Mberu jawara, Silva & Capellari & Oliveira, 2025

Silva, Paulo Cesar, Capellari, Renato S. & Oliveira, Sarah S., 2025, Revision and morphological phylogeny of the Neotropical genus Mberu Capellari & Amorim (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), with description of twelve new species, Zootaxa 5637 (3), pp. 469-514 : 479-482

Mberu jawara sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 )

Description. Male. Body length: 2.55–3.15 mm. Wing length: 2.38–2.91 mm long, 0.84–1.00 mm wide (n = 10). Similar to M. altamiro sp. nov. in both general habitus and chaetotaxy, except as noted. Head ( Figs 5B, C ). Complete row of white pocl s, increasing in size ventrally, ventralmost dense and sinuous, as long as anterior setae at base of coxa I; lower occiput covered by numerous white, sinuous ocp s, increasing in size ventrally, as long as lower pocl s. Pedicel completely yellow; postpedicel about 1.6 times longer than basal width; stylus about 4.9 times longer than postpedicel. Thorax ( Fig. 5C ). Brown, with some dark green reflections. Wing ( Fig. 5G ). Membrane hyaline, veins brown, venation greatly modified, reticulated, with 9–11 short spurious veins arising perpendicularly from R 4+5, 13–15 from M 1, 6–8 from dm-m and 9–11 from M 4, those at apex of R 4+5 and M 1 high anastomosed, with anastomoses forming spots touching each other or nearly so, with most spurious veins brownish at apex, so that pattern of spurious veins consistent among specimens (MSSC). RMx ratio = 1.7, CuAx ratio = 2.1. Legs. Mostly brown, yellow at apex of femur I, apex of tibia I, apical 3/4 of tibia II, basal 3/4 of IIt1, apical 3/4 of tibia III and basal 3/4 of IIIt1. Femora covered by black setae dorsally, some white setae laterally. Leg I. Coxa I largely covered with white, fine setae, decreasing in length towards apex, basalmost ones longer, sinuous and conspicuously longer than width of coxa I (MSSC); base of femur I with 2–4 long pv white setae, sometimes bunched together, with 2–3 tiny hairs posteriad, apex of femur I with 2–3 strong, dorsal setae (MSSC); tibia I with row of 8–10 brown ad setae at basal half, decreasing in size towards apex (MSSC); It 1 ventrally swollen at basal 1/3 ( Fig. 5D ) (MSSC). Leg II. Femur II with ad row of strong, conspicuous brown setae along apical 2/3, decreasing in length towards apex, ventral surface completely bare, except av row of pale setae along basal 3/4, decreasing in length towards apex, ending in one sinuous, brown av seta ( Fig. 5E ) (all MSSC); tibia II with anterior row of long, conspicuous brown setae, strongly curved medially (MSSC). Leg III. Coxa III with one conspicuous, long, white seta near base; tibia III with dorsal row of small white setae (MSSC). Relative podomere ratios: I: 12.5/ 8.8/ 7/ 2.1/ 1.3/ 1/ 1; II: 10/ 8.9/ 8.7/ 3.3/ 1.9/ 1/ 1; III: 9.9/ 10.4/ 4.3/ 4.8/ 2.6/ 1.4/ 1. Abdomen. As in M. altamiro sp. nov., except in some specimens with tergite 1 and tergite 2 yellow on basal third. Hypopygium. As in M. altamiro sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 ) (see Discussion).

