Molynocoelia carmenae Norrbom, 2019

Norrbom, Allen L., Steck, Gary J., Rodriguez, Erick J., Sutton, Bruce D., Nolazco, Norma, Keil, Clifford, Padilla, Anabel, Clavijo, Pedro Alexander Rodriguez & O., P., 2019, New species and distribution records of Alujamyia Norrbom and Molynocoelia Giglio-Tos (Diptera: Tephritidae), Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 49 (2), pp. 73-86 : 80-82

Molynocoelia carmenae Norrbom , n. sp.

( Figs 6, 9–11)

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A9E72BD2-CADA-4D55-8E19-C8ADBC946DAA .

Etymology: The name of this species is derived from its type locality.

Diagnosis: This species differs from all other species of Molynocoelia by the following combination of characters: Scutum with 2 pairs of postsutural brown vittae, but no brown band on the posterior margin; wing with subapical band (covering crossvein dm–m) connected to posterior apical band, but not connected anteriorly to anterior apical band; crossvein r–m covered by narrow brown band very narrowly separated from discal band in cells r 1 and r 2+3 or by very broad band (fused discal and rm bands).

Description: Body length 6.0– 7.5 mm. Mesonotum length 2.8–2.9 mm. Wing length 6.0– 6.4 mm. Setae dark brown to black.

Head ( Fig. 6). Yellow except brown ocellar tubercle, large medial brown spot or semicircular mark anteriorly on frons, sometimes small brown mark midway between ocellar tubercle and eye margin ( Ecuador paratypes) or on orbital plate (holotype), and weak brown spot on gena bordering eye. Facial carina entirely finely microtrichose. Parafacial mostly nonmicrotrichose, 0.53–0.60 width of first flagellomere. Postocular setae moderately large, distinct, occiput without setulae near postoculars. Antenna yellow except dorsal margin to dorsal half and apex of first flagellomere and most of arista brown; first flagellomere long, 4.8–5.1× as long as wide, exceeding ventral facial margin; arista long plumose, longest hairs 0.75–1.00× as long as basal width of first flagellomere.

Thorax ( Fig. 6). Scutum with small dark brown spot anteromesal to presutural supra-alar seta; with 2 pairs of narrow brown vittae, submedial pair extended from at least slightly anterior to transverse suture to acrostichal setae, sublateral pair between levels of dorsocentral and intra-alar setae, extended from slightly posterior to transverse suture to posterior margin, except in holotype extending on lateral margin of scutellum to at least basal scutellar seta; except in holotype with short, narrow brown vitta or spot between transverse suture and postsutural supra-alar seta. Mediotergite with or without lateral brown vitta. Dorsocentral seta aligned about midway between postsutural supra-alar and intra-alar setae or slightly closer to former.Anepisternum with 2 well developed setae. Katepisternal and anepimeral setae well developed. Anatergite entirely microtrichose; katatergite microtrichose on posterior half; scutum nonmicrotrichose except narrow postsutural lateral margin (lateral to postsutural supra-alar seta); scutellum entirely nonmicrotrichose.

Legs. Mostly orange; tibiae pale to dark brown. Fore femur with ventral setae weak, orange.

Wing ( Figs 9–11). With 5–6 bands: subbasal band extended to base of vein CuA+ CuP, sometimes almost reaching its apex, entirely brown; discal band extended from pterostigma to posterior margin distally in cell m 4, entirely brown; radial-medial band very narrowly separated from discal band ( Fig. 9) or fused with discal band ( Figs 10, 11); subapical band broad, expanding posteriorly, broadly connected to discal band on posterior margin and in cell dm (hyaline area between them ending in cell r 4+5 or cell dm), connected anteriorly to posterior apical band, but separated from anterior apical band, entirely brown; anterior apical band narrowly separated from or connected to rm band (or fused rm and discal bands), relatively narrow, partially to mostly orange; posterior apical band relatively narrow, entirely brown. Cell bc, base of cell c, and base of cell br subhyaline to pale brown; cell c with anterior and distal margins pale to moderate brown, with large posterior hyaline area. Cells bm and cua except posterior margins, and alula and anal lobe hyaline.

Abdomen. Yellow except syntergite 1+2 with brown markings (inverted V-shaped mark in Peruvian paratype ( Fig. 6) and one Ecuadorian paratype, paired submedial posterior marks in holotype as if apex of V missing, or with 4 small paler brown marks in 1 Ecuadorian paratype, if connected would form margin of inverted V); also with pair of short paler brown submedial vittae on male tergite 5 and female tergites 5 and 6.

Female terminalia. Oviscape brown dorsally, orange or brown ventrally, 0.8 mm long.

Holotype: ♂ ( MHNJP USNMENT01354468 ) Peru: Cusco: Estación Biológica Villa Carmen , trail 5, 12.89342°S 71.41900°W, 577 m, trap VC-ML-30, 27.viii–16.ix.2013, M. Macedo.

Paratypes: Ecuador: Orellana: 1♀ Estación Cientifica Yasuní, trail 4 Peru , on narrow ridge, 0.67654°S 76.39203°W, 257 m, trap ECY-ML-43 on Matisia malacocalyx tree, 21–27.ix.2017, A. Padilla ( QCAZ USNMENT01354469 ) ; 1♀ same, trail 2 Chorongo , 400 m from main road, 0.67679°S 76.4076°W, 241 m, trap ECY-ML-23, 11–17.x.2018, A. Padilla ( USNM USNMENT01354593 ) . Peru: Cusco: 1♂ Estación Biológica Villa Carmen , trail 5, 12.89056°S 71.42075°W, 570 m, trap VC-ML-41, 22–24. iii.2014, E.J. Rodriguez ( USNM USNMENT01354466 ) .

Distribution: This species is known only from Amazonian Ecuador and Peru. The elevation of collection localities ranges from 241– 577 m.

Biology: The host plants and biology of this species are unknown.

Comments: This species is perhaps most closely related to M. plumosa Norrbom and M. erwini Norrbom. These species have the arista long plumose, although not as long in M. carmenae as in the other two species (apomorphic), scutum with postsutural lateral margin narrowly microtrichose (plesiomorphic), dorsocentral seta aligned with or slightly anterior or posterior to intra-alar seta (plesiomorphic), the discal and subapical bands broadly connected posteriorly, at least in M. plumosa (polarity uncertain; M. erwini has a highly derived wing pattern), and a V-shaped mark at least sometimes present on syntergite 1+2 (apomorphic). Both M. carmenae and M. erwini have an anteromedial brown spot on the frons (apomorphic), which would support their closer relationship to the other species of Molynocoelia , unless the absence of the spot in M. plumosa is due to reversal.