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

description: Eucelatoria tenebrionis sp. nov.
(Figs 26, 46, 71, 91, 178)
Type material. Holotype ♀, labeled “ Nova Teutonia / S. C. - BRAZIL / April 1962 / F. Plaumann ”, “ HOLOTYPE / Eucelatoria / tenebrionis/ ZL Burington [red label]”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00216” (DMW).
Paratype ♂, labeled “ Nova Teutonia / S. C. - BRAZIL / March 1960 / F. Plaumann ”, “ Paratype / Eucelatoria / tenebrionis/ ZL Burington [yellow label]”, ZLB_E.Ferox 00268” (DMW).
Etymology. From the Latin tenebrio (“dark one”), for the overall dark appearance of this species.
Recognition. This species is distinctive among all E. ferox group species for the shining dark scutellum entirely devoid of tomentum. It is similar to E. hafelei sp. nov. and E. ritavargasae sp. nov. in that the scutellum is similarly dark, but in these there is a distinct apical patch of tomentum visible in dorsal view.
Description. [Described from 1 ♀ and 1 ♂.] Length 4.5–5.7 mm.
Head. Parafacial, fronto-orbital plate, vertex, upper half of post-ocular plate, and vibrissal angle tomentum yellow. Genal dilation, lower half of post-ocular plate, postgena, and occiput tomentum ash-gray. Pale occipital setae gray. Ocellar setae weak, one-half length of posterior reclinate orbital seta. Gena with 3–4 setae, subvibrissal ridge with 1 seta. Facial ridge with setulae on lower one-third to slightly more. Postocellar setae subequal to length of ocellar setae. Paravertical seta one-half to two-thirds length of postocellar setae. Outer vertical seta only slightly differentiated from post-ocular row in both male and female, at most one-third length of inner vertical seta. Reclinate orbital setae 3. Frontal setae 4–8, less in female, last frontal seta level with postpedicel base. Eye with sparse setulae, each setula no longer than 1–2 facets. Eye height to head height ratio 0.85–0.90. Postpedicel length 0.43–0.44 height of head. Facial ridge length 0.50–0.52 height of head. Parafacial width 0.07–0.11 lateral length of head. Pedicel 0.25–0.32 length of postpedicel. Postpedicel 2.0–4.0 times width of parafacial in lateral view. Vertex 0.25 width of head in dorsal view. Palpus brown, subcylindrical in male, slightly dilated and flattened at apex in female; with sparse minute setae dorsoapically, long stout setae apicolaterally, and long thin setae mediolaterally.
Thorax. Dorsomedial length 1.3 times width of thorax. Lateral tomentum ash-gray, merging to dirty yellow-gray on anepisternum. Dorsal tomentum yellow-gray. Presutural inner and outer vittae merged into a pair of subquadrate vittae, such that there are only two presutural vittae; partially fused near anterior margin; posteromedially separated by small triangular area of tomentum one-half or less width of presutural vitta; sometimes with small, partial division of inner and outer vittae near notopleural suture. Postsutural vittae merged into single large vitta covering most of postsutural notum; with only a small area of tomentum adjacent to supra-alar and intra-alar seta rows and rectangular area of tomentum near notum posterior margin. Scutellum dorsum apparently devoid of tomentum, at most with light diffuse gray tomentum visible along apical margin under magnification. Postpronotum with 3 setae. Presutural area with 2 surpa-alar setae. Postsutural area with 3 dorsocentral setae. Scutellum with 1 pair discal setae. Fore tibia with 2–3 posterodorsal setae. Wing hyaline. Calypters tan to cream colored.
Abdomen. Cuticle and setulae entirely black. Dorsal tomentum bands gray, thin, covering less than one-fourth to at most one-third area of T3–5, usually less than one-fourth. Ventral tomentum bands ash-gray to yellow-gray, covering one-third to one half area of T3–5. T4 with 5 or more pairs of marginal setae, the lateral and medial marginal setae forming a continuous, widely spaced row.
Male terminalia. Unknown [undissected as the paratype is the only known male].
Female terminalia (Fig. 71). Piercer extending nearly to base of T1+2, in lateral view bent near base, then gradually curved to bent apex; in posterior view parallel sided on basal half, then gradually tapered to apex. Aculeate lobe at least 3.5 times height of segment 7 base. End tergite not visible. Cercus with 5 setae; ventral elongation not visible. Postgenital plate with 10 setae.
Host(s). Unknown.
Geographic extent and seasonal occurrence. This species is known only from the coastal forests of southeastern Brazil at Nova Teutonia, where it was collected in March and April (Fig. 178).
Discussion. The overall dark dorsal appearance and tiny size of this species is distinctive. No other E. ferox group species with two presutural thoracic vittae have an entirely dark scutellum. The similar E. hafelei sp. nov. and E. ritavargasae sp. nov. have a distinct apicomarginal fuzz of tomentum on the scutellum and thick dorsal abdominal bands.
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 57-58, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5143.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6601404