Leucophora andicola ( Bigot, 1885 )

Leucophora andicola ( Bigot, 1885) View in CoL

Figs. 1–5 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5

Hylemyia andicola Bigot, 1885: 300 View in CoL . Holotype female (OUMNH) Type-locality: Chile; Stein, 1907:210 (notes on types, redescription)

Ammomyia andicola Stein, 1919:152 (catalogue)

Hylephila andicola Collin, 1921:325 (notes on types, redescription); Malloch, 1934:188 (male description), figs. 25a (male genitalia), b (sternites 4–5); Séguy 1937:137 (catalogue)

Leucophora andicola Pont 1974:7 View in CoL (catalogue); Pont 2000:3 (notes on type material); Polidori et al. 2015 (biological notes); Ramírez-Mora et al. 2023:323 (catalogue); Pont et al. 2024:55 (notes on type material).

Diagnosis. Leucophora andicola can be differentiated from its congeners by the following combination of characters: male with five longitudinal brown vittae on thorax, surstylus expanded at middle (in posterior view), acrophallus downward and distal free paraphallic processes acute and slightly divergent; females with longitudinal vittae on dorsocentral setae less visible, tergites 6–7 wide and almost connected on posterior margin, sternite 7 long.

Material examined. Holotype 1 ♀ ( OUMNH). Chile (not observed).

Other material: 13 ♂, 7 ♀. ARGENTINA: Neuquén, Lago Lácar, Hua Hum [ -40.11775, -71.66268] [ 909 m. a.s.l.], 11–16-XII-1946, Hayward col. det. F. Snyder GoogleMaps 1954, 1 ♀ ( IFML DIP0889 ); PN Lanín, L. Curruhue , Arroyo Los Pinos , 1090 m [m.a.s.l.] -39.87674, -71.45338, transecta, 14-XII-2013, Olea col. GoogleMaps 4 ♂ ( MACN _ En 39851, 39862, 39863, 39864); San Martín de los Andes , Truram Kura [ -40.15721, -71.352444] [ 1000 m.a.s.l.] 14–15-XI-1985, M. & P. Gentili col. GoogleMaps 1 ♂ ( IFML), same data except, 17–18-XI-1985 GoogleMaps , 2 ♂ ( Lillo). Chubut, PN Los Alerces, Puerto Mermoud , 521 m [m.a.s.l.], -42.723190, -71.748825, 25-X-2014, Torreta col. GoogleMaps 3 ♂ ( MACN _ En 36239, 36240, 39867), same data except, Patitucci col. GoogleMaps 1 ♀ ( MACN _ En 36241); PN Los Alerces, Arroyo Torcido, L. Futalaufquen , 520 [m.a.s.l.], -42.76131, -71.75058, 26-X-2014, Torreta col. GoogleMaps 1 ♂ 1 ♀ ( MACN _ En 36242, 36246), same data except, Mulieri col. GoogleMaps 2 ♂ 3 ♀ ( MACN _ En 36243, 36244, 36245, 39865, 39866). Río Negro, PN Nahuel Huapi, Lago Hess, Malaise , DWN-214, 767 [m.a.s.l.], -41.36, -76.33, 29-X–23-XII-2008, Garré & M. de Oca col. 1 ♀ ( MACN _ En 39857) .

Description

Male ( Figs. 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 )

Body length, 5.7–7.0 mm, wing length 4.3–5.2 mm.

Coloration ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ). Head black with silvery greyish pruinosity; frontal vitta black with whitish pruinosity ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ). Parafacialia, gena, and face with whitish pruinosity; parafacialia in profile with a wide shifting black patch from level of insertion of antennae to level of postpedicel tip ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ), genae with a dark brown to black patch from the vibrissal angle extending to behind the eye. Antennae black, scapus with dark brown mark on dorsal surface; postpedicel with brown pruinosity; arista dark brown with darker base. Prementum dark brown. Palpi brown with lighter bases. Thorax black with brownish-grey pruinosity; with five longitudinal dark brown vittae ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ), specimens from PN Lanín are darker in coloration ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ), central vitta filling the space between acrostichal setae, slightly widened toward the scutoscutellar suture, not extending over the scutellum, a pair of very narrow lateral vittae along dorsocentral setae, more evident seen from behind. A pair of outer lateral vittae filling the space from the posthumeral and supra-alar presutural and posteriorly divided, one stripe following the intralar postsutural and the other stripe following the prealar and supra-alar postsutural. Disc of scutellum with brownish pruinosity. Pleura with dark brown patches on anepisternum and katepisternum ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ). Legs dark brown. Mid and hind tibiae slightly darker. Tarsomeres darkened. Pulvilli brown. Wing membrane hyaline with a light brown tinge, veins brown. Calypters light brown. Haltere brown with darker base. Abdomen black with brownish-grey pruinosity, with a narrow longitudinal dark brown to black vitta ( Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 ), specimens from PN Lanin with dark gray pruinosity ( Fig. 1G View FIGURE 1 ); in profile ( Fig. 1H View FIGURE 1 ), tergites 3–5 with dark brown marks towards anterior margin on lateral surfaces. Marginal setae with darker bases. Sternite 5 dark brown. Syntergosternite 7+8 and epandrium black with greyish pruinosity. Surstylus brown. Cerci dark brown.

