Merucata pujoli Scorpione, Soares & Lamas, 2025

Merucata pujoli Scorpione, Soares & Lamas sp. nov.

( Figs 15 View FIGURE 15 , 16 View FIGURE 16 , 20 View FIGURE 20 )

Diagnosis (male). Easily distinguished by congeners by antenna with scape and pedicel yellow ( Fig. 15A, D View FIGURE 15 ); tibiae mostly orangish brown to pale brown ( Fig. 15A View FIGURE 15 ); lateral edges of tergites and sternites yellowish ( Fig. 15A View FIGURE 15 ); hypandrium almost bare, only with few short and slender setae at posterior edge ( Fig. 16K View FIGURE 16 ); gonostylus with two apical dentiform ventral projections ( Fig. 16E, J View FIGURE 16 ).

Description. Holotype male ( Fig. 15A View FIGURE 15 ). Body length: 9.2 mm; wing length: 7.0 mm. Similar to M. caipora sp. nov., except as noted: Head ( Fig. 15A, C, D View FIGURE 15 ). Antenna yellow, except postpedicel and stylus black; scape and pedicel covered with short white setae. Face silvery pruinose, except by narrow golden pruinose stripe close to eye margin; mystax with dense white macrosetae below, with a few black macrosetae above and at oral margin; facial setae long and white. Frons mostly covered with golden pruinosity, except ocellar tubercle and small triangular area in front of ocellar tubercle black; ocellar tubercle with 5–6 pairs of long, slender black setae; orbital setae long and white; a few long and slender, mixed black and white occipital median setae. Upper-most 5–6 postocular macrosetae black and strong, remaining postocular setae slender and white. Thorax ( Fig. 15A, B View FIGURE 15 ). Antepronotum pale brown, sparsely covered with golden pruinosity, marginal row of short and strong white setae, with abundant slender white setae laterally. Scutum mostly covered with short black setae (remarkable longer than in M. caipora sp. nov.) and golden pruinosity, except notopleuron, postpronotal lobe and above postalar callus with short white setae; dorsocentral region in front of scutellum with abundant long and slender setae and 2–3 pairs of dorsocentral macrosetae. Scutellum covered with golden pruinosity, dorsal surface with sparse long white setae. Pleura mostly pale brown, sparsely covered with mixed silvery and golden pruinosity; katatergite with vertical row of strong white macrosetae (with 1–2 black macrosetae), with a few sparse long and slender white setae at posterior margins of anepisternum and katepisternum, and anterior margin of meron. Legs ( Fig. 15A View FIGURE 15 ). Mostly orangish brown to pale brown, except anterior and ventral surfaces of all femora and apical 1/2 of all last tarsomeres dark brown to black. Leg I. Coxa sparsely covered with silvery pruinosity; anterior surface with abundant long, slender white macrosetae. Femur covered with short white setae; ventral row of white, slender macrosetae decreasing in length towards apex. Tibia with dorsal row of short, strong black setae; 3–4 white posteroventral macrosetae; crown of black macrosetae at apex. Leg II. Apical edge of anterior surface of coxa with strong white macrosetae; dorsal surface with row of slender white setae, ending in 2–3 strong near apex. Femur with anteroventral row of 3–4 short, strong white macrosetae, ending in 1 black macroseta near apex; 2 anterior short, strong white macrosetae, 1 at basal 1/2 and 1 at apical 1/2; 2 short, black posterior macrosetae near apex; ventral row of long, slender setae decreasing in length towards apex. Tibia with dorsal row of short black setae from basal 2/3 to apex; posteroventral row of long white setae from base to apex; 3 long, black ventral setae at apical 1/2; crown of strong black setae at apex. Tarsus II as in tarsus I. Leg III. Posterior edge of coxa with row of short, strong white macrosetae. Femur with 2 short, strong white anterior macrosetae near middle; 1 antero- and 1 posteroventral rows of short and strong white macrosetae from base to apex; 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 2 posterior strong black macrosetae near apex. Tibia with 3 anterodorsal short, strong setae, 2 black at basal 1/2 and 1 white near apex; posterodorsal row of short, slender black setae from base to apical 2/3, 2–3 short, strong anteroventral setae at apical 1/2; crown of short, strong black setae at apex. Tarsus as in tarsus I. Wing ( Fig. 15E View FIGURE 15 ). Hyaline, veins brown; bifurcation of vein R 4 and R 5 at apex of discal cell at a distance as long as humeral vein; cell cua closed, petiole shorter than humeral vein. Abdomen ( Fig. 15A, B View FIGURE 15 ). Tergites mostly brown, except lateral margins of all tergites yellowish to pale brown; sternites wholly pale brown. Tergites mostly covered with short black setae, becoming white at lateral margins; tergite 1 almost entirely covered with white setae, with a few black setae at posterior margin. Tergites 1–8 with lateral macrosetae, wholly white on tergite 1 and mixed white and black on remainder. Tergite and sternite 8 subrectangular, anterior margin of tergite 8 slightly concave, bearing a few macrosetae along posterior margin ( Fig. 16H View FIGURE 16 ); sternite 8 only with a few setae along posterior margin ( Fig. 16I View FIGURE 16 ). Sternites wholly covered with white setae. Terminalia ( Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 ). Orangish-brown and mostly white setose ( Fig. 16A, B View FIGURE 16 ). Epandrium subrectangular in lateral view with posterior margin rounded, bearing comb of short, stout brown macrosetae ( Fig. 16C, D View FIGURE 16 ); inner dorsal margin with inner dorsal process subapically followed by deep U-shaped indentation; inner dorsal process and inner epandrial margin at mid-length with row of short, stout black macrosetae ( Fig. 16C View FIGURE 16 ). Cercus and subepandrial sclerite short, shorter than inner epandrial dorsal process, rounded distally ( Fig. 16C, D View FIGURE 16 ). Hypandrium subrectangular with posterior margin concave and with a few slender setae along posterior corners ( Fig. 16K View FIGURE 16 ). Gonocoxite subtriangular with dorsal margin slightly depressed at mid-length; external basal and ventral margins setose bearing 2–3 macrosetae ( Fig. 16E, F View FIGURE 16 ). Gonostylus slender, about 1/3 longer than gonocoxite with apex down curved forming subapical U-shaped concavity; ventral margin prior to concavity slightly depressed; resembling adjustable plumb plier ( Fig. 16E, J View FIGURE 16 ); ejaculatory apodeme fan-shaped ( Fig. 16G View FIGURE 16 ); phallus ending in three separated prongs as long as half of phallus length ( Fig. 16G View FIGURE 16 ).

