Robustagramma flavistylum Cui and Marshall 2005, new species
Creators: name: Marshall, Stephen A.
name: Cui, Yongsheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Sphaeroceridae
Robustagramma
Robustagramma flavistylum

description: Robustagramma flavistylum Cui and Marshall, new species   
(Figs. 317–323, 375)  
Body length 1.6–2.4 mm. General color reddish to dark brown, moderately pollinose, without conspicuous patterns.  
 Head: Face brown, gena, antenna and lower frons reddish. Interfrontal bristles in three pairs, upper pair small. Two orbital bristles, anterior orbital bristle two thirds as long as posterior. Uppermost orbital setula present between orbital bristles; lower orbital setulae small. Ocellar bristle stronger than posterior orbital bristle. Inner vertical bristle large, almost directly below the slightly smaller outer vertical bristle. Inner and outer occipital bristles well developed. Postvertical bristle half as long as inner occipital bristle. Postocellar bristle distinctly shorter than postvertical bristle. Eye height ca. 2.2–2.6 times genal height. Arista slightly longer than head height, aristal hairs over twice as long as basal width of arista. Maximum width of palpus ca. 1/5 of length of palpus. Preapical palpal bristle over 2.5 times as long as maximum width of palpus.   
 Thorax: Prosternum narrow, bare. Dorsocentral bristles in 3 pairs (one presutural and 2 postsutural), anterior postsutural dorsocentral bristle slightly longer than middle prescutellar acrostichal bristle, and presutural dorsocentral bristle distinctly longer than acrostichal setula. Acrostichal setulae in 8 rows between anterior postsutural dorsocentral bristles. One or two pairs of setulae between prescutellar acrostichal and dorsocentral bristle. Apical scutellar bristle ca. 1.8 times length of scutellum. Posterodorsal katepisternal bristle strong, ca. 3/4 as long as distance between bristle base and wing base; anterodorsal katepisternal bristle very small. Halter knob pale brown; stem pale. Length of second costal sector ca. 0.55X length of third. First costal sector similar in thickness to second costal sector. R 4+5 and costa ending together before wing apex; distal third of R 2+3 conspicuously curved forward. Discal cell with a short stump vein CuA 1, ca. 0.5–2.0 times as long as vein width. Tarsi and fore tibia reddish yellow or brownish. Mid tibia with a single posterodorsal proximal bristle, an anterodorsal bristle near midlle, and an anterodorsal, dorsal and posterodorsal distally; dorsal bristle small; and an additional, even smaller, anterodorsal bristle present in front of dorsal bristle. Mid femur with a row of 5 anterior bristles on distal half, 2 anteroventral preapical bristles, a posterodorsal apical bristle, and a row of strong anterodorsal setulae. Mid tibia of male with an apicoventral bristle and several short, stout ventral bristles on distal third; corresponding femur with 10–14 ventral proximal bristles in 2 or 3 irregular rows, and a row of anteroventral setulae on basal half.   
 Male abdomen: Tergites uniformly dark and similar in length. Sternite 5 ca. 1.5 times as long as sternite 4, with two patches of small scales on posteromedial margin and a narrow, bare central area flanked by many short bristles. Dorsomedial length of epandrium ca. 0.33X length of sternite 8. Surstylus yellow or reddish yellow in color, almost entirely densely setose. Cercus narrow, slightly shorter than surstylus, setulose at base only. Distiphallus long, complex, with a pair of dorsal whip­like sclerites. Postgonite with a concave apex. Ejaculatory apodeme very small.   
Female abdomen: Short and broad. Tergites 1–7 uniformly pigmented and entire. Sternite 7 similar in length to sternite 6; sternite 8 reduced to 2 small sclerites. Sternite 10 pale, transverse, setulose. Spermatheca with elliptical distal portion much larger than conical basal portion. Spermathecal duct shorter than spermathecal body.  
Holotype (♂, INBC) paratypes (12 ♂, 5 ♀, DEBU): COSTA RICA: (Puntarenas). Monteverde, 3 dung traps, 27.ii.1991, H. & A. Howden.  
 Other paratypes: COSTA RICA: (Puntarenas). Monteverde, dung RET near station. 26.v.1998, S.A. Marshall (1 ♂, 1 ♀, DEBU); Las Alturas, tree fall, 2000m (dung piles), 12–15.viii.1995, S. A. Marshall (1 ♂, DEBU). Monteverde, malaise, 15.i–15.ii.1996, A. Forsyth (1 ♀, DEBU). Monteverde, 1560m, dung trap, 11–18.vi.1983, D.H. Lindeman (1 ♂, DEBU). Guanacoste. Cacao Field Station, 1000m, carrion traps, 18–20.ii.1996 (2 ♂, 1 ♀, INBC); Estación Cacao, 1100–1200m, 15.ii.1996, S. A. Marshall (1 ♀, INBC); Guanacaste Cons. Area, Rincon de la Vieja, Las Pailas, 1400m, Clusea rosea forest litter, 18.ii.1996, R. Anderson (1 ♂, 1 ♀, DEBU). MEXICO: Chiapas. Lagunas de Montebello Parque Nacional, La Encantada, 4900', 21–24.viii.1971, oak/pine/ Liquidambar, human dung (13 ♂, 8 ♀, DEBU); 11 mi NW Ocozocoautla, 3400', oak­evergreen for., human dung, 19–25.viii.1971 (1 ♂, DEBU); 22 mi N Bochil, 5600', pine oak, Liquidambar, human dung, 18–24.viii.1971 (1 ♀, DEBU); 11 mi E Trinitaria, 5200', km 18, tropical deciduous forest, human dung, 5.viii.1971 (9 ♂, 3 ♀, DEBU); 2 mi S Trinitaria, 5100', oaktrop, deciduous, human dung, 21–24.viii.1971 (1 ♂, DEBU), A. Newton. Chiapas. Lagos de Montebello, Lago Pojoj, 1500m, 2–12.vi.1990, B. Gill, FIT, H. Howden (1 ♂, DEBU). Veracruz. Fortín, SW of Río Metlas, 3250', human dung, 13–18.vii.1971, A. Newton (2 ♂, 1 ♀, DEBU). PANAMA: Chiriquí. 2 km W Cerro Punta, 1760m, Baldwin Forest, dung trap, 30.v–2.vi.1971 (17 ♂, 5 ♀, DEBU), 5.vi.1977 (6 ♂, 10 ♀, DEBU); 2 km E Cerro Punta, Baldwin Forest, 3.vi.1977 (1 ♂, 1 ♀, DEBU), 30.v–8.vi.1977 (7 ♂, 5 ♀, DEBU), carrion (3 ♂, 2 ♀, DEBU); 2 km E Cerro Punta, 2200m, oak, dung, 28.v–8.vi.1977 (1 ♂), S. Peck. Chiriquí. Hartmanns, 1550m, dung, 31.v.1977 (2 ♂, 2 ♀, DEBU); 1500m, 15 km NW H. Volcán, Hartmann Finca, dung, 20–25.v.1977 (2 ♂, 1 ♀, DEBU), 20–31.v.1977 (1 ♂, DEBU); carrion, 20–31.v.1977 (2 ♀, DEBU); Lagunas, 5 km SW Hato del Volcán, 1360m, 22–26.v.1977 (1 ♂, 1 ♀, DEBU), S. Peck.   
Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the color of the surstylus.
description: Published as part of Marshall, Stephen A. & Cui, Yongsheng, 2005, Systematics of Robustagramma, a new genus of New World Sphaeroceridae (Diptera), pp. 1-122 in Zootaxa 1026 (1) on pages 101-103, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1026.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5049813