Head. Fronto-orbital plate at narrowest point 0.5x width of anterior ocellus, much widening anteriorly, with scattered short setulae; frontal vitta at narrowest point 0.7–1.4x width of anterior ocellus, rather widening towards lunule; eyes separated at narrowest point 1.8–2.6x width of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ). 6–8 pairs of fr s, the uppermost pair fine and placed at the level of anterior ocellus, with setulae in between ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ). infr s very short, setulaelike. oc s strong and longer than infr s; ocellar triangle with 3–4 additional pairs of setulae; poc s more the half the length of oc s. i vt s slightly shorter than oc s, slightly convergent; o vt s pair very thin, shorter than i vt s and slightly proclinate. Postpedicel 1.4–2.0x the pedicel length; arista 1.6–2.0x the postpedicel length, pubescent, longest hairs as long as the basal diameter of arista. Parafacials 0.2–0.4x width of eye. Genae below lowest point of eye margin 0.2–0.3x eye height. Vibrissal angle in profile slightly beyond level of frontal angle ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ). Prementum length from insertion of palpi to apex 0.4–0.6x the head height. Palpus 0.3–0.4x the head height, filiform.

Thorax. Chaetotaxy: 5–7 pairs of psut acr s, prescutellar pair longer than the longest presut acr s ( Figs. 1D, E View FIGURE 1 ). Prealar seta almost as long as notopleural anterior. 5–6 anepst s. 1–2+2 kepst s, the lower anterior slightly longer than the surrounding setulae ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ).

Legs. Fore femur with a row of thin av setulae on basal half. Mid femur with 2–3 long av setae basal half; 2–4 pv setae on basal third; a row of strong a setae on basal half; 2 p setae. Mid tibia with 1 ad, 1–2 pd setae and p setae. Hind femur with a complete row of av setae, 2–3 longer setae on distal third; a complete row of ad setae, but basally displaced from the anterior surface; 2 subapical d setae; 1–2 subapical p setae, a complete row of pv setae. Hind tibia with 2–3 av setae; 2–4 ad setae; 2 (rarely 3) pd setae; p setae indistinguishable from the surrounding setulae.

Abdomen. Tergites 2–5 with lateral marginal setae stronger than median marginal ( Figs. 1F–H View FIGURE 1 ). Sternite 1 slightly more than 2x wider than long, with long setulae almost completely covering the posterior half, longest setulae as long as sternite width. Sternites 2–4 almost as long as wide. Sternite 2 slightly narrowed posteriorly, sternites 3–4 slightly narrowed anteriorly; sternites densely setulose, longest setulae longer than sternite length. Sternite 5 ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ) slightly wider than long, anteriorly narrowed, anterolateral corners slightly divergent, anterior margin almost straight; processes slightly longer than basal region, parallel sided distally, apex rounded, basal inner margin with scattered short and thin setulae, distal inner margin with short and erect setulae, outer surface with long setae, longest setae almost as long as processes length.

Terminalia . Surstylus medially widened, apex rounded and slightly divergent ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ); in profile slightly straight, outer margins with a couple of setulae at mid-length, basal half wide, tapered distally, with short setulae towards lateral surface, with a longitudinal fringe of minute setulae on ventral surface ( Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 ). Cercal plate slightly longer than wide, about 0.5x the surstylus length, apex widely notched; in profile, dorsal surface curved, tip rounded; covered with long setulae, apically with 3–4 pairs of very long and strong setae and laterally 3 pairs of long setae on basal half, longest setae about 2x cercal plate length. Pregonite ( Figs. 2E View FIGURE 2 ; 3B View FIGURE 3 ) 2x longer than wide, about 0.5x the postgonite length, distally slender, with a seta toward distal ventral surface, without sensilla ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ). Postgonite longer than wide, dorsal margin slightly concave, distally narrow and slightly curved, with 1 seta on ventral surface, with some sensilla on outer surface. Phallapodeme ( Fig. 2D View FIGURE 2 ) in profile with basal half narrow and sinuous, distally expanded with unpigmented margin; epiphallus with rounded apex and slightly directed ventrally; distiphallus ( Fig. 3A, D View FIGURE 3 ) in profile, dorsal sclerotization almost straight, with short and apical free paraphallic processes, divergent ( Figs. 2D, F View FIGURE 2 ; 3C–E View FIGURE 3 ), specimens from PN Lanin with apex of distiphallus slightly down curved; acrophallus unpigmented, in profile trumpet-shaped and curved ventrally, in dorsal view narrow and pointed.

Female ( Figs. 4–5 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 )

Body length 5.4–7.3 mm, wing length 4.1–5.4 mm.

