Nudopeza, a New Genus of Neotropical Micropezidae (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae) ^†

Abstract

The Neotropical genus Nudopeza (Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae) is described for a group of 41 species, including Nudopeza tapanti sp. nov. (type species) and Nudopeza pronigra (Hennig) n. comb. for Grallipeza pronigra Hennig 1934, Nudopeza arcuata (Hennig) n. comb. for Grallipeza arcuata Hennig 1934, and the following 38 additional new species: N. cegex sp. nov, N. cura sp. nov, N. duplitheca sp. nov, N. gilli sp. nov., N. glypha sp. nov., N. gracei sp. nov., N. hansoni sp. nov., N. horologia sp. nov., N. laselva sp. nov., N. mephitis sp. nov., N. mexicana sp. nov., N. micromephitis sp. nov., N. nigrivertex sp. nov., N. nigriscutellum sp. nov., N. nudarcuata sp. nov., N. penai sp. nov., N. palenque sp. nov., N. paramephitis sp. nov., N. peruviensis sp. nov., N. quadrivitta sp. nov., N. ruficincta sp. nov., N. rutilans sp. nov, N. sirena sp. nov., N. sumaco sp. nov., N. trinidadensis sp. nov., N. uniseta sp. nov., N. variterga sp. nov., N. venezuelensis sp. nov., N. verpa sp. nov., N. versivitta sp. nov., N. viriola sp. nov., N. viva sp. nov., N. yungasensis sp. nov., N. zarza sp. nov., N. zostera sp. nov., N. zumera sp. nov., N. zygoma sp. nov., and N. zytha sp. nov.

1. Introduction

The new genus Nudopeza is described for 39 new species and 2 named species previously treated as part of Grallipeza Rondani 1850. Nudopeza species are generally brightly coloured and distinctively patterned taeniapterine micropezids that resemble Grallipeza and Calosphen Hennig 1934 in having a short anal cell (cell cup) and a long costagial bristle. Species with a plumose arista will key to Grallipeza in earlier keys [1,2]; species with a bare arista will key to Calosphen. Most members of the genus are easily recognized as Nudopeza by a combination of an all- or mostly black frontal vitta, a centrally white scutellum, a pale postpronotum flanked by a circular black spot on the scutum, and an elevated yellow or white frontal plate separated from the orbital plate by a dark diagonal band. A few species lack one or more of these defining characters, but their inclusion in Nudopeza is supported by molecular data and is usually further indicated by synapomorphies shared with close relatives that retain typical Nudopeza characters.

1.1. Biology and Distribution

Nudopeza species occur at a wide range of elevations (240 m–3300 m) from Mexico to Brazil and Bolivia. Members of the genus are infrequently collected, and the discovery of 39 new species, of which more than half are known only from one sex, in a collection of just over 200 specimens, suggests that many species remain to be discovered.

Very little is known about the habits of Nudopeza species, but adults of some are attracted to dung or other decomposing material. Two species (N. gilli sp. nov., N. verpa sp. nov.) have been taken in considerable numbers using dung traps or dung baits and the type species (N. tapanti sp. nov.) has been collected on decaying bromeliads. Several of the specimens considered here were collected by Malaise trapping, pan trapping, or “general” collecting. Given how infrequently Nudopeza species are encountered at ground level, it is noteworthy that some species have been collected in the forest canopy, either by canopy fogging (N. trinidadensis sp. nov.), in a suspension trap at 10 m (N. horologia sp. nov.), or in Malaise traps on a canopy tower in Brazil (undescribed species in the N. sumaco group, known to the author only from photos of a specimen shared by D.S. Amorim and J. A. Rafael). Nothing is known about larvae, oviposition habits or mating behaviour.

Some specimens, including two males of N. trinidadensis from Peru and Ecuador, bear apparently identical fungi (order Laboulbeniales) projecting from the same position beneath or behind the genital fork (Figure 30B,D). These and two other specimens (a male N. arcuata and an unidentified female close to N. trinidadensis) from the same Peruvian locality are the only Micropezidae known to be hosts for Laboulbeniales.

1.2. Relationships and Similar Genera

Nudopeza species for which sequence data are available were consistently recovered on CO1 (barcode) trees as a single branch separate from named genera, but the genus is difficult to definitively define morphologically because of a few species that lack characters generally diagnostic for the genus. One species group (the N. verpa group) is characterized by a broad discal wing band and a pigmented wing apex similar to species in an undescribed genus currently treated as Calosphen sensu lato. Members of the latter group, however, are separated from Nudopeza on CO1 trees, lack frontal bristles and have a raised frontal vitta with the elevated area including the ocellar triangle. Some of the Nudopeza species with a plumose arista, especially N. arcuata and similar species, closely resemble species currently treated as the Grallipeza pulchrifrons group, but most Nudopeza species can be distinguished from Grallipeza by a centrally white scutellum, black suprahumeral spots and a characteristic angled black band dividing the fronto-orbital plate into lower (frontal) and upper (orbital) parts. With a few exceptions, such as Mesoconius Enderlein 1922 [3], the genera of Taeniapterinae with a short anal cell (traditionally treated as Grallipezini or Rainieriini) are difficult to define morphologically, and lack unequivocal and unreversed synapomorphies. Nudopeza is arguably the most heterogeneous, and therefore the most difficult to define, genus in the family.

Lindsay and Marshall [4] included five Nudopeza species in a multi-gene molecular phylogeny of Scipopus Enderlein and related genera; all five species (here treated as N. duplitheca sp. nov., N. cegex sp. nov., N. cura sp. nov., N. arcuata (Hennig) and N. verpa sp. nov.) clustered as a single branch next to Systellapha Enderlein. Hoplocheiloma Cresson and Scipopus were used as outgroups here.

2. Materials and Methods

Specimens were borrowed from, observed at, or are deposited in the following collections:

• BIOUG = Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
• BMNH = Natural History Museum, London, UK
• CNC = Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids & Nematodes, Ottawa, ON, Canada
• DEBU = University of Guelph Insect Collection, Guelph, ON, Canada
• IAVH = Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Villa de Leyva, Colombia
• IEXA = Instituto de Ecología, Xalápa, Veracruz, Mexico
• MECN = INABIO, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Quito, Ecuador
• INPA = Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
• MNCR = Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica (includes previous INBIO collection)
• MUSM = Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
• QCAZ = Departamento de Biología, Pontífica, Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
• SMTD = Staatl. Museum fur Tierkunde Dresden, Germany
• ROM = Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
• TAUI = Zoological Museum of Tel Aviv University, Israel
• USNM = United States National Museum (National Museum of Natural History), Washington, DC, USA
• UVGC = Universidad de Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala

New species names, unless otherwise specified, are treated as arbitrary combinations of letters, each given as a noun in apposition in keeping with ICZN Code article 31.2.2.

Label data are mostly given verbatim but obvious errors are corrected, dates are standardized to “25.xii.2024” (day.month.year), some abbreviations are entered as full terms, and metric elevations (metres above sea level) are abbreviated as “m”.

Terminology follows [3]. Unlike other genera of Micropezidae, Nudopeza species vary widely in aristal setation, with the arista described as bare (no visible hairs), pubescent (inconspicuous hairs no longer than width of first aristomere), short-plumose (hairs conspicuous but shorter than scape width) and long-plumose (hairs conspicuously long, usually much longer than scape width); the hairs on plumose aristae are usually widely spaced and not restricted to a single plane. The female spermathecae and associated ducts include a primary duct that usually arises from the left side of the bursa and distally splits into stems leading to paired spermathecae, and a generally smaller secondary duct leading to one, two or (rarely) three spermatheca. Male structures of taxonomic value include the distiphallus and a modified fifth sternite made up mostly of a posteromedial genital fork. “Length” of entire specimens is an approximation given as a measure from the base of the antennae to the tip of the wing (i.e., distance from antennal base to wing base plus wing length) because abdominal length varies widely according to state of preservation.

When possible, spermathecae and associated structures were studied by clearing the oviscape in potassium hydroxide. Cleared oviscapes were stained with lignin pink if necessary and the spermathecae and associated ducts were usually pulled out through an incision in the side of the oviscape to see details. Male terminalia were studied by clearing the entire abdomen in potassium hydroxide before neutralizing the preparation in dilute acetic acid and rinsing with distilled water prior to storage in glycerin in a capsule pinned under the specimen. Genitalic preparations were photographed using a Nikon digital SLR mounted on a Zeiss compound microscope, with multiple images combined using Helicon Focus stacking software version 6.3. External structures for most species were photographed using a Canon DSLR mounted on a Stackshot motorized rail, after which images were stacked using Helicon Focus software version 6.3. Field photographs were taken with Nikon DSLR cameras equipped with 60 mm or 105 mm macro lenses and remote flash units.

Molecular Data

Selected specimens of Nudopeza and related Taeniapterinae were submitted to the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding (CCDB) for sequencing of the ‘barcode’ region of cytochrome oxidase I (CO1), and CO1 data for one additional specimen was accessed through BOLD (Barcode of Life Database: http://boldsystems.org/, accessed on 28 November 2024). DNA extracts are stored at the CCDB. Maximum likelihood (ML) trees were generated from CO1 sequences aligned using BOLD using RAxML [5] with 1000 replicates. Results are summarized here as a maximum likelihood tree (Figure 45) with bootstrap values > 50% and BINs (Barcode Index Numbers) [6] noted on the tree.

Some of the same material was analyzed by [4], utilizing additional genes that provided further resolution for Nudopeza duplitheca (as “Nudopeza sp. in the arcuata species group”), N. cegex, N. cura, N. verpa and N. arcuata (as manuscript names).

3. Results

3.1. Nudopeza New Genus

Type species: Nudopeza tapanti sp. nov., current designation.

3.1.1. Etymology

The generic name Nudopeza was used informally for many years to refer to species with a bare arista but otherwise superficially similar to Grallipeza. Because the name has been widely used as a manuscript name it is retained and formalized here even though the generic concept is now expanded to include species with a plumose or pubescent arista.

3.1.2. Diagnosis

Most species of Nudopeza, including the type species, have a conspicuous white or centrally white scutellum, a white postpronotum flanked mesally by a characteristic black spot, an all or mostly black frontal vitta, and an angled black line dividing the fronto-orbital plate into a pale lower (frontal) plate and a variously pigmented upper (orbital) plate (the net effect is usually a black “V” running eye to eye across the black or mostly black frontal vitta). Male terminalia of most species are simple, with the basal distiphallus ending in a broad phallic bulb as in Grallipeza, although a few males have a short (N. verpa group) to moderately long (N. zostera) distal distiphallus beyond the phallic bulb and two species (N. mexicana sp. nov., N. glypha sp. nov.) have an extraordinarily long distal distiphallus extending far anteriorly into the abdomen along with a correspondingly elongate hypandrium. Female N. glypha and N. mexicana have extremely long spermathecal ducts that seem to correspond with the elongate male phallus. The spermathecal complex of most Nudopeza species includes a simple primary spermathecal duct running to a pair of long, characteristically twisted and often ornamented spermathecal stems; the secondary spermathecal duct is usually very small with a single small or entirely atrophied spermatheca, but some species have both the primary and secondary spermathecae and associated ducts strongly developed. A few species, including the type, have two pairs of spermathecae. One unusual species (N. penai sp. nov) is the only known micropezid with five spermathecae.

3.1.3. Description

LENGTH. 7–15 mm.

HEAD. Arista bare, pubescent, short-plumose or long-plumose. Frontal vitta usually black from anterior margin to back of head but black area sometimes divided by a pale strip or limited to part of the frontal vitta; preocellar frontal vitta usually tapered to a narrow but truncate anterior margin, postocellar frontal vitta usually parallel-sided (except in N. verpa group). Frontal plate often raised slightly above level of frontal vitta and white- to cream-coloured, usually contrasting with angled black strip dividing frontal and orbital plates (black strip inconspicuous in species with a mostly or entirely black orbital plate but conspicuous when it separates pale frontal and orbital plates). Usually two fronto-orbital bristles (generally interpreted as 1 orbital and 1 frontal), sometimes with an additional small lower frontal bristle, frontal bristles rarely absent. Palpus variable but usually broad and almost parallel-sided, slightly tapered apically and sometimes convex ventrally. Postocellar bristle usually well developed and slightly posterior to inner vertical bristles, but sometimes reduced or absent. Inner and outer vertical bristles strong.

THORAX. Notum usually brightly patterned, scutellum variable in colour but usually white to yellow centrally or (less commonly) entirely white. Postpronotum normally all or mostly white or yellow, almost always flanked mesally by a velvety black spot or dark area. Suprahumeral (scapular) bristles usually absent, if present then small to very small and usually very close to anteromedial margin of postpronotum. One or two dorsocentral bristles. Prescutellar area (middle part of scutum behind suture) variably depressed, usually distinctly flattened and microsetulose. Scutellum usually convex and approximately twice as wide as long (except in Nudopeza nudarcuata n. sp., which has a short scutellum), with two long apical bristles and a few inconspicuous dorsal or marginal setulae. Hind femur cylindrical to distally slightly flattened and swollen, hind tibia cylindrical with at most an inconspicuous posterior groove in basal half. Wing normally with a weak or diffuse discal band but some species with a narrow V-shaped discal band and N. verpa group with a broad and complete discal band, wing apex usually clear but pigmented in N. verpa goup and some N. sumaco group species; anal cell (=cell cup) broad and short, posterior angle 45–90°; CuA₂ + A₁ and CuA reaching wing margin. Third costal sector (between R₂₊₃ and R₄₊₅) more than half as long as second sector (between R₁ and R₂₊₃). Wing with a very large inclinate inner costagial bristle (as long as supra-alar bristle) and one or more smaller outer costagial bristles.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecal complex usually including two large primary spermathecae on long, twisted stems at apex of a large primary duct and a single small to vestigial secondary spermatheca on a much smaller secondary duct; secondary spermathecae ranging widely in size and development and sometimes duplicated, secondary duct sometimes greatly enlarged and sometimes very small and apically reduced to a swelling that could be interpreted as either a vestigial single spermatheca, the apex of the spermathecal stem (with the spermatheca lost or absent), or a combination of both. Spermathecal ducts normally arising independently on bursa, but sometimes with a short common duct and two species (glypha, mexicana) with secondary duct arising laterally from primary duct. Ventral receptacle simple, usually very small, often with a rounded (mushroom-like) head, slightly enlarged in a few species.

MALE TERMINALIA. Known males with S5 posteromedially produced as a large genital fork with incurved arms, inner surface of arms with a few broad, short, tooth-like setae. Sternite 6 small, bare except for a few small posterior setae. Epandrium smaller than or similar in size to S8, cercus prominent. Distiphallus usually ending in a broad phallic bulb (distal distiphallus normally absent), but a few species with a short to long distal distiphallus and two species with an extremely long distal distiphallus. Hypandrium with a broad anterior lobe and a well-developed dorsal bridge; phallic plate continuous with dorsal bridge. Postgonite very small, with a cluster of minute ventral setae.

3.1.4. Remarks on Type Selection

Nudopeza tapanti sp. nov. was selected as type species because it has the conspicuous colour characters that diagnose the genus (bright white frontal plate, postpronotum and scutellum), it is part of a clade with a bare arista, and because it is known from live images, both sexes, and multiple localities. Nudopeza tapanti is closely related to N. gilli and N. cura, which also have two pairs of large spermathecae, and which were recovered as separate BINs on the same branch in a CO1 ML tree. The large and paired secondary spermathecae are interpreted as a synapomorphy of a small group of Central American species rather than as a generic character; most Nudopeza species have a greatly reduced secondary spermathecal duct with a single small spermatheca.

3.1.5. Intrageneric Relationships

The type species group, the N. tapanti species group (N. tapanti sp. nov, N. cura sp. nov and N. gilli sp. nov), is a morphologically distinctive group of Central American species characterized by an unusual spermathecal complex with two pairs of large, elongate, unadorned spermathecae on short, thin stems. The N. tapanti group was consistently recovered on CO1 ML trees where they clustered with moderate bootstrap support. Nudopeza tapanti and N. cura are clearly sister species within this group. The Costa Rican species Nudopeza laselva sp. nov (not sequenced) belongs in the N. tapanti group on the basis of external morphology, but it lacks the spermathecal synapomorphies of the group. The other three sequenced Central American species (the N. glypha species group: N. cegex sp. nov, N. glypha sp. nov, N. mexicana sp. nov) cluster together on all molecular trees. Nudopeza glypha and N. mexicana, which share unequivocal synapomorphies in their extraordinarily lengthened distiphallus and spermathecal ducts, sequence as sister species. Nudopeza cegex also has an elongate spermathecal duct but males are unknown.

The remaining Central American species (N. sirena sp. nov, N. hansoni sp. nov and N. variterga sp. nov) have not been sequenced but have a similar spermathecal configuration with a large primary duct ending in coiled and adorned stems running to large paired spermathecae and with a very small secondary duct leading to a vestigial single spermatheca. They are probably related to the otherwise South American N. arcuata species group. Among the barcoded South American species, N. nudarcuata sp. nov and N. arcuata (Hennig) (possibly a species complex) appear as sister taxa on ML trees; these species are similar to N. duplitheca sp. Nov, although N. duplitheca appears (counterintuitively) next to N. nigriscutellum on CO1 ML trees. Several other South American species that have not been sequenced, as noted following the species descriptions, probably also belong in the N. arcuata group.

The remaining South American species groups are typically associated with restricted high-elevation localities. Among these, the sequenced species Nudopeza sumaco sp. nov, venezuelensis sp. nov, micromephitis sp. nov and nigrivertex sp. nov belong to the N. sumaco species group. With the exception of N. micromephitis, the N. sumaco group species form a morphologically distinct group also including N. gracei sp. nov, N. versivitta sp. nov, N. viriola sp. nov and N. nigrivertex sp. nov. Nudopeza sumaco from Ecuador plus N. venezuelensis from Venezuela form a strongly supported branch within this group. Nudopeza micromephitis differs from the other species in the sumaco group in having a white scutellum, mostly white orbital plate, and a largely desclerotized abdominal segments 1–3. Nudopeza zostera, which is morphologically similar to the N. verpa group, sequences as the sister lineage to the N. sumaco group.

Nudopeza verpa sp. nov belongs to the group of three similar high-Andean species here treated as the N. verpa group (also including Nudopeza nigriscutellum sp. nov. and Nudopeza viva sp. nov) in which known males have a short and sinuate distal distiphallus unlike other Nudopeza but similar to the phallus of some Calosphen s.l. Members of the verpa group also resemble species currently treated as Calosphen in their conspicuous wing banding but, like other Nudopeza, they have a relatively flat, truncate frontal vitta. There seems little or no doubt that at least N. verpa, N. nigriscutellum and N. viva are closely related because they are morphologically similar and were sequenced and recovered together on one branch next to the N. pronigra species group in CO1 ML trees. Nudopeza duplitheca sequences on the same branch, but bootstrap values are very low and there is no morphological evidence for including N. duplitheca in the verpa group.

The N. pronigra species group is a morphologically distinct Andean clade including N. pronigra (Hennig), N. mephitis sp. nov, N. ruficincta sp. nov and N. yungasensis sp. nov, the latter three of which were sequenced and recovered together on a single branch. Within the species group, N. mephitis from Peru plus N. yungasensis sp. nov from Bolivia form a strongly supported branch. The N. pronigra group is probably the sister group to the N. verpa group.

3.1.6. Intraspecific Variation and Species Concepts

Complex colour patterns on the head, thorax and abdomen are often diagnostic at the species level or above, although thoracic and head colour can be intraspecifically variable and abdominal tergite and pleuron colour can vary between sexes (while generally consistent within a species). Some species have species-specific and highly derived spermathecal or phallic characters that leave no doubt about the species’ validity and others are supported as distinct species by a combination of external morphology and molecular data despite having similar abdominal structures. In one case (Nudopeza gilli n. sp.) molecular data indicates that allopatric but morphologically identical specimens are distinct species (separate BINs); they are nonetheless treated as a single species in the absence of morphological evidence to the contrary. In a contrasting example (N. verpa), molecular data indicates that strikingly different specimens are conspecific (same BIN), and that two very different but sympatric colour morphs (one black, one orange; see Figure 34 and Figure 35) belong to a single species. In the case of N. verpa, male and female genitalia of both colour morphs seems identical, supporting a decision to treat them as the same species for now. The sympatric species Nudopeza mephitis and N. rutilans, on the other hand, are recognized as distinct despite sequencing together (same BIN) because there are differences in the spermathecae (normally invariant within a species) in addition to the wide differences in colour and pattern of the abdominal pleuron, legs, and thorax. These examples sound a cautionary note, suggesting that species concepts in Nudopeza might need reconsideration when more material is available for both morphological study and sequencing.

3.1.7. Key to the Species of Nudopeza

1. Wing with apex darkly pigmented and with a broad, almost parallel-sided and darkly pigmented discal band entirely crossing wing (Figure 35A). Arista bare or almost so. Head mostly black with only lower part of frontal plate yellow. Scutellum black or red, not distinctly paler than scutum. Aedeagus of known males with a large, multi-chambered phallic bulb basal to a distal distiphallus (Figure 35D). … 2. Nudopeza verpa group and N. zostera. Ecuador and Colombia.

Wing apex usually clear but sometimes with weak apical or preapical pigmentation; discal band usually absent, indistinct or incomplete, if distinct then tapered towards wing base and not reaching hind margin of wing. Arista bare, pubescent or plumose (plumose in species with strong wing pigmentation). Head colour variable but with at least the frontal plate pale in most species; scutellum usually pale at least centrally. Distal distiphallus absent in most known males but present and extraordinarily long in some species (Figure 6B); phallic bulb variable. … 6. Central and South America.

2. Thorax black and orange, with pleuron orange and scutellum and at least anterior margin of scutum black. … 3

Thorax either entirely black or almost entirely orange. … 4

3. Fore coxa and trochanter black. Mid and hind femora black with narrow white mid proximal and broader preapical white bands (Figure 41B). Anepisternum orange on anterior half, yellow on posterior half. … Nudopeza zostera sp. nov. Ecuador. Known only from the male type.

Fore coxa and trochanter reddish brown. Mid and hind femora black with broad yellow to orange basal, subbasal and apical bands (Figure 15D). Anepisternum orange, not distinctly bicolored. … Nudopeza nigriscutellum sp. nov. Colombia. Known only from females.

4. Body black. … Nudopeza verpa sp. nov. in part, black morph Ecuador.

Body orange. … 5

5. All femora mostly black, mid and hind femora with basal, apical and sometimes middle orange rings. Anterior notopleural bristle present but less than 0.2× length of posterior bristle. Postpronotum orange, sometimes with a longitudinal black central area (Figure 34A), anterior margin of scutum orange. … Nudopeza verpa sp. nov. in part, orange morph Ecuador.

Mid and hind femora orange, slightly darkened at base. Anterior notopleural bristle absent. Postpronotum cream yellow (Figure 38B), anterior margin of scutum black. … Nudopeza viva sp. nov. Colombia. Known only from females.

6. Mesoscutum black or dark brown, scutellum yellowish brown to black. Epicephalon black or dark brown. Arista sparsely and indistinctly short-plumose. Pleuron brightly coloured, with anepisternum usually dark anteriorly and pale posteriorly. … 7. Nudopeza sumaco group, in part, South America. Known only from females.

Mesoscutum rarely mostly dark but if so then scutellum white, pale yellow or with a broad pale central area. Epicephalon variable but usually white to yellow. Arista bare, pubescent or plumose; if scutum and epicephalon dark then arista distinctly pubescent or plumose. Pleuron colour variable. … 12. Central and South America

7. Lower frons, including frontal plate and lower frontal vitta, orange-yellow (Figure 8A). Mid and hind femora yellow with broad, pale, indistinct brown bands; fore femur orange on basal half. Pleuron vertically banded in reddish brown and yellow, scutum dark brown with pruinose vittae. Scutellum yellowish, scutum pruinose dark brown. … Nudopeza gracei sp. nov. Venezuela. Known only from the female type.

