Leucophora tacuil Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci, 2025

Leucophora tacuil Ramírez-Mora & Patitucci sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/96f04ba5-623b-4bef-af1f-cb13cdc877cb

Figs. 43–47 View FIGURE 43 View FIGURE 44 View FIGURE 45 View FIGURE 46 View FIGURE 47

Diagnosis. Leucophora tacuil sp. nov. can be differentiated from its congeners by the following combinations of characters: arista long plumose, palpi straight, longitudinal brown vitta on abdomen narrow, male with surstylus curved and slightly expanded preapically (in posterior view), cercal plate not strongly narrowed distally, pregonite small with two long setae, distiphallus with free paraphallic processes long and papillate dorsally, acrophallus long; female with sternites 6–7 longer than wide and with spiracles 6th and 7th on membrane of segment 6.

Material examined. Holotype 1 ♂ ( IFML): “ R. Argentina / Salta / Tacuil / 16–31-XII-1968 / col. R. Goldbach [white label, printed]”; “MR 2460 [white label, printed]”; “ Holotype ♂ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]”.

Paratypes 4 ♂: 5 ♀ ( IFML, MACN) . Same as holotype, except “MR 2465 [white label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 44655”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]”. “MR 2466 [white label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 44654”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]”. “MR 2467 [white label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 44652”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]” . 1 ♂ “ R. Argentina / Catamarca / Los Nacimientos / 16–31-I-1969 / col. Willink – Terán / Stange [white label, printed]”; “Trampa Malaise [white label, printed]”; “MR 2473 [white label, printed]”; “ Paratype ♂ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]” . 5 ♀ Same as holotype, except “MR 2461 [white label, printed]”; “ Paratype ♀ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]”. “MR 2462 [white label, printed]”; “ Paratype ♀ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]”. “MR 2463 [white label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 44653”; “ Paratype ♀ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]”. “MR 2464 [white label, printed]”; “ Paratype ♀ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]”. “MR 2472 [white label, printed]”; “ MACN _En / 44656”; “ Paratype ♀ / Leucophora tacuil [red label, printed]” .

Description

Male ( Figs. 43–43 View FIGURE 43 )

Body length 6.0– 8.1 mm, wing length 5.1–7.1 mm.

Coloration ( Fig. 43 View FIGURE 43 ). Head black dorsally to dark brown towards genae, with greyish-silvery pruinosity; frontal vitta dark brown seen from above ( Figs. 43B, D View FIGURE 43 ). Fronto-orbital plate, parafacialia and genae with silvery pruinosity; parafacialia in profile with wide shifting dark brown to brown patch from level of insertion of antennae to level of the tip of the postpedicel or just before ( Fig. 43C View FIGURE 43 ); genae with a brown patch from the vibrissal angle to the lower margin of the eye. Antennae dark brown to brown, pedicel and scapus lighter; arista lighter at median third. Prementum dark brown to brown. Palpi yellowish with dark brown apices. Thorax black to dark brown, with greyish pruinosity; with three–five longitudinal brown vittae ( Fig. 43D View FIGURE 43 ), central vitta filling the space between the acrostichal setae to the posterior margin of scutum, four weakly visible lateral vittae, one pair along the dorsocentral setae, more evident seen from behind, other pair following the posthumeral, presutural and posterior intralar setae to the posterior postalar seta, more evident at major setae bases. Lateral margins of scutellum brownish. Pleura silvery pruinose with some weakly visible brown patches ( Fig. 43A View FIGURE 43 ). Legs brown, with trochanters, apices of femora and tibiae slightly lighter. Pulvilli light brown. Wing membrane hyaline with a light brown tinge; veins slightly yellowish. Calypters slightly whitish. Halteres light brown with darkened bases. Abdomen dark brown, densely covered with silvery-grey pruinosity, with a narrow brown longitudinal vitta on tergites 3–5 ( Fig. 43E View FIGURE 43 ). Posterior half of tergite 5 brown. Syntergosternite 7+8 brown, covered with silvery grayish pruinosity. Epandrium with ventral margin brown, without pruinosity. Cerci brown. Surstylus yellowish.

