Atrichopogon pachito Huerta & Dzul, 2012, new species
Creators: name: Huerta, Herón
name: Dzul, Felipe
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Ceratopogonidae
Atrichopogon
Atrichopogon pachito

description: Atrichopogon pachito, new species
Figs. (1–4A)
DIAGNOSIS. Male: only Neotropical Atrichopogon with gonostylus reduced to small knob and sternite 9 with two posterior lateral prongs, each bearing two strong apical bristles. Female, with the following combination of characters: with an elongate, sack-like, spermatheca; abdominal tergites 1–5 light brown and the remainder of the abdomen pale and postsutural area with darker spot.
DESCRIPTION. Male adult. Head: Pale brown. Ommatidia with interfacet pubescence, broadly abutting medially for length of 1–2 ommatidia. Antenna (Fig. 1 A) uniformly brown with plume setae well-developed; with 13 flagellomeres separate, flagellomeres 9–10 without plume setae, 10 longer than 9, flagellomere 9/10 0.64–0.68 (0.65, n=3); flagellomeres 11–13 elongate; flagellomere 13 with apical projection not basally constricted; AR 0.90–0.93 (0.91, n=3). Palpus (Fig. 1 C) with segments 1–2 pale, 3–5 brown; third segment with subapical sensory pit opening on distal third; segments 4, 5 separate; PR 2.1–2.6 (2.4, n=3). Proboscis length 0.11–0.12 (0.11, n=3) mm; head width/proboscis length 2.2 (n=3).
sp. nov. A. B.
Thorax: Light brown. Scutum with setae arising directly from surface, not in pits; postsutural area with darker spot and some setae; with lateral suture; scutellum with four setae. Paratergite with one stout seta. Anepisternum narrow, broadly bilobed posteriorly.
Wing: (Fig. 2A) Plain, without pattern of pigmented membrane; with scattered macrotrichiae in apical portion of cells r3, m1; second radial cell 2.5 times longer than first; first radial cell reduced; wing length 0.70–0.76 (0.74, n=3) mm; breadth 0.27 (n=3) mm; CR 0.59–0.60 (0.59, n=3). Halter pale. Legs uniformly light brown; hindtibia slightly expanded at apex. Hindtibial spur thick, length longer than width of hindtibia at midlength; hindtibial comb with 9 spines; prothoracic TR 3.0–3.5 (3.2, n=3), mesothoracic TR 2.7–3.4 (3.1, n=3), metathoracic TR 2.4–2.6 (2.5, n=3); claws curved, moderately stout; empodia present. Abdomen: pale, with tergites 1–5, sternites 3–7 brown, remaining tergites and sternites pale light. Genitalia (Figs. 3 A–C, 4A) small (length 0.16 mm), tergite 9 short, not extending to level of apex of gonocoxite, more or less triangular, swollen basally, basal arch low; posterior margin truncate; sternite 9 extremely modified, with pair of lateral lobes connected medially, not extending to level apex of gonocoxite, swollen basally, tapering to apex, with pair thick apical spines, medial lobe small, not expanded posteriorly. Gonocoxite without medial lobe, swollen basally, tapering to apex, not extending to apex of aedeagal-parameral complex, gonocoxite length/width 2.7–3.1 (2.9, n=3) mm; gonostylus small, reduced to hook-shaped lobe, with patch of thin spicules, 4 setae: (Fig. 4 A), seta 1: external margin with a long, curved seta; seta 2: a distinctive, flame-shaped seta with bifid tip (only observed with Scanning Electron Microscope, Fig. 3 A–B); seta 3: a medial thin, simple seta; seta 4: a small, stout seta with blunt apex. Aedeagal-parameral complex with thick lateral margins, bilobed posteriorly, with pair of small denticules; lateral arms slender, basal arch extending to 0.46 of total length. Cercus lobe-like, extending beyond posterior margin of tergite.
Female adult. As for male, with following differences. Antenna with flagellomeres 1–8 longer than breadth; flagellomeres 9–13 elongate, proportions as shown in Fig. 1 B, flagellomere 13 with apical projection; AR 1.14–1.30 (1.23, n=3); palpus as Fig. 1 D; PR 2.14–2.50 (2.30, n=3); head width/proboscis length 2.0–2.45 (2.26, n=3). Mandible without teeth. Thorax: prothoracic TR 3.33–3.40 (3.37, n=3), mesothoracic TR 3.58–3.60 (3.59, n=3), metathoracic TR 2.50–2.57 (2.54, n= 3). Wing (Fig. 2B), length 0.82–0.84 (0.83, n=3) mm; breadth 0.33–0.35 (0.34, n=3) mm; CR 0.59–0.60 (0.59, n=3). Abdomen: Genitalia: Sternite 8 narrow, with several lateral setae, margin posterior concave. Sternite 9 narrow. Spermatheca elongate, sac-like, with striations, short neck, measuring 0.13–0.16 (0.14, n=3) mm by 0.055–0.063 (0.060, n=3) mm.
DISTRIBUTION. Mexico: Guerrero and Veracruz.
TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION. Male and female specimens were associated on the basis of similar coloration patterns and having been collected at the same locality. The shape of the gonostylus suggests a close relationship with Atrichopogon didymothecae Macfie (1953), with a completely modified hook-shaped lobe and sternite 9 with a pair of lateral lobes, these features are unique in the family, indicating synapomorphies significantly between these sister species. Also these species have similar spermathecae which are elongate, saclike, and with striations and the palpus has segments 1–2 pale and segments 3–5 brown. Borkent & Picado (2004) refer to another probably related undescribed species in Trinidad. This new species differs from Atrichopogon didymothecae Macfie by the sternite 9 with a short medial lobe, the gonocoxite with a pair of thick subapical spines, gonostylar lobe with four different setae and tergite 9 with its posterior margin truncate. The females are nearly identical, except for the length of the spermathecae, more length in A. didymothecae, the proportion head width/proboscis is more length en A. pachito and postsutural area with darker spot differs from A. didymothecae.
TYPES: HOLOTYPE. Male adult, on microscope slide in Euparal. “ MEXICO /Guerrero/Municipio Ayutla de los Libres/Localidad La Unión/Rancho El Camalote/agosto/2010/Trampa Malaise/Col. Marín W.B. / HOLOTYPE / Atrichopogon pachito Huerta & Dzul (CAIM)". Paratypes. One male, four females, same data as holotype; except 1 male specimen, for study with SEM: Mexico, Veracruz, Municipio Actopan, Locality Soyacuautla, 5 Sept 2008, Forest, Trap Malaise, Sample 16, Coll. Entomological brigade of Jurisdicción Sanitaria N° V.
DERIVATION OF SPECIFIC EPHITHET: The name “ pachito ” refers to a nickname of friend, Guillermo Davalos Ramirez, in appreciation you friendship, rest in peace.
description: Published as part of Huerta, Herón & Dzul, Felipe, 2012, Two New Species of the Genus Atrichopogon Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Mexico, pp. 20-30 in Zootaxa 3557 on pages 22-24, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.215472