Entire frontal vitta black. Mid and hind femora mostly black or mostly orange with some black areas; fore femur black. Pleuron black and white, scutum black with conspicuous silvery pruinose pattern, scutellum brown to black. … 8

8. Mesoscutum uniformly pruinose, without a strong pattern of silvery pruinose and relatively bare areas (Figure 27E). Female abdominal segment 4 desclerotized dorsally (T4 apparently absent, Figure 27B). … Nudopeza sumaco sp. nov. Ecuador. Known only from the female type.

Scutum black centrally, each side with a broad longitudinal silvery vitta crossing suture and reaching scutellum, usually with a gap in the middle of the broad vitta (Figure 15C). Female abdomen with T4 sclerotized. … 9

9. Mesonotum with postsutural vittae separated from one another by a triangular prescutellar silver marking with long edge of triangle along scutellar margin (Figure 16C). Postsutural vittae uniform, not enclosing a small postsutural black area. One dorsocentral bristle. … Nudopeza nigrivertex sp. nov. Ecuador, possibly Colombia. Known only from females.

Mesonotum with postsutural vittae separated from one another by an entirely dark area concolorous with dark central part of scutellum, each vitta surrounding an oblong dark area postsuturally (Figure 33A). One or two dorsocentral bristles. … 10

10. One dorsocentral bristle. Mid and hind femora black with a broad orange subbasal ring (Figure 36A,B). Postpronotum white only dorsally and posteriorly (Figure 36C). … Nudopeza versivitta sp. nov. Ecuador. Known only from females.

Two dorsocentral bristles. Mid and hind femora variably coloured but without a broad subbasal orange ring. Postpronotum all or mostly white. … 11

11. Mid and hind femora mostly black; scutellum brown at middle; anepisternum black with a white rim posteriorly, dorsally and anterodorsally (Figure 37D). … Nudopeza viriola sp. nov. Bolivia. Known only from the female type.

Legs mostly red, middle of scutellum black; anepisternum with posterior half or more white (Figure 33B). … Nudopeza venezuelensis sp. nov. Venezuela. Known only from the female type.

12. Scutellum brown to black, without a pale central area. … 13

Scutellum entirely white or (usually) with a broad pale (usually white, rarely pale brown or yellow at apex only) central band contrasting with darker lateral margins or anterior corners, white central band often continuous with a similar postsutural strip on the scutum (Figure 31A). … 17

13. Dark part of frons restricted to frontal vitta; frontal vitta gradually tapered from a broad anterior margin to a narrow posterior margin, frons otherwise yellow to orange (fronto-orbital plate not divided by an angled dark line, Figure 2C). Postocellar and frontal bristles absent. Postpronotum similar in colour to scutum. Arista short pubescent on basal half, bare on distal half. … Nudopeza cegex sp. nov. Costa Rica. Known only from females.

Fronto-orbital plate with an angled dark strip from frontal vitta to eye, separating frontal and orbital plates. Postocellar and frontal bristles present. Postpronotum variable, but usually white. Arista bare or short plumose. … 14

14. Arista short-plumose, hairs at least 1.5× width of first aristomere. … 15

Arista bare or indistinctly pubescent, hairs shorter than width of first aristomere. … 16

15. Frons with a black V-shaped band sharply dividing an entirely pale lower frons (including frontal plate and lower frontal vitta) from an orange to reddish brown orbital plate or upper frons, anterior quarter of frontal vitta yellow (Figure 6C and Figure 7). … Nudopeza glypha sp. nov. Costa Rica. Known only from females.

Frontal vitta black except for an orange middle area surrounding a darker ocellar triangle. Frons without a distinct V-shaped band, frontal and orbital plates divided by an indistinct pale line between brown frontal and orbital plates (Figure 43B). … Nudopeza zygoma sp. nov. … Guyana. Known only from the female type.

16. Thorax almost entirely uniformly orange except for a small black dot above the orange postpronotum and a narrow vertical yellow stripe on the posterior margin of the anepisternum (Figure 25A). Frontal plate white, orbital plate black. Mid and hind femora black with white rings. … Nudopeza rutilans sp. nov. Peru. Known only from females.

Mesoscutum brown, with reddish brown longitudinal bands; scutellum brown with a white margin; anepisternum pale yellow with a white posterior margin. Mid and hind femora pale orange with dark rings. Frontal and orbital plates similarly pale, divided by a broad angled black band extending from frontal vitta to eye (Figure 5C). … Nudopeza gilli sp. nov. Guatemala.

17. (scutellum white or pale at least centrally):

Lower frons with at least anterior part of frontal plate yellow and orbital plate all or mostly dark (usually entirely black, Figure 18A). Arista bare or nearly so, at most indistinctly pubescent. … 18

Lower frons crossed by black V-shaped mark dividing a yellow frontal plate (in front of black V) from an all or partly pale yellow to yellowish brown orbital plate (behind black V). Arista bare to plumose. … 21

18. Scutum mostly dark brown other than a narrow white to reddish posteromedial strip extending to scutellum. … 19

Scutum black between the white postpronota, otherwise orange with a broad white postsutural posteromedial strip extending to scutellum. … 20

19. Two dorsocentral bristles. Mid and hind femora black with orange bands and apex (Figure 19A). Oviscape black or dark brown. Abdominal pleuron with broad vertical black bands (indistinct on some specimens). Spermathecal stem broad, with long digitiform processes but not coiled (Figure 19E). … Nudopeza paramephitis sp. nov. Ecuador.

One dorsocentral bristle. Mid and hind femora mostly red: mid femur with a narrow black distal band, hind femur also with a basal band (Figure 12D). Oviscape red at base. Abdominal pleuron pigmented dorsally but pigmentation not forming vertical bands. Paired spermathecal stems tightly coiled (Figure 12E). … Nudopeza mephitis sp. nov. Peru.

20. Mid and hind femora yellow with four narrow dark bands (Figure 22A). Paracephalon black, contrasting with white postgena. Primary spermathecal duct uniform in width (Figure 22D). … Nudopeza pronigra (Hennig). Bolivia, Ecuador.

Mid and hind femora orange except for a broad black basal band and a narrow preapical band (Figure 24B). Paracephalon and postgena yellow. Primary spermathecal duct expanded distally (Figure 24C). … Nudopeza ruficincta sp. nov. Colombia. Known only from females.

21. Postocellar bristle absent and arista short-pubescent, almost bare. Scutellum brownish yellow, central pale area only slightly paler than scutum. Scutellum short and truncate, much less than half as long as wide (Figure 17A). … Nudopeza nudarcuata sp. nov. Peru. Known only from female type.

Postocellar bristle usually present, if reduced or absent then arista long plumose. Central part of scutellum conspicuously paler than scutum. Scutellum more than half as long as wide. Arista bare or plumose. … 22

22. Arista bare or nearly so, at most with indistinct pubescence shorter than width of first aristomere. Frontal vitta entirely black. … 23

Arista plumose. Frontal vitta entirely black or with black area interrupted over or behind ocelli. … 25

23. Notum mostly orange except for black suprahumeral spot and narrow vittae (Figure 39C). Frontal vitta broad throughout. Epicephalon (anterior and inner part of orbital plate) mostly dark and paracephalon (outer part of orbital plate) pale. … Nudopeza yungasensis sp. nov. Bolivia. Known only from males.

Notum almost entirely dark brown to black. Frontal vitta narrowed posteriorly, black throughout and contrasting with yellow epicephalon. … 24

24. Hind tarsomeres and tibia brown. Female with two dissimilar pairs of spermathecae, pair on larger duct elongate and twisted, tapered apically (Figure 3B). … Nudopeza cura sp. nov. Costa Rica.

Hind tarsomeres white, contrasting with brown tibia. Female with two pairs of similar spermathecae, pair on larger duct slightly longer, broadest apically (Figure 28C). … Nudopeza tapanti sp. nov. Costa Rica.

25. Frontal vitta entirely black from anterior margin to postocciput, contrasting sharply with yellow frontal plate and epicephalon. … 26

Frontal vitta not entirely black, either divided over ocelli or conspicuously paler posteriorly or anteriorly. … 29

26. Scutum mostly black with three large white to yellow areas postsuturally (Figure 11C). Oviscape uniformly brown. … Nudopeza laselva sp. nov. Costa Rica.

Scutum mostly orange with black vittae. Oviscape orange with longitudinal black strip dorsally … 27

27. Lateral margin of scutum dark brown from postpronotum to scutellum (Figure 10B). Palpus dark brown. Lower epicephalon dark, orbital and frontal plates therefore separated by a broad dark area. Anepisternum black except for narrow white margins. … Nudopeza horologia sp. nov. French Guiana, Brazil.

Lateral margins of scutum without extensive dark areas. Palpus all or mostly orange. Lower epicephalon pale right to the narrow dark strip dividing orbital and frontal plates. Anepisternum at least half white. … 28

28. Mesonotum with a central presutural vitta and sometimes two short postsutural vittae (Figure 26A). Frontal and orbital plates entirely pale, with a narrow angled black strip between them. Mid and hind femora pale orange with narrow black bands. Female T3 and T4 white with a black posterior margin. Paired spermathecal stems with a few twists on distal half only, less than 1/4 as long as duct. … Nudopeza sirena sp. nov. Costa Rica. Known only from females.

Scutum with two complete dark vittae running from anterior margin to scutellum but without a central vitta. Frontal plate reddish brown, yellow on inner anterior margin only. Orbital plate yellow posteriorly, reddish anteriorly, separated from frontal plate by a broad dark area. Mid and hind femora black with yellow bands. Female abdominal tergites brown. Paired spermathecal stems almost entirely tightly coiled and more than half as long as spermathecal duct (Figure 40B). … Nudopeza zarza sp. nov. Trinidad. Known only from females.

29. Scutum either mostly dark or conspicuously patterned, at least part posterior to suture with white or brown vittae (Figure 9A). … 30

Scutum mostly uniformly orange to pale reddish brown, orange postsuturally. … 37

30. Hind femur orange to yellowish brown, with dark brown ring basally, distal dark ring present or absent. Frontal vitta expanded anterior to ocelli, colour variable but never entirely black from ocelli to anterior margin of frons. Known males without a distal distiphallus. … 31

Hind femur pale orange with only a single weak brown ring in distal quarter. Frontal vitta narrow and parallel sided, black from ocelli to anterior margin but pale behind ocelli. Distal distiphallus very long and male sternite 5 strikingly elongate (Figure 13C). … Nudopeza mexicana sp. nov. Mexico.

31. Scutum shining black or reddish brown except for black suprahumeral spots, white or yellow postpronota and three short yellow to white vittae on posterior half. Anepisternum brown with white anterior and posterior margins. Lower part of epicephalon black or dark brown. … 32

Scutum yellowish orange with dark vittae and a broad white postsutural strip continuous with white of scutellum. Anepisternum mostly white, with anterior third or middle strip brown. Epicephalon almost entirely pale, leaving a narrow dark dividing line between pale orbital and frontal plates. … 33

32. Scutum mostly shiny black. Frontal vitta mostly black, continuous with black postocciput posteriorly but not reaching anterior margin of frons, lower frons thus entirely white to yellow. Female abdominal T3 black, T4 greatly reduced so segment 4 almost entirely membranous and pale (Figure 14C). Spermathecal ducts unequal, minor duct much shorter and narrower than the major duct that leads to two large spermathecae on long, ornamented stems (Figure 14D) … Nudopeza micromephitis sp. nov. Colombia, possibly Brazil.

Scutum mostly shiny reddish brown. Preocellar frontal vitta black on anterior 2/3, otherwise dark brown. Female T3 pale, other tergites brown (Figure 21C). Spermathecal ducts similar in length, one leading to a very large single spermatheca and the other leading to small paired spermathecae (Figure 21D). … Nudopeza peruviensis sp. nov. Peru. Known only from unique female type.

33. One dorsocentral bristle. Palpus and postpedicel orange. … 34

Two dorsocentral bristles. Palpus and postpedicel brown. … 36

34. Notopleuron uniformly brown or yellowish brown. Posterior part of postocellar frontal vitta black. Scutum without a dark presutural central vitta, but with a dark area or areas between the black suprahumeral spots (Figure 23A,B). … 35

Notopleuron white on posterior half, black on anterior half (Figure 31A). Postocellar vitta pale orange. Scutum with a black presutural central vitta. … Nudopeza uniseta sp. nov. Trinidad. Known only from male type.

35. Postocellar bristle absent. Anterior part of scutum with anterior black area divided into two patches contiguous with large suprahumeral spots. Abdominal T3 almost entirely white and desclerotized except for a narrow posterior margin; T4 also mostly white (Figure 23A), oviscape blue-black. … Nudopeza quadrivitta sp. nov. French Guyana. Known only from female type.

Postocellar bristle present and well developed. Anterior part of scutum with a posteriorly tapered central black area much larger than small suprahumeral spots (Figure 42A). Abdominal T3 dark on posterior third, T4 dark on posterior half or more, oviscape orange-yellow with a dorsal black vitta. … Nudopeza zumera sp. nov. French Guyana. Known only from female type.

36. Postpedicel and pedicel similar in colour. Frontal vitta mostly dark orange but pale anteriorly. Presutural scutum broadly black between white postpronota (Figure 29A). Thoracic pleuron with dark vertical bands on anepisternum and katepisternum. Abdominal T3 partially brown, white anteriorly (male) or centrally (female); female P4–6 dark along dorsal margins only. … Nudopeza trinidadensis sp. nov. Trinidad, Ecuador, Peru.

Postpedicel much paler than pedicel. Frontal vitta mostly black but broken by a broad pale orange band over ocelli. Presutural scutum orange with black central vitta and a round suprahumeral spot (Figure 9A). Thoracic pleuron pale brown and white. Female T3 entirely pale and desclerotized, P4 with a ventrally tapered vertical dark band. Wing clear. … Nudopeza hansoni sp. nov. Costa Rica. Known only from female type.

37. Postocellar bristle absent or very small, less than half as long as outer verticals. Arista long-plumose, rays usually at least as long as scape width at base. Female abdomen with all or almost all of T3 white or pale. Frontal vitta pale at anterior margin. … 38

Postocellar bristle as large as outer verticals. Arista short-plumose, rays at most half as long as scape width. At least posterior third of T3 dark. Frontal vitta dark to anterior margin. … 39

38. Head entirely pale brown behind ocelli. Oviscape strongly modified with a large, setose and brown preapical ventral swelling and a smaller preapical black swelling basal to a spout-like narrow apical extension (Figure 20B). Scutum with a weak brown presutural vitta, suprahumeral spots undeveloped. Five (3 + 2) spermathecae. … Nudopeza penai sp. nov. Ecuador. Known only from female type.

Most of postocellar frontal vitta orange, back of head black. Oviscape simple, unmodified. Scutum with a central black presutural vitta and dark suprahumeral spots (Figure 4A). Four spermathecae. … Nudopeza duplitheca sp. nov. Peru, possibly Brazil.

39. Two dorsocentral bristles. Preocellar frontal vitta broad and entirely black, postocellar frontal vitta mostly black with a narrow orange postocellar strip (Figure 32A). Palpus black on basal 2/3. … Nudopeza variterga sp. nov. Costa Rica.

One dorsocentral bristle. Preocellar frontal vitta mostly black but with a narrow orange strip below ocellar triangle; postocellar frontal vitta either all black or mostly orange. Palpus entirely yellow (N. arcuata) or brown with a pale apex (N. palenque). … 40

40. Top of head, including orbital plates and postocellar frontal vitta, almost entirely black (Figure 19A). Palpus brown with a pale apex. Female abdomen boldly pigmented with narrow dark vertical stripes on P3–6 and with T3 mostly brown, white area restricted to anterolateral areas and a narrow anterior strip. … Nudopeza palenque sp. nov. Ecuador. Known only from females.

Top of head, including most of the orbital plate and sometimes part of the postocellar frontal vitta, largely orange. Palpus entirely yellow. Female abdominal pleuron with at most one vertical dark stripe. Female T3 white on at least anterior third. … 41

41. Postocellar frontal vitta black with white pruinosity. Wing with a small discal spot restricted to centre of wing between R and Cu. Mesoscutum without a black spot or area near postpronotum (Figure 44B). Female abdominal pleuron without marks other than a single vertical black band on the posterior part of P2. … Nudopeza zytha sp. nov. Colombia. Known only from female type.

Postocellar frontal vitta orange except for posterior margin (Figure 1A). Wing with discal band or spot wider than long, forming a diffuse band crossing most of the wing. Mesoscutum with a black spot or area immediately beside postpronotum. Female abdominal pleuron with black markings on P4 and P5. … Nudopeza arcuata (Hennig) Peru, Bolivia.

3.2. Nudopeza arcuata (Hennig) comb. nov.

• Grallipeza arcuata Hennig, 1934: 296: [2]; Aczél, 1949: 327 [7]; Aczél, 1951: 535 [8];

• Steyskal, 1968: 6 [9].

Figure 1. Nudopeza arcuata (Hennig 1934). (A). Topotypic female, habitus (USNM). (B). Male abomen showing fungi posterior to sternite 5, Peru (USNM). (C). Topotypic ♀, abdomen left lateral. (D). Holotype, Coroico, Bolivia (SMTD). (E). ♂ abdomen, Peru (USNM). (F). Spermathecae and associated structures, Bolivia (USNM). (G). ♂ terminalia, left lateral, Peru (USNM). Abbreviations: bd—basal distiphallus, e—epandrium, S5—sternite 5. Grallipeza arcuata Hennig, 1934:303.

Figure 1. Nudopeza arcuata (Hennig 1934). (A). Topotypic female, habitus (USNM). (B). Male abomen showing fungi posterior to sternite 5, Peru (USNM). (C). Topotypic ♀, abdomen left lateral. (D). Holotype, Coroico, Bolivia (SMTD). (E). ♂ abdomen, Peru (USNM). (F). Spermathecae and associated structures, Bolivia (USNM). (G). ♂ terminalia, left lateral, Peru (USNM). Abbreviations: bd—basal distiphallus, e—epandrium, S5—sternite 5. Grallipeza arcuata Hennig, 1934:303.

3.2.1. Material Examined

Holotype

BOLIVIA • 1♀; Yungas von Coroico 24.xi.06, 1800 m; SMTD.

Paratypes (all damaged, with white labels that read “Staatl. Museum fur Tierkunde Dresden, Coll. W. Schnuse1911” and red cotype labels, all SMTD).

BOLIVIA • 1♀; Yungas von Coroico 18.10.06, 1600 m • 1♀; Mapiri, 2.i.03 • 1♀; San Carlos 800 m • 1♀; Sarampioni, 700 m; differing from the type in having the palpus indistinctly transverse banded in black, and the humeral spots more quadrate.

PERU • 1♂; Rosalina ix.03, “Urubambafl” (Urabamba?).

Other Material

BOLIVIA • 1♀; La Paz, Coroico, 36 km NE on Caranavi Road, pan traps, 7–15.iv.2001, S.A. Marshall, CO1 process ID MYCRO463-18; DEBU • 1♀; La Paz, 2 km E Puente Villa, Amnon Friedberg, iii.2001; USNM • 1♀, 1♂; Santa Cruz, Refugio los Volcanoes, 4 km N Bermejo, Loro Trail, 1090 m, multilure traps, 1–4.iii.2014, G. Steck et al., ♀ CO1 process ID MYCRO1036-23 and ♂ CO1 process ID MYCRO494-18; DEBU.

PERU • 2♀♀; Cuzco, Villa Carmen Biological Station, 240 m, trail 5, stream after large pasture, 25.i.2013, A. Norrbom; USNM • 2♀♀; Cuzco, Villa Carmen Biological Station, 760 m, multi-lure traps, 27.iii.2014, M. Choque; USNM • 1♂; Cuzco, Villa Carmen Biological Station, 534 m, multi-lure traps, 2–15.ii.2015, CO1 process code MYCRO1037-23; USNM • 1♂1♀; Cuzco, Villa Carmen Biological Station, trail 8, mark 8-1877, 721 m, W-trap VC-ML-16, 27.xi.2012–20.i.2013, Norrbom, Rodrigues, Steck and Sutton (♂ CO1 process code 1046-23, with fungi arising behind S6 as in Figure 1B, ♀ CO1 process code MYCRO1035-23); USNM.

Description (From Topotypic Female and Other Bolivian Specimens)

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR: Head and thorax mostly orange with black markings. Frontal vitta with velvety black preocellar part separated from black ocellar triangle by a narrow orange part, postocellar frontal vitta orange until transverse black band crossing back of head; anterior frons with black pigmentation continuing to eyes to make a broad V; frontal plate below black V white or very pale yellow, orbital plate above black V pale orange-yellow. Clypeus shiny dark brown, prominent and mostly bare except for yellow posterolateral corners. Palpus yellow with a few short dark bristles. Pedicel dark brown, densely covered by short black setulae; postpedicel yellowish orange with golden setulae. Postpronotum white-yellow; notum between postpronota mostly black, sometimes continuously so and sometimes divided into suprahumeral spots and central black area. Scutellum white with brown lateral margins. Distal third of dorsal surface of fore femur dark brown, femur otherwise yellowish. Mid femur yellowish except for an incomplete darker ring at 3/4 and a weaker incomplete subbasal ring. Hind femur yellowish except for a distinct brown ring in basal fifth and a slightly weaker ring at 3/4. Wing with discal band small, straight-sided distally and convex basally, almost reaching wing margins. Apical wing infuscation absent or very weak. Anepisternum orange on anterior half, whitish yellow on posterior half. Center of katepisternum pale, katepisternal bristles golden-yellow.

Female abdomen with T2 darker than other tergites and T3 white except along posterior margin, oviscape dark dorsally and yellow laterally, dark dorsal area characteristically constricted at distal fifth just before becoming a complete preapical ring; P4–5 darkly pigmented at least on dorsal half.

Male abdomen with T1 pale brown, other tergites uniformly brown, S8 white at anterolateral corners; pleuron with a round dark area (presumably the pleural sac) on P2, otherwise white.

HEAD. Arista plumose on basal 2/3, with longest hairs over half as long as scape width. Postpedicel elongate oval, twice as long as wide. Palpus almost parallel-sided apically slightly tapered and rounded at apex. Frontal vitta broad and almost parallel-sided, slightly expanded anteriorly and just under half as wide as frons at maximum width. One orbital bristle, frontal bristle absent. Postocellar bristle long, more than half as long as inner verticals.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite unmodified. Prosternum setulose anteriorly. Postpronotum finely microsetulose with a few inconspicuous setulae on posterior half. Notum with 1–2 very small bristles (suprahumeral bristles) near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Central prescutellar area depressed and finely microsetulose. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae (only the non-topotypic specimen from Bolivia was dissected) with primary duct long, slightly expanded and transversely wrinkled on distal half, leading to two large spherical, transversely striate and distally invaginated spermathecae; stems long, strongly compressed and sinuate, with long digitiform processes. Secondary duct half as long and half as wide, ending in a small irregular spermatheca.

MALE TERMINALIA. Pleural sac represented by brown, densely microsetulose circular area restricted to upper half of pleuron of segment two. Genital fork with long, somewhat sinuous and distally in-turned arms, mesal surface with about 20 short stout tooth-like setae on distal half. Cercus large, about 0.3× length of epandrium; epandrium longer than high. Distiphallus long and slender, 2× length of epandrium, ending in large phallic bulb. Ejaculatory apodeme larger than epandrium.