Differs from male as follows:

Coloration ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 ). Ocellar triangle with brownish pruinosity.Fronto-orbital plate dorsally with brown pruinosity from above ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Parafacial and genal patches connected on anterior margin of parafacialia, parafacial patch anteriorly dark brown to black posteriorly ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ). Thorax. Vittae on dorsocentral setae weakly visible ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ), major setae with darker bases. Anepisternum with a dark patch towards upper margin ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ).

Head. Fronto-orbital plate at narrowest point 1.2–1.8x width of anterior ocellus; frontal vitta at narrowest point 0.8–2.5x width of anterior ocellus, slightly widening towards lunule; eyes separated at narrowest point 4–5x width of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). infr s longer than male. Ocellar triangle with additional setae longer than male and with short scattered setulae. Postpedicel 1.7–2.1x the pedicel length; arista 1.4–2.2x the postpedicel length. Parafacials 0.3–0.5x width of eye ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ).

Thorax. Notopleural anterior seta slightly longer than posterior. Prealar seta slightly shorter than notopleural anterior ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ).

Legs. Mid femur with 2 av setae on basal fourth; a setae not as strong as male; 3 p setae. Mid tibia with 1 ad seta; 2 pd and p setae. Hind femur with a row of av setae on distal half; ad setae not displaced on anterior surface; 3 pd setae.

Abdomen. Lateral marginal setae less developed than male ( Fig. 4E View FIGURE 4 ). Sternite 1 3x wider than long, setulose. Sternite 2 almost as long as wide, anteriorly widened, with scattered setulae. Sternites 3–4 1.2–1.3x longer than wide, posteriorly narrowed, setulose, with longer setulae on lateral and posterolateral margins. Sternite 5 almost 2x longer than wide, strongly narrowed basally, with scattered setulae.

Ovipositor ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ). Tergite 6 represented by a pair of plates narrowly separated posteriorly, longer than wide, anteriorly slightly divergent and tapered, subtruncate ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ); posterior margin weakly pigmented, with a row of setulae which extends onto lateroventral membranes forming with the setulae of sternite 6 a more or less continuous band around the segment. Spiracles 6th and 7th both situated in membrane ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ), 6th almost in line with the anterior margin of tergite 6, 7th situated below posteroventral corner of tergite 6, just behind the posterior margin. Tergite 7 similar to tergite 6 but parallel side and slightly expanded on basal inner margin, slightly shorter than tergite 6, anterior and lateral margins strongly pigmented, setation (chaetotaxy) as tergite 6. Tergite 8 widely divided into a pair of strongly sclerotized and pigmented elongate plates but continuous along posterior margin ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ), longer than tergite 7 and as long as tergite 6; in dorsal view, lateral plates tapered anteriorly; in profile plates of parallel side and anterior margin subtruncate ( Fig. 5C View FIGURE 5 ); posterior margin with a row of short setulae. When fully extended, anterior tips of tergites 6–8 and sternite 7 remain hidden in the anterior segments ( Figs. 5A, B View FIGURE 5 ). Epiproct almost 3x wider than long, wider anteriorly, posteriorly notched, with a couple of setae posteriorly, a pair longer laterally. Sternite 6 1.3x longer than wide, shorter than tergite 6, tapered basally and apically, with irregular margins, posterior half setulose with a pair of long lateral setae ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). Sternite 7 1.6x longer than wide, longer than tergite 7, anterior and posterior margin tapered and slightly rounded, posterior half setulose. Sternite 8 represented by a pair of small scarcely sclerotized and unpigmented plates towards posterior margin, bearing a couple of setulae. Hypoproct 1.5x wider than long, posterior margin narrowly rounded, densely setulose, with a fringe on long lateral and posterolateral setae. Cerci longer than hypoproct, in dorsal view slightly expanded at middle and tapered posteriorly, dorsally with 2 pairs of recurved spines (longer than cerci height) ( Fig. 5C View FIGURE 5 ), towards dorsal and outer lateral surfaces with smaller spines. Three spermathecae ( Fig. 5D View FIGURE 5 ).

Remarks. Males of L. andicola is morphologically similar to L. curruhue sp. nov., in pattern coloration, shape and setation of gonites, and the structure of distiphallus and acrophallus, but differ in having the paraphallic processes almost straight with apex slightly divergent, meanwhile L. curruhue sp. nov., has darker coloration and the paraphallic processes downcurved. Female ovipositor in L. andicola resembles those in L. chilensis and L. tacuil sp. nov., but differs from both in the shape of sternites 6–7, additionally, differs from L. chilensis in having both pairs of spiracles 6th–7th on membrane of segment 6.

Bigot (1885) described L. andicola from 1 male and 1 female from Chile. Later, Stein (1917), examined type specimens and noticed that both Bigot specimens are 2 females of different species, one specimen corresponds to the description of L. andicola and the other specimen is similar but Stein could not say with certainty to which genus it belongs. Malloch (1934) gave a brief male and female description with illustration of male sternites 4–5 and hypopygium [cerci, surstylus and distiphallus].

Distribution. Neotropical: ARGENTINA ( Chubut, Neuquén, Río Negro ( Malloch 1934)), CHILE ( Bigot 1885; Malloch 1934) ( Fig. 53A View FIGURE 53 ).