Eucelatoria makhaira Burington 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Burington, Zelia L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tachinidae
Eucelatoria
Eucelatoria makhaira

description: Eucelatoria makhaira sp. nov.
(Figs 23, 44, 68, 89, 178)
Type material. Holotype ♀, labeled “Yurimaguas/ R. Huallaga / Peru-VIII-14 [1914?]”, “CHT Tow’d/ coll”, “HOLOTYPE/ Eucelatoria / makhaira/ ZL Burington [red label]”, “on foliage”, “Yuri 14.viii/ On Foliage”, “USNM ENT 00040037”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00344” (USNM).
Allotype ♂, labeled “Yurimaguas/ R. Huallaga / Peru-VIII-13”, “CHTTow’d/ coll”, “ ALLOTYPE / Eucelatoria / makhaira/ ZL Burington [red label]” “on foliage”, “Yuri 13.viii/ On Foliage”, “USNM ENT 00040038”, “ZLB_ E.Ferox 00343” (USNM).
Paratypes, 2 ♀♀. Brazil — São Paulo: 1 ♀, labeled “ ♀ ”, “Itaquaquecetuba/ Sao Paulo Brazil ”, “ PARATYPE / Eucelatoria / makhaira/ ZL Burington [yellow label]”, “ Eucelatoria ”, “USNM ENT 00040015”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00339”, the abdomen on card under specimen (USNM). Peru — San Martín: 1 ♀, “Shambolog/ near Lamas,/ Peru-VIII-4”, “CHTTownsend/ Collr.”, “Smbl 4-VIII/ On Foliage”, “USNM ENT 00040020”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00340” (USNM).
Recognition. This species is most similar to E. sica sp. nov. and E. kopis sp. nov., as all have two presutural and one postsutural thoracic vitta, black palpi, and tomentum covering the apical third of the scutellum. It differs in that the parafacial tomentum is gray.
Etymology. From the Greek μάχαιρα (= makhaira), a curved sword used in ancient Greece and Persia.
Description. [Described from 3 ♀♀ and 1 ♂.] Length 4.4–5.1 mm (mean = 4.9 mm).
Head. Vertex and upper one-fourth post-ocular plate tomentum pale yellow. Parafacial, lower portion of postocular plate, genal dilation, postgena, and occiput tomentum ash-gray. Fronto-orbital plate pale yellow on posterior one half, occasionally more, merging to gray near lowest extent of frontal setae. Pale occipital setae gray to dirtygray. Ocellar setae one-half to subequal to length of posterior reclinate orbital seta. Gena with 3–4 setae, subvibrissal ridge with 1–2 setae. Facial ridge with setulae on less than lower one third to more than one-half length, usually onethird. Postocellar setae one-half to subequal to length ocellar setae. Paravertical seta one-half to three-fourths length of postocellar seta. Outer vertical seta undifferentiated in male; one-fourth to one-third length of inner vertical seta in female. Reclinate orbital setae 2–3. Frontal setae 5–7, last frontal seta level with base of postpedicel to base of arista. Eye with short setulae, each setula no longer than 1–2 facets. Eye height to head height ratio 0.84–0.92 (mean = 0.87). Postpedicel length 0.37–0.40 (mean = 0.38) height of head. Facial ridge length 0.45–0.54 (mean = 0.49) height of head. Parafacial width 0.04–0.06 (mean = 0.05) lateral length of head. Pedicel 0.30–0.45 (mean = 0.39) length of postpedicel. Postpedicel 4.0–5.3 (mean = 4.6) times width of parafacial in lateral view. Vertex 0.23–0.27 (mean = 0.24) width of head in dorsal view. Palpus dark brown, subcylindrical in both sexes; with short, stout apicodorsal setae, longer stout apicolateral setae, short thin apicoventral setae, and several long thin mediolateral setae.
Thorax. Dorsomedial length 1.3 times width of thorax. Lateral tomentum ash-gray. Dorsal tomentum gray to yellow-gray. Presutural outer and inner vittae fused into single subquadrate vitta, such that there are two broad presutural thoracic vittae; separated medially by triangular area of tomentum one-fourth to one-half width of vitta. Postsutural vittae fused into single broad vitta covering most of postsutural area, at most with narrow region of tomentum adjacent to intra-alar and supra-alar setae and to posterior margin of notum. Scutellar dorsal tomentum gray, covering apical one-fourth of area. Postpronotum with 3 setae. Presutural area with 2 supra-alar setae. Postsutural area with 3 dorsocentral setae. Fore tibia with 2–3 posterodorsal seta. Wing hyaline. Calypters tan to cream colored.
Abdomen. Cuticle and setulae entirely black. Dorsal tomentum bands ash-gray, covering one-fourth to one-third area of T3–5; with broad median vitta. Ventral tomentum bands gray, covering one-third to two-thirds area of T3–5. T4 with 4 or more pairs of marginal setae, the lateral and medial setae forming a continuous, widely spaced row.
Male terminalia. Unknown [undissected as the allotype is the only known male].
Female terminalia (Fig. 68). Piercer generally extending to base of T3, in lateral view bent near base, then gradually curved to bent apex; in posterior view parallel sided on basal one-half, then gradually tapered to apex. Aculeate lobe at least three times height of segment 7 base. End tergite not visible. Cercus with 5 setae; ventral elongation subequal in length to width of cercus main body. Postgenital plate with 8 setae.
Host(s). Unknown.
Geographic extent and seasonal occurrence. This species is known from Peru and Brazil, where it was collected in tropical moist forest at 140–700 m elevation (Fig. 178).
Discussion. This appears to be a lowland relative of E. sica sp. nov. or E. kopis sp. nov. Whether the single Brazilian specimen represents a separate species is not clear.
description: Published as part of Burington, Zelia L., 2022, A taxonomic revision of the Eucelatoria ferox species group (Diptera: Tachinidae), pp. 1-104 in Zootaxa 5143 (1) on pages 53-54, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5143.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6601404