Remarks

The topotypic female and the male from Santa Cruz are the only non-type specimens with only a single fronto-orbital bristle (as described for the type); the other female specimens have two fronto-orbitals but match the type in other details including oviscape pigmentation and the characteristically white T3 with a black posterior margin. The topotypic female and the male from Santa Cruz have identical CO1 (barcode) sequences but differ in thoracic and abdominal pigmentation: the male resembles the female holotype in having the suprahumeral spots separated from the middle dark anterior notal area but in the topotypic female the entire anterior scutum is dark. The male has abdominal tergite 3 uniformly brown but T3 is distinctively bicolored in all females. All of the sequenced specimens treated here as N. arcuata sequenced close together on a single branch next to N. nudarcuata but the Peruvian N. arcuata specimens came out as separate BINs on that branch, suggesting that N. arcuata might be a species complex.

3.3. Nudopeza cegex sp. nov.

Figure 2. Nudopeza cegex sp. nov., Costa Rica (MNCR). (A). Holotype ♀, habitus. (B). Spermathecae and associated structures. (C). Head and notum.

Figure 2. Nudopeza cegex sp. nov., Costa Rica (MNCR). (A). Holotype ♀, habitus. (B). Spermathecae and associated structures. (C). Head and notum.

3.3.1. Etymology

The name is a noun in apposition derived from a long-standing manuscript name (“cgx”).

3.3.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COSTA RICA • ♀; Prov. Cartago, Paraiso, P.N. Tapanti-Macizo de la Muerte, 1500 m, Camino Toma de Rio Humo, 8.xii.2000, M. Alfaro; MNCR.

Paratypes

COSTA RICA • 1♀; Paraiso, P.N. Tapanti, 11–18.viii.2013, Malaise trap; MNCR • 2♀♀; Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, Tower Path, 1600 m, ZADBI project, 24–31.v.2012, and 5–12.ix, Malaise, Project ZADBI, CO1 process code MYCRO083-15/UGIC182-15; MNCR • 1♀; Zurquí de Moravia viii.2013, mixed methods, MNCR • ♀; Moravia, near P.N. Braulio Carillo, yellow pans in creek bed, 3–4.iii.1996, L. Masner, DEBU • ♀; Prov. Punta, Fila Pitia, ACLA, PITIA, 2550 m, 3.vii.1995, E. Alfaro, MNCR.

Description (Females Only)

LENGTH. 13–15 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly yellow to yellowish orange but clypeus black and frontal vitta black anteriorly and over ocelli, otherwise dark reddish brown. Fronto-orbital plate with an indistinct angled line dividing the dull yellow frontal plate from the shiny orange orbital plate. Antennae orange. Palpus yellow with scattered small dark bristles. Scutum and scutellum entirely reddish brown except for a black suprahumeral spot; mesopleuron reddish with middle of anepisternum, propleuron and metapleuron pale yellowish. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow. Fore coxa orange, fore femur yellow on basal half and black at least dorsally on distal half, fore tibia black, fore tarsus white except for darkened base of tarsomere one and apex of tarsomere 5. Mid femur and hind femur orange except for a preapical dark ring. Wing infuscation indistinct, wing membrane slightly darker near leading margin.

Female abdomen with tergites mostly orange, darker along posterior margin; oviscape orange with a black apex. Female abdominal pleuron entirely pink on P1–2, otherwise with pink pigmentation restricted to dorsal 2/3, P3–5 yellow on ventral third.

HEAD. Arista long-pubescent, longest hairs as long as aristal diameter at base. Postpedicel slightly concave dorsally, subequal in length and width, with white setulae. Frontal vitta narrow (0.4× frontal width at anterior margin), slightly depressed anterior to ocelli, straight-sided and evenly tapered to a narrow posterior apex. One large fronto-orbital bristle at level of upper ocelli. Palpus parallel sided, rounded at apex. Postocellar bristle absent.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite evenly swollen and almost bare with indistinct microsetulosity ventrally. Prosternum setulose. Postpronotum almost bare, indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose. Notum without a distinct suprahumeral setula but with anterior few dorsocentral setulae distinct and similar in size. Anterior notopleural bristle very thin, half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area flat and densely microsetulose. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct very long, membranous in basal 3/4, sclerotized and expanded in distal quarter before branching into 2 long stems; each stem with a narrow base, a greatly expanded section slightly longer than a spermatheca, and a distal tightly coiled section with digitiform process. Paired spermathecae small, distally expanded and with a deep invagination. Secondary spermathecal duct very small, narrow at base and expanded distally, leading to a vestigial spermatheca barely wider than the duct and ornamented with short processes. Ventral receptacle short, broad.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza cegex lacks the characteristic black division between the orbital and frontal plates and further differs from typical Nudopeza in having the postpronotum and scutellum uniformly orange. The spermathecal complex, however, is similar to that of N. glypha and N. mexicana in which the very long, distally swollen primary spermathecal duct apparently corresponds with the exceptionally long distiphallus. Unlike the latter species, however, the spermathecal ducts appear to arise independently from the bursa in N. cegex, and males are unknown. A CO1 ML tree recovers N. cegex next to N. glypha and N. mexicana. The species is easily recognized by the narrow, dark frontal vitta.

3.4. Nudopeza cura sp. nov.

Figure 3. Nudopeza cura sp. nov. Costa Rica (MNCR). (A). Topotypic ♀, habitus. (B). Head and notum. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures. (D). ♂ Terminalia, left ventrolateral. (E). Phallus.

Figure 3. Nudopeza cura sp. nov. Costa Rica (MNCR). (A). Topotypic ♀, habitus. (B). Head and notum. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures. (D). ♂ Terminalia, left ventrolateral. (E). Phallus.

3.4.1. Etymology

Nudopeza cura is named from the Latin for “care” or “attention” and also reflects the name of the type locality, Cerro Cura.

3.4.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COSTA RICA • ♀; San Jose, San Carlos, Cerro Cura, 14 km SSW San Marcos de Tarrazu, 1800 m, 9°36′31″ N, 84°07′09″ W, 15.ii.2003, S.A. Marshall, CO1 process code DEBU080-05; MNCR.

Paratypes

COSTA RICA • 2♀♀, 1♂; same data as holotype, ♂ CO1 process code MYCRO143-15; DEBU, MNCR • 1♂; Puntarenas, Buenas Aires, Estacion Altamira, 1400 m, 16.xi–08.xii.1994, Malaise, M. Segura; MNCR.

Description

LENGTH. 10–13 mm.

COLOUR. Head white to pale yellow except for clypeus, middle back of the head, entirely black frontal vitta and black angled bands running from frontal vitta to eye (along border between orbital and frontal plates). Antenna with pedicel and upper postpedicel brown. Palpus black on distal third, orange basally. Scutum mostly black, silvery microsetulose except for a narrow bare central vitta and dorsolateral areas; postpronotum white. Scutellum white. Mesopleuron mostly white, anepimeron, meron and propleuron black. Katepisternal bristles all golden brown. Fore coxa white except at apex, fore femur black with a very broad subbasal yellowish orange part, fore tibia black, fore tarsus white. Mid femur and hind femur orange except for a preapical dark ring. Hind tibia and tarsus brown to black. Wing almost clear, with indistinct but broad discal and apical bands.

Female abdomen with tergites entirely reddish orange, darker along posterior margins; oviscape orange with a black apex. Female abdominal pleuron entirely pink (pinkish brown on dead specimens) on P1–2, otherwise with pigmentation restricted to dorsal 2/3, P3–5 yellow on ventral third.

Male abdomen with a large darkened pleural sac on P2; P1–2 and anterior part of P3 pigmented, pleuron otherwise apparently pale (male pleural pigmentation obscured on types).

HEAD. Arista bare except for a few short hairs in basal quarter. Pedicel with short golden setulae dorsally and several longer ventral apical bristles; postpedicel oval, almost twice as long as wide. Frontal vitta narrow (0.5× frontal width at maximum width), almost parallel sided anterior to ocelli and slightly depressed at anterior margin, narrowed behind ocelli but almost parallel sided to posterior apex. Frontal plate bare and finely striate, orbital plate shiny with scattered setulae. One small fronto-orbital bristle on diagonal black band. Inner vertical, outer vertical, and postocellar bristles large.

THORAX: Cervical sclerite flat to slightly depressed at middle. Prosternum indistinctly setulose. Postpronotum shiny, with scattered setulae on ventral half. Suprahumeral bristle absent. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle, prescutellar area weakly differentiated. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE ABDOMEN: Spermathecae with primary duct long, greatly expanded in distal third before branching into 2 simple, very short stems (much shorter than spermatheca) leading to very large, elongate, somewhat peanut-shaped spermathecae. Secondary spermathecal duct similar but smaller, with ducts and paired spermathecae similar in shape to the primary pair. Ducts arising independently from bursa; ventral receptacle not visible.

MALE ABDOMEN: Genital fork with long, slightly incurved arms, longer than body of sternite 5 and with about 15 small tooth-like setae on mesal surface. Distiphallus 1.5× as long as epandrium, distal distiphallus absent, basal distiphallus ending in a very large multi-chambered phallic bulb.

Remarks

Nudopeza cura is part of the N. tapanti species group, along with similarly coloured Costa Rican species N. tapanti and the paler Mexican and Guatemalan species N. gilli n.sp., which also have a bare arista and two pairs of similarly sized spermathecae on distally swollen ducts. CO1 trees show N. cura n. sp., N. gilli and N. tapanti in different BINs on the same branch. Nudopeza cura is most easily distinguished from the similar N. tapanti by its black hind tarsi. Two specimens from Mexico (1♀, 1♂; Chiapas, L. Montebello N.P., 13.vi.1969, B.V. Peterson, W.R.M. Mason; CNCI; now labelled as “nsp. near Nudopeza cura”) resemble N. cura, but the single fronto-orbital bristle is relatively large, the palpus is uniformly yellow, the thoracic pigmentation is slightly different, and the antennae are uniformly orange.

3.5. Nudopeza duplitheca sp. nov.

Figure 4. Nudipeza duplitheca sp. nov. (A). Head and thorax of ♀, Bolivia (DEBU). (B). ♂ sternite 5, Peru (MUSM). (C), ♂ terminalia, left lateral, Peru. (D,F). ♀ abdomen, lateral and dorsal with wing (USNM). (E). Cleared oviscape to show spermathecal complex within, Bolivia (DEBU). (G). Anterior margin of oviscape, dorsal, with spermathecae and associated structures teased out (USNM).

Figure 4. Nudipeza duplitheca sp. nov. (A). Head and thorax of ♀, Bolivia (DEBU). (B). ♂ sternite 5, Peru (MUSM). (C), ♂ terminalia, left lateral, Peru. (D,F). ♀ abdomen, lateral and dorsal with wing (USNM). (E). Cleared oviscape to show spermathecal complex within, Bolivia (DEBU). (G). Anterior margin of oviscape, dorsal, with spermathecae and associated structures teased out (USNM).

3.5.1. Etymology

The species name refers to the duplicated secondary spermathecae, which give a total spermathecal number of four.

3.5.2. Material Examined

Holotype

PERU • ♂; Cuzco, Villa Carmen Biological Station, 500–700 m, 20.vii.2014 trap VC-ML-41; A. Norrbom/T. Forster; MUSM.

Paratypes

PERU • 2♀♀; Cuzco, Villa Carmen Biological Station, 500–700 m, 19.vii.2014, trap VC-Ml-78, 20.v.2014 • 2♀♀, 1♂; Cuzco, Villa Carmen Biological Station, 702 and 721 m, trail 8 mark 8-1744, 8-1924, traps VC-ML-15 and Malaise Trap, A. Norrbom/T. Forster; USNM.

BOLIVIA • 1♀; La Paz, Heath River Wildlife Centre, 21 kmSSW Puerto Heath, 12°40′ S 68°42′ W, 29.iv–12.v.2007, M. Jackson, CO1 process code MYCRO123-15 (damaged; wings and most legs missing); DEBU.

Non-Type Material

BRAZIL • 1♀; Amazonas, Rio Jau, Meriti, Mun. Novo Airao, 04.x.1994, J. A. Rafael; INPA (Specimen covered with scales, presumably from a Malaise trap).

Description

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR: Head mostly pale yellow. Lower frontal vitta pale, preocellar black part of frontal vitta short and continuous with broad angled black lines reaching eye; ocellar triangle and back of head black. Frons below angled black line (which broadly divides orbital and frontal plates) dull whitish yellow with striae, frons above line smooth and bare. Clypeus shiny dark brown with vertical pruinose striae, pale at posterolateral corners. Palpus yellow. Pedicel brown, with short black setae; postpedicel yellow with golden setulae. Postpronotum pale yellow to white, microsetulose with a few minute setulae; notum between postpronota mostly black with small black dot above postpronotum and an elongate triangular central black area tapering to behind suture. Scutellum yellowish white with brown lateral margins. Distal half of dorsal surface of fore femur dark brown, femur otherwise yellowish. Fore tarsomeres yellow except for black-bristled basal ventral part of tarsomere one. Mid femur yellowish except for an incomplete dark preapical ring at 3/4. Hind femur yellowish except for distinct subbasal and preapical brown rings. Wing of male with discal band very small and incomplete, wing of female with discal band complete and broad to the anterior wing margin (Figure 4F). Apical wing infuscation absent or very weak. Pleuron mostly pale without distinct vertical banding. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow.

Female abdomen with T2 pale anteriorly and anterolaterally only; T3 and T6 entirely pale; oviscape with a narrow dark dorsomedial mark in basal third and with a dark apex, otherwise orange; P2 with a ventrally tapered dark band on posterior third. Male preabdomen similar to female preabdomen; postabdomen with S8 and epandrium dark dorsomedially and pale laterally.

HEAD. Arista long plumose, with longest hairs as long as scape width. Postpedicel elongate oval, depressed dorsally and approximately twice as long as wide. Frontal vitta very broad and almost parallel-sided, indistinctly tapered anteriorly, slightly expanded at posterior apex and slightly more than half as wide as frons at maximum width. Palpus broad, paddle-shaped, tapered at base. Three fronto-orbital bristles, the lower (frontal) one small. Postocellar bristle small, less than half as long as outer verticals.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite relatively unmodified in male, strongly convex and densely microsetulose on ventral half in female. Prosternum setulose anteriorly. Postpronotum sparsely and indistinctly microsetulose, with scattered small setulae ventrally and posteriorly. Notum with 1–2 very small bristles (suprahumeral bristles) near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle very thin, much weaker than and less than half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle, prescutellar area depressed and flattened, densely microsetulose. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermatheca in two pairs on long, subequal-length, almost parallel-sided ducts arising separately on bursa; primary duct slightly wider than secondary duct, branching into basally constricted stems with distal half expanded and sparsely studded with digitiform processes; primary spermathecae tyre-shaped and approximately 3× secondary spermathecae. Secondary duct very slightly expanded distally and branching into narrow but long and twisted stems ending in small goblet-shaped spermathecae. Ventral receptacle apparently absent.

MALE TERMINALIA. Genital fork with narrow, slightly tapered and weakly incurved arms, inner surface of each arm with 8 short stout tooth-like setae. Distiphallus with a very broad basal distiphallus slightly longer than epandrium (including anteroventral process); phallic bulb narrower than basal distiphallus, with two distinct chambers embedded into apex of basal distiphallus; distal distiphallus absent.

Remarks

This species seems to be reliably diagnosed by a combination of distinctive abdominal pigmentation (females with T2 pale anteriorly and anterolaterally only, T3 and T6 entirely pale) a short black frontal vitta forming part of a characteristically transverse black band across the frons, a clypeus with narrow pruinose vertical strips, consistent colour patterns on the scutum, and three fronto-orbital bristles. The plumose aristae and short postocellar bristles are also characteristic. Other species with two subequal, simple spermathecal ducts each leading to paired, relatively small spermathecae include N. horologia and N. zygoma. Barcoding confirms the placement of N. duplitheca in Nudopeza, recovering it near N. nigriscutellum (verpa group) but without any bootstrap support. It is more likely to be related to the N. arcuata species group.

3.6. Nudopeza gilli sp. nov.

Figure 5. Nudopeza gilli sp. nov., Guatemala (DEBU). (A). Spermathecae and associated structures. (B), Oviscape to show spermathecae and associated structures within. (C). Head and thorax of ♂ and ♀ from type series, same image. (D,E). ♀ habitus. (F). ♂ habitus. (G). ♂ terminalia. (H). ♂ sternite 5.

Figure 5. Nudopeza gilli sp. nov., Guatemala (DEBU). (A). Spermathecae and associated structures. (B), Oviscape to show spermathecae and associated structures within. (C). Head and thorax of ♂ and ♀ from type series, same image. (D,E). ♀ habitus. (F). ♂ habitus. (G). ♂ terminalia. (H). ♂ sternite 5.

Etymology. This species is named after Bruce Gill, the collector of much of the type series.

3.6.1. Material Examined

Holotype

GUATEMALA • ♀; Guatemala, Puerta Parada, 1850 m, 25.i.2014, J.C. Schuster; UVGC.

Paratypes

GUATEMALA • 14♀♀; 3♂♂; same locality and collector as holotype but various dates in i, ii, iii, iv, xi, xii. 2013–2014; UVGC, DEBU • 6♀♀; Santa Catarina Pinula, dung traps, 11–13.vi.1991, B. Gill; DEBU • 1♀; Zacatecas, San Lorenzo, 7 km N, 2000 m, 10–17.vi.1993, dung, B. Gill; DEBU.

MEXICO • 1♀; Chiapas, San Cristobal, 15 km E, 2500 m, cloud forest, 29.v–1.vi.2008, CO1 process code MYCRO175-15; DEBU.

3.6.2. Other Material Examined

HONDURAS • 1♂; Cusuco National Park, Cantiles, 2028 m, 19.vi–25.vi.2014, BOLD ID GMHK BO13-15; BIOUG. This specimen matches N. gilli morphologically and sequences close to MYCRO175-15 but the CO1 sequence differs enough to be assigned a different BIN.

Description

LENGTH. 7–10 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly white to yellow except for contrastingly black frontal vitta, black supracervical area and broad diagonal bands connecting vitta to eye; clypeus shining blue-black, prominent and bare except for yellow posterolateral corners. Pedicel reddish brown; postpedicel brown with golden bristles. Palpus yellow with a few short dark bristles. Thorax with notum, including scutellum, mostly reddish brown except for pale yellow to white postpronotum and adjacent black suprahumeral spot, presutural mesoscutum indistinctly longitudinally striped with reddish brown strips between darker central and lateral areas; pleuron centrally white, anteriorly and posteriorly yellowish brown; entirely white anepisternum and centrally white katepisternum forming a white diagonal band continuous with white postpronotum. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow. Distal third to half of fore femur and all of fore tibia black, fore tarsomeres dirty white. Mid femur and hind femur yellowish except for a preapical dark ring. Wing infuscation indistinct. Female abdomen with tergites light brown and oviscape black. Abdominal pleuron indistinctly brownish white on dorsal half, white ventrally; abdominal segment two with a conspicuous dark, densely long-setulose central outpocketing midventrally (Figure 5D,E; present on all female specimens examined and apparently autapomorphic for this species). Male abdomen with pleuron pale except for a brown pleural sack on P2 and some pigmentation on P1, tergites pale brown except for black posterolateral corners of tergite 3.

HEAD. Arista bare except for a few inconspicuous short hairs in basal fifth. Pedicel with short black setulae; postpedicel concave dorsally, subequal in length and width. Frontal vitta narrow (0.4× frontal width at maximum) slightly expanded and depressed anterior to ocelli, slightly tapered to broad anterior margin; strongly tapered behind ocelli to narrow posterior margin. Palpus narrow, parallel-sided. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower one on the dividing line between orbital and frontal plates. Postocellar, inner vertical and outer vertical bristles strong.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad and flat. Prosternum microsetulose with a few scattered black setulae, anterior margin apparently bare. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose and with scattered small setulae. Suprahumeral bristle absent. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area weakly differentiated. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct long, distally slightly expanded before branching into 2 short stems leading to 2 very large cylindrical spermathecae; secondary spermathecal duct smaller, leading to another pair of more or less cone-shaped spermatheca on very narrow and short stems. Ventral receptacle short, broad, distally domed.

MALE TERMINALIA. Pleural sac small and densely microsetulose, restricted to upper half of P2. Genital fork with long arms turned into a club-like apex and with about 8 short stout mesal tooth-like setae on distal half, a few more at base. Cercus very large, about half as long as epandrium; epandrium slightly longer than high. Basal distiphallus broad, distally expanded and longer than epandrium, ending in large phallic bulb including a distinctive elongate-oblong, slightly bowed, central piece. Ejaculatory apodeme subequal in length to rest of sperm pump, entire sperm pump smaller than epandrium. Postgonite with three long apical bristles. Hypandrium small, short.

Remarks

Nudopeza gilli is closely related to N. tapanti and N. cura, as reflected on CO1 trees and indicated by several striking morphological synapomorphies such as the four large spermathecae, distally swollen spermathecal ducts, and the boldly patterned frons. It differs from closely related species, and most congeners, in having a uniformly brown scutellum.

3.7. Nudopeza glypha sp. nov.

Figure 6. Nudopeza glypha sp. nov. Costa Rica (DEBU, MNCR). (A,B). ♂ abdomen. (C). Posterior part of ♂ terminalia. (D). Oviscape, dorsal. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures distal to bursa (La Selva). (F). Spermathecae and associated structures, including ventral receptacle and bursa, partially teased out of oviscape (Rara Avis). (G). Head and notum, ♂. (H). ♂ habitus, living. Abbreviations bd—basal distiphallus, c—cercus, dd—distal distiphallus, e—epandrium, gf—genital fork, pg—postgonite, psa—prescutellar area.

Figure 6. Nudopeza glypha sp. nov. Costa Rica (DEBU, MNCR). (A,B). ♂ abdomen. (C). Posterior part of ♂ terminalia. (D). Oviscape, dorsal. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures distal to bursa (La Selva). (F). Spermathecae and associated structures, including ventral receptacle and bursa, partially teased out of oviscape (Rara Avis). (G). Head and notum, ♂. (H). ♂ habitus, living. Abbreviations bd—basal distiphallus, c—cercus, dd—distal distiphallus, e—epandrium, gf—genital fork, pg—postgonite, psa—prescutellar area.

Figure 7. Nudopeza glypha sp. nov. Costa Rica, living flies (DEBU). (A,B). ♂♂. (C). ♀.

Figure 7. Nudopeza glypha sp. nov. Costa Rica, living flies (DEBU). (A,B). ♂♂. (C). ♀.

3.7.1. Etymology

The name is an arbitrary combination of letters chosen because of the longstanding sorting code “glf”.

3.7.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COSTA RICA • ♀; Alajuela, San Ramon Biol. Res, 900 m, iv–v.2000, Malaise, P. Hanson; INBC.

Paratypes

COSTA RICA • 2♀♀; same data as holotype; MNCR • 1♀; Alajuela, Volcan Tenorio, N. slope near Bijagua Biological Station, 700 m, pans between cut leaves, 18–20.vi.2000, S.A. Marshall; DEBU• 1♀; Heredia, Estac. Biol. La Selva, 02.iii.1993, ALAS; MNCR • 1♀, 1♂; Rara Avis Nature Reserve, 12 km S Las Horquetas, 22–27.ii.2002, S.A. Marshall; CO1 process code TAE026-14; DEBU • 1♀; San Juan de Peñas Blancas, San Ramón, Soltis Research Centre, iv–v.2022, 600–700 m, S.A. Marshall; DEBU • 1♂; Arenal National Park, 25.viii.2022; MNCR.

Other Material

COSTA RICA • ♀; Carara National Park, 14.iv.2023, S.A. Marshall; photo only.

Description

LENGTH. 7–10 mm.

