Himantigera James in James & McFadden 1982
Creators: name: Fachin, Diego Aguilar
name: Hauser, Martin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Stratiomyidae
Himantigera

description: Himantigera sp. A
(Figs 6, 23, 32, 38, 44, 80–82, 124–125)
Diagnosis (female). Metallic purple species somewhat similar to H. amauroptera, but less dark. Upper frons only slightly narrower than widest margin of frontal callus, with lateral area at least twice width of medial area ventrally (Fig. 23). Tarsomeres entirely white yellow, last two tarsomeres with dark pilosity. R 2+3 arising beyond r–m (Fig. 38), but not as far as in H. amauroptera, only being at a distance equal to that of r–m, more similar to the state seen in H. nigrifemorata. Genital fork very wide posteriorly as seen in H. amauroptera, but with its two posterior thirds almost equally wide, and with very short projections on the posterior margin (Figs 80–82).
Material examined. 1 ♀ (antennae and left wing slide-mounted), MEXICO, Chiapas, El Triunfo (49 km, S. Yaltenango), 13–15.v.1985, 1500m, A. Freidberg (USNM-USNMENT01447686). Labeled as “Unnamed species A Fachin & Hauser 2018”.
Description. Female. Length: body, 9.0 mm; wing, 7.0 mm. Head (Fig. 23). Upper frons slightly narrower than widest margin of frontal callus; its lateral area more than two times wider than medial area ventrally, reflecting metallic blue to purple color. Frontal callus margin weakly divergent towards face; lower frons brown medially. Antenna brown to dark brown; four setae basally on arista (Fig. 6). Thorax. Legs mostly whitish yellow, except hind coxa, apical half of all femora, basal and apical third of all tibiae antero-ventrally dark brown; dark pilosity on last two tarsomeres. Wing (Fig. 32). R 2+3 originating beyond r–m at a distance as long as length of r–m (Fig. 38). Proximal branch of M 1+2 slightly shorter than distal branch of M 1+2. Alula with microtrichia only along anterior half (Fig. 44). Abdomen. Subrectangular, less than two times longer than wide, equally wide from second to fourth segment; entirely dark with metallic purple reflections; long white pilosity laterally on tergites 1–2; short white pilosity on tergites 4–5 and sternites. Terminalia (Figs 80–82). Genital fork quite wide (as seen in H. amauroptera); its posterior two-thirds almost equally wide, anterior third triangular, clearly narrower than posterior two-thirds; shorter projections at posterior bridge, distance between each projection wider than each projection itself; posterolateral process wider basally and pointed apically.
Male. Unknown.
Geographic distribution. Mexico (Chiapas) (Fig. 130).
Comments. This female has a unique combination of characters not seen in any other known female of Himantigera: (i) anterior third of lateral area of upper frons more than two times width of medial area (Fig. 23); (ii) R 2+3 arising beyond r–m at a distance as long as length of r–m (Fig. 38); (iii) genital fork (Figs 80–82) much larger than any other species, and although the posterior bridge is bilobed, its projections are very short, as are the posterolateral process. These characters do not all for ready association with any other known females, and do not allow for associations with males for which female counterparts are not yet known. The shape of the genital fork in strats is usually species-specific (see Woodley 1995; Fachin & Amorim 2015), suggesting that it belongs to an undescribed species, but because only a single female specimen has been found, we prefer to keep it unnamed until more material is available for study.
description: Published as part of Fachin, Diego Aguilar & Hauser, Martin, 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Himantigera James, 1982 (Diptera: Stratiomyidae: Sarginae), including the description of two new species and a key to the known species, pp. 451-498 in Zootaxa 4531 (4) on page 479, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4531.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2614794