Four new species of Mesorhaga Schiner (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Northeastern Brazil, with an identification key to South American species of the genus Author Santos, Ednaldo Bezerra Dos Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Laboratório de Estudos dos Invertebrados, Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade, Ambiente e Saúde, 65604 - 380, Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil Author Capellari, Renato Soares Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo (IFSP), Campus Avaré, São Paulo, Brazil Author Limeira-De-Oliveira, Francisco Universidade Estadual do Maranhão, Laboratório de Estudos dos Invertebrados, 65604 - 380, Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil text Zootaxa 2024 2024-10-08 5519 2 243 256 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5519.2.4 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5519.2.4 1175-5326 13915824 96CED727-1208-41A9-8CC2-B46AFC1E2F45 Mesorhaga gomesi sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 23547DD2-BBAF-464D-BB73-8D53382FE81C ( Figs 9–16 ) Etymology. The specific epithet honors Professor José Gomes Pereira for his contributions and research at the Universidade Estadual do Maranhão (UEMA), Brazil . Diagnosis. Specimens blue-green, metallic, with bronze reflections; abdomen blackish towards distal end. Legs predominantly brown, except distal 1 / 3 of fore femur, distal end of mid and hind femora and tibiae yellow. Wing ( Fig. 12 ) infuscated with brown, more intensely on distal 1 / 3 of cells r 1 and r 2+3 ; M 1 strongly curved towards vein R 4+5 , forming an angle of almost 90°. Hypopygium ( Fig. 15 ): cerci dark yellow, robust, ventrally curved almost at right angles, distal third heavily sclerotized, distally widened, surstylus with three lobes subequal in length; anterior lobe with pale seta distally. Holotype ♂ ( Figs 9–14 ). Body length 4.09 mm , wing length 4.34 mm . Variation . Male (n=4). Body length 3.82–4.15 mm , mean 3.99 mm , wing length 3.30–4.38 mm , mean 4.08 mm . Head ( Figs10–11 ). Vertex deeply excavated; ocellar triangle with 1 pair of black, divergent ocellar setae, long and strong, similar to notopleural setae; 2 pairs of postocellar diverging setae, weak and short, as weak and short as presutural acrostichal setae; 3 pairs of postvertical setae, in line with row of postocular setae, inner and middle postvertical setae subequal in length and diameter, as long and strong as presutural acrostichal setae; outer postvertical seta about 2.0X shorter and slightly weaker than inner and middle postvertical setae; 1 pair of strong vertical setae. Postocular setae near vertex, short and uniseriate, longer and multiseriate from middle. Antenna light brown to brown, scape, pedicel and postpedicel subequal in length; pedicel glabrous, with brownish-gray pruinosity, with ring of black distal setae, dorsal and ventral setae longer and stronger; postpedicel subtriangular, slightly wider than long; arista brown to dark brown, glabrous, about 3.0X length of scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Frons, face and clypeus bluish-green with golden reflections, greyish-white pruinosity, denser on face and clypeus. Face ventrally narrowed. Palpus dark brown with strong black distal seta and some additional smaller ones, brown. Labellum dark yellow to brown, setae dark yellow. Thorax ( Fig. 13 ). Bluish-green metallic with bronze reflections, setae black. Chaetotaxy: 3 pairs of acrostichals setae, 1 presutural seta, 2 postsutural setae as long and strong as inner postvertical seta; 1 + 4 dorsocentrals setae, strong, increasing in length and diameter posteriorly; 1 presutural intra-alar seta, as long and strong as presutural supra-alar (nearly on transverse suture); postpronotal lobe glabrous, except for 1 very short, almost inconspicuous seta; 2 supra-alar setae, 1 presutural, as long and strong as presutural intra-alar; 2 long and strong notopleural setae, subequal in length and diameter. Scutellum concolorous with mesonotum, with two pairs of macrosetae, 1st pair (lateral) slightly shorter and weaker than 2nd pair (apical). Pleurae dark green with golden and bronze reflections, whitish-gray pruinosity. Legs ( Fig. 9 ). Coxae and femora brown, except distal 1 / 3 of fore femur, distal end of middle and hind femora, yellow; all femora with pale and elongated setae on ventral surface; tibiae yellow; tarsus brown, except first tarsomere yellow. Coxae with short setae, pale setae on proximal ½ ventral surface, elongated dark brown on distal ½. Femora with short, black setae, except for elongated pale setae on ventral surface. Tibiae setose, setae slightly longer on proximal 1 / 3 . Tarsomeres with short, black setae. Fore leg with tarsomere 4 slightly shorter than fifth, latter slightly expanded laterally. Fore leg: 30; 31; 20/ 8/ 4/ 3/ 4; mid leg: 31; 30; 21/ 8/ 4/ 3/ 3 and hind leg: 24; 35; 16/ 11/ 7/ 4/ 2. Wing ( Fig. 12 ). Membrane infuscated with brown, darker on distal 1 / 3 of cells r 1 , r 2 + 3 and ventral surroundings of vein R 4+5 , surrounding vein M 1 and crossvein dm-m . Vein M 1 strongly curved towards