COLOUR. Head and thorax mostly orange but with a diffuse V-shaped dark mark going from eye to eye across middle of frons, back of head dark mid-dorsally and with a black vertical line midway between inner and outer vertical bristles; frontal vitta anteriorly pale, velvety black for about half of the pre-ocellar area and orange behind and just in front of ocelli. Frontal plate white, orbital plate yellowish orange. Clypeus shining blue-black, prominent and bare except for yellow posterolateral corners. Palpus yellowish brown with sparse short dark bristles. Pedicel brown; postpedicel yellow with golden bristles. Notum with black dot (suprahumeral spot) anterolaterally at middle of upper margin of pale postpronotum. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow. Distal half of fore femur and all of fore tibia black, fore tarsomeres 2–4 white, tarsomere 1 dark on basal half, tarsomere 5 black. Mid femur and hind femur yellowish orange except for a narrow and often indistinct preapical dark ring. Wing with discal band triangular, complete anteriorly. Apical wing infuscation very weak.

Female abdomen with tergites brown except pale T1 and anterolateral margins of T3; oviscape brown on basal third and black preapically, otherwise orange-yellow. Female abdominal pleuron black basally and dark on the upper halves of P3–5, otherwise white to yellowish white.

Male tergites mostly brown; T7 dark dorsally and yellowish laterally, epandrium reddish brown. Male pleuron darker on P1 and with a slightly darkened pleural sac on upper 2/3 of P2, posterior half of P2 dark on living specimens.

HEAD. Arista sparsely short plumose, with longest hairs 4× diameter of first aristomere, hairs very sparse distally. Pedicel with uniformly short black setulae only; postpedicel concave dorsally, twice as long as wide. Frontal vitta narrow (0.3× frontal width) and almost parallel-sided with posterior corners at postocellar bristles. Palpus slightly convex ventrally. Two fronto-orbital bristles, lower one on dividing line between orbital and frontal plates. Postocellar, inner vertical and outer vertical bristles strong.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite with a weak vertical carina in anterior third, slightly inflated posterior to carina. Prosternum indistinctly setulose. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose, with a few scattered black setulae. Notum with a minute suprahumeral setula near anterior corner of postpronotum, slightly larger than and in line with anterior dorsocentral setulae. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle, prescutellar area between acrostichal setulae depressed, with scattered black setulae and dense microsetulae; raised areas flanking prescutellar area bare. Scutellum conspicuously convex, twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct long (more than three times maximum oviscape width), slightly swollen basally but mostly parallel-sided and wrinkled (membranous), distally slightly tapered and then expanded into a short, thickened, relatively sclerotized section before branching into 2 long, strongly convoluted stems leading to 2 large funnel-shaped spermathecae; secondary spermathecal duct very small, arising from the side of primary duct well distal to bursa, divided into a basal unsclerotized half and a distal sclerotized part leading to a single irregularly shaped spermatheca. Ventral receptacle simple, short and broad.

MALE TERMINALIA. S5 extremely long, about 1.5× epandrial length, arms slender, tapered until the slightly downturned and swollen apex, inner surfaces with scattered short, stout setae. Epandrium elongate, cercus large; postgonite and basiphallus projecting far posterior to cerci, postgonite broad with minute apical setulae. Distiphallus extraordinarily long, with a very small phallic bulb separating a stout basal distiphallus from a distal distiphallus extending anteriorly into abdominal segment three and matched by an equally elongate hypandrium and phallapodeme; apex of distiphallus normally inserted in a pouch-like anterior hypandrium.

Remarks

The distinctive head colour renders Nudopeza glypha one of the most easily recognized species in the genus and its extraordinarily long distal distiphallus further distinguishes it from all congeners other than N. mexicana. Although N. glypha lacks the centrally white scutellum characteristic of most Nudopeza, CO1 trees not only confirm its placement in the genus but also place it on the same branch as N. cegex and N. mexicana. The primary spermathecal duct of N. cegex and N. mexicana is very long as in N. glypha and males of both N. glypha and N. mexicana have a correspondingly elongate distal distiphallus (male unknown in N. cegex). Nudopeza glypha further resembles N. mexicana, which is shown as its sister taxon on the CO1 trees, in having the secondary spermatheca arising from the side of a common duct (or the base of the primary duct) far beyond the bursa. In all three species the primary spermathecal duct is mostly lightly sclerotized, with a short distal swollen and sclerotized section before it splits into stems leading to large spermathecae.

3.8. Nudopeza gracei sp. nov.

Figure 8. Nudopeza gracei sp. nov. holotype ♀, Venezuela (CNCI). (A). Habitus, dorsolateral. (B). Head and thorax, dorsolateral. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures.

Figure 8. Nudopeza gracei sp. nov. holotype ♀, Venezuela (CNCI). (A). Habitus, dorsolateral. (B). Head and thorax, dorsolateral. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures.

3.8.1. Etymology

The species name recognizes the co-collector of the type specimen, Grace Wood.

3.8.2. Material Examined

Holotype

VENEZUELA • ♀; Cuyagua, Aragua, 19.xi.1971, G. and M. Wood; CNCI.

Description

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR. Head and thorax mostly brown but frontal plate yellow including the lower half of the preocellar frontal vitta; orbital plate shiny brown, frontal and orbital plates separated by a broad pruinose dark brown strip; upper half of preocellar frontal vitta dark brown and pruinose except for ocellar tubercle. Palpus dark brown, paler at base. Entire antenna yellow, postpedicel with golden bristles; lunule and parafacial yellow; subantennal depression, lower face and clypeus shiny brown. Notum with a broken dark area above postpronotum, otherwise chocolate brown with broad microsetulose vittae flanking brown middle strip on posterior 3/4, each vitta ending anteriorly in a narrow arm extending to postpronotum. Pleuron yellow with broad vertical brown strips. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow. Scutellum yellowish brown. Distal half of fore femur and all of fore tibia black, fore tarsomeres 2–5 white, tarsomere 1 mostly white but dark ventrally on basal third. Mid femur and hind femur yellowish orange except for broad and indistinct basal, distomedian and distal dark rings. Wing with broad but indistinct discal and apical bands (right wing of type with several mites attached). Female abdomen with tergites and oviscape dark, pleuron discoloured on only available specimen.

HEAD. Arista short plumose in basal 3/4, with hairs about 1.5× width of first aristomere, bare distally. Pedicel with uniformly short black setulae only; postpedicel concave dorsally, twice as long as wide. Frontal vitta narrow (0.33× frontal width at maximum) and almost parallel-sided anteriorly, gradually tapered to a narrow posterior margin between postocellar bristles. Two fronto-orbital bristles, lower small and inserted on dividing line between orbital and frontal plates. Postocellar bristle weak, slightly smaller than inner verticals.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite with a weak vertical carina in anterior third, slightly inflated posterior to carina. Postpronotum with indistinct microsetulae and a few scattered setulae. Suprahumeral bristle absent. Anterior notopleural bristle very small, less than half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle, prescutellar area between acrostichal setulae depressed, with scattered black setulae and dense microsetulae; raised areas flanking prescutellar area microsetulose. Scutellum convex, twice as wide as long.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. Bursa with a short distal extension tapered to origin of primary duct, which gradually expands distally before branching into 2 very narrow and long distally twisted stems ornamented with short finger-like process and leading to 2 short-cylindrical spermathecae. Secondary spermathecal duct very small, shorter than paired spermathecal stem, arising beside primary duct near its base, expanded distally before becoming constricted to a thin stem leading to a very small, elongate spermatheca narrower than distal part of duct. Ventral receptacle small.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza gracei is distinctive for its entirely yellowish orange lower frons, including the lower frontal vitta. It is probably closely related to N. venezuelensis and N. sumaco.

3.9. Nudopeza hansoni sp. nov.

Figure 9. Nudopeza hansoni sp. nov. Costa Rica (MNCR). (A). ♀ Head and thorax, dorsal. (B). ♀ posterior thorax and anterior abdomen, lateral. (C). Oviscape, dorsal with spermathecae and associated structures teased out the side. (D). spermathecae and associated structures. (E). ♂, left lateral. (F). ♂ terminalia, left lateral, with sperm pump and ejaculatory apodeme to scale. (G). ♂ genital fork.

Figure 9. Nudopeza hansoni sp. nov. Costa Rica (MNCR). (A). ♀ Head and thorax, dorsal. (B). ♀ posterior thorax and anterior abdomen, lateral. (C). Oviscape, dorsal with spermathecae and associated structures teased out the side. (D). spermathecae and associated structures. (E). ♂, left lateral. (F). ♂ terminalia, left lateral, with sperm pump and ejaculatory apodeme to scale. (G). ♂ genital fork.

3.9.1. Etymology

The species is named for Paul Hanson, the collector of the type specimen.

3.9.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COSTA RICA • 1♀; Alajuela, San Ramon Biol. Res., 900 m, iv–v.2000, P. Hanson; MNCR.

Paratypes

COSTA RICA • 1♂; Guanacaste, Estacion Pitilla, 9 km S. Sta Cecilia, 700 m, 23.iv.1995, M. Moranga; MNCR.

3.9.3. Other Material

COSTA RICA • ♀; Alajuela, San Cristobal, 600–620 m, iv.1998, A. Quesada; MNCR. This specimen, an undissected female, differs from the types in having only two fronto-orbital bristles.

Description

LENGTH. 8–10 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly pale yellow except for contrastingly black frontal vitta, broad black diagonal bands connecting vitta to eye, and back of head; frontal vitta broken by a pale band crossing ocelli. Pedicel brownish, darker than postpedicel or scape. Clypeus shiny black and bare except at basal corners. Palpus dirty yellow, darker in middle part on male paratype. Postnotum and central part of scutellum white; mesoscutum pale orange with prominent black suprahumeral spots, a central posteriorly tapered black vitta extending from anterior margin to just beyond suture, and 2 postsutural black vittae flanking the central prescutellar area. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow. Distal third to half of fore femur and all of fore tibia black, fore tarsomeres white. Mid and hind femora yellowish except for a preapical dark ring; hind femur also with a broad basal ring. Wing infuscation absent or very weak on holotype and male paratype, with a distinct but incomplete discal band on two paratype females. Female abdomen brightly patterned, with T1 dark anteriorly and pale posteriorly, T2 pale except for posterior third, T3 entirely white and desclerotized, T6 pale; pleuron with P 1 dark, posterior part of P2 with a dark vertical band, and posterior parts of and P4 and P5 with a slightly darkened ventrally tapered vertical bands. Oviscape orange, with a dorsal longitudinal black strip.

Male abdomen with tergites similar to female: T1 dark brown basally T2 and T3 dark brown distally, T1–3 otherwise yellow; T4 brown, T5, S8 and epandrium yellowish brown. Pleural pigmentation faded, pleural sac strongly developed, occupying most of P2.

HEAD. Arista sparsely long plumose except for bare apical fifth, longest hairs over half as wide as scape. Pedicel with short black setulae and only short ventral bristles; postpedicel concave dorsally, twice as long as wide. Palpus convex ventrally. Frontal vitta broad in front of ocelli (0.5× frontal width at maximum), strongly tapered to narrow anterior margin, almost parallel-sided behind ocelli. Three (or two, on one specimen) large fronto-orbital bristles, one inserted at level of ocelli, one inserted on dividing line between orbital and frontal plates, one inserted anterior to that line. Postocellar, inner vertical and outer vertical bristles strong.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad and flat. Postpronotum shiny, inconspicuously microsetulose and setulose. Mesonotum with 1–2 very small bristles (suprahumeral bristles) near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. Two dorsocentral bristles. Prescutellar area slightly depressed, densely microsetulose with only two rows of acrostichal setulae between dorsocentral setulae. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct long, slender, distally slightly expanded before branching into 2 long, coiled stems with several digitiform processes, stems leading to 2 large punching-bag shaped, transverse-striate spermathecae; secondary spermathecal duct much smaller and much shorter, leading to a single vestigial spermatheca with digitiform processes. Ducts arising separately on a broad bursa, ventral receptacle not observed.

MALE TERMINALIA. Sternite 5 with a broad, short-armed genital fork with a broad, flat inner base; arms slightly incurved and with about 14 small tooth-like setae in a loose double row on each mesal surface, another 6–8 similar teeth in a transverse row across inner base. Cercus large, 1/3 as large as epandrium; sperm pump and ejaculatory apodeme twice as large as epandrium. Distiphallus longer than epandrium, ending in a large double-valved phallic bulb.

Remarks

Nudopeza hansoni and the similar Costa Rican species N. variterga and N. sirena are apparently closely related, each with two dorsocentral bristles and broadly comparable thoracic and abdominal pigmentation. Nudopeza hansoni is distinguished by the orange band dividing the frontal vitta and by the entirely white abdominal tergite 3; both N. hansoni and N. sirena differ from N. variterga having a greatly reduced secondary spermatheca, but the spermathecal complexes of all three species are otherwise similar. They are probably more closely related to the South American N. arcuata group than to other Central American species groups.

3.10. Nudopeza horologia sp. nov.

Figure 10. Nudopeza horologia sp. nov. holotype ♀, French Guiana. (A). Dorsal. (B). Head and thorax, lateral. (C). Head, lateral to show palpus. (D). Abdomen, left lateral. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures, ventral.

Figure 10. Nudopeza horologia sp. nov. holotype ♀, French Guiana. (A). Dorsal. (B). Head and thorax, lateral. (C). Head, lateral to show palpus. (D). Abdomen, left lateral. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures, ventral.

3.10.1. Etymology

The species name is a noun in apposition derived from the Latin for hourglass, inspired by the shape of dark part of the head in dorsal view.

3.10.2. Material Examined

Holotype

FRENCH GUIANA • ♀; Regina, Kaw Kaw Mtns, Point Road 30, 300 m, 3–27.iii.2007, rainforest-plantations, Malaise trap, K. Sarv; DEBU00302937.

Paratype

BRAZIL • ♀; Amazonas, 26 km NE Manaus, Reserva Ducke, 29.xii.1988. J.A. Rafael, suspension trap, 10 metres; INPA.

Description

LENGTH. 8 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly black on a white to yellow background, with continuous black area including entire frontal vitta, entire back of head, and a broad band including upper frontal plate and lower orbital plate (black area approximately hourglass shaped); pedicel dark brown, postpedicel reddish brown, palpus dark brown, clypeus shiny blue-black. Palpus brown with a white base. Cervical sclerite white. Postpronotum white except for black anterior quarter, scutum mostly black to blue black with two broad orange vittae that fork postsuturally and a central postsutural white vitta continuous with white middle part of scutellum. Scutellum white except for black anterolateral corners and narrowly brown lateral margins. Pleuron mostly dark brown to black except for mostly white posterior half of the katepisternum (posterior margin of katepisternum brown), the anterior fifth of the anepisternum, katatergite and a narrow border along the dorsal and posterior margins of the anepisternum; main vertical row of katepisternal bristles black, other katepisternal bristles white. Fore coxa white, fore femur yellow ventrally and on basal half, brown dorsally on distal half; fore tibia brown, fore tarsomeres white. Mid femur orange except for an incomplete brown subbasal ring and a complete brown preapical ring; hind femur similar but rings larger and more complete. Hind tarsomeres 1–3 white, distal tarsomeres brown. Wing clear.

Abdomen with tergites mostly dark brown with a blue shine, with pale areas on middle part and posterior margin of T3. Pleuron mostly white, P1 slightly darkened, posterior part of P2 dark, upper quarter of P4 and upper half of P5–6 black. Oviscape black with extensive lateral and dorsal yellow parts on basal 3/4; preapical area entirely black, apex orange.

HEAD. Arista long plumose. Pedicel with short black setulae; postpedicel concave dorsally, tapered, length 1.5× basal width. Palpus very broad, tapered apically, straight-edged dorsally, convex ventrally, base narrowed. Frontal vitta 0.4× frontal width at maximum, very slightly expanded anterior to ocelli, slightly tapered to a narrow but truncate anterior margin, almost parallel sided behind ocelli to expanded posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, one at level of ocelli and one at lower corner of orbital plate. Inner vertical and outer vertical bristles strong, twice as long as postocellars.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite microsetulose, convex on posterior half. Prosternum inconspicuously pale setulose. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose and with scattered small setulae. Notum with a small suprahumeral bristle near anteromedial corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle long, posterior notopleural bristle missing from holotype. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area inconspicuously depressed (damaged by pin on unique holotype). Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct gradually expanded beyond base but mostly parallel-sided, branching into simple stems leading to 2 small egg-shaped, wrinkled spermathecae each similar in length to its stem; secondary spermathecal duct almost as long as but half the diameter of the primary duct, terminating in a broad stem leading to a pair of slightly larger spermathecae. Ventral receptacle small but distinct, digit-like.

Remarks

The spermathecal configuration of the holotype, with a large bilobed secondary spermatheca and smaller primary paired spermathecae, is unusual and the dark lateral scutal margins combined with the black hourglass-shaped frontal pigmentation is distinctive. The paratype from Brazil, which has not been dissected, has a heavier pruinosity on the postocellar frontal vitta that diminishes the “hourglass” appearance. Like other South American species with a long-plumose arista, N. horologia is probably related to the N. arcuata species group, and the spermathecal complex suggests that it might be closely related to N. duplitheca or N. zygoma.

3.11. Nudopeza laselva sp. nov.

Figure 11. Nudopeza laselva sp. nov. Costa Rica (MNCR). (A). Head and thorax. (B). ♂, lateral. (C). ♀, living, Soltis Research Centre. (D). ♂ terminalia, lateral. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures, lateral. (F). ♂ genital fork.

Figure 11. Nudopeza laselva sp. nov. Costa Rica (MNCR). (A). Head and thorax. (B). ♂, lateral. (C). ♀, living, Soltis Research Centre. (D). ♂ terminalia, lateral. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures, lateral. (F). ♂ genital fork.

3.11.1. Etymology

The species name is a noun in apposition derived from the one of the type localities.

3.11.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COSTA RICA • ♂; San Juan de Peñas Blancas, San Ramón, Soltis Research Centre, 17.viii.2013, S. Paiero; MNCR.

Paratypes

COSTA RICA • 1♂; same data as holotype • 2♀♀; Heredia, Estac. Biol. La Selva, 04.x.1993, 03.viii.1993, Malaise traps, ALAS; INBC • 2♀♀; Heredia, Estac. Biol. La Selva, 23.vi.1996, 5.iv.1989, H. Hespenheide; USNM • 1♀; Limon, Est. Hiltoy Carere, 100 m, G. Carballo, 27–18.iv.1992; MNCR.

Other Material

COSTA RICA • 1♀; San Juan de Peñas Blancas, San Ramón, Soltis Research Centre, 7.v.2018, S.A. Marshall, photograph only.

Description

LENGTH. 10–11 mm.

COLOUR. Head yellow except for contrastingly black frontal vitta, black supracervical area and broad diagonal bands connecting vitta to eye, dark brown to black pedicel, brown postpedicel, and shining blue-black clypeus with yellow posterolateral corners. Scape and palpus yellow, palpus slightly darker on basal half. Postpronotum pale yellow, scutum mostly black to blue black with three broad yellow postsutural vittae (middle vittae expanded centrally and narrowly crossing the suture anteriorly) and a small yellow area behind postpronotum. Scutellum white to pale yellow except for black anterolateral corners. Pleuron white with black areas along ventral margin of postpronotum, anterior anepisternum, anepimeron and posterior margin of katepisternum; katepisternal bristles black. Fore coxa white, femur yellow on basal half, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres white. Mid femur and hind femur orange except for a basal yellow ring, a similarly dimensioned subbasal black ring, and a preapical dark ring. Hind tarsomeres 1–3 white, distal tarsomeres brown. Wing clear.

Female abdomen with tergites mostly pale reddish brown to black, with pale areas on posterior margin of T1, anterolateral parts of T2, anterior 3/4 of T3, and lateral margins of T6. Pleuron mostly yellowish, P1 and posterior quarter of P2 black.

Male abdomen with pleuron mostly white, black pigmentation restricted to a vertical band on P1 and posterior third of P2. Male T2 white anteriorly and anterolaterally, T3 and T4 white on anterior half, T5 and T6 reduced to small plates.

HEAD. Arista short plumose except for bare basal and distal fifths. Pedicel with short black setulae; postpedicel concave dorsally, tapered, length 1.5× basal width. Palpus slightly concave ventrally. Frontal vitta 0.5× frontal width at maximum, expanded anterior to ocelli, slightly tapered to broad anterior margin, almost parallel sided behind ocelli to broad posterior margin. Three fronto-orbital bristles, lower orbital bristle small and near anterior margin of black band between orbital and frontal plates. Postocellar, inner vertical and outer vertical bristles strong.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad and almost flat, densely but inconspicuously pale microsetulose. Prosternum indistinctly setulose. Notum with a very small suprahumeral bristle near anterior corner of postpronotum. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose and with scattered small setulae on ventral half. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area weakly differentiated. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct gradually expanded beyond base but mostly parallel-sided, branching into distally tightly coiled stems leading to 2 large, elongate, distally expanded and invaginate, transverse striate spermathecae; secondary spermathecal duct much smaller, distally slightly expanded; single spermatheca apparently vestigial. Ventral receptacle small but distinct, digit-like.

MALE TERMINALIA. Pleural sac not visible. Genital fork with a broad base and short, strongly incurved arms separated by a short U-shaped cleft at base, inner surface of arms densely packed with stout tooth-like setae. Distiphallus 1.3× as long as epandrium, distally expanded to form a very large, elongate phallic bulb with ejaculatory duct apparently projecting a short distance under a hooded distal part. Ejaculatory apodeme large, as long as epandrium.

Remarks

In addition to its distinctive orange legs and the characteristic yellow and black colour patterns on the head, thorax and abdomen, Nudopeza laselva is distinguished by an unusually long basal distiphallus and an elongate phallic bulb with a short process presumably representing an atrophied distal distiphallus. The paired spermathecae and ducts are typical for the genus, but the single secondary duct is very short and thin with a very narrow and elongate apex (presumably a vestigial single spermatheca). The bright colour pattern of this species is superficially similar to the type species of Nudopeza, N. tapanti, but details such as the broad yellow postsutural vitta make N. laselva easy to recognize, and the internal male and female abdominal characters of these species differ widely. Nudopeza laselva is probably related to the N. tapanti species group although it has neither the bare arista nor the enlarged and duplicated secondary spermatheca of that group.

3.12. Nudopeza mephitis sp. nov.

Figure 12. Nudopeza mephitis sp. nov., Peru. (A). ♂, living. (B). Head and anterior thorax, living ♂. (C). ♂ genital fork. (D). ♀, living. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures, lateral to show ventral receptacle. (F). Spermathecae and associated structures, dorsal. (G). ♂ terminalia, with phallic bulb lateral and ventral as insets.

Figure 12. Nudopeza mephitis sp. nov., Peru. (A). ♂, living. (B). Head and anterior thorax, living ♂. (C). ♂ genital fork. (D). ♀, living. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures, lateral to show ventral receptacle. (F). Spermathecae and associated structures, dorsal. (G). ♂ terminalia, with phallic bulb lateral and ventral as insets.

3.12.1. Etymology

The specific name is from the Latin for skunk, referring to the broad pale dorsal stripe.

3.12.2. Material Examined

Holotype

PERU • ♀; Cusco, Wayqecha Biological Station, 9 km NE Challabamba, 13°10′20″ S 71°35′0″ W, 2600–2700 m, 1–6.xii.2011, S.A. Marshall; MUSM.

Paratypes

PERU • 2♂♂; same collecting data as for holotype; DEBU • 2♀♀ same locality as for holotype but 13–15.v.2007, S.A. Marshall, CO1 process code MYCRO114-15; DEBU.

