Mythicomyia nigra Ramos-Pastrana & Córdoba-Suarez & Evenhuis 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ramos-Pastrana, Yardany
name: Córdoba-Suarez, Eric
name: Evenhuis, Neal L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Mythicomyiidae
Mythicomyia
Mythicomyia nigra

description: Mythicomyia nigra sp. nov.
Figs 5–6, 11C 1
Diagnosis. Male. Proboscis short, less than height to eye; Mesonotum black; crossvein m-m crossvein 2× longer than r-m crossvein; cell m2 narrow, with a spot brown apically; hind leg with basitarsus excavated near base on ventral surface, preceded by a short spur; tergite I dark brown, with proximal margin yellowish; tergites II dark brown; tergite III dark brown with distal margin reddish yellow; tergites IV with proximal ½ dark brown and distal ½ reddish yellow; tergite V with basal ⅔ dark brown and distal ⅓ reddish yellow; tergite VI dark brown, with distal margin reddish yellow; tergite VII dark brown; pseudo-surstylus thickened, with apex slightly rounded and lower tip directed downward in lateral view; lateral ejaculatory process with V-shaped, acute apex and upward-directed in lateral view; anterior arms of parameral sheath thin on basal ⅓, thickened on distal ⅔ and with slightly acute apex in lateral view; gonocoxa subdivided, with proximal lobe V-shaped and acute apex backward-directed, distal lobe more or less rectangular-shaped and lower margin slightly rounded in lateral view.
Description. MALE (holotype). Body length 2.1 mm; wing length 0.9 mm. Head (Figs 5A, B). Brown; eyes contiguous for 9 facets; ocellar triangle dark brown, gray pruinose, ocelli yellow; frons bare, small and triangular-shaped, entirely whitish, not depressed medially (Fig. 5B); face whitish yellow; proboscis brown, short, shorter than eye height; occiput brown, with sparse whitish and small setae and gray pruinosity (Fig. 5A). Antenna (Figs 5A, C) dark brown yellowish pruinose; scape minute; pedicel rounded; first flagellomere conical, about 1.8× longer than width; second flagellomere small, about 1.2× longer than width of first, with small subapical stylus. Thorax (Figs 5A, D). Mesonotum black, with brown pruinosity, yellow on postpronotal lobe, interhumeral mark connected to notopleural mark, basal ¾ of notopleuron and postalar callus, with scattered inconspicuous whitish setae; scutellum black, with strong dark brown pruinosity and scattered conspicuous whitish setae (Fig. 5D); pleura dark brown, gray-yellowish pruinosity, with whitish yellow markings on: proepimeron, proximal ¼ of anepisternum, dorsal ⅓ of katepisternum and dorsal ⅓ of meron (Fig. 5A). Legs (Fig. 5A). Hind coxa with proximal ½ dark brown and distal ½ reddish yellow, mid and fore coxae with proximal ⅓ dark brown and distal ⅓ reddish yellow, all coxae with brown pruinosity; all femora with proximal ½ dark brown and distal ½ yellow; hind femur slightly thickened on basal ½, tibiae with proximal ¼ yellow and distal ¾ light brown; leg I with tarsi I–II yellow, tarsi IV and V black; mid and hind legs with tarsi I, II yellow, tarsi III–V black; hind leg with basitarsus excavated near base on ventral surface, preceded by a short spur. Wing (Fig. 5F). Hyaline, veins slightly tinged with brown color, microtrichose except on; proximal ⅓ of cell br and bm and proximal ⅓ of anal lobe; veins brown; costa, R 1, R 4+5 and CuA a little more stained; costa ending slightly beyond R 4+5; vein Sc weak incomplete, ending slightly beyond origin of Rs origin; Rs evanescent at connection with R 1; R 2+3 arising approximately ⅔ distance from origin of Rs to r-m crossvein; r-m crossvein at basal ⅐ of cell dm; vein separating cells br and bm not evident; cell dm six-sided; crossvein m-m 2× longer than r-m crossvein; crossvein dm-m nearly straight; R 4+5 ending clearly after M 1; vein M 1 slightly curved and downward directed; M 2 sinuous and M 4 with apex curved; cell m 2 narrow, with a spot brown apically; anal cell closed well before wing margin, with a long stalk; CuP evanescent; anal lobed developed; halter entirely yellow. Abdomen (Figs 5A, G) with conspicuous whitish setae. Tergite I dark brown, with proximal margin yellowish; tergites II entirely dark brown; tergite III dark brown with distal margin reddish yellow; tergites IV with proximal ½ dark brown and distal ½ reddish yellow; tergite V with ⅔ dark brown and distal ⅓ reddish yellow; tergite VI dark brown, with distal margin reddish yellow; tergite VII entirely dark brown. Terminalia (Figs 6A–F). Epandrium elongate, somewhat triangular-shaped, apex flattened in lateral view (Figs 6A, B), oval, with scattered setae dorsally in posterior view (Figs 6C, D). Pseudo-surstylus thickened, with margins sinuous, apex slightly rounded and lower tip directed downward in lateral view (Figs 6A, B), triangular-shaped, with acute apex in posterior view (Figs 6C, D). Cercus elongated, with scattered setae on the distal margin, except on the lower ⅕ in lateral view (Figs 6A, B), triangular-shaped with scattered setae medially in posterior view (Figs 6C, D). Ejaculatory apodeme large, somewhat rounded-shaped, with a lobe medially on upper margin in lateral view (Figs 6A, B), long, thin and with slightly acute apex and directed-forward in dorsal view (Figs 6E, F). Lateral ejaculatory process with V-shaped, acute apex and upward-directed in lateral view (Figs 6A, B), about 0.5× shorter than ejaculatory apodeme, with slightly acute apex, sideways-directed in dorsal view (Figs 6E, F). Phallus teardrop-shaped in lateral and dorsal view (Figs 6A–B, E–F), basiphallus rounded, about 2× longer than distiphallus, distiphallus thin, simple with single apical opening in dorsal view (Figs 6E, F). Parameral sheath large, simple, with two paired lobed projections divergent in dorsal view (Figs 6E, F). Anterior arms of parameral sheath thin on basal ⅓, thickened on distal ⅔ and slightly acute apex in lateral view (Figs 6A, B), long, about 0.5× longer than ejaculatory apodeme, sinuous with rounded apex in dorsal view (Figs 6E, F). Gonocoxa subdivided, with proximal lobe V-shaped and acute apex backward-directed, distal lobe more or less rectangular-shaped and lower margin slightly rounded in lateral view (Figs 6A, B), with appearance of four lobes, two proximal largest and with rounded edges in dorsal view (Figs 6E, F). Gonostylus downward-directed, similar in length to cercus, acute apex in lateral view (Figs 6A, B), somewhat rectangular-shaped and margins slightly sinuous in dorsal view (Figs 6E, F). FEMALE. Unknown.
Type material. HOLOTYPE. Male: CURAÇAO, Coral Specht 3 km. E. Willemstad, 8–15.February.1987, W.E. Steiner & J.M. Swearingen Leg. (1 ♂ USNM) / Malaise trap in mesquite-acacia desert scrub near coast (photographed specimen).
Etymology. From the Latin nigrum = black, refers to the general black color of the thorax of the specimen (Figs 5A, D).
Geographical distribution. Curaçao (Willemstad) (Fig. 11C 1).
Taxonomic notes. In males Mythicomyia nigra sp. nov. runs to M. pisqa Sánchez & Evenhuis in couplet 15 of the key in Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024). It differs from M. pisqa by having the first flagellomere oval (Fig. 5C) [versus first flagellomere linear-lanceolate, see fig. 74 in Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024)]; m-m crossvein 2× longer than r-m crossvein (Fig. 5F) [versus m-m cross vein subequal than r-m, see fig. 75 in Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024)]; cell m 2 with a spot brown apically (Fig. 5F) [versus cell m 2 without a spot brown apically, see fig. 75 in Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024)]; vein CuA ending in lower ½ (Fig. 5F) [versus vein CuA ending at the edge of the wing, see fig. 75 in Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024)]; cercus thickened with straight inner margins in posterior view (Figs 6C, D) [versus cercus narrowed with sinuous inner margins in posterior view, see figs 80–81 in Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024)]; ejaculatory apodeme strongly thickened in lateral view (Figs 6A, B) [versus ejaculatory apodeme slightly thickened in lateral view, see figs 78–79 in Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024)]; gonostylus thickened, somewhat rectangular-shaped, sideways-directed in dorsal view (Figs 6E, F) [versus gonostylus narrowed, elongate, upward-directed in dorsal view, see figs 82–83 in Sánchez & Evenhuis (2024).
description: Published as part of Ramos-Pastrana, Yardany, Córdoba-Suarez, Eric & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2025, First records of Mythicomyia Coquillett, 1893 (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae: Mythicomyiinae) from Central America, with description of three new species and an updated key to Neotropical species, pp. 69-90 in Zootaxa 5621 (1) on pages 76-77, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5621.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/15220029