Head. Fronto-orbital plate at narrowest point 0.9–1.1x width of anterior ocellus, rather widening anteriorly, with a few scattered setulae; frontal vitta at narrowest point 1.0–1.8 width of anterior ocellus, slightly widening towards lunule; eyes separated at narrowest point 2.9–4.4x width of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 43B View FIGURE 43 ). 4–6 pairs of fr s, with short setulae in between ( Fig. 43C View FIGURE 43 ). infr s as long as the shortest fr s. oc s as long as the longest fr s; ocellar triangle with 2–3 additional pairs of setulae; poc s almost 0.5x the length of the oc s. i vt s the longest on head, reclinate; o vt s less than 0.5x the length of i vt s, slightly proclinate. Postpedicel 1.8–2.3x the pedicel length; arista 1.7–2.1x the postpedicel length, plumose, longest hairs 1.0–1.1x the postpedicel width. Parafacials 0.4–0.5 width of eye. Genae below lowest point of eye margin 0.2–0.4x eye height. Vibrissal angle in profile reaching or slightly beyond the frontal angle ( Fig. 43C View FIGURE 43 ). Prementum length from insertion of palpi to apex 0.4–0.5x the head height. Palpus 0.4x the head height, filiform.

Thorax. Chaetotaxy: 2–3 pairs of short presut acr s setulae, 4–6 pairs of short psut acr s, prescutelar pair developed ( Fig. 43D View FIGURE 43 ). Prealar seta almost 0.3x the length of the notopleural anterior seta. 4–5 anepst s. 2+2 kepst s, the lower anterior slightly longer than surrounding setulae ( Fig. 43A View FIGURE 43 ).

Legs. Fore femur with a row of av setae on basal third, fine. Mid femur with 1–2 short av setae on basal fifth; 5 long pv setae on basal half and 3 preapical setae; a complete row of a setae, scarcely differentiated on basal half and 1 subapical seta; 2 p setae. Mid tibia with 1 ad seta; 1–2 pd setae; 2 p setae, pv seta absent. Hind femur with a complete row of av, ad, and pv setae; 2 subapical d setae; 1 subapical p seta. Hind tibia with 3–4 av and ad setae; 3 pd setae; 4–6 p setae.

Abdomen. Tergites 2–5 with lateral marginal setae stronger than median marginal setae ( Figs. 43A, E View FIGURE 43 ). Lateral median seta on tergite 5 strongest. Sternite 1 2x wider than long, with long setulae towards posterolateral corners. Sternite 2 about 2x longer than wide, strongly tapered towards posterior, with scattered long setulae, setulae almost as long as sternite length. Sternites 3–4 almost 1.5x longer than wide, slightly narrowed anteriorly, covered with long setulae, setulae longer than sternite length, longest setulae on posterolateral corners. Sternite 5 ( Fig. 44A View FIGURE 44 ) as long as wide, anteriorly tapered, anterior margin concave; processes slightly longer than basal region, moderately slender and slightly divergent at apex, inner basal margin with fine setulae becoming longer and sinuous towards apex, outer surface with long and straight setae directed posteriorly, longest setae almost as long as the processes.

Terminalia . Surstylus basally narrow and incurved, becoming wider distally, with rounded apex ( Fig. 44B View FIGURE 44 ); in profile slender and sinuous, with rounded apex ( Fig. 44C View FIGURE 44 ); on ventral surface with a longitudinal fringe of setulae on middle. Cercal plate about 1.5x longer than wide, slightly more than 0.5x the surstylus length; slightly constricted on distal half, with widely notched tip; in profile, with dorsal surface weakly curved, with acute apex; covered with setae, long and straight basally and longer and sinuous on lateral margin at distal half. Pregonite ( Figs. 44E View FIGURE 44 ; 45B View FIGURE 45 ) more than 2x longer than wide, less than 0.5x the postgonite length, tapered basally, with 2 long setae (both setae longer than pregonite), 1 seta on dorsal half and 1 seta on distal margin, without sensilla. Postgonite more than 2x longer than wide, narrow at basal half; on dorsal half expanded ventrally, with a slightly serrated margin, with 1 midventral seta, with a couple of sensilla on lateroventral surface. Phallapodeme ( Figs. 44D View FIGURE 44 ; 45A View FIGURE 45 ) in profile, parallel-sided, basally narrow and curved, distally expanded and less unpigmented; epiphallus slightly constricted preapically with rounded apex; distiphallus ( Figs. 44D View FIGURE 44 ; 45A View FIGURE 45 ) slightly curved at middle, with divergent free paraphallic processes arising beyond middle ( Figs. 44D, F View FIGURE 44 ; 45C View FIGURE 45 ), dorsally serrated ( Figs. 45D, E View FIGURE 45 ), with acute at tip; acrophallus unpigmented, trumpet-shaped dorsal and in profile ( Figs. 44D, F View FIGURE 44 ; 45C View FIGURE 45 ).

Female ( Figs. 46–47 View FIGURE 46 View FIGURE 47 )

Body length 6.3–7.0 mm, wing length 5.5 mm.