Description

LENGTH. 13–14 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly black except for yellow lower frontal plate, parafacial, upper face and postocular strip and brown antenna, subantennal depression, lower face and lunule. Clypeus shiny black. Palpus yellow basally, black distally. Postpronotum pale yellow with a circular velvety black spot along its dorsal margin (indistinct against dark background colour of scutum), scutum mostly brown to black with one broad yellow central postsutural vitta continuous with a short orange vitta crossing suture, another orange area posterior to postpronotum. Scutellum white to yellow centrally, black laterally. Pleuron white with black areas along ventral margin of postpronotum, mid anepisternum, anepimeron, and anterior and posterior margins of katepisternum; katepisternal bristles black. Fore coxa reddish, femur reddish on basal half, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres 2–4 and the apex of tarsomere 1 white. Mid femur and hind femur orange with a narrow preapical dark ring, hind femur with a broader dark subbasal area. Hind tarsomeres brown. Wing infuscation weak but indistinct discal band broad and extending to anterior margin.

Female abdomen with tergites, P1–2, upper parts of P3–5 and basal third of oviscape dark red, oviscape otherwise black; pleuron otherwise mostly yellow. Male abdomen mostly red or pink.

HEAD. Arista almost bare, with a few short hairs in basal fifth. Pedicel with short black setulae and several long ventroapical bristles; postpedicel oval, subequal in length and width. Palpus almost parallel-sided, slightly convex ventrally. Frontal vitta slightly expanded anterior to ocelli (almost 0.5× frontal width at maximum) slightly tapered to broad anterior margin, slightly constricted behind ocelli and then expanded to very broad posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles. Postocellar, inner vertical and outer vertical bristles strong.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite convex on posterior 2/3, anterior 1/3 flat. Postpronotum densely microsetulose and with scattered small setulae. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area weakly differentiated from surrounding areas. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct broad and striate, distally expanded and then tapered slightly before a swelling at the junction of the paired, distally tightly coiled and very long stems leading to 2 large, cup shaped, transverse striate spermathecae, coiled part of stems with long finger-like processes. Secondary spermathecal duct much smaller, distally swollen before tapering to a short stem leading to a small, elongate, club-shaped spermatheca. Ventral receptacle small but distinct, acorn-shaped with transverse constrictions.

MALE TERMINALIA. P2 with a large round pleural sac. Genital fork with a broad base and short, strongly incurved arms without a distinct cleft at base, inner surface of arms sparsely lined with stout tooth-like setae. Distiphallus 1.3× longer than epandrium, distally expanded to form a very large, elongate phallic bulb with distal part complex and hooded from above. Ejaculatory apodeme similar in length to epandrium. Postgonite small, but broad, with a tight central cluster of three long setulae. Hypandrium elongate, with a narrow, scoop-like anterior part.

Remarks

The yellow frontal plate, postpronotum and central scutellum are typical for the genus and the narrow, bicolored central vitta on the scutum is diagnostic for the species. Internal features of the female abdomen, including the small secondary spermathecal duct and distally ornamented primary spermathecal stems, are probably plesiomorphic for the genus, but the pigmentation of abdominal female pleuron, with P1, parts of P2 and the dorsal part of P3–5 brownish orange, is an unusual character shared only by N. mephitis and N. rutilans, both known only from Wayqecha Biological Station in Peru. Although N. mephitis is a typical Nudopeza and N. rutilans is one of the most atypically coloured members of the genus because of its red postpronotum and red scutellum, they share the same CO1 BIN. Externally, these two species differ widely in leg colour (mid and hind femora black with yellow rings versus red with black rings) and thoracic colour (almost entirely red versus boldly patterned in black and yellow). Nudopeza rutilans is known only from females, but its spermathecal complex differs slightly from that of N. mephitis, with elongate spermathecae on a distally expanding stem. Despite sharing the same BIN, N. rutilans and N. mephitis are therefore provisionally treated as distinct species in the N. pronigra group, in which the CO1 ML tree suggests that they form the sister group to N. yungasensis.

3.13. Nudopeza mexicana sp. nov.

Figure 13. Nudopeza mexicana sp. nov., Mexico. (A). ♀ habitus. (B). ♂ habitus. (C). Male terminalia, lateral. (D). ♂ terminalia, ventral. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures, with and without bursa attached. (F). Primary paired spermathecae.

Figure 13. Nudopeza mexicana sp. nov., Mexico. (A). ♀ habitus. (B). ♂ habitus. (C). Male terminalia, lateral. (D). ♂ terminalia, ventral. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures, with and without bursa attached. (F). Primary paired spermathecae.

3.13.1. Etymology

The name refers to the type locality.

3.13.2. Material Examined

Holotype

MEXICO • ♀; Veracruz. Coatepec la Orduña, Finca Monges, 14.vii.2004, McPhail Trap, S. Ibañez, F. Pech; IEXA.

Paratypes

MEXICO • 3 ♀♀; same as holotype IEXA, DEBU; one sequenced with CO1 process code MYCRO464-18 • 1♂; Veracruz. Xico San Marcos, Finca La Onza, 14.vii.2004, McPhail Trap, S. Ibañez, F. Pech; IEXA.

Description

LENGTH. 7–10 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly pale yellow with contrastingly black clypeus and black anterior 2/3 of frontal vitta and black to brown diagonal bands connecting vitta to eye, back of head brown centrally, dark area reaching points between inner and outer verticals; clypeus bare, shiny black. Palpus yellow on basal 2/3, brown apically. Notum boldly patterned in black and yellow, mostly black except yellow postpronotum, yellow areas crossing suture on each side of central black band, and white or pale yellow scutellum. Pleuron white except for a dark spot below posteroventral corner of postpronotum; katepisternal setae brown. Fore femur brown anteriorly and distally, otherwise white to yellow posteriorly, fore tibia brown, fore tarsus white except for dark basal ventral part of tarsomere one; mid and hind femora pale orange with a weak and narrow distal dark ring. Wing clear. Female abdominal T2–6 brown with yellow anterior and anterolateral areas; female oviscape orange with a black tip, female abdominal pleuron darkened on posterior part of P1.

HEAD: Arista sparsely short-plumose except for bare apical third, longest hairs 0.3× width of scape. Pedicel orange-brown with short black setulae and only short ventral bristles; postpedicel tapered and weakly concave dorsally, twice as long as basal width, yellow with golden bristles. Palpus almost parallel sided. Frontal vitta narrow (0.2× frontal width at maximum), velvety black from anterior margin to just behind ocelli, pale and tapered behind ocelli. Two equal fronto-orbital bristles, one at level of upper ocelli and one on the dark band dividing orbital and frontal plates. Orbital bristles usually well developed, but asymmetrically reduced on one specimen.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad and weakly concave. Prosternum indistinctly setulose. Postpronotum with scattered small setulae. Notum with a minute suprahumeral bristle or slightly enlarged anterior dorsocentral setulae near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle thinner but almost as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area depressed and densely setulose. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct very long, narrowed in distal third before branching into 2 short stems leading to 2 large, characteristically tuberculate, acorn-shaped spermathecae; secondary spermathecal duct smaller, arising from side of paired duct well beyond the base and leading to a small swelling before dividing into short stems leading to two very small, simple spermathecae. Bursa elongate. Ventral receptacle short, broad.

MALE TERMINALIA. Sternite 5 with an elongate genital fork, arms slightly incurved and with about 20 small stout tooth-like setae in a loose double row on each mesal surface. Cercus small; sperm pump and ejaculatory apodeme not observed. Basal distiphallus very short and tapered to a small phallic bulb, distal distiphallus strikingly elongate, extending anteriorly to anterior margin of segment 5.

Remarks

Male terminalia of Nudopeza species usually include a basal distiphallus ending in a broad phallic bulb (most species) or a short to medium-long distal distiphallus (verpa group, N. zostera). Two species (N. mexicana, N. glypha) have an extraordinarily long distal distiphallus extending far anteriorly into the abdomen where its apex is housed in a correspondingly elongate hypandrium. In these species the paired spermathecal duct is correspondingly elongate, and the single spermathecal duct arises from the side of the paired duct. The close relationship suggested by these unusual characters is further indicated by other similarities including the narrow, almost parallel-sided frontal vitta but these species are otherwise very different in external characters; N. mexicana is boldly patterned in black and yellow while N. glypha has the typical orange pigmentation of most Grallipeza-group species. Furthermore, N. mexicana has two unequal pairs of spermathecae rather than two subequal pairs as in the type of the genus or a single pair plus a small single spermatheca as in N. glypha and most congeners. CO1 data suggest that these two species form the sister group to N. cegex, which has similar very elongate and distally abruptly swollen spermathecal duct. Males of N. cegex are unknown.

3.14. Nudopeza micromephitis sp. nov.

Figure 14. Nudopeza micromephitis sp. nov. holotype, Colombia. (A). Head and anterior thorax. (B,C). Habitus. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures. (E). Oviscape with spermathecae and associated structures teased out the side.

Figure 14. Nudopeza micromephitis sp. nov. holotype, Colombia. (A). Head and anterior thorax. (B,C). Habitus. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures. (E). Oviscape with spermathecae and associated structures teased out the side.

3.14.1. Etymology

The species name reflects a superficial similarity to a small N. mephitis.

3.14.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COLOMBIA • ♀; Prov. Amazonas, PNN Amacayacu, Mocagua, 3°23′01″ N 70°06′01″ W, 300 m, 15–22.v.2000, A. Parente, CO1 process code MYCRO 186-15; IAVH.

Tentatively Associated Material

BRAZIL. • ♀; Amazonas. PNN Jau, Miratucu/Ig. Do Gerlei 015700S-614900W, 22–29.vii.1995, Malaise, J.A. Rafael and J. Vidal; INPA (damaged specimen, no oviscape).

Description

LENGTH. 8 mm.

COLOUR. Head yellow except for a black area crossing from eye to eye across upper frontal vitta and connected to a black postocciput by a parallel-sided black posterior frontal vitta; pedicel, postpedicel, clypeus (except posterior corners) and palpus also black or dark brown; subantennal depression dark brown. Postpronotum white, scutum mostly dark brown except for white lateral spots over suture and a broad white postsutural central vitta tapering to scutellum. Scutellum white to yellow except for brown anterolateral corners. Pleuron mostly dark brown with vertical broad white strips, one covering posterior half of anepisternum; katepisternal bristles brown. Fore coxa white, femur yellow on basal half, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres white. Mid femur yellow to pale orange with a narrow distal brown ring and an incomplete subbasal ring, hind femur yellow with a subbasal brown ring and a broad distal ring. Hind tarsomeres yellow. Wing with a weak but complete triangular discal band.

Female abdomen with T1–3 black, T4 greatly reduced so the segment is almost entirely white and membranous but with a small remaining sclerite dorsally, T5 black, T6 yellow laterally. Oviscape shiny brown with apex yellow. Pleuron white with small discoloured spots on P3 and P4.

HEAD. Arista long plumose except for distal fifth. Pedicel with short black setulae and several equally short ventral bristles; postpedicel concave dorsally, tapered, length 1.5× basal width. Palpus very broad, abruptly tapered at base and narrowed at apex. Frontal vitta expanded anteriorly, 0.5× frontal width at maximum, slightly tapered to broad anterior margin, almost parallel sided behind ocelli to broad posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, upper bristle larger and inserted at level of ocelli, lower on angled dark band dividing frontal and orbital plates. Postocellar bristle absent.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad, evenly convex, microsetulose. Prosternum with very small pale setae. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose and with scattered small setulae on ventral half. Notum with a stout pale suprahumeral bristle near anterior corner of postpronotum (absent on right side of type specimen). Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area weakly differentiated, centrally depressed and densely microsetulose. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct broad and striate, tapered slightly before a swelling at the junction of the paired basally narrow, distally tightly coiled and very long stems leading to 2 large, cup shaped, transverse striate spermathecae, coiled part of stems with long finger-like processes. Secondary spermathecal duct much smaller, distally expanded before tapering to a short stem leading to a small, elongate, club-shaped spermatheca. Ventral receptacle small but distinct, egg-shaped with transverse constrictions.

Male unknown.

Remarks

The thoracic pigmentation pattern, with a dark, shiny scutum punctured by a white central prescutellar patch and two lateral white patches over the suture resembles N. peruviensis, however these species differ widely in the spermathecal complex and abdominal sclerotization. Furthermore, the CO1 ML tree places N. micromephitis in the sumaco group, a group otherwise characterized by a dark scutellum and head.

The tentatively associated specimen from Brazil is a damaged female with similar thoracic pigmentation and the same unusual mostly desclerotized T4 with a small central sclerotized patch and a similar P4 with dark spots on the membrane. The Brazilian specimen is somewhat larger than the type and has an orange patch on the frontal vitta in front of the ocelli.

3.15. Nudopeza nigriscutellum sp. nov.

Figure 15. Nudopeza nigriscutellum sp. nov. (A). ♀ paratype with mostly orange scutum. (B–D,F). ♀ paratype with mostly black scutum. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures. Abbreviations: bc—bursa copulatrix, cd—shared spermathecal duct, pd—paired spermathecal duct, ps—paired spermatheca, sd—single (secondary) spermathecal duct, ss—single (secondary) spermatheca, vr—ventral receptacle.

Figure 15. Nudopeza nigriscutellum sp. nov. (A). ♀ paratype with mostly orange scutum. (B–D,F). ♀ paratype with mostly black scutum. (E). Spermathecae and associated structures. Abbreviations: bc—bursa copulatrix, cd—shared spermathecal duct, pd—paired spermathecal duct, ps—paired spermatheca, sd—single (secondary) spermathecal duct, ss—single (secondary) spermatheca, vr—ventral receptacle.

3.15.1. Etymology

The species name refers to the entirely black scutellum.

3.15.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COLOMBIA • ♀; Huila, PNN Cueva de los Guacharos, Cueva Indio, 1990 m., Malaise, 28.xi–2.xii.2001, D. Campos, CO1 sequence process code MYCRO 001-15; IAVH.

Paratypes

COLOMBIA • 2♀♀; Huila, PNN Cueva de los Guacharos, Cabana Cedros, 1950 m and 2100 m, net and Malaise, November and December 2001, D. Campos and C. Cortes; IAVH • 2♀♀; Huila, PNN Cueva de los Guacharos, Mirador, 1980 m, 2–5.xii.2001, D. Campos; IAVH and DEBU.

Description

LENGTH. 12–13 mm.

COLOUR. Head black except for yellow to white raised lower frontal plate, a narrow and indistinct yellowish postocular patch and brown antennae; orbital plate glabrous black, slightly golden pruinose and separated from yellow frontal plate by a broad, angled, striate black strip, frontal vitta velvety black, microsetulose except for ocellar triangle. Clypeus shiny black. Palpus yellow at base, mostly dark brown. Vibrissal angle and gena densely covered in white microsetulae. Fore coxa, trochanter and base of femur orange, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres white except for black base and ventral side of tarsomere one. Mid and hind femora mostly brown with orange basal and apical rings, mid femur with a subbasal orange ring, hind femur with a broad yellow ring at middle; mid and hind tibiae brown on basal half and orange on distal half, hind tarsomere one white. Thorax with a centrally black and partially orange postpronotum and a large black area covering most of the scutum between the postpronota; scutum otherwise variably coloured: usually mostly black but posterior 3/4 entirely orange in some specimens, partly orange with black striae in others; scutellum entirely black. Pleuron entirely orange with anterior part of anepisternum yellowish, upper katepisternal bristles black. Wing with a complete and broad discal band and with apex broadly pigmented.

Female abdomen with tergites mostly orange, T3–4 darker. Pleuron mostly pinkish grey, with white areas on ventral halves of T4 and T5. Oviscape orange with a black tip.

HEAD: Arista bare except for a few minute setulae in basal third. Postpedicel suboval, slightly longer than wide, dorsally depressed. Palpus spatulate, ventrally straight. Frontal vitta 0.4× frontal width at maximum, 0.2× frontal width at anterior margin, indistinctly elevated anterior to ocelli; postocellar part parallel-sided and broad, posterior margin slightly broader than space between postocellars. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower bristle at frontal-orbital junction and arising from an apparent angled extension of the frontal vitta, upper at level of ocelli. Postocellar bristle large and almost in line with inner verticals.

THORAX: Cervical sclerite divided into a small, bare flat anterior part and a large convex microsetulose posterior part. Prosternum weakly microsetulose with a few scattered black setulae, anterior margin bare. Postpronotum elevated, with a sharp posterior ridge, surface entirely and distinctly microsetulose and with a few scattered setulae. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Notopleuron with strong posterior bristle but anterior bristle minute. Usually with a single pair of dorsocentral bristles (one paratype has two dorsocentrals on one side only, Figure 15F) and a complete row of dorsocentral setulae; scattered smaller setulae present between dorsocentral rows in both presutural and postsutural parts, central prescutellar area depressed but otherwise weakly differentiated. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA: Bursa with a short distal extension or common spermathecal duct, primary and secondary spermathecal ducts arising together at apex of common duct; primary duct gradually expanded beyond base, 3× as thick distally as at base, stems with very narrow base branching into entirely coiled stems leading to 2 small spermathecae on swollen bases, distal part of stem with pointed finger-like processes. Secondary spermathecal duct much smaller, with a single very small spermatheca on a short, bent stem. Ventral receptacle small but distinct, digit-like with a rounded head.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza nigriscutellum, N. zostera, N. verpa and N. viva differ widely from other Nudopeza in their Calosphen-like wing pigmentation and in the absence of the typical Nudopeza pale scutellar banding. A CO1 ML tree confirms the treatment of these species within Nudopeza, with N. nigriscutellum, N. verpa and N. viva (sometimes along with the dissimilar N. duplitheca) coming out together next to the N. pronigra group and N. zostera coming out closer to the N. sumaco group. Males of N. nigriscutellum are unknown but are expected to have a distal distiphallus like that of the similar N. verpa. The spermathecal complex of these species is similar and typical for Nudopeza in having a reduced secondary spermatheca and in having the paired spermathecae on long, coiled stems ornamented with digitiform processes.

3.16. Nudopeza nigrivertex sp. nov.

Figure 16. Nudopeza nigrivertex sp. nov. (A). Holotype ♀ (Ecuador) without abdomen. (B). Holotype ♀ with abdomen. (C). Holotype head and thorax. (D). Holotype spermathecae and associated structures. (E). Tentatively associated ♀, Colombia.

Figure 16. Nudopeza nigrivertex sp. nov. (A). Holotype ♀ (Ecuador) without abdomen. (B). Holotype ♀ with abdomen. (C). Holotype head and thorax. (D). Holotype spermathecae and associated structures. (E). Tentatively associated ♀, Colombia.

3.16.1. Etymology

The species name refers to the entirely blue-black upper part of the head.

3.16.2. Material Examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; Pichincha, Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve; 00°1′13″S, 78°40′30″W; 2200 m; 9–13.v.2009; S.A. Marshall leg., CO1 process code MYCRO085-15/UGIC184-15; QCAZ.

3.16.3. Other Material Examined

COLOMBIA • 1♀; Nariño, R.N. La Planada, Parcela Olga, 1°15′N,78°18′W, 1850 m, Malaise, 2–16.xii.2000, leg. G. Oliva; IAVH. Labelled as “near Nudopeza nigrivertex”.

Description

LENGTH. 13 mm.

COLOUR. Head black to blue black except as follows: frontal vitta velvety black except for a whitish pruinose band over ocelli, antenna pale orange, clypeus orange at posterior corners, palpus yellow in basal quarter, distally brown; lower orbital plate, face and parafacial orange. Postpronotum pale yellow with an indistinct velvety black spot just above, scutum mostly black to blue black with a distinct pattern of silvery pruinosity forming two broad, incomplete lateral bands and an inverted triangle along the scutellar margin. Scutellum silvery pruinose except for black anterolateral corners. Anepisternum yellowish white on posterior half, black on anterior half; katepisternum with a silvery pruinose vertical band surrounding a short row of white bristles in front of the main vertical row of black bristles. Fore coxa brown, femur white ventrally on basal quarter, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres white. Mid femur and hind femur orange with a brown base and an indistinct distal brown ring; all tibiae black. Hind tarsomeres 1–2 white, distal tarsomeres pale brown. Wing infuscation weak, with a dark spot extending over R_{2 + 3} to wing margin.

Female abdomen of holotype discoloured but apparently with broad dark vertical bands on P3 and P5, oviscape reddish with dark apex.

HEAD: Arista bare on distal half, very short pubescent on basal half. Postpedicel oval, subequal in length and width. Palpus apically slightly tapered and rounded at apex Frontal vitta expanded anterior to ocelli (width 0.5× frontal width at maximum), tapered to a narrow anterior margin, slightly tapered behind ocelli to broad posterior margin equal in width to space between postocellar bristles. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower one inserted on dividing line between orbital and frontal plates. Postocellar bristle as long as inner verticals.

THORAX: Cervical sclerite broad, divided into a depressed anterior part and a larger microsetulose convex posterior area. Postpronotum indistinctly pale microsetulose with a few scattered setulae. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle (left dorsocentral missing from holotype, with no obvious socket).

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct narrow and parallel-sided in basal half but expanded to 4× basal width in distal third, stems long and loosely coiled with a few inconspicuous finger-like lobes; spermathecal body broadly short cylindrical with a deeply invaginate apex. Secondary spermathecal duct much smaller, distally swollen and with a very small single spermatheca on a long stem. Ventral receptacle present but weakly differentiated in the type specimen.

Male unknown.

Remarks

The specimen labelled as “near N. nigrivertex” from Colombia differs from the type of N. nigrivertex in having mostly dark reddish brown mid and hind femora and a paler lower frontal plate (Figure 16E). Other features, including the spermathecal complex, agree with N. nigrivertex.

Nudopeza venezuelensis is similar but has two dorsocentral bristles and a primary spermathecal duct that is only slightly expanded apically and leads to broad stems densely ornamented with pointed lobes. A CO1 ML tree places N. nigrivertex, N. veneuelensis and N. sumaco, and N. micromephitis together in the N. sumaco species group.

3.17. Nudopeza nudarcuata sp. nov.

Figure 17. Nudopeza nudarcuata sp. nov. holotype ♀, Peru (MUSM). (A). Habitus, dorsal. (B). Head and thorax, dorsolateral. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures.

Figure 17. Nudopeza nudarcuata sp. nov. holotype ♀, Peru (MUSM). (A). Habitus, dorsal. (B). Head and thorax, dorsolateral. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures.

3.17.1. Etymology

The name reflects the relatively bare arista and the bare postocellar area, which differentiate this species from N. arcuata.

3.17.2. Material Examined

Holotype

PERU • ♀; Cusco, Carretera Manu, Cosnipata Valley above Manu Cloud Forest Lodge, 14.xi.2012, A. Norrbom, G. Steck, B. Sutton, and J. Alvarez Baca, CO1 process code MYCRO495-18; MUSM.

Description

LENGTH. 12 mm.

COLOUR: Head and thorax orange except as follows: Lower half of preocellar frontal vitta forming a black triangle tapered to frontal margin, frontal vitta otherwise orange except for a small black spot at posterior margin. Frontal plate dull orange, separated from shiny orange orbital plate by a narrow angled black band. Clypeus shiny black. Pedicel and scape reddish brown, postpedicel orange. Postpronotum yellowish orange, notum with a small circular spot at middle of upper margin of postpronotum. Scutellum yellowish brown with orange lateral margins. Distal half of fore femur brown dorsally, femur otherwise yellowish. Mid legs missing from unique type. Hind femur yellowish except for a distinct brown ring in basal fifth and less distinct ring at 3/4. Wing with discal band reduced to a broad spot extending from below M to above R₄₊₅. Apical wing infuscation absent or very weak. Pleuron with broad but weak alternating vertical pale and orange-brown bands, posterior half of anepisternum white, anterior half orange-brown. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow. Abdomen with T1 and anterior half of T2 dark, T3–T5 white, T7 contrastingly shiny black or dark brown. Oviscape and pleuron discoloured on unique type, natural colour obscured.