Female. Body length: 2.6–3.3 mm. Wing: 2.5–2.9 mm long, 0.9–1.1 mm wide (n = 3). Habitus similar to male, except for MSSCs and as noted. Head. Face slightly broader (about as broad as ocellar tubercle), slightly wider towards apex, clypeal suture evident. Wing ( Fig. 5H ). Spurious veins on R 4+5 and M 1 significantly shorter, fewer in number and restricted to distal parts of veins, variable in quantity and size among specimens; no spurious veins on dm-m; R 4+5 only slightly concave on distal half, not as close to wing margin; M 1 bent anteriorly on distal third; RMx ratio = 2.6; CuAx ratio = 0.5. Legs. Mostly yellow. Coxa II and III dark brown, sclerotized; femora yellow to pale brown; darker at apex of tibia I, apex of It1, It2–5, apex of tibia II, IIt1 at apex, IIt2–5, apex of tibia III, IIt1 at apex and IIt2–5; coxa I covered by short scattered pale setae anteriorly; tibia II with 1 anterior seta at 1/4, 2 ad at 1/3 and 2/3, 1 pd at apex, 1 ad, 1 av, and 1 ventral setae at apex. Relative podomere ratios: I: 13.8/ 8.1/ 4.8/ 2.8/ 1.3/ 1/ 1; II: 8.8/ 9/ 6.9/ 3.6/ 2/ 1.2/ 1; III: 9.3/ 11.2/ 3.4/ 4.2/ 2.2/ 1.1/ 1. Abdomen. Tergite 1–5 with short vestiture of black setae. Sternites light brown, covered by few black setae. Oviscapt as in M. bodoquena sp. nov.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, “ BRAZIL, GO [Goiás], Varjão | Chácara [ Farm ] N. Sra. Aparecida | Malaise- Mata [ Semideciduous Seasonal Forest ] | 17°01′57.1″S 49°33′15.4″W | 12.viii.2018 - 09.ix.2018 | Col. Lopes W. R.”; “ HOLOTYPE | Mberu jawara | Silva, Capellari & Oliveira [red label]” ( MZUSP) . Holotype in good condition, genitalia not dissected. PARATYPES. Brazil. Goiás. Same data as holotype (2 ♂, 1 ♀, MZUSP). Same data except, 27.vi–08.viii.2021 (2 ♂, INPA). Same data except, 14.vii–11.viii.2019 (1 ♂, ZUFG). Goianápolis , Parque Estadual Altamiro de Moura Pacheco-PEAMP, Malaise Mata , margem do córrego Carapina – Trilha da Onça , 16°32′05.6″S 49°06′49.7″W, 29.vi–02.viii.2022, cols. Oliveira, S.S. & Lopes, W. R. (2 ♂, one dissected, 2 ♀, MNRJ) . Mato Grosso do Sul. Aquidauana. Res. Ecol. UEMS , Mata Ciliar, Córrego Fundo, 20º26′03.7″S 55º39′20.8″W, 27.viii– 11.ix.2011, Malaise 7. Lamas, Nihei e eq. Col (1 ♂, dissected, MZUSP). Distrito Federal. Taguatinga , Chácara Frutos da Terra , 15°49′45.0″S, 48°04′16.4″W, Malaise T3 , 24.viii.2012, msp 09.50, Harterreiten-Souza, E.S. col. (1 ♂ MZUSP) .

Etymology. From the Tupi-Guarani, one of the native Brazilian linguistic families, “jawára ” (jaguar), treated as a noun in apposition, alluding to the conspicuous wing vein pattern similar to the jaguar coat spots.

Remarks. Mberu jawara sp. nov. is similar to M. pepocatu , and both share a number of male secondary sexual characters, such as the conspicuously modified wing venation ( Figs 5G , 7D ). They can be differentiated by wing membrane hyaline in males of M. jawara sp. nov., with veins at the apex of R 4+5 and M 1 greatly anastomosed, with anastomoses forming spots that touch each other or almost so ( Fig. 5G ), while in M. pepocatu the wing membrane is light brown, slightly darker along anterior margin, those at the apex of R 4+5 and M 1 slightly anastomosed, and the membrane around the apex of most spurious veins is brownish ( Fig. 7D ).

Distribution ( Fig. 24 ). Brazil: Distrito Federal and states of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul (Cerrado biome).

4+5

Figures

FIGURE 2. Mberualtamiro sp.nov., male hypopygium of holotype.A–B. Hypopygiumnot dissected and dissected, respectively; C. VSur and epandrial lobes; D. DSur, left lateral view; E. Postgonite, dorsal view; F. Internal appendages, left lateral view; G. MEp, left lateral view; H. Cercus, left lateral view (arrow pointing to ventral spines). Abbreviations: cerc = cercus; DSur = dorsal surstylar lobe; hypd = hypandrium; LEp = lateral epandrial lobe; MEp = medial epandrial lobe; ph = phallus; VSur = ventral surstylar lobe.

FIGURE 5. Mberu jawara sp. nov. A–G. Male paratype (Brazil: Goiás). A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, anterior view; C. Head and thorax, lateral view; D. Leg I, anterior view (arrow pointing to It1); E. Leg II, posterior view (arrow pointing to ventral row of setae of femur II); F. Ventral surface of It1; G. Left wing; H. Female paratype, left wing. Abbreviations: C = costal vein; CuA+CuP = anterior branch of cubital vein + posterior branch of cubital vein; dm-m = discal medial crossvein; h = humeral crossvein; M 1 = first branch of media; M 4 = fourth branch of media; R 1 = anterior branch of radius; R 2+3 = second branch of radius; R = third branch of radius; Sc = subcostal vein.

FIGURE 7. Mberu pepocatu Capellari & Amorim, 2011. A–D. Male. A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Leg I, lateral view (arrow pointing to anterior bush-like comb of setae on coxa I); C. Leg II, lateral view (arrow pointing to femur II [above] and tibia II [below]); D. Left wing; E. Female, left wing. Abbreviations: C = costal vein; CuA+CuP = anterior branch of cubital vein + posterior branch of cubital vein; dm-m = discal medial crossvein; h = humeral crossvein; M 1 = first branch of media; M 4 = fourth branch of media; R 1 = anterior branch of radius; R 2+3 = second branch of radius; R = third branch of radius; Sc = subcostal 4+5 vein.

FIGURE 24. Geographic distribution of Mberu Capellari & Amorim, 2011 through South America and the phylogenetic hypothesis in the lower left corner. Savannas are represented by the Cerrado and Chaco biomes, fields by the Pampa biome, flooded fields by the Pantanal biome, and tropical forests by the Atlantic Forest biome.