Female. Unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂ ( MZUSP) labelled: “ BRASIL, DF [ Federal District], Brasília | Faz. Água Limpa-FAL UnB | Ponto 1 | 15°56'55.2"S / 47°54'25.99"W | 17.v–16.vi.2023 | Armadilha Malaise | Equipe LADDi col.” “UNB | 241743” GoogleMaps “ HOLOTYPE | Merucata pujoli | Scorpione, Soares & Lamas [red label]. Holotype condition: Good, not dissected. PARATYPES: same data as holotype, except:“UNB |241754”, “UNB |241755”( 1 ♂, dissected, MZUSP; 2 ♂, DZUB) GoogleMaps ; same data, except: 11.viii–06.ix.2023, “UNB | 241756” ( 1 ♂, DZUB) GoogleMaps ; same data, except: Ponto 2, 15°56'48"S 47°54'35,9"W, 07–19.vii.2023, “UNB | 241750”, “UNB | 241751”, “UNB | 241752”, “UNB | 241753” ( 1 ♂, MZUSP; 3 ♂, DZUB) GoogleMaps ; same data, except: Córrego Taquara, 15°56'18"S 47°54'59"W, 7.vii.2023, coleta manual, “UNB | 241757”, “UNB | 241758” ( 2 ♂, MZUSP) GoogleMaps ; same data, except: Armadilha Malaise, “UNB | 241759” ( 1 ♂, MZUSP) GoogleMaps ; same data, except: 14.vii.2023, Armadilha Pan Trap, “UNB | 241760” ( 1 ♂, DZUB) GoogleMaps .

Remarks. Merucata pujoli sp. nov. is the most contrasting species of the genus, easily segregated from the congeners by the more “lighter” color pattern, mainly the scape and pedicel yellow ( Fig. 15C, D View FIGURE 15 ), femora bicolored ( Fig. 15A, C View FIGURE 15 ), lateral margins of tergites without dense silvery pruinosity ( Fig. 15A View FIGURE 15 ) and sternites pale brown, besides the hypandrium almost bare, with only a few and sparse slender setae at posterior margin ( Fig. 16K View FIGURE 16 ).

Distribution. The new species is only known from the Água Limpa farm, in the city of Brasília, Federal District, Brazil in the Cerrado biome ( Fig. 20 View FIGURE 20 ).

Etymology. Named after Dr. José Roberto Pujol-Luz, dipterist, professor and head of the “Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Metamorfose de Diptera ” (LADDi - UnB), responsible for collecting the individuals used to describe this species.