HEAD: Arista pubescent, longest hairs subequal to basal aristal width. Postpedicel suboval, almost as wide as long. Palpus almost parallel-sided, rounded at apex. Frontal vitta narrow, parallel-sided behind ocelli, expanded and then tapered anteriorly, maximum width of preocellar frontal vitta 1/3 of frontal width. One small frontal bristle inserted at junction of black angled band and frontal vitta. Inner and outer vertical bristles exceptionally long but postocellar bristle absent.

THORAX: Cervical sclerite somewhat convex, uniformly and indistinctly microsetulose, small anterior part weakly differentiated. Prosternum setulose anteriorly. Postpronotum evenly but sparsely microsetulose, with a few scattered small setulae. Notum with 1–2 min, inconspicuous suprahumeral bristles near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle strong, more than half as long and almost as strong as posterior bristle. Scutellum 3× as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Primary spermathecal duct gradually expanded to an apex about four times as wide as base, paired spermathecal stems elongate, narrow basally but expanded to middle and then becoming twisted and ornamented with long finger-like processes; spermathecae large, almost spherical and deeply invaginate apically. Secondary spermathecal duct very small, spermathecal stem similar to paired stem but spermatheca absent. Ventral receptacle small but distinct, narrowly mushroom-shaped.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza nudarcuata is distinctive for a uniformly brown scutum marked with conspicuous circular black suprahumeral spots, as well as an unusually short scutellum and complete absence of postocellar bristles. The combination of a bare arista and a mostly orange frontal vitta with black pigmentation largely restricted to the anterior half of the preocellar part is unique in the genus. The relatively dark postpronotum, scutellum and frontal plate make this species challenging to diagnose as a Nudopeza, however the circular suprahumeral spots and black angled lines dividing the orbital and frontal plates are characteristic for the genus. The spermathecal complex (short secondary duct, secondary spermatheca reduced or absent, primary spermathecae on distally ornamented stems) is typical, but probably plesiomorphic, for the genus. Nudopeza nudarcuata comes out close to Nudopeza arcuata on CO1 ML trees.

3.18. Nudopeza palenque sp. nov.

Figure 18. Nudopeza palenque sp. nov. holotype ♀, Ecuador. (A). Head and thorax. (B). Habitus. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures. (D). Abdomen dorsal.

Figure 18. Nudopeza palenque sp. nov. holotype ♀, Ecuador. (A). Head and thorax. (B). Habitus. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures. (D). Abdomen dorsal.

3.18.1. Etymology

The species name is a noun in apposition derived from the type locality, Rio Palenque Biological Station in Ecuador.

3.18.2. Material Examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; Pichincha Province, Rio Palenque Biological Station, 250 m, 47 km S. Sto. Domingo, 2–26.ii.1978, 150 m, G. and M. Wood; CNCI.

Paratype

ECUADOR • 1♀; Pichincha Province, Rio Palenque Biological Station, 250 m, 47 km S. Sto. Domingo, 17–25.ii.1979, S.A. Marshall; DEBU.

Description

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR. Head black except for yellow lower frons including frontal plate and anterior apex of frontal vitta, a yellow quadrate area in front of ocelli, mostly yellow postpedicel (area around base of arista black), yellow lunule and yellow parafacial. Palpus yellow at base, otherwise brown. Thorax dull orange-brown except as follows: postpronotum pale with a small black anterior patch, anterior third of presutural mesoscutum black, scutellum brown laterally with a broad white central strip; katepisternal bristles golden. Fore coxa pale orange, femur orange on basal half, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres white. Mid femur and hind femur orange with an incomplete subbasal brown ring and a preapical brown ring, rings larger and more complete on hind femur. Hind tibia brown, hind tarsomeres 1–3 whitish brown, distal tarsomeres brown. Wing with a large incomplete triangular discal band extending from R_{4 + 5} to apex of cell dm.

Female abdomen with tergites mostly reddish brown to black, with pale areas on anterior and anterolateral margin of T3; T4–6 reduced or lightly sclerotized, with black bands of pleuron extending dorsally. Pleuron yellow with a prominent pattern of vertical black stripes on P3–6, P2 with an angled and tapered black area extending from the posterolateral corner of T2. Oviscape black.

HEAD. Arista plumose except for mostly bare basal and distal fifths. Postpedicel concave dorsally, 1.3–1.4× as long as wide as long. Palpus very broad, strongly convex ventrally Frontal vitta narrow (0.3× frontal width at maximum), almost parallel sided from ocelli to anterior margin and strongly expanded from ocelli to a broad posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles. Postocellar bristle strongly displaced posteriorly, half as long as inner vertical bristle.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad and almost flat, posterior part only slightly elevated. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose and with scattered small setulae on ventral half. Notum with 1 or 2 thin, inconspicuous suprahumeral bristles near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle thin, half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct broad and striate, gradually expanded distally and then tapered slightly before a swelling at the junction of the paired, distally tightly coiled and very long stems leading to 2 large egg-shaped, transverse striate spermathecae; coiled part of stems with long finger-like processes. Secondary spermathecal duct much smaller, distally swollen before tapering to a short stem leading to a small, elongate and tuberculate structure (which could be interpreted as a vestigial spermatheca or the distal part of the single spermathecal stem). Ventral receptacle small.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza palenque is one of several congeners with a dark epicephalon barely distinguishable from the dark diagonal line dividing the orbital plate from the frontal plate. The pale scutellum centre, postpronotum and frontal plate of N. palenque are characteristic for the genus, as is the spermathecal complex with a greatly reduced single secondary spermatheca and duct and a large pair of primary spermathecae on long, convoluted and ornamented stems. The prominent vertical bands on the abdominal pleuron (Figure 18B), bicolored antenna and the solid dark anterior scutum (Figure 18A) are diagnostic for the species, which probably belongs in the N. arcuata species group.

3.19. Nudopeza paramephitis sp. nov.

Figure 19. Nudopeza paramephitis sp. nov. Ecuador. (A,C). ♂, living. (B). Holotype ♀ (QCAZ) living. (D). ♂ terminalia left lateral (DEBU). (E). Phallus. (F). Spermathecae and associated structures.

Figure 19. Nudopeza paramephitis sp. nov. Ecuador. (A,C). ♂, living. (B). Holotype ♀ (QCAZ) living. (D). ♂ terminalia left lateral (DEBU). (E). Phallus. (F). Spermathecae and associated structures.

3.19.1. Etymology

The species name refers to the similarity to N. mephitis.

3.19.2. Material Examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; Pichincha, Mindo, trail to Bellavista Reserve, 0°3′29″ S 78°46′6″ W, 1.v.2011, S.A. Marshall; QCAZ.

Paratypes

ECUADOR • 1♂, 2♀♀; same data as holotype • 1♀; Same locality as holotype but 28.x.1999, S.A. Marshall, CO1 process code UGIC183-15/MYCRO088-15; DEBU • 2♀♀; same locality as holotype but 9–13.v.2009, S.A. Marshall; DEBU.

Description

LENGTH. 7–10 mm.

COLOUR. Head black except for contrastingly yellow frontal plate and postocular strip; antennae orange-brown; palpus black except for yellow basal third. Postpronotum pale yellow, scutum mostly black to brown with a prominent yellow postsutural vitta continuous with the mostly yellow scutellum, vitta reddish where it narrowly crosses the suture anteriorly. Scutellum white to yellow except for black anterolateral corners. Anepisternum and anepimeron both sharply bicolored, with posterior part white to pale yellow. Katepisternum reddish brown on anterior half. Fore coxa brown, femur reddish brown on basal quarter, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres white except for basal half of tarsomere one. Mid femur and hind femur black except for a basal reddish ring, a weak distomedian ring, and a large reddish distal ring. Hind tarsomeres mostly brown, tarsomere one reddish ventrally. Wing infuscation weak and uniform. Abdominal tergites of both sexes black, T3 characteristically constricted medially. Female abdomen with pleuron boldly banded in black and white, P1–2 black, P3 white, P4 black, remainder of pleuron white except along dorsal fringe. Oviscape entirely shiny black.

Male abdomen similar to female but with more extensive pigmentation on dorsal half of P5. Terminalia shiny black.

HEAD. Arista bare, with a few hairs on basal fifth. Postpedicel concave dorsally, 1.1× as long as wide. Palpus convex ventrally, moderately broadened. Frontal vitta broad (0.6× frontal width at maximum) slightly expanded anterior to ocelli, tapered to a narrow but blunt anterior margin, otherwise parallel sided from ocelli to posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles. Postocellar bristle strongly displaced posteriorly, slightly smaller than inner vertical bristle.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite with a broad and convex posterior part and a small flat anterior part. Suprahumeral bristle absent. Postpronotum densely microsetulose and with scattered small setulae. Anterior notopleural bristle absent or reduced to a barely distinguishable setula, posterior notopleural bristle strong. Two dorsocentral bristles. Scutellum twice as long as wide.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct gradually expanded beyond base, distally swollen and branching into basally narrow but distally broad stems with numerous long, finger-like processes; paired spermathecae donut-shaped, little differentiated from stem, transverse striate and deeply invaginated apically; secondary spermathecal duct and stem similar but smaller, with much shorter processes on the stem and spermatheca. Ventral receptacle not observed.

MALE TERMINALIA. Genital fork with a broad base and relatively long, strongly incurved arms with a distinct cleft at base, inner surface of arms sparsely lined with stout tooth-like setae. Pleural sac weakly developed, visible as a dark circular area on P2 of living fly but not discernable on cleared abdomen. Basal distiphallus 1.3× longer than epandrium, distally expanded to form a very large, elongate phallic bulb, distal distiphallus absent. Ejaculatory apodeme very large, longer than epandrium and housed in fifth segment. Postgonite small, with three long apical bristles. Hypandrium short.

Remarks

Nudopeza paramephitis belongs to the N. pronigra species group, a clade including N. pronigra, N. mephitis, N. ruficincta and N. yungasensis; all high-elevation South American species with a bare arista and with the head black except for a yellow frontal plate. Although N. paramephitis is similar in thoracic colour to N. mephitis, both of which have a dark scutum with a central yellow postsutural vitta that extends presuturally as a diffuse orange streak, it differs significantly from both N. mephitis and N. pronigra in its spermathecal complex, which has a relatively large secondary spermathecal duct and spermatheca and paired spermathecae on straight but broad and distally expanded stems (Figure 19E). Nudopeza paramephitis and its close relatives N. mephitis and N. ruficincta appear on a CO1 ML tree as the sister group to the two sequenced members of the N. verpa species group, a group of high-elevation South American species that differ from congeners in male genitalia (with a distal distiphallus) and wing pigmentation (heavily banded).

3.20. Nudopeza penai sp. nov.

Figure 20. Nudopeza penai sp. nov. Holotype ♀, Ecuador. (A). Head, dorsal. (B). Head and thorax, lateral. (C). Dorsal. (D). Abdomen, cleared, left lateral. (E). Abdomen, dry, left lateral. (F). Side of oviscape with spermathecae teased out, dorsal. (G). Spermathecae and associated structure, lateral.

Figure 20. Nudopeza penai sp. nov. Holotype ♀, Ecuador. (A). Head, dorsal. (B). Head and thorax, lateral. (C). Dorsal. (D). Abdomen, cleared, left lateral. (E). Abdomen, dry, left lateral. (F). Side of oviscape with spermathecae teased out, dorsal. (G). Spermathecae and associated structure, lateral.

3.20.1. Etymology

The species name is a patronym honouring Chilean entomologist Luis Enrique Peña (1921–1995), who collected the only known specimen of this species.

3.20.2. Material Examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; Napo River, Napo, 250 m, v.1965, L. Pena;

CNCI. The holotype has a determination label that reads “Grallipeza arcuata Hennig, 1934 (macho e fêmea) det L Albuquerque”.

Description

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR: Head mostly pale yellow to orange other than orange postocellar frontal vitta, black ocellar triangle, and a single transverse black area including the band separating orbital and frontal plates and the black upper half of the preocellar frontal vitta. Clypeus shiny brown with vertical pruinose striae, pale microsetulose at posterolateral corners. Palpus brown basally with a yellow apical third. Pedicel brown, with short black setae; postpedicel yellow with golden setulae. Postpronotum white along posterior and dorsal margins, otherwise orange; scutum between postpronota anteriorly entirely orange, centrally with an indistinct brown vitta that tapers to suture. Postsutural area mostly dark but details obscured by the large pin penetrating the unique specimen; scutellum with a narrow but distinct pale central strip, otherwise dark brown. Fore coxa and femur yellowish. Fore tibia brown, fore tarsomeres yellow except for black-bristled basal ventral part of tarsomere one. Mid leg missing from unique type. Hind femur yellowish except for distinct subbasal and preapical brown rings. Wing with discal band indistinct; apical wing infuscation absent. Pleuron mostly pale, without distinct vertical banding. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow.

Abdomen with T2–3 pale; oviscape with basal 2/3 black on dorsal half and orange on ventral half, distal part strongly modified with a narrow orange extension. Pleuron of unique specimen too discoloured to describe.

HEAD. Arista long plumose, with longest hairs as long as scape width. Postpedicel elongate oval, depressed dorsally and approximately twice as long as wide. Palpus very broad, tapered to a broadly rounded apex. Frontal vitta very broad and almost parallel-sided, indistinctly tapered anteriorly, slightly expanded at posterior apex and slightly more than half as wide as frons at maximum width. Three fronto-orbital bristles, the lower two (frontals) inserted close to one another just below anterior margin of dark area and slightly smaller than the upper (orbital). Postocellar bristle small, 0.25× as long as inner verticals.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite unmodified. Postpronotum inconspicuously pale microsetulose, with a few scattered small setulae anteriorly. Notum with 1–2 thin, inconspicuous suprahumeral bristles near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Scutellum twice as wide as long (one apical marginal bristle duplicated on type, thus 3 apical bristles).

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Oviscape strongly modified with a large, setose, brown preapical ventral swelling and a smaller preapical black dorsal swelling basal to a spout-like narrow apical extension. Five spermathecae in one pair and one triplet on long, subequal, almost parallel-sided ducts arising separately low on the bursa; primary duct slightly expanded distally before branching into basally constricted stems with distal half expanded and irregular, primary spermathecae cup-shaped. Secondary duct similar until it branches into 2 long stems, stems narrow and straight-sided on basal half, broader and twisted distally; one stem branching again into further twisted stems leading to 2 prominently ornamented spermathecae; the other stem to a single similarly ornamented spermatheca. Ventral receptacle prominent, with a rounded head projecting well beyond apex of bursa; head of ventral receptacle similar in size to a primary spermatheca.

Remarks

The strongly modified oviscape is unique in the genus although similarly elaborate ovipositor shapes appear convergently in Amapeza Marshall and Rainieriella Aczél. The modified ovipositor of N. penai is interpreted as autapomorphic for the species but the general form of the spermathecal ducts and some other characters suggest that N. penai is closely related to N. duplitheca. The colour of the frons is strikingly similar in these two species, the postpronotum of both species is a bit darker than in most congeners, the arista is similarly plumose and T3 is pale in both. Nudopeza penai is the only known micropezid with five spermathecae.

3.21. Nudopeza peruviensis sp. nov.

Figure 21. Nudopeza peruviensis sp. nov. holotype ♀, Peru. (A–C). Habitus and head. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures.

Figure 21. Nudopeza peruviensis sp. nov. holotype ♀, Peru. (A–C). Habitus and head. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures.

3.21.1. Etymology

The species name reflects the type locality.

3.21.2. Material Examined

Holotype

PERU • ♀; Cuzco, Villa Carmen Biological Station, 240 m, trail 5, stream after large pasture, 25.i.2013, A. Norrbom; MUSM.

Description

LENGTH. 7 mm.

COLOUR. Head with frontal plate, upper part of orbital plate, face, gena and parafacial strip yellow. Lower orbital plate shining brown, separated from frontal plate by a narrow dark diagonal band. Back of head brown except for a narrow yellow postocular strip. Palpus brown with a narrow pale apex, clypeus shiny brown. Pedicel brown, with dark setulae; postpedicel yellow, with pale setulae. Frontal vitta dark brown to black with dense silvery microtomentosity and a pale reddish brown zone anterior to ocellar triangle.

Postpronotum white except for brown anterior quarter, scutum mostly brown except for white lateral areas over suture and a weak white postsutural central vitta tapering to scutellum. Pleuron mostly dark brown to black, anepisternum white in posterior third and along anterior margin and a narrow dorsal margin; katepisternum with a vertical white strip centrally; katepisternal bristles black, other katepisternal bristles white, katatergite white. Fore coxa white (remainder of fore legs missing from type). Mid and hind femora yellow to pale orange with broad subbasal brown ring and distal, brown rings, broader on hind femur. Hind tarsomeres yellow. Wing with a very weak, barely discernable, apparently triangular discal band.

Female abdomen with T3 white, other tergites brown. Oviscape brown with apex and basal margins yellow. Pleuron white, slightly darkened along margins of T4–5.

HEAD. Arista very long plumose except for bare distal fifth. Postpedicel concave dorsally, tapered, length 2× basal width. Palpus moderately broad, ventral side convex and distal half tapered to a broadly rounded apex. Frontal vitta slightly expanded anteriorly, 0.4× frontal width at maximum, slightly tapered to broad anterior margin, almost parallel sided behind ocelli to broad posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, upper bristle larger and inserted at level of ocelli, lower on angled dark band. Postocellar bristle small, about half as long as outer vertical.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad, evenly and slightly convex, microsetulose. Prosternum indistinctly setulose. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose and with many small setulae on ventral half. Notum with 1 or 2 small but stout suprahumeral bristles near anteromedial corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. Prescutellar area centrally depressed, densely microsetulose. Two dorsocentral bristles. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with both ducts similar in length and diameter, one duct leading to two long thin, simple stems and a pair of very small elongate, wrinkled and tapered spermathecae; the other duct leading to a large, subspherical, single spermatheca on a very short, basally constricted stem. Ventral receptacle small, inconspicuous, with a knob-like apex.

Remarks

The thoracic pigmentation pattern, with a dark shiny scutum punctured by a white central prescutellar patch and two lateral white patches over the suture, suggests a close relationship to N. micromephitis, however that species has a typical Nudopeza spermathecal complex with unequal ducts and large paired spermathecae on twisted and adorned stems. The spermathecal complex of N. peruviensis is most similar to that N. trinidadensis, which has similar small paired spermathecae and a similar larger single spermathecae although the diameter of the paired duct is much greater. Like most other South American species with a plumose arista, N. peruviensis is probably related to the N. arcuata species group and is most likely to be related to other species with subequal thin spermathecal ducts and small spermathecae (N. trinidadensis, N. horologia and N. zygoma).

3.22. Nudopeza pronigra (Hennig) New Combination

Figure 22. Nudopeza pronigra (Hennig) (A,B). ♀ habitus and head, Ecuador (DEBU) (C). Holotype ♀, Bolivia (SMTD) (D). Spermathecae and associated structures, dorsal. (E). Anterior margin of oviscape, lateral, with spermathecae and associated structures teased out (DEBU).

Figure 22. Nudopeza pronigra (Hennig) (A,B). ♀ habitus and head, Ecuador (DEBU) (C). Holotype ♀, Bolivia (SMTD) (D). Spermathecae and associated structures, dorsal. (E). Anterior margin of oviscape, lateral, with spermathecae and associated structures teased out (DEBU).

Grallipeza pronigra Hennig, 1934: 301 [2]; Aczél, 1949: 331 [7]; Aczél, 1951: 535 [8]; Steyskal, 1968: 6 [9].

3.22.1. Material Examined

Holotype

BOLIVIA • ♀; Yungas von Coroico, 1000 m, 17.xi.06, Coll. W. Schnuse; SMTD. Missing right mid leg, costal margin of one wing.

Other Material

BOLIVIA • 1♂; Coroico, 1200 m, Coll. Fassl; BMNH.

ECUADOR • 1♀; Napo, Yanayacu Biological Research Station, yellow pan trap, 1–10.vi.2008, Jose Simbaña; DEBU.

Description

LENGTH. 14 mm.

COLOUR: Brightly coloured; head with frontal vitta (except brown lower margin), face (except yellow lower margin), subantennal area, epicephalon, clypeus, pedicel, scape, and distal 2/3 of palpus black; lower frontal plate pale yellow and posterior half of frontal vitta with light silvery pruinosity. Scutum mostly orange, anterior fifth black; postpronotum white. Pleuron mostly dark brown to black, anepisternum white in posterior third and along anterior margin and a narrow dorsal margin; katepisternum with a vertical white strip centrally; katepisternal bristles black, other katepisternal bristles white, katatergite white. Fore femur dark brown dorsally, yellow ventrally and basally; tibia brown, tarsus white except brown ventral pigmentation/dark setae on proximal half of tarsomere one. Mid and hind femora yellow with three brown bands. Wing almost clear, discal band weak to absent on Bolivian specimens and diffuse, indistinct and restricted to centre of wing on Ecuadorian specimen.

Abdominal pleuron of type with P3 and P4 with vertical black bands (specimen from Ecuador apparently lacking these bands), tergites and oviscape shining black.

HEAD. Arista apparently bare, with a few sparse, short hairs on basal half or less. Palpus strongly convex on ventral surface. Frontal vitta tapered to a narrow blunt anterior point, broadened to almost half of frontal width at midpoint of anterior frontal vitta, broad and almost parallel sided behind ocelli and slightly wider at posterior apex than distance between postocellar bristles. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, one at level of ocelli and one on dividing line between frontal and orbital plates. Postocellar bristle large, similar in size to inner and outer verticals.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad, strongly convex and with a large, circular centrally pitted surface on posterior 2/3. Prosternum with only fine microsetulosity. Postpronotum sparsely and inconspicuously microsetulose and with scattered setulae on posterior third. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Anterior notopleural bristle minute or absent. Dorsocentral bristles in a single pair. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Ventral receptacle small but distinct. Secondary spermathecal duct narrow, parallel-sided, constricted distally at base of the long distally expanded spermathecal stem that grades imperceptibly into a small spermatheca. Primary spermathecal duct much longer and wider, apically splitting into two stems, narrow at base and distally enlarged and coiled; basal part of enlarged stem with digitiform processes.

MALE TERMINALIA. The only available male (BMNH, not dissected) has a discoloured abdomen and a simple genital fork with arms broad basally and strongly tapered and incurved distally, inner margin with about 8 stout short tooth-like setae.

Remarks

Nudopeza pronigra is very similar to N. ruficincta from Colombia, from which it differs most obviously in having pale mid and hind femora with three black bands, as opposed to the two-banded orange femora of N. ruficincta. These species, along with N. paramephitis, N. ungsensis, N. rutilans and N. mephitis, are treated as the N. pronigra species group.

The N. pronigra specimen from Ecuador generally matches the type of N. pronigra in leg and body colour, but the abdominal pleural pigmentation does not seem to include the dark vertical bands seen on P3 and P4 of the type. Neither this specimen nor the type was sequenced, and it was not possible to compare features of the spermathecal complex, so these specimens are only provisionally treated as conspecific. The illustrations of the spermathecal complex are from the Ecuadorian specimen.

3.23. Nudopeza quadrivitta sp. nov.

Figure 23. Nudopeza quadrivitta sp. nov. holotype ♀, French Guiana (A–C). Habitus and head. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures.

Figure 23. Nudopeza quadrivitta sp. nov. holotype ♀, French Guiana (A–C). Habitus and head. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures.

3.23.1. Etymology

This species is named for its quadrate black preocellar frontal vitta.

3.23.2. Material Examined

Holotype

FRENCH GUIANA • ♀; Cayenne, Rorota Water Reservoir, 5–6.xii.2003, M. Kotrba; DEBU00398238.

