Corresponding author: Lucas A. Cezar (
Academic editor: Martin Hauser
Two recent faunistic surveys in the Brazilian Atlantic Forests region, the PROFAUPAR and the Biota/FAPESP Program, have provided important material for the discovery of new taxa from Brazil. We describe herein four new species of robber-flies of the genus
The
The Atlantic Rainforest is one of the world’s highest diversity biomes, with a large number of endemic species; yet, it is also one of the most devastated biomes due to human occupation and development. Undisturbed habitat occupies less than 7% of the original area, and it is recognized as one of the world’s hotspots for conservation (
In this scenario of high diversity and intense destruction, providing more knowledge on this biome is a matter of great urgency. Two major efforts seeking a wider consciousness about the insect diversity of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest should be noted: the projects BIOTA/FAPESP and PROFAUPAR.
The BIOTA program, funded by the São Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP), was primarily aimed at surveying and characterizing São Paulo state biodiversity, and guiding actions for its conservation. Since the Atlantic Forest is the most representative biome in São Paulo, it has attracted most of the effort of this survey. Some projects within the program also included expeditions to Atlantic Forest areas outside São Paulo state. Over 500 researchers were included in more than 70 projects in BIOTA/FAPESP program (
Another remarkable effort at increasing knowledge of Brazilian biodiversity was the Survey of the Entomological Fauna of Paraná State, PROFAUPAR, initiated by Dr. Renato Contin Marinoni. It was conducted from 1986 to 1988 and focused on Paraná state biodiversity in the different ecosystems that occur in its area (
Presented here are the illustrated descriptions, with details on male terminalia and female genitalia, of four new species of
Specimens were examined with a ZEISS Stemi SV6 Stereomicroscope. Terminalia of selected paratypes were dissected and cleared in KOH at 25°C for 24 hours; dehydrated under an alcoholic series, in increasing concentration (30–95%); examined in temporary slides with glycerine; drawn under microscope with aid of a ZEISS Axioskope 40
The identification key includes the four new species of
Photographs were taken under ZEISS Discovery V20 Stereomicroscope with a ZEISS AxioCam Mrc5 camera attached, connected to a desktop computer through ZEISS AxioVs40 v. 4.8.2.0 software. Image stacks were assembled in Combine ZP software (
Terminology for general morphology follows
Depository for the specimens is noted within parentheses under the material examined section, according to acronyms listed below:
British Museum (Natural History), London
Canada National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Ottawa
Coleção Entomológica Padre Jesus Santiago Moure, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba
Eric Fisher’s private collection, El Dorado Hills
Laboratório de Ecologia Evolutiva de Insetos de Dossel, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto
Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Museu de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana
Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo
Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Munich
1 | Gibbosity extending through lower half of face or beyond ( |
|
– | Gibbosity extending through lower third of face at most ( |
2 |
2(1) | Body yellow and black or light-brown and black ( |
3 |
– | Body entirely black or dark-brown ( |
4 |
3(2) | Scutum vestiture homogeneously directed (all setulae reclinate, including posterior region of scutum); antenna usually entirely dark-brown; anterior and mid femora brown. Male with hind femur yellow; hind tibia entirely dark-brown; with modified tibial seta on posterior leg (short light-brown seta, with slightly dilated apex white) ( |
|
– | Scutum vestiture heterogeneously directed (setulae on posterior region of scutum proclinate); antenna with yellow or light-brown scape and pedicel; anterior and mid femora yellow. Male with hind femur dark-brown; hind tibia yellow dorsally and dark-brown ventrally; without modified tibial seta on hind leg ( |
|
4(2) | Legs predominantly yellow, femora dorsally and tibiae ventrally dark-brown ( |
|
– | Legs predominantly dark-brown, anterior and mid tibiae at most slightly lighter dorsally; face usually copper-pollinose, with gibbosity silver-pollinose (rarely entirely golden-pollinose). Male without modified tibial seta; mystax as long as, or longer than, proboscis; phallus with equal-sized prongs; gonocoxite with three spines in characteristic fork-like pattern on apex [Brazil (Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, and Santa Catarina)] |
Gibbosity extending through lower half of face or beyond; abdomen cup-shaped; legs yellow or light-brown. Males with modified mystax (pair of regular setae dorsally, pair of dark-brown laterally-flattened setae and pair of white sinuous filiform setae ventrally); modified tibial setae dark-brown, shorter than femur, with dark-brown leaf-shaped, longitudinally-striated lamella on apical 1/5, inserted on middle of hind tibiae.
Peru, Bolivia, Brazil (Goiás, Mato Grosso, São Paulo and Paraná) and Argentina.
This species share with an undescribed species from Panama–”
This species, along with
From the Latin,
Habitus, lateral view:
Hind leg, male:
Wing, male:
Head, male, anterior view:
Head, male, lateral view:
Male terminalia:
Spermathecae:
Body shiny black and yellow; scutum with distinct arrow-like color pattern, in dorsal view; tergites with slightly paler to yellow lateral margins. Male with characteristic modified tibial seta, short light-brown with very slightly-dilated white apex.
Brazil (Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Paraná).
Although this species shares with
Honors Dr. Julio Fontenelle, for his efforts on a long-term survey on
Distribution of
Leg color pattern: coxae yellow, femora dark-brown dorsally and tibiae yellow dorsally; facial pollinosity golden. Male with dark-brown modified tibial seta, as long as femur, golf-club-shaped with apical 1/4 as a large white lamella with black spot at apex; mid prong of the phallus much longer than lateral prongs; mystax short.
Brazil (Goiás, São Paulo and Paraná).
There is a group of females from Fênix (PR) that differs from the paratypes assigned by presenting an oblong postpedicel, dark-brown coxae and homogeneously directed vestiture on the scutum. Therefore, these specimens are not included as paratypes for the species, since they vary in such consistent characters; instead, these specimens are listed under “additional material examined”.
from the Latin,
Pleura yellow; scutum yellow laterally and anteriorly, tergites yellow on lateral margins; scape and pedicel yellow or light brown. Males without modified tibial seta.
Brazil (São Paulo and Paraná).
This species is similar to
It is also important to remark that the holotype presents an asymmetry concerning the relative position of cells
Honors late Dr. Renato Marinoni, for his efforts on promoting, besides other projects, an important zoological survey in Paraná State (PROFAUPAR), that made available specimens for this species, and many other, to be recognized and described.
We thank the curators and associated researchers from the listed collections for the material provided on loan: Dr. Claudio J. B. Carvalho (DZUP), Márcia Souto Couri and Valéria Cid Maia (MNRJ), Julio Fontenelle (LEEID), and Freddy Bravo (MZUEFS). To Guilherme Ide, for providing the photograph of