Drosophila (Sophophora) zapoteca Grimaldi 2024, new species
Creators: name: Grimaldi, David A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Drosophilidae
Drosophila
Drosophila zapoteca

description: Drosophila (Sophophora) zapoteca, new species   Figures 4D, 8F, 10F, 13E, 16D  
 DIAGNOSIS: Facial carina thin, small; acrostichals in 6 rows; sex comb with 4–5 teeth on ta1, 3–4 on ta2; ♂ ta1 and ta2 of approximately equal length. Male genitalia distinctive: cercus with small, nipplelike ventral lobe; outer lobes of ventral epandrial lobe with pointed tips (projecting mediad), plus row of 4 very thick, large setae; surstylus with row of 11 prensisetae; aedeagus and valves much shorter than (0.65× length of) postgonites. Males distinguished externally from the sympatric D. maya, which has protarsomere ta1 approximately 1.5× the length of ta2.   
DESCRIPTION: Coloration: Frons dark brown, frontal vittae flat, blackish; fronto-orbital plates and ocellar triangle lighter, slightly shiny; antennae, face, ventral margin of cheek dark brown (most of cheek light); palps light brown. Scutum and scutellum dark brown, dull, with dusting of pruinescence; postpronotal lobe, notopleural area slightly lighter; anepisternum dark brown, anepimeron and katepisternum same to slightly lighter. Legs light, tan; halter whitish cream; abdomen uniformly brown in both sexes, darker in ♂.  
Head: Arista with 3 dorsal, 2 ventral branches, plus terminal fork; pedicel with 1 longer, 2 shorter setae. HD/HW 0.76 (mean of 4♂). Anterior reclinate orbital seta lateral to posterolateral of the proclinate orbital; posterior reclinate nearly equidistant between proclinate and inner vertical setae; proclinate 1.5× length of anterior reclinate, posterior reclinate 2.3× length of anterior reclinate. Ipsilateral vertical setae close; inner vertical in line with proclinate and posterior reclinate, IV/OV 0.88. Ocellar setae sockets on tangent between median and posterolateral ocelli; postocellars long, convergent to tips crossing, length slightly less than ocellars OC/POC 1.07; 4–5 small setulae in ocellar triangle. Frons with 6–7 setulae near anterior margin. FL/LFW 0.87, UFW/LFW 1.56. Face relatively short, FD/FW 1.0, frontal W-index 2.87; carina very small, narrow, short (0.3× length of face), low; vibrissa long, 1st genal seta small, GS1/VL 0.30, gena wit 6–7 setae, increasing in length posteriad. Cheek of moderate depth, ED/ CD 7.5. Palp with 1 long apical seta, shorter seta in middle of ventral margin. Eye broadly oval in lateral view, EW/ED 0.78.  
Thorax: Length 0.84 mm (mean of 4♂). Acrostichals in 6 rows between anterior dorsocentrals, lengths increasing posteriad; acrostichals in front of scutellum or anterior dorsocentrals not enlarged. Anterior dorsocentrals 0.67× length of posterior ones; distance between ipsilateral dorsocentrals less than that between contralateral ones. Postpronotum with 2 strong setae, equal in length; 2 strong notopleural setae near notopleural suture, plus 1 more dorsally, another postsutural; katepisternum with 2 large setae, posterior one larger (S-index 0.46), sclerite with several small setulae. Anterior scutellar setae slightly convergent, posterior ones convergent to cruciate (up to 0.4× their length), both pairs approximately equal in length. Legs: profemur with ventral row of 5–6 long setae (lengths approximately equal to femur width); mid and hind tibiae with stout, ventroapical setae, thinner dorsal-preapical seta; ♂ protarsus with ta1 and ta2 approximately equal length; ta1 with 4–5 teeth, ta2 with 3–4; teeth fairly stout, touching, lengths 1.2–1.3× width of tarsomeres. Wing of moderate length and width, ThL/WL 0.40, WL/WW 2.2, C-index 2.54, hb-index 3.16, 4V-index 2.21, 5X-index 2.36.  
Abdomen: Male terminalia: epandrium height approximately equal to width; cercus with small, abruptly narrowed, nipplelike ventral lobe bearing small tuft of fine setulae; outer lobes of ventral epandrial lobe with abruptly pointed tips that point inward, plus row of 4 thick, large setae (and 6–7 smaller ones); margin of inner lobe of ventral epandrial lobe well defined from surstylus; surstylus with row of 11 prensisetae; aedeagus and valves much shorter than (0.65× the length of) postgonites; aedeagus with very fine microtrichia. Hypandrium relatively short, length 1.3× the width. Female terminalia: spermatheca short, wide, width 1.7× height; sleeve broad, annulate, extended into capsule 0.8× capsule height, lacks apical indentation. Oviscapt of moderate depth in lateral view, with 12–13 small ovisensilla along margins.  
TYPE: Holotype, ♂: GUATEMALA: Zacapa, 10 km N San Lorenzo, 2200 m., 8-10/XI/86, M. Sharkey, FIT [flight intercept trap]. Dissected by D.G. (no. ASG20). In AMNH.  
ETYMOLOGY: Taken from the Zapotec, a people who lived 700 BCE–1521 CE, in the Valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico, and well known for their elaborate ceramic figures.  
SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Series of 9♂♂ and 6♀♀ (all paratypes) with same data as holotype, in AMNH. Dissections: ♀♀: ASG 03, ASG21; ♂♂: ASG 01, 20, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46.  
DISTRIBUTION: Known thus far only from the type locality in Guatemala.  
 COMMENTS: Despite the obviously different spermathecae and male genitalia, there are very few external differences in body and setal proportions between the two species: D. zaptoca is only about 90% the size of D. maya and it has a slightly deeper cheek (ED/CD 7.5, vs. 9.6 in D. maya), and smaller genal seta-1 (vibrissa-index 0.30, vs. 0.52 in D. maya).
description: Published as part of Grimaldi, David A., 2024, The Drosophila (Sophophora) obscura species group in the Americas (Diptera: Drosophilidae): review, revisions, and three new species, pp. 1-44 in American Museum Novitates 2024 (4015) on pages 37-39, DOI: 10.1206/4015.1, http://zenodo.org/record/12171426