Description

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR: Head mostly pale yellow except for parts of frontal vitta and back of head. Lower frontal vitta pale, black part of preocellar frontal vitta short and quadrate, with lower margin continuous with narrow, steeply angled black lines reaching eye; ocellar triangle and posterior margin of frontal vitta black. Frontal plate below angled black line dull whitish yellow with striae, orbital plate above line smooth and bare. Clypeus shiny dark brown, pale at posterolateral corners. Palpus yellow. Pedicel brown; postpedicel yellow with golden setulae. Postpronotum white on posterior 2/3, brown anteriorly, with pale lateral setae. Notum between postpronota mostly black with prominent suprahumeral spots, each suprahumeral spot flanked medially by another oblong dark marking. Mesopleuron pale, anepisternum pale brown anteriorly and white posteriorly Postsutural scutum with indistinct brown vittae on each side of a broad but dull white central postsutural vitta. Scutellum yellowish white with brown lateral margins. Fore coxa and trochanter white, remainder of front legs missing on holotype. Mid femur yellowish except for an incomplete dark preapical ring at 3/4. Hind femur yellowish except for an incomplete subbasal and a broader and complete preapical brown ring. Wing with discal band broad but weak, restricted to centre part of wing. Apical wing infuscation absent or very weak. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow.

Abdomen with T1 brown, T2 brown except white anterolateral corners, T3 white except for a narrow brown posterior margin, T4 mostly white but with a small brown central patch and a broad brown posterior margin, T5 brown, T6 blue-black, oviscape orange-yellow with a dark brown dorsal strip and a dark apex. Pleuron white except as follows: P1 dark, P2 with a narrow dark vertical band along posterior margin, P4 with an incomplete dark vertical band along posterior margin and P5 with a broad, angled and ventrally tapered dark band.

HEAD. Arista long plumose, with longest hairs as long as scape width. Postpedicel elongate oval, depressed dorsally and approximately twice as long as wide. Palpus spatulate, almost parallel sided. Frontal vitta very broad and almost parallel-sided, indistinctly tapered anteriorly, slightly expanded at posterior apex and slightly more than half as wide as frons at maximum width. Two large fronto-orbital bristles. Postocellar bristle absent.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite flat, with a white encrustation on ventral half (identical on both sides of body). Prosternum long-setulose anteriorly. Postpronotum appearing bare but with fine inconspicuous microsetulae, notum with a small stout suprahumeral bristle near anterior inner corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle very long (posterior bristle broken off). One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area centrally depressed and densely microsetulose. Scutellum unusually broad and short, 3× as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Primary spermathecal gradually expanding distally, leading to two small, studded spermathecae barely wider than their thick stems. Secondary duct approximately half as wide and half as long as the primary duct, with one spermatheca, similar to paired spermathecae but on a very thin stem. Ducts arising separately on bursa. Ventral receptacle small and knob-like.

Remarks

Although this species is based on only a single female specimen, the bright white and mostly desclerotized abdominal segments 4–5 with a few small sclerites on the posterior margin of P5 are distinctive. The four spots on the anterior scutum between the postpronota also seem diagnostic, and the stout suprahumeral bristles and short scutellum are unusual for the genus. Like most South American Nudopeza species with a plumose arista this species is treated as part of the N. arcuata species group.

3.24. Nudopeza ruficincta sp. nov.

Figure 24. Nudopeza ruficincta sp. nov. holotype ♀, Colombia (IAVH). (A). Head and thorax. (B). Habitus. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures.

Figure 24. Nudopeza ruficincta sp. nov. holotype ♀, Colombia (IAVH). (A). Head and thorax. (B). Habitus. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures.

3.24.1. Etymology

The specific name refers to the broad reddish orange area crossing the middle of the scutum.

3.24.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COLOMBIA • ♀; Boyaca, SFF Iguaque, Cerro Pan de Azucar, 3300 m, 2–22.viii.2001, Malaise, P. Reina, M2023; IAVH.

Paratypes

COLOMBIA • 1♀; same data as holotype but 2850 m, 12.ix–13.x.2001, M2198, CO1 process code UGIC 186-15/MYCRO-087-15; IAVH.

Description

LENGTH.

COLOUR: Brightly coloured; head with frontal vitta, face (except yellow lower margin), subantennal areas, epicephalon, paracephalon, clypeus, pedicel, scape, and distal 2/3 of palpus black; paracephalon, postocular areas and lower frontal plates pale yellow. Scutum mostly orange, anterior quarter black, posterior third white centrally, white area flanked with brown bands and continuous with central area of similarly coloured scutellum; postpronotum white. Pleuron mostly reddish, anepisternum white in posterior third and along anterior margin and a narrow dorsal margin; katepisternum with a vertical white strip centrally; main vertical row of katepisternal bristles black, other katepisternal bristles white. Fore femur dark brown dorsally, yellow ventrally and basally; tibia brown, tarsomere one brown except ventral apex, tarsomeres 2–5 white with white setae except for the brown-setose ventral surface of tarsomere 2. Mid and hind femora orange with basal quarter brown and with a narrow brown ring in distal quarter. Wing uniformly clear or almost so; discal band indistinct.

Abdominal pleuron with alternating dark and light vertical bands, dark bands on anterior parts of P2, 3, 4, and 5 expanded ventrally; T2–5 shining black with white posterior margin, T6 with white posterolateral corners, oviscape shining black.

HEAD. Arista bare. Palpus spatulate, almost parallel sided. Frontal vitta widest at ocelli, evenly tapered anteriorly to a rounded anterior margin, expanded posteriorly to a posterior margin twice as wide as distance between postocellar bristles. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, anterior one at anterior margin of orbital plate. Postocellar bristle large and similar in size to inner and outer verticals.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad, strongly convex and with a large, circular, centrally pitted surface on posterior 2/3. Prosternum microsetulose with weak marginal setulae. Postpronotum sparsely microsetulose and with scattered setulae on posterior half. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior bristle, dorsocentral bristles in a single pair.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Ventral receptacle not observed. Secondary spermathecal duct narrow, parallel-sided, terminating in a very small spermatheca. Primary spermathecal duct much longer and wider, distally expanded, apically splitting into two very long sinuate stems; paired spermathecae large, narrow at base and distally enlarged; stem with digitiform processes.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza ruficincta resembles N. pronigra from Bolivia, from which it differs most obviously in having two-banded orange femora as opposed to the pale mid and hind femora with three black bands of N. pronigra. See comments under N. pronigra.

3.25. Nudopeza rutilans

Figure 25. Nudopeza rutilans sp. nov., ♀♀ Peru. (A). holotype, living (MUSM). (B). Spermathecae and associated structures (DEBU). (C). paratype, living (DEBU).

Figure 25. Nudopeza rutilans sp. nov., ♀♀ Peru. (A). holotype, living (MUSM). (B). Spermathecae and associated structures (DEBU). (C). paratype, living (DEBU).

3.25.1. Etymology

The specific name is from the Latin for the colour red.

3.25.2. Material Examined

Holotype

PERU • ♀; Cusco, Wayqecha Biological Station, 9 km NE Challabamba, 13°10″ 20″ S 71°35′0″ W, 2600–2700 m, 1–6.xii.2011, S.A. Marshall; MUSM. With mite attached to right mid femur (Figure 25A).

Paratypes

PERU • 1♀; same data as holotype, CO1 process code MYCRO177-15; DEBU.

Description

LENGTH. 15 mm.

COLOUR. Preocellar frontal vitta and top of head (including orbital plate), subantennal area, clypeus and distal half of palpus black to brown; lower frontal plate, postocular area, parafacial and basal half of palpus yellow; antenna and postocellar frontal vitta reddish brown. Thorax almost entirely orange except for parallel and contiguous white and reddish brown vertical strips on posterior half of anepisternum and a round black suprahumeral spot. Main vertical row of katepisternal bristles black. Fore coxa red; femur, tibia and ventrobasal 4/5 of tarsomere one black, fore tarsomeres 1–4 white, tarsomere 5 brownish. Mid femur and hind femur black except for a prominent white central ring and a brownish apex. Hind tarsomeres 1–2 white, distal tarsomeres black. Wing infuscation evenly yellowish, without a distinct discal or apical band.

Female abdomen with T1 + 2 mostly red, other tergites mostly reddish brown to black; pleuron with P1–2 red and P3–5 white with narrow and fragmented vertical brown lines.

HEAD. Arista bare. Postpedicel concave dorsally, slightly longer than wide. Frontal vitta 0.5× frontal width at maximum, expanded anterior to ocelli and evenly tapered to a truncate anterior margin, gently tapered behind ocelli before abruptly broadening to a posterior margin wider than distance between postocellar bristles. Lower frontal plate unusually elevated, projecting over antennal base. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower on dividing line between frontal and orbital plates. Postocellar bristle strong.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite with posterior section broadly rounded and slightly convex. Prosternum with microsetulae and a few inconspicuous marginal setulae. Postpronotum densely silvery microsetulose and with scattered small dark setulae on ventral half. Suprahumeral bristle absent. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Primary spermathecal duct long and mostly parallel-sided, apex with a swelling at origin of the very long, thick, twisted spermathecal stems that gradually expand to very long funnel-shaped spermathecae. Secondary spermatheca very small, separated from apex of the small secondary duct by a constriction; length of secondary duct about half length of primary duct, width less than half.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza rutilans differs from all other Nudopeza in having the scutum, scutellum and postpronotum uniformly red except for a small black suprahumeral spot. The lack of a characteristically pale postpronotum and scutellum combine with the large size, black legs, black tergites and almost uniformly red pleuron to make this species an awkward fit in Nudopeza. Despite that, as discussed under the remarks for N. mephitis, N. rutilans is probably very closely related to N. mephitis, which is a typically coloured species easily recognized as a Nudopeza. These two sympatric Peruvian species share the same BIN, suggesting that they might even be extreme colour forms of the same species. They are treated as distinct here in part because of their extreme dissimilarity and in part because they differ in details of the spermathecal complex.

3.26. Nudopezas sirena sp. nov.

Figure 26. Nudopezas sirena sp. nov. Costa Rica. (A,B). Living ♀♀, Rios Paraisos (DEBU). (C). Spermathecae and associated structures (DEBU). (D). Head and anterior thorax. (E). ♀ holotype abdomen, dorsolateral (MNCR).

Figure 26. Nudopezas sirena sp. nov. Costa Rica. (A,B). Living ♀♀, Rios Paraisos (DEBU). (C). Spermathecae and associated structures (DEBU). (D). Head and anterior thorax. (E). ♀ holotype abdomen, dorsolateral (MNCR).

3.26.1. Etymology

The species name is derived from the type locality, Sirena Biological Station in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica.

3.26.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COSTA RICA • ♀; Parque Nacional Corcovado, Estacion Sirena, 1100 m, 1994, Fonseca; MNCR.

Paratypes

COSTA RICA • 1♀; Puntarenas, San Vito Botanical Garden, Los Cruces, viii and ix.1988, 1200 m, P. Hanson.

3.26.3. Other Material

COSTA RICA • 1♀; Prov. San José, San Carlos, Rios Paraiso Reserve, Pecari Stn., 16 km NNE Quepos, 400 m, 9°33′53″ N, 84°7′32″ W, iv.2006, S. A. Marshall (photographs only).

Description

LENGTH. 8–10 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly pale yellow except for contrastingly black frontal vitta, broad black diagonal bands connecting vitta to eye, and back of head between inner verticals. Pedicel brownish, darker than postpedicel, postpedicel yellow with golden bristles. Clypeus shiny black and bare except at basal corners. Palpus yellow, slightly darkened at middle. Notum mostly bright orange except for pale yellow postnotum, centrally pale yellow scutellum, 3 incomplete black vittae and black suprahumeral spots. Distal third to half of fore femur and all of fore tibia black, fore tarsomeres white. Mid and hind femora yellowish except for a preapical dark ring; hind femur also with a broad basal ring. Mesopleuron mixed reddish and yellow, with posterior half of anepisternum and middle of katepisternum yellow. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow. Wing with a broad but incomplete discal band.

Female abdomen brightly patterned, with T1 dark anteriorly and pale posteriorly, T2 pale except for dark posterior third and a small anteromedial dark area, T3 pale except for centrally black posterior quarter, T4–5 black, T6 pale with a black posteromedial spot; pleuron with P1 dark, posterior parts of P2 and P4 with narrow dark vertical bands. Oviscape orange, with a narrow dorsal longitudinal black strip.

HEAD. Arista short plumose except for bare apical fifth, longest hairs approximately as long as width of postpedicel. Postpedicel concave dorsally, twice as long as wide. Frontal vitta broad (0.5× frontal width at maximum), tapered to broad anterior margin, broad and almost parallel-sided behind ocelli. Three fronto-orbital bristles: at level of ocelli, on dividing line between orbital and frontal plates and at middle of frontal plate. Postocellar bristle strong.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad, pale and only slightly swollen. Prosternum microsetulose with setulose anterior margin. Postpronotum with only a few scattered setulae. Notum with 1–2 very small bristles (suprahumeral bristles) near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. Two dorsocentral bristles. Prescutellar area depressed, densely microsetulose. Scutellum width 2× length.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct long, distally slightly expanded before branching into 2 sinuate, distally expanded stems leading to 2 large cylindrical spermathecae. Secondary spermathecal duct smaller, leading to a single small spermatheca. Ducts arising separately on a broad bursa, ventral receptacle not observed.

Males unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza sirena and the related Costa Rican species N. variterga and N. hansoni share similar chaetotaxy (three fronto-orbital bristles, two dorsocentral bristles), similar abdominal characters and broadly similar thoracic and abdominal pigmentation. These apparently uncommon species can be distinguished by head colour, thoracic pigmentation and abdominal pigmentation as noted in the key. Males of N. sirena are unknown but males of the other two species differ in the shape of the genital fork. Females of N. variterga differ markedly from N. sirena and N. hansoni in size and shape of the spermathecae and associated ducts, but the latter two species are very close and should be reconsidered when more material is available. These species are probably related to the N. arcuata species group.

3.27. Nudopeza sumaco sp. nov.

Figure 27. Nudopeza sumaco sp. nov. Holotype ♀, Ecuador (MECN). (A). lateral. (B). Abdomen, dorsal. (C). Abdomen, lateral. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures. (E). Head and thorax, dorsal. (F). Head and thorax lateral.

Figure 27. Nudopeza sumaco sp. nov. Holotype ♀, Ecuador (MECN). (A). lateral. (B). Abdomen, dorsal. (C). Abdomen, lateral. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures. (E). Head and thorax, dorsal. (F). Head and thorax lateral.

3.27.1. Etymology

The species name is a noun in apposition derived from the type locality.

3.27.2. Material Examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; Napo, Parque Nacional Sumaco, Sector Wawa Sumaco, Sendero Dos Mundos 1500 m, 21.i.2024, S.A. Marshall, CO1 sequence process code DEBU A543-24; MECN.

Description

LENGTH. 11 mm.

COLOUR. Head and thorax mostly black. Frontal vitta black except for brown extreme anterior point, frontal plate white to cream yellow, lunule yellowish brown, subantennal depression black but parafacial and vibrissal angle white, clypeus black, orbital plate mostly shiny black. Palpus black, pale at extreme base. Antennal scape and pedicel brown with black setae, postpedicel yellowish orange with golden setae. Notum with a differentiated black spot (suprahumeral spot) over anterior half of upper margin of pale postpronotum but spot barely distinguishable from otherwise uniformly black scutum and scutellum. Katepisternal bristles black. Pleuron black except for a white band along the lower proepisternum, an entirely white proepimeron, a white posterior half on the anepisternum, a pale pruinose strip on the posterior margin of the katepisternum, and a white metapleuron. Fore coxa, femur and tibia black, fore tarsomeres white, tarsomere 1 dark ventrally at extreme base. Mid and hind femora bright reddish orange except for broad basal and incomplete distomedian and distal dark rings; hind tibia black on basal half, white on distal half; hind tarsomeres 1–4 white. Wing with a broad but posteriorly incomplete discal band, apex indistinctly infuscate. Female abdomen dark brown dorsally although T4 apparently desclerotized; oviscape uniformly brown except for pale apex, pleuron discoloured on only available specimen but apparently dark except for a broad diagonal pale area on P4.

HEAD. Arista short plumose in basal 3/4, with hairs about 1.5× width of first aristomere, bare distally. Postpedicel weakly concave dorsally, about 1.5× as long as wide. Palpus with straight dorsal edge and slightly convex ventrally, apically slightly tapered and rounded at apex. Preocellar frontal vitta convex and expanded immediately anterior to ocelli and then tapered anteriorly, maximum width almost half of frontal width; postocellar frontal vitta narrow, almost parallel-sided to posterior margin between postocellar bristles. Two fronto-orbital bristles, one at level of ocelli and one on dividing line between frontal and orbital plates. Postocellar bristle strong but smaller than inner verticals.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite bare and flat in anterior third, inflated and densely microsetulose in posterior third. Prosternum with scattered setulae on anterior half. Postpronotum bare. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Anterior notopleural bristle about half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Scutellum strongly convex, width 2× length.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. Primary spermathecal duct gradually expanding distally before branching into two distally expanded, broad, straight or weakly twisted but apparently segmented stems densely ornamented with long, pointed finger-like process and leading to 2 short-cylindrical, transversely striate spermathecae. Secondary spermathecal duct very small, about 0.5× length of and much narrower than paired spermathecal duct, arising beside primary duct near its base, tapered apically before expanding to a single small, diamond shaped spermatheca with several small surface tubercles. Bursa narrow and ventral receptacle small but distinct, weakly swollen.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza sumaco can be recognized by the combination of a short plumose aristae, bulbous white frontal plates and a uniformly black scutum and scutellum. Thoracic pleural pigmentation patterns and CO1 data suggest a close relationship between N. gracei, N. venezuelensis and N. sumaco. Spermathecal characters, head pigmentation and leg colour are almost the same in N. sumaco and N. venezuelensis.

3.28. Nudopeza tapanti sp. nov.

Figure 28. Nudopeza tapanti sp. nov. Costa Rica. (A,B). Living ♀♀, Zurqui (DEBU). (C). Spermathecae and associated structures (DEBU). (D). Head and anterior thorax. (E). ♂ terminalia, left lateral (DEBU). (F). ♂ abdominal apex, ventrolateral.

Figure 28. Nudopeza tapanti sp. nov. Costa Rica. (A,B). Living ♀♀, Zurqui (DEBU). (C). Spermathecae and associated structures (DEBU). (D). Head and anterior thorax. (E). ♂ terminalia, left lateral (DEBU). (F). ♂ abdominal apex, ventrolateral.

3.28.1. Etymology

The specific name is a noun in apposition derived from the type locality.

3.28.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COSTA RICA • ♂; Cartago, Tapanti National Park, 1300 m, ii.1994, Malaise trap; MNCR.

Paratypes

COSTA RICA • 1♀; Cartago, Rio Grande de Orosi near Tapanti National Park, 1100–1150 m, on decaying bromeliads, 9.xi.1999, M. Buck; DEBU • 1♀; Tapanti National Park, 08.viii.2013, S.A. Marshall; DEBU • 1♀; Tapanti National Park • 1♀; San José, Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, north pasture, 1600 m, 5–12.iv.2013, Malaise trap, Project ZADBI; MNCR • 1♀; San José, Moravia, Zurquí de Moravia, 1600 m, 25 viii.2015, A. Picado; MNCR • 1♀; Barbilla National Park, 1600 m, 19.v.1991, F. Rojas et al., CO1 process code MYCRO112-15/MYCRO199-15; MNCR.

Description

LENGTH. 10–12 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly white to yellow except for contrastingly black frontal vitta, black supracervical area and broad diagonal bands connecting vitta to eye, dark brown to black antenna and shining blue-black clypeus with yellow posterolateral corners. Palpus yellow on basal half, dark distally. Postpronotum pale yellow, scutum black reddish brown with a lateral postsutural L-shaped pale brown vitta. Black suprahumeral spot present but indistinct against dark background. Scutellum entirely white to yellow. Mesopleuron and metapleuron mostly white, anepimeron and posterior margin of katepisternum black; katepisternal bristles black. Fore femur with a broad subbasal yellow ring, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres white. Mid and hind femora orange except for a preapical dark ring and a narrowly dark base. Hind tibia dark brown to black, hind tarsomeres 1–3 white or mostly so (tarsomere 3 dark distally). Wing infuscation absent or very weak.

Female abdomen with pleuron mostly pink dorsally, yellow ventrally on segments 3–7; tergites orange, oviscape orange except for dark tip. Male P1 with dark pigmentation, P2 with a large, darkly setulose pleural sac (abdominal pigmentation not discernable on the cleared abdomen of the only available male specimen).

HEAD. Arista bare except for a few inconspicuous short hairs in basal fifth. Postpedicel flattened dorsally, length 2× width. Palpus parallel-sided, rounded apically. Frontal vitta narrow (0.4× frontal width at maximum) almost parallel-sided to broad anterior margin, strongly tapered behind ocelli and then widened again at posterior margin. One large fronto-orbital bristle at upper margin of diagonal black band. Postocellar bristle equal in length to inner and outer verticals.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad and flat in females, bulging convex in male holotype. Prosternum microsetulose and distinctly setose. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose and with few scattered small setulae. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. Prescutellar area broad and distinctly depressed and flattened, densely microsetulose. One dorsocentral bristle.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct expanded distally before branching into 2 short, narrow, uniform stems leading to 2 large, distally expanded spermathecae. Secondary spermathecal duct only slightly smaller, leading to another pair of more or less cone-shaped spermatheca. Ventral receptacle distinct, digit-like.

MALE TERMINALIA. Distiphallus slightly longer than epandrium, distally expanded and ending in a very large, globular phallic bulb. Ejaculatory apodeme larger than epandrium. Postgonite small, with three long apical bristles. Hypandrium with an expanded, scoop-like anterior part extending beyond apex of phallapodeme.

Remarks

Nudopeza tapanti is very similar to the closely related N. cura, from which it is easily distinguished by its white hind tarsomeres. Along with the closely related N. gilli, these species form the N. tapanti species group, recovered as a branch on a CO1 ML tree and characterized by an unusual spermathecal complex with four subequal, similar spermathecae and distally swollen spermathecal ducts. Another Costa Rican species, Nudopeza laselva, is superficially similar but has plumose aristae and a single, greatly reduced secondary spermatheca.

3.29. Nudopeza trinidadensis sp. nov.

Figure 29. Nudopeza trinidadensis sp. nov. Trinidad (DEBU). (A). Holotype ♂, head and thorax. (B). Holotype ♂, habitus. (C). ♀ abdomen, lateral. (D). spermathecae and associated structures, lateral. (E). Male abdomen and thorax. (F). ♂ abdomen, showing pleural sac and exposed phallus.

Figure 29. Nudopeza trinidadensis sp. nov. Trinidad (DEBU). (A). Holotype ♂, head and thorax. (B). Holotype ♂, habitus. (C). ♀ abdomen, lateral. (D). spermathecae and associated structures, lateral. (E). Male abdomen and thorax. (F). ♂ abdomen, showing pleural sac and exposed phallus.

Figure 30. Nudopeza trinidadensis complex. Male non-type specimens from South America. (A,B). Abdomen, Ecuador. left lateral, with close up to show Laboulbeniales above sternite 5. (C,D). Abdomen, Peru, left lateral with close up to show Laboulbeniales above sternite 5. (E). Dorsal habitus, Ecuador. (F). Dorsolateral habitus, Peru. (G). Head lateral to show broad palpus, Peru.

Figure 30. Nudopeza trinidadensis complex. Male non-type specimens from South America. (A,B). Abdomen, Ecuador. left lateral, with close up to show Laboulbeniales above sternite 5. (C,D). Abdomen, Peru, left lateral with close up to show Laboulbeniales above sternite 5. (E). Dorsal habitus, Ecuador. (F). Dorsolateral habitus, Peru. (G). Head lateral to show broad palpus, Peru.