vein R 4+5 , making angle of about 90º in 1 / 2 distance between crossvein dm -m and apex of wing; crossvein dm-m slightly longer than distal section of vein M 4 . Lower calyptra light brown, with fan of black setae. Halter brown to black. Abdomen ( Fig. 9 ). Abdomen slightly narrower than thorax, dark green, with bronze reflection, sternites brown, dark brown to black setae, slightly longer and stronger on distal margins of tergites, distinctly longer and stronger on tergites 1 and 5 (series of 2 to 4 black setae, particularly longer on laterals of tergite 1); tergite 5 with long and strong black setae. Male terminalia ( Fig. 15 ). Hypopygium brown. Hypandrium thin and elongated, slightly longer than epandrium, dorsally curved. Epandrium elongated subcylindrical, about 3.0X longer than wide, at maximum width with microtrichia on dorsal surface; epandrial foramen oval, positioned on medial portion of epandrium; epandrial seta short and weak at base of epandrial lobe; epandrial lobe elongated, about 5.0X longer than wide, at maximum width with 2 setae, 1 subdistal long and strong and 1 distal short, weak, almost inconspicuous; surstylus with three lobes subequal in length: anterior lobe with pale seta distally, this slightly shorter than median lobe, latter robust and narrowed towards apex, slightly longer than anterior lobe; posterior lobe slender and slightly longer than median lobe. Cerci dark yellow, robust, ventrally curved almost at right angles, proximal end narrowed in lateral view, subproximal region with bifurcated appearance in dorsal view; distal 1 / 3 heavily sclerotized, distally widened; outer surface with dark setae, subequal in length, as long as apical setae of epandrial lobe, decreasing in length and diameter towards distal end; distal 1 / 3 with dark setae on medial surface, as long as subapical seta of epandrial lobe. Female. Similar to male, except for reduced size, slightly more robust abdomen. Halter light brown, knob yellow. Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂ (pinned, good condition), deposited in CZMA : Brazil , PI [= Piauí ], Piracuruca , P. [=Parque] N.[ = Nacional] de Sete Cidades , Posto ICMBio , 04°05′57′′S / 41°42′34′′W \ Armadilha Malaise Gd, 1– 15.ii.2022 , F. Limeira-de-Oliveira , D. Limeira & L.M. S Cardoso , cols [=coletores] \ FLO 5734 . PARATYPES : same data as holotype except: 1–15.i.2022 \ FLO 5732 (pinned, terminalia in glass microvial, good condition: 1♂ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 5733 ( 1♂ , CZMA ) ; i dem , Altos , F. [=Floresta] N.[ = Nacional] de Palmares , 5°03′24,5′′S-42°35′35,6′′W \ PET (Vinagre V. Tinto + Etanol), alta (20 mts), 1–10.xii.2022 , F. Limeira-de-Oliveira , A. Tôrres , & G. A. Reis \ FLO 5730 ( 1♂ , CZMA ) , idem , 1–15.i.2022 \ FLO 8923 ( 1♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8922 ( 1♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , 1–15.ii.2022 , idem , \ FLO 8906 ( 1♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8907 ( 1♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8908 ( 1♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8909 ( 1♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8910 ( 1♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8911 ( 1♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8912 ( 1♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , 15–28.ii.2022 , idem ,\ FLO 8925 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem ,\ FLO 8924 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8926 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8913 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8914 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8915 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8916 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8917 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8918 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , 28–31.xii.2021 , idem , \ FLO 8919 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8920 ( ♀ , CZMA ) ; idem , \ FLO 8921 ( ♀ , CZMA ) . Distribution. Brazil : Piauí . Remarks. Mesorhaga gomesi sp . nov . keys to couplet 4 and Mesorhaga hule Bickel in Bickel (2007) , but can be differentiated by the predominantly brown wing membrane, darker on distal 1 / 3 of cells r 1 , r 2+3 and on the ventral area of R 4+5 , surrounding M 1 and dm -m (wing with faint smoky color in M. hule ), M 1 is strongly curved towards R 4+5 , with an angle of around 90° in 1 / 2 distance between dm-m and apex wing ( M 1 with smooth curvature with a right angle at 2 / 5 distance between dm-m and apex wing in M. hule ), distal section of M 4 straight to moderately curved toward the anterior end (the distal section of M 4 is moderately curved toward distal end of wing in M. hule ) , cerci with protuberance on ventral surface, on 1 / 4 proximal end without strong setae, lateromedially and distally on inner margin, without subdistal ventral expansion (the cerci have no protuberance on ventral surface, but have one strong lateral seta after the curvature and outside the inner margin and immediately after the ventrodistal expansion in M. hule ).