chaetotaxy: 1 fine postpronotal, 1 anterior and 1 posterior notopleural, 1 dorsocentral, 1 postalar bristle; scutellum with 1 pair of long, strong apical bristles borne on short dark tubercles at outer angles of scutellum and 1 pair of shorter, weaker subapical bristles; postpronotum, scutum, scutellum, and katepisternum setulose. Legs mostly yellow, variably darkened distally, especially on fore leg; hind tibia with pale pre­apical ventral spur, less than 0.5 times maximum diameter of tibia. Wing length 1.8­2.9mm; second costal sector 1.2­1.4 times length of third costal sector. Halter white. Abdominal tergites brown, rarely paler, setulose, shining, syntergite 1 + 2 darker laterally, not noticeably elongated; sternites very pale brown, setulose. Male postabdomen: Epandrium with long, dense setae; surstylus long, straight and narrow, with row of long anterior setae near base (Fig. 5); cercus broad with narrow lobe projecting ventrally and posteriorly (Fig. 4, 5), cercus with one long seta on ventral projection, another dorsal to this, and a few shorter setae; cerci separated by narrow, V­shaped median cleft (Fig. 4); basiphallus sclerotized (Fig. 4); distiphallus sclerotized, strongly curved, tapering distally (Fig. 5). Type material.­ Holotype M: ECUADOR: Galápagos Islands: Santa Cruz: 4km N Bellavista, Media Luna, 620m, 14.v­ 13.vii. 1985, S. &amp; J. Peck, Miconia zone, FIT (CNC). Paratypes: Galápagos Islands: Floreana: 2 F, 8km E Black Beach, 360m, 22­28.iii. 1989, Scalesia zone, FIT, Peck &amp; Sinclair (CNC); 1 F, agriculture zone, 350m, 22.iii. 1989, sweeping, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); Isabela: 7 M, 1 F, agriculture zone, 380m, sweeping, 9.iii. 1989, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 3 M, 5 F, Sierra Negra, 1000m, 3­11.ii. 1989, sweeping pampa, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 5 M, 2 F, guava­pampa zone, 600m, 4.iii. 1989, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 1 M, Santo Tomás, 300m, 4­15.iii. 1989, humid forest, Malaise, Peck &amp; Sinclair (CNC); 11 F, 5km NW Santo Tomás, 600m, 3­15.iii. 1989, guava forest, FIT, S. Peck (CNC); 2 F, pampa zone, 700m, 3­12.iii. 1989, yellow pan traps, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); Santa Cruz: 7 M, 5 F, 4km N Bellavista, Media Luna, 620m, 14.v­ 13.vii. 1985, S. &amp; J. Peck, Miconia zone, FIT (CNC); 1 M, 1 F, Media Luna, 500m, Miconia zone, 01­ 29.ii. 1989, Malaise, Peck &amp; Sinclair (CNC); 3 F, same data except FIT­trough (CNC); 2 F, Media Luna, Miconia zone, 600m, 21.i. 1989, pools of intermittent stream, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 1 M, 1km S Media Luna, Miconia zone, 2­8.ii. 1989, dung trap, 550m, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 1 F, same data except mushroom trap (CNC); 2 M, 4 F, Puntudo­Media Luna trail, 18.iii. 1989, pampa zone, 600m, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 1 M, Puntudo, 650m, Scalesia forest, 1­ 30.iii. 1989, Malaise, Peck &amp; Sinclair (CNC); 1 F, same data except FIT (CNC); 4 F, Puntudo hilltop, 700m, 2.ii. 1989, pampa zone, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 6 F, 1km N Puntudo, Scalesia zone, 650m, 1­8.iv. 1989, FIT, S. Peck (CNC); 6 M, Bellavista, agriculture zone, 160m, 27.ii. 1989, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 1 M, Bellavista, agriculture zone, field, 1­9.iv. 1989, Peck &amp; Sinclair (CNC); 2 M, 4 F, Tortoise Reserve, 180m, transition zone, 6.ii. 1989, MV lights, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 5 M, 5 F, same data except sweeping (LEM); 2 M, 1 F, Los Gemelos, 600m, Scalesia forest, sweeping, 25.ii. 1989, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 2 M, 1 F, same data except MV lights, 31.i. 1989 (CNC); 2 F, Los Gemelos, 610m, Scalesia forest, FIT, 1­ 28.ii. 1989, Peck &amp; Sinclair (CNC); 3 F, Los Gemelos, 600m, Scalesia forest, FIT, 1­ 9.iv. 1989, Peck &amp; Sinclair (CNC); 1 M, Los Gemelos, 31km N Santa Rosa, 570m, Scalesia forest, 13.vi­ 15.vii. 1985, FIT and Malaise, S. &amp; J. Peck (CNC); 1 M, 2km N Los Gemelos, 300m, transition zone, 9.iv. 1989, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 1 F, Charles Darwin Research Station, arid zone, 16.i. 1989, MV lights, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); 1 F, Sierra Crocker­hill top, 860m, 8.ii. 1989, sweeping, B.J. Sinclair (CNC); Seymour: 1 M, MV lights, 23.i. 1989, B.J. Sinclair (CNC). Etymology.­ The species name is derived from the Latin <i>culter</i> (ploughshare), referring to the shape of the distiphallus. Comments.­ This is the only species of <i>Elachiptera</i> known from the Galápagos Islands. The type specimens were collected in a wide range of habitats on four islands; however, the species is apparently associated primarily with humid areas. Although so far known only from the archipelago, <i>E. cultrata</i> appears to be closely related to a group of species known from the southeastern Nearctic and northern Neotropical regions (see Discussion).
description: Published as part of <i>Wheeler, Terry A. &amp; Forrest, Jessica, 2002, A new species of Elachiptera Macquart from the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, and the taxonomic status of Ceratobarys Coquillett (Diptera: Chloropidae), pp. 1-9 in Zootaxa 98</i> on pages 2-5, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4619926