Differs from male as follows:

Coloration. Patches on parafacialia and genae blackish to dark brown, in some specimens parafacialia slightly with golden pruinosity ( Fig. 46C View FIGURE 46 ). Distal margin of scapus lighter in color; arista dark brown beyond the third antennomere. Prementum black to dark brown. Thorax. Dorsal vittae wider than male, central vitta even connecting with the lateral vittae at the posterior half of the scutum (in one specimen the central vitta follows the space between dorsocentral setae from the posterior dorsocentral presutural seta to posterior margin of scutum, before it the vitta follows the acrostichals) ( Figs. 46D, E View FIGURE 46 ).

Head. Fronto-orbital plate at narrowest point 1.6–2.1x width of anterior ocellus; frontal vitta at narrowest point 1.6–2.6x width of anterior ocellus, margins sinuous; eyes separated at narrowest point 5.0–7.0x width of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 46B View FIGURE 46 ). 5–7 pairs of fr s ( Fig. 46C View FIGURE 46 ). infr s as long as or slightly shorter than the longest fr s. poc s slightly shorter than oc s. i vt s less than 0.5x the length of o vt s, slightly proclinate; o vt s convergent, the longest setae on head.

Thorax. Prealar seta less than 0.5x the length of the notopleural anterior seta ( Fig. 46D View FIGURE 46 ).

Legs. Mid femur with 1 short av seta on basal fourth; 2–3 pv setae on basal third; 1 pd seta. Hind femur with 3 ad setae.

Abdomen. Tergite 5 without lateral median seta. Sternite 1 3x wider than long, with a couple of setulae towards posterolateral corners. Sternite 2 about 1.5x longer than wide, narrowed towards posterior, with scattered setulae. Sternites 3–5 2x or longer than wide, narrowed anteriorly, covered with scattered setulae, longer setae on lateral margins; sternite 5 posteriorly tapered and the longest.

Ovipositor ( Fig. 47 View FIGURE 47 ). Tergite 6 represented by a pair wide and long plates, narrowly separated, slightly longer than wide, less sclerotized and unpigmented on inner and anterior margins ( Fig. 47A View FIGURE 47 ), on posterior margin with a row of alternate long and short setulae which extends onto the lateroventral membranes forming with the setulae of sternite 6 a more or less continuous band around the segment, in dorsal view with anterior margin subtruncate. Spiracles 6th and 7th both situated on lateroventral membrane towards posterior half of segment 6 ( Fig. 47B View FIGURE 47 ). Tergite 7 similar to tergite 6 but slightly longer than wide, scarcely longer than tergite 6, setae as in segment 6. Tergite 8 widely divided into a pair of strongly sclerotized and pigmented elongate lateral plates but almost continuous along posterior margin, only linearly separated centrally, about as long as tergite 7; in profile ( Fig. 47C View FIGURE 47 ) plates almost parallel-sided and posterior margin subtruncate; on posterior margin with a row of setae. Epiproct weakly fused with cerci laterally, slightly more than 2x wider than long, notched posteriorly, with 2 pairs of setae, 1 pair long and 1 pair short. Sternites 6–7 more than 2x longer than wide, basally narrow and constricted preapically, slightly longer than each tergite, with a couple of rows of setulae posteriorly, longer setae laterally. Sternite 8 represented by a pair of small, scarcely sclerotized plates towards posterior margin, narrowed anteriorly, setulose posteriorly. Hypoproct almost 1.5x wider than long, rounded posteriorly, covered with scattered setulae, longer setae laterally. Cerci longer than hypoproct ( Fig. 47B View FIGURE 47 ), in dorsal and lateral view slightly widened posteriorly, dorsally on inner surface with 2 pairs of strong and long recurved spines (longest spines longer than cerci height) ( Fig. 47C View FIGURE 47 ), towards dorsal and outer lateral surfaces with smaller spines, otherwise setulose. Spermathecae ( Fig. 47D View FIGURE 47 ).

Remarks. In external appearance, L. tacuil sp. nov., is similar to L. catamarca sp. nov., however, L. tacuil sp. nov., differs in having a straight palpus, scapus, and pedicel light brown. Male terminalia resemble those in L. chancani sp. nov., in the shape of surstylus, cercal plate, and distiphallus with dorsally dentate (serrated) free paraphallic processes; however, can differ by the shape and setation of sternite 5, the shorter pregonite, and the absence of seta on postgonite.

Etymology. The species’ epithet refers to the name “Tacuil”, where the holotype was collected.

Distribution. Neotropical: ARGENTINA ( Catamarca, Salta) ( Fig. 57C View FIGURE 57 ).