Ebenia neofumata Santis & Nihei 2022

Domingos, Marcelo, 2024, Revision of the Neotropical Obscure Genus Ebenia Macquart 1846 (Diptera, Tachinidae, Dufouriini), Neotropical Entomology 53 (4), pp. 833-853 : 840-844

Ebenia neofumata Santis & Nihei 2022

( Figs. 4 and 5 ).

Ebenia neofumata Santis & Nihei 2022: 33 . Nomem novum by Santis & Nihei (2022) for Comyopsis fumata Townsend 1919 . Comyopsis fumata, Townsend 1919: 176 . References. Thompson (1963: 475, redescription of male; 477, description of first instar larva); Guimarães 1971: 109, catalogue); Maes (1989: 23, catalogue of parasitoids from Nicaragua); O’Hara et al. (2020: 93, checklist of World Tachinidae ); Santis & Nihei (2022, phylogenetic analysis).

Additional examined material COSTA RICA. Guanacaste: P.N. Rincón de la Vieja, Sect. Santa Maria, Send. Pailas, Agua Fria , 800 m, 2–5.x.2001, 1 ♂, D. Briceño & Libre L., L.N_305475_392908 #64,949 ( MNCR) .

Diagnosis. Eyes with only a few, scattered short setulae. Fronto-orbital plate dark silver pruinose. Postpedicel entirely dark brown. Facial ridge with setulae only at base. Prosternum bare. Thorax with silver pruinosity. Wing smoky; vein R 4+5 with setulae ending at the r-m. Costal spine very long, about 3 × the length of adjacent setae. Abdomen blackish, with silver pruinosity only visible on posterior view, occupying about anterior half of tergite 3 and 4. Male terminalia with surstylus setulose in frontal view.

Redescription of male.

Coloration ( Fig. 4 ): Occiput with silver pruinosity. Head with dark silver pruinosity. Antenna dark brown. Arista dark brown, but proximal 1/5 light brown. Palpus dark brown. Labellum light brown, prementum shiny black. Scutum brownish, but posterior part of the postpronotal lobe silvery pruinose. Wing smoky. Calypters smoky. Tegula and basicosta dark brown. Halter yellowish-brown. Posterior spiracle light-brown. Legs brownish black. Upper and lower calypters smoky to dark brown. Abdomen blackish, with silver pruinosity only visible on posterior view, occupying about anterior half of tergite 3 and 4.

Head ( Fig. 4 ): Vertex about 0.13 × head width in dorsal view. Width of parafacial, measured at distance between inner margin of eye and antennal insertion, 2 × height of gena. Fronto-orbital plate with setulae throughout its length. Frontal vitta narrowed dorsally. Eye about 0.85×the head height. Gena about 0.12 × eye height. Prementum about 0.5 × head height. Labellum developed, about 0.1x as long as prementum.

Thorax ( Fig. 4a, c ): Acrostichal setae 2 + 1. Dorsocentral setae 2 + 2. Setulose. Anepisternum with one seat on anterior upward region. Wing. Costal spine very long, about 3 × the length of adjacent setae. Vein R 4+5 with setulae ending just at the r-m. Legs. Fore femur with posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of setae; fore tibia with a row of anterodorsal setae, 3 preapical, 2 anterodorsal and 1 posteroventral setae. Mid tibia with 5 anteroventral, 5 posteroventral setae on apical third; mid femur with 2 posterodorsal setae and 1 anteroventral setae on distal third, 2 preapical, and 2 posteroventral setae. Hind femur with posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of setae. Hind femur with a row of 8 anteroventral, 8 posteroventral setae, hind tibia with 5 anterodorsal setae, and 1 postodorsal setae on distal third, 2 preapicals, 2 anterodorsal setae.

Abdomen ( Fig. 4a, c ): Syntergite 1 +2 with mid-dorsal longitudinal depression extending until ½ to posterior margin. Syntergite 1 + 2 with at least 4 pairs of lateral marginal setae; tergite 3 with at least 4 pairs of lateral marginal setae and a pair of median marginal seta.

Terminalia ( Fig. 5 ): Sternite 5 with slightly developed lobules, setulose, with basal plate long and slightly curved; sensilla “ trichodea ” present on distal portion. Epandrium broad in posterior view, setulose, and closed dorsally. Anterior epandrial process undeveloped. Cerci not fused, narrow, apically rounded and distally slightly tapered in posterior view. Surstylus somewhat narrow, not fused with epandrium, convex, with seven long setulae in frontal view; distally tapered in lateral view ( Fig. 5A, C ). Extension of dorsal sclerite of distiphallus ending in an expanded region.

Female. Following the description of Thompson (1963: 472), it differs from male by the following: head with vertex about 4x width of front. Ocellar setae weak, proclinate-divergent. A pair of strong proclinate orbitals and between these but near the anterior orbital, a strong reclinate frontal seta.

First instar larvae. A complete description was given by Thompson (1963: 477), and the reader is referred to that work.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Nicaragua (Chinandega), Mexico (Tabasco) and Costa Rica (Guanacaste, new record).

Figures

Fig. 4 Ebenia neofumata Santis & Nihei 2022, male from Gua- nacaste, Costa Rica. A. Dorsal habitus. B. head, frontal view. C. lateral habitus

Fig. 5 Ebenia neofumata Santis & Nihei 2022, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Male terminalia. A. epandrium, cerci and surstylus, posterior view. B. syntergosternite 7+8, sternite 6 and tergite 6. C. sternite 5. D. ejaculatory apodeme; E. epandrium, cerci, surstylus, hypandrium, phallapodeme, basiphallus, epiphallus, distiphallus, pregonite and postgonite, lateral view