Armillipora bifida Jaume-Schinkel 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Jaume-Schinkel, Santiago
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Psychodidae
Armillipora
Armillipora bifida

description: Armillipora bifida sp. nov.
Figs 1, 2, 3
Differential diagnosis.
Armillipora bifida sp. nov. belongs to the suapiensis group (gonostyli not fused), and it can be easily differentiated from all the species in the group by the bifurcated apex of the gonostyli (apex of gonostyli not bifurcated and sickle-shaped in A. suapiensis, apex not bifurcated with rounded apex in A. nawak sp. nov.).
Etymology.
The species epithet bifida derives from the Latin word bifidus (feminine bifida), which refers to the bifurcated apex of the gonostyli. To be treated as an adjective.
Examined material.
Venezuela – Aragua • 1 ♂; 25 km NW of Maracay, Aponte; alt. 50 m; 13–18 Jun. 2001; Malaise Trap; L. W. Quate & H. R. Bha legs.; slide mounted in Euparal; LACM [LACM ENT 272769].
Paratypes. Brazil – Rondonia • 2 ♂♂; 200 km SSE of Porto Velho, Cacaulandia; - 10.3, - 62.87; 25 May – 6 Jun. 1998; L. W. Quate leg.; Malaise Trap; slide mounted in Euparal; LACM [LACM ENT 272772], INPA [LACM ENT 272771].
Venezuela – Aragua • 1 ♂; Maracay; 14 Nov. 1993; L. W. Quate leg.; Light Trap; wooded hillside; slide mounted in Euparal; LACM [LACM ENT 272770].
Description.
(N = 4). Wing length: 2.26 (2.25–2.27), width: 1.01 (1.00–1.02). Head length: 0.52 (0.55–0.50), width: 0.61 (0.61–0.61). Antennal segments: scape: 0.15 (0.15–0.16); pedicel: 0.07 (0.07–0.08); flagellomeres 1: 0.13 (0.13–0.13), flagellomeres 2–12: 0.15 (0.15–0.15), flagellomere 13: 0.11 (0.11–0.11), flagellomere 14: 0.13 (0.13–0.13). Palpal segment 1: 0.08 (0.07–0.08); palpal segment 2: 0.10 (0.10–0.10); palpal segment 3: 0.11 (0.11–0.11); palpal segment 4: 0.18 (0.18–0.19).
Male. Head (Fig. 1 A). About 1.20 times wider than its length; eye bridge separated by one facet’s diameter, with five rows of facets; interocular suture straight; the frontal patch of alveoli divided. Antennal scape about 2.00 times the length of the pedicel, almost cylindrical; pedicel spherical; flagellomeres fusiform and longer than scape, with scattered setae on the surface, setae almost as long as the flagellomere bearing them, each flagellomere with two rows of alveoli placed at the center, apical flagellomere with terminal apiculus; ascoids undistinguishable in examined material. Palpal segments cylindrical, palpal proportions: 1.0: 1.2: 1.3: 2.2, last palpal segment corrugated; labium without any strong sclerites; labella elongated and irregularly shaped scattered setae on the surface, with one apical spiniform tooth on each.
Thorax (Fig. 1 B). It does not present allurement organs, with a single patch of alveoli in the paratergite and antepronotum; all coxae with a stripe of one to two rows of alveoli. Wing (Fig. 1 C) about 2.20 times longer than its width; wing membrane brown – infuscate, with lightened (white) spots between the apex of longitudinal veins; these spots are located before the apex of R 1, between R 2 and R 3, between R 3 and R 4, between M 3 and M 4, and between M 4 and CuA; Sc vein short, ending beyond the origin of R 1; radial fork slightly basal to medial fork; R 2 + 3 not joining R 4; R 5 ending at the wing apex; CuA ending at wing margin.
Terminalia (Figs 2 D, 3 A – D). Hypandrium on ventral view appears significantly reduced, not sclerotized and joining the base of the reduced gonocoxites; gonostyli not reduced, clearly divergent and both with bifurcated apex (as in Fig. 3 A); aedeagus on ventral view straight, as a single sclerite, ending beyond the apex of the gonostyli (Figs 2 D, 3 A); the ejaculatory apodeme is about the half the length of the aedeagus, on ventral view the basal margin is rounded; no discernible parameres; gonocoxal apodemes fitting in a concavity on the underside of the ejaculatory apodeme (Fig. 3 A); epandrium rectangular (Fig. 2 D); hypoproct tongue-shaped and covered in setulae, epiproct not observed; epandrial appendage (Figs 1 D, 2 B – C) barely hemispherical at base, prolonged and tapering distally, and covered with small setae, lacking apical tenacula; distal tapering of the epandrial appendage (Fig. 3 B – C) about half the length the basal hemispherical portion; medial portion of the epandrial appendage with row of 10–11 tenacula that are short and cylindrical, with folded tips; the epandrial appendage possess a basal patch of long accessory tenacula concentrated in a darkened patch, and longer than the epandrial appendage.
Female. Unknown.
Distribution.
The species is only known from the localities in Venezuela and Brazil (Fig. 1).
Notes.
In the paratype LACM ENT 272772, the apex of the gonostyli and the apex of the aedeagus are broken and not present in the slide (as seen in Fig. 3 D). Nonetheless all other characters fit with the description.
description: Published as part of Jaume-Schinkel, Santiago, 2024, Further contributions to the taxonomy of Armillipora Quate (Diptera, Psychodidae) with the description of two additional new species, pp. 145-154 in Evolutionary Systematics 8 (1) on pages 145-154, DOI: 10.3897/evolsyst.8.124213