3.29.1. Etymology

The specific name is derived from the type locality.

3.29.2. Material Examined

Holotype

TRINIDAD • ♂; Simla House, 4 mi post on Banchseuse Rd, N. Arma, 250 m, 10°41′N 61°17′W garden Malaise, 3–10.vi.1987, M. Pickles; DEBU.

Paratypes

TRINIDAD • 2♂♂, 1♀; same data as holotype, ♀ unsuccessfully barcoded as MYCRO486-18.

3.29.3. Other Material Examined

ECUADOR • 2♂♂; Napo, Reserva Ethnica Waorani, 1 km S. Onkone Gare camp, trans. ent. 9.x.1994, 220 m, 00°39′10″ S, 76°26′ W, T. Erwin et al., Insecticidal Fogging of mostly bare leaves, some with lichenous or bryophytic plants, terra firme forest, Project MAXUS, lots 912, 853, USNM.

PERU • 1♂; Cusco, Estacion Biologica Villa Carmen, 12°54′ S, 71°24′ W, 500–700 m, trap VC-ML-80, 19.vii.2014; USNM.

Description

LENGTH. 8–9 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly yellow, frons with a contrasting black V-shaped mark made up of the centre of the anterior frontal vitta and the dividing lines between orbital and frontal pates; frontal vitta behind V reddish brown except for black ocellar triangle. Clypeus, subantennal depression, antennae and distal 3/5 of palpus brown to black. Postpronotum pale yellow, mesonotum patterned in black and yellow, with presutural area black except for two subquadrate yellow patches reaching suture; postsutural area yellow except for a broad white median band flanked by anteriorly bifid brown vittae. Scutellum white to yellow except for black anterolateral corners. Pleuron white with diagonal black strips areas along anteroventral part of anepisternum and anteroventral margin of katepisternum; anepimeron black; posterior row of katepisternal bristles black, smaller anterior row pale. Fore coxa pale yellow, femur yellow on basal half, fore femur and tibia otherwise brown, fore tarsomeres white except for basal ventral area of tarsomere one. Mid femur and hind femur pale orange except for subbasal and distal dark rings, mid femoral rings incomplete on male specimens but complete and connected to extensive dorsal pigmentation on female. Mid and hind tarsomeres white to yellowish. Wing infuscation very weak, with a barely distinguishable discal band.

Female abdomen with T1–2 shiny black with blue tinge and a pale central strip, T2 pale centrally and at anterior corners, T3 dull reddish brown with a pale central strip; T4–6 shiny brown to blue-black, oviscape black with an orange apex. Pleuron mostly yellow, P1 slightly darkened; upper quarter of P4, upper half of P5 and much of P6 black.

Male abdomen with T3 pale on anterior half, T5 darkest centrally and S8 conspicuously bicolored, black dorsally with yellow ventrolateral strip; epandrium brown, darkest dorsally. Pleuron mostly pale brown with circular whitish areas.

HEAD. Arista short plumose except for bare basal and distal fifths. Postpedicel tapered, concave dorsally, twice as long as wide. Frontal vitta narrow (0.4× frontal width at maximum), depressed, slightly expanded anterior to ocelli, slightly tapered to broad anterior margin, almost parallel sided behind ocelli to broad posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, inserted at upper and lower ends of dark band separating frontal and orbital plates. Postocellar bristle half as long as inner vertical bristle.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad and weakly convex posteriorly, narrow and flat anteriorly. Postpronotum indistinctly microsetulose and with numerous small setulae on ventral half. Notum with 1–2 very small bristles (suprahumeral bristles) near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. Two dorsocentral bristles. Prescutellar area depressed, centrally microsetulose and laterally setulose. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Paired (primary) spermathecal duct narrow at base but otherwise broad and parallel-sided, paired spermathecae reduced or vestigial, represented only by a twisted swelling slightly narrower than duct. Single (secondary) spermathecal duct half as wide but similar in length to paired duct, arising independently from bursa and ending in a very large spherical spermatheca, with no apparent stem. Ventral receptacle distinct, mushroom shaped.

MALE TERMINALIA. Genital fork with a broad base and short, strongly incurved arms separated by a deep cleft at base, inner surface of arms with a few stout tooth-like setae near base and four widely spaced tooth-like setae in distal half. Primary pleural sac prominent, circular, restricted to dorsal half of P2; similar but less prominent swellings visible to varying degrees on P3–5 (compare Figure 29E,F). Distiphallus 2× length of epandrium, distally expanded to form a very large, elongate phallic bulb with ventral sclerotization continuous with ventral sclerotization of basal distiphallus (no specimens were dissected but the phallus is visible on pinned specimens as on Figure 29F).

Remarks

The one known female of this species resembles N. peruviensis in having two similar length spermathecal ducts with the single spermatheca much larger than the paired spermathecae, which are barely as wide as the paired spermathecal duct. Males are unusual in having large circular pleural sacs on P3–5 in addition to the usual pleural sac on P2. This species, or species complex, probably belongs with the N. arcuata species group.

The two male specimens from Ecuador (Reserva Ethnica Waorani; USNM) listed as “other material” resemble topotypic specimens but have a more white-margined palpus and do not show the strongly everted pleural sacks on P3–5. The male from Peru (Villa Carmen; USNM) shows pleural sacs, but differs in the pigmentation of the anterior scutum, which lacks the complete dark anterior portion seen in the other specimens.

The male from Peru and one of the males from Ecuador have apparently identical fungi (Laboulbeniales) projecting from beneath the genital fork. An unidentified female from the same locality in Peru (Villa Carmen, 27 November 2012–20 January 2013, USNM), currently labelled as “Nudopeza near trinidadensis”, has similar fungi projecting from the oviscape and a specimen of Nudopeza arcuata from the same locality has apparently identical fungi arising posterior to sternite 5. These five specimens are the only records of Micropezidae with associated Laboulbeniales.

3.30. Nudopeza uniseta sp. nov.

Figure 31. Nudopeza uniseta sp. nov. holotype ♂, Trinidad (DEBU) (A,B). Head and anterior thorax. (C). Apex of ♂ abdomen, ventral. (D). Head. (E). Abdomen, dorsolateral.

Figure 31. Nudopeza uniseta sp. nov. holotype ♂, Trinidad (DEBU) (A,B). Head and anterior thorax. (C). Apex of ♂ abdomen, ventral. (D). Head. (E). Abdomen, dorsolateral.

3.30.1. Etymology

The specific name refers to the single dorsocentral bristle, a feature that distinguishes this species from the sympatric N. trinidadensis.

3.30.2. Material Examined

Holotype

TRINIDAD • ♂; Simla House, 4 mi post on Banchseuse Rd, N. Arma, 250 m, garden Malaise, 3–10.vi.1987, M. Pickles; DEBU.

Description

LENGTH. 9 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly yellow except for brown subantennal depression and contrastingly black V-shape made up of the centre of the anterior frontal vitta and the dividing lines between orbital and frontal pates, frontal vitta behind V reddish brown except for black ocellar triangle. Clypeus shiny blue black centrally, orange-brown laterally. Scape, palpus and postpedicel entirely orange; pedicel brown. Postpronotum pale yellow, scutum patterned in black, orange and yellow, presutural area with a narrow black central vitta and a black spot adjacent to postpronotum; postsutural area with a broad central white area and mostly black areas of similar width. Notopleuron white on posterior half, black on anterior half. Scutellum white to yellow except for black anterolateral corners, subscutellum black. Pleuron white with black strips along anteroventral part of anepisternum and anterior and posterior margins of katepisternum; anepimeron black; posterior row of katepisternal bristles black, anterior row golden. Fore coxa and femur orange except for dark apex, tibia black, tarsus white except basal ventral part of tarsomere one. Mid femur and hind femur pale orange except for subbasal and distal dark rings, mid femoral rings incomplete. Hind tarsomeres white. Wing clear.

Male abdomen with T1 dark anteriorly and white on posterior 2/3, T2 black, T3 pale on anterior half, T6 pale and sternite 8 conspicuously bicolored, black dorsally with yellow ventrolateral strip; epandrium dark. Pleuron mostly pale brown with a large circular brown pleural sac on P2, pale circular convex areas on each of P3, 4 and 5.

HEAD. Arista sparsely plumose, longest rays as long as scape. Postpedicel strongly concave dorsally and tapered in distal half, longer than wide. Palpus convex ventrally, strongly tapered to apex. Frontal vitta 0.5× frontal width at maximum, slightly expanded anterior to ocelli, strongly tapered to narrow anterior margin, almost parallel sided behind ocelli to broad posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower one inserted at apex of black line dividing orbital and frontal plates. Postocellar bristle half as long as inner vertical.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad and flat. Prosternum almost bare, with only inconspicuous and fine microsetulae. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely pale microsetulose and with scattered dark setulae. Notum with 1–2 small but stout bristles (suprahumeral bristles) near anterior corner of postpronotum and continuous with row of anterior dorsocentral setulae. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area strongly flattened and densely microsetulose centrally, setulose along margins. Scutellum strongly convex, twice as wide as long.

Female unknown.

MALE TERMINALIA (external characters only). Genital fork with a broad base, medially weakly sclerotized and pale; arms broad-based and strongly incurved with about 20 stout tooth-like setae evenly covering inner surfaces. Pleural sac prominent, circular, restricted to dorsal half of P2; P3–5 apparently with weaker pleural sacs.

Remarks

This species seems to be very closely related to the sympatric N. trinidadensis, which it closely resembles, in general, colour although it differs conspicuously in having one dorsocentral bristle, a discrete suprahumeral spot, an orange palpus, an orange postpedicel, a sharply bicoloured notopleuron, a white T6 and a more extensive black preocellar frontal vitta. N. uniseta is unknown from females, but males differ from males of N. trinidadensis in having strongly incurved genital fork arms with many small tooth-like setae forming a double row on the mesal surface (the straighter genital fork arms of N. trinidadensis have only a few inner tooth-like setae in a single row).

3.31. Nudopeza variterga sp. nov.

Figure 32. Nudopeza variterga sp. nov. Costa Rica (MNCR). (A,B). ♀, habitus. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures. (D). Head and thorax. (E). ♂ terminalia, left lateral. (F). Phallic bulb and distal part of basal distiphallus. (G). ♂ genital fork (posteromedial margin of S5).

Figure 32. Nudopeza variterga sp. nov. Costa Rica (MNCR). (A,B). ♀, habitus. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures. (D). Head and thorax. (E). ♂ terminalia, left lateral. (F). Phallic bulb and distal part of basal distiphallus. (G). ♂ genital fork (posteromedial margin of S5).

3.31.1. Etymology

Nudopeza variterga was named for the variation in colour between the anterior and posterior abdominal tergites.

3.31.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COSTA RICA • ♂; Heredia, La Selva Biological Station, 1.iv.1993, project ALAS; MNCR.

Paratypes

COSTA RICA • 3♀♀, 1♂; Heredia, Estac.Biol. La Selva, 02.iii.1993, 1.vii.1993 (Malaise), 16.iv.1993 (Malaise); MNCR • 1♀; Heredia, Finca La Selva, 3 km S Pto. Viejo, 2.iv.1983, H. Hespenheid; USNM.

Description

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR. Frontal plate, face, and parafacial white to pale yellow; frontal vitta, clypeus and line dividing orbital and frontal plates black; orbital plate orange. Palpus black on basal half or more, yellow to orange distally. Pedicel and scape brown, postpedicel yellow to pale orange. Postpronotum pale, usually white, microsetulose with a few minute setulae. Anterior part of scutum with a dark brown suprahumeral spot and a posteriorly tapered central vitta reaching just beyond suture, scutum otherwise uniformly pale orange. Scutellum white with brown lateral margins. Distal quarter of dorsal surface of fore femur black, femur otherwise yellowish. Fore tibia black, fore tarsus white. Mid femur yellowish except for an indistinct darker ring at 3/4 and sometimes an incomplete subbasal ring. Hind femur yellowish at base, yellowish part followed by a distinct black subbasal ring, femur otherwise except for irregular distal black ring. Wing with discal band broad and complete, tapered towards wing margins. Apical wing infuscation absent or very weak. Mesopleuron mostly pale orange, posterodorsal third of anepisternum and middle part of dorsal margin of katepisternum white. Katepisternal bristles golden-yellow.

Female abdominal T1 white, T2–4 mostly pale brown but middle of T2 and anterior part of T4 paler and balance of T2 slightly darker; remaining tergites dark brown. Pleuron apparently all white. Oviscape uniformly brown except for yellow apex.

Male abdomen mostly pale brown with T1 and anterior 3/4 of T3 white, T6 white except for a narrow central longitudinal brown band, T7 white laterally. Pleuron white except for a large dark pleural sac on P2.

HEAD. Arista short plumose, with longest hairs less than half as long as scape width. Postpedicel concave dorsally, twice as long as wide. Frontal vitta broad, expanded anterior to ocelli and then evenly tapered to anterior margin, maximum width 0.5× frontal width, width at anterior margin less than 0.1× frontal width. Three fronto-orbital bristles; lower two small, close together on and below lower margin of line dividing frontal and orbital plates; lowest one duplicated on one side on one paratype. Postocellar bristle strong, subequal to inner vertical bristle.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite unmodified. Prosternum indistinctly microsetulose. Suprahumeral setae minute and near inner margin of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristles present, slightly smaller than posterior. Two strong dorsocentral bristles. Central prescutellar area flat, microsetulose.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Primary spermathecal duct gradually and very slightly swollen in distal half, stems of primary spermathecae very long and strongly convoluted, with long finger-like processes, paired spermathecae large and egg-shaped, distinctly striate and apically deeply invaginate. Secondary duct much smaller, shorter and mostly uniform in width, ending in an elongate, narrow combined duct and spermatheca with a few finger-like lobes. Ventral receptacle distinct, with a smoothly rounded cap.

MALE TERMINALIA. Epandrium 1.4× as long as high, ejaculatory apodeme slightly larger than epandrium. Basal distiphallus stout and slightly longer than epandrium plus cercus, phallic bulb broad and multi-chambered. Genital fork large, arms incurved with long distal bristles and inner surface with short stout tooth-like setae from base to apex; arms divided by a shallow and broad cleft. Hypandrium with anterior part very large and spoon-like, extending beyond apex of phallapodeme.

Remarks

Nudopeza variterga and the closely related Costa Rican species N. sirena and N. hansoni share similar chaetotaxy (three fronto-orbital bristles, two dorsocentral bristles), similar abdominal characters and broadly similar thoracic and abdominal pigmentation. These apparently uncommon species can be distinguished by head colour, thoracic pigmentation and abdominal pigmentation as noted in the key. They seem to belong to the large N. arcuata species group.

An intact male specimen from Barro Colorado, Panama (SNOW) is labelled as “Nudopeza new species near N. variterga”. It lacks the anterior mesonotal pigmentation of N. variterga, tergite 6 is uniformly brown and tergite 7 is uniformly pale.

3.32. Nudopeza venezuelensis sp. nov.

Figure 33. Nudopeza venezuelensis sp. nov. holotype ♀, Venezuela (DEBU). (A). Head and thorax. (B,D). Habitus, lateral and dorsolateral. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures.

Figure 33. Nudopeza venezuelensis sp. nov. holotype ♀, Venezuela (DEBU). (A). Head and thorax. (B,D). Habitus, lateral and dorsolateral. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures.

3.32.1. Etymology

The specific name reflects the type locality.

3.32.2. Material Examined

Holotype

VENEZUELA • ♀; Lara, trail into Yacumba N.P., 1904 m, 9°41′59′ N, 69°38′52″ W, 05.ix.2008, M.D. Jackson; CO1 process code MYCRO 1040-23; DEBU 01093895.

Description

LENGTH. 13 mm.

COLOUR. Head black to dark brown except as follows: frontal vitta velvety black except for a whitish pruinose band over ocelli and a narrow brown anterior apex, antenna with postpedicel white except for a narrowly brown dorsal margin, scape and pedicel brown; clypeus shiny brown except for microsetulose corners; palpus yellow basally, brown distally; orbital plate (below black V dividing orbital and frontal plates), face and parafacial white. Postpronotum pale yellow with an indistinct velvety black spot just above, scutum mostly black to blue black with a distinct pattern of silvery pruinosity forming a broad lateral band extending as a narrow branch to posteromedial margin of postnotum; postsutural part of silvery pruinose band surrounding an oblong dark spot. Scutellum silvery pruinose laterally (continuous with prescutellar silvery pruinose area), dark centrally. Mesopleuron black with white areas including a shiny white vertical band on posterior 3/4 of anepisternum; katepisternum with a silvery pruinose vertical band surrounding a short row of white bristles in front of the main vertical row of black bristles. Fore coxa conspicuously bicolored, black on basal half, white distally; femur white ventrally on basal quarter, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres white. Mid femur and hind femur orange with a brown base (more extensive on hind femur); mid and hind tibiae brown on basal third, otherwise yellow. Hind tarsomeres 1–2 white, distal tarsomeres pale brown with white setulae. Wing with a broad but indistinct and incomplete discal band.

Female abdomen with brown tergites and mostly white pleuron; P2 darkened on upper half; oviscape black with reddish apex.

Male unknown.

HEAD. Arista sparsely long pubescent, bare on distal fifth, longest hairs slightly longer than basal width of arista. Postpedicel oval, 1.7× as long as wide. Palpus convex ventrally, strongly tapered to apex. Frontal vitta expanded anterior to ocelli, width 0.4× frontal width at maximum), tapered to a narrow anterior margin, slightly tapered behind ocelli to broad posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower one above apex of dark line dividing orbital and frontal plates. Postocellar bristles absent on unique type (no visible sockets).

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad, posterior part circular and evenly convex, entirely microsetulose. Prosternum evenly setulose with a row of fine setae along anterior margin. Postpronotum apparently bare. Anterior notopleural bristle less than half as long as posterior. Two postsutural dorsocentral bristles.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct narrow and parallel sided in basal half but expanded to 4× basal width in distal third, stems long and sinuate with a many conspicuous digitiform processes; spermathecal body broadly short-cylindrical with a deeply invaginate apex. Secondary spermathecal duct much smaller, distally swollen and with a vestigial spermatheca. Ventral receptacle apparently present but weakly differentiated on the only available specimen.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza venezuelensis was recovered on a CO1 ML tree closest to N. sumaco but on the same branch as N. micromephitis and N. nigrivertex. Other members of the N. sumaco species group (N. gracei, N. versivitta and N. viriola) have not been sequenced. All members of the N. sumaco species group remain known only from females.

3.33. Nudopeza verpa sp. nov.

Figure 34. Nudopeza verpa sp. nov., typical orange morph Ecuador, topotypic. (A). Living ♀ with orange pigmentation on head and femora (DEBU). (B). Spermathecae and associated structures, showing paired secondary spermathecae. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures, single secondary spermatheca. (D). ♂ terminalia, left lateral. (E). Living female, typical leg colour. (F). Distiphallus, showing distal part of basal distiphallus, phallic bulb, and distal distiphallus. (G). ♂ S5 with genital fork.

Figure 34. Nudopeza verpa sp. nov., typical orange morph Ecuador, topotypic. (A). Living ♀ with orange pigmentation on head and femora (DEBU). (B). Spermathecae and associated structures, showing paired secondary spermathecae. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures, single secondary spermatheca. (D). ♂ terminalia, left lateral. (E). Living female, typical leg colour. (F). Distiphallus, showing distal part of basal distiphallus, phallic bulb, and distal distiphallus. (G). ♂ S5 with genital fork.

Figure 35. Nudopeza verpa sp. nov., black morph, Ecuador, topotypic. (A,B). ♀ prior to capture (QCAZ). (C). (two images) Spermathecae and associated structures (DEBU). (D). ♂ terminalia, left lateral. (E). ♂ head and thorax. (F). ♂ abdominal apex to show sternite 5 and terminalia (DEBU). Abbreviations: bc—bursa copulatrix, cd—shared spermathecal duct, dd—distal distiphallus, pb—phallic bulb, bd—basal distiphallus, pd—paired spermathecal duct, sd—single (secondary) spermathecal duct, vr—ventral receptacle.

Figure 35. Nudopeza verpa sp. nov., black morph, Ecuador, topotypic. (A,B). ♀ prior to capture (QCAZ). (C). (two images) Spermathecae and associated structures (DEBU). (D). ♂ terminalia, left lateral. (E). ♂ head and thorax. (F). ♂ abdominal apex to show sternite 5 and terminalia (DEBU). Abbreviations: bc—bursa copulatrix, cd—shared spermathecal duct, dd—distal distiphallus, pb—phallic bulb, bd—basal distiphallus, pd—paired spermathecal duct, sd—single (secondary) spermathecal duct, vr—ventral receptacle.

3.33.1. Etymology

The specific name is for the Latin for penis, in reference to the unusual short, sinuate distal distiphallus.

3.33.2. Material Examined

Holotype (Orange Morph)

ECUADOR • ♀; Pichincha, Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve; 00°1′13″ S, 78°40′30″ W; 2200 m; 1.v. 2011; S.A. Marshall leg.; CO1 process code MYCRO005-15/UGIC 104-15; QCAZ.

Paratypes

Orange morph (previously under manuscript name “N. varifrons”):

ECUADOR • 8♀♀; 2 ♂♂; same locality as holotype, 9–13.v.2009 and 1.v.2011, S.A. Marshall; DEBU. • 5♀♀; 6 ♂♂; Pichincha, Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve; 00°1′13″ S, 78°40′30″ W; 2200 m, 1.v. 2011; S.A. Marshall leg.; QCAZ, DEBU.

Black morph (previously under manuscript name “N. distiglossa”):

ECUADOR • 5♀♀; 6 ♂♂; Pichincha, Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve; 00°1′13″ S, 78°40′30″ W; 2200 m, 1.v. 2011; S.A. Marshall leg. CO1 process code UGIC109-15 and MYCRO1038-23; QCAZ, DEBU.

Description

LENGTH. 14–15 mm.

COLOUR (orange morph, as in type). Head black except for yellow raised lower margin of frontal plate and silvery parafacial strip; fronto-orbital plate with angled black strip dividing the mostly dull black to brown frontal plate from the shiny reddish black orbital plate. Antennae with scape and pedicel dark brown, postpedicel yellowish brown. Fore tarsomere one black except for white apex, fore tarsomeres 2–4 white, tarsomere 5 mostly black. Clypeus shiny black. Mid and hind femora mostly black with narrow basal orange band, a variable subbasal orange band, and a narrow distal orange band; subbasal band sometimes small to obsolete on mid femur, sometimes obsolete or closer to middle than subbasal position on hind femur; mid and hind tibiae and tarsomeres brown. Thorax almost entirely bright orange but postpronotum variably darkened (either uniformly orange or with a central dark area) and upper margin of postpronotum with a variably developed black spot (sometimes absent). Wing with a complete and broad discal band and with apex broadly pigmented.

Abdominal tergites 1 + 2 and part of T3 red, pleuron of female abdomen reddish brown at least on dorsal third, P1–3 more extensively pigmented. Oviscape black. Pleuron of male abdomen black on anterior part of P2.

COLOUR (dark morph). Head black except for orange-yellow raised lower margin of frontal plate and silvery parafacial strip and gena; fronto-orbital plate with an inconspicuous angled black strip dividing the mostly dull black to brown frontal plate from the shiny blue-black orbital plate. Antenna dark brown. Clypeus shiny black. Palpus black except for a small basal area. Fore tarsomere one black except for white apex, fore tarsomeres 2–4 white, tarsomere 5 mostly black. Mid and hind femora mostly black with narrow and indistinct yellowish basal and middle bands and a yellowish apex; mid and hind tibiae and tarsomeres brown. Thorax with a reddish brown postpronotum and a black spot just above postpronotum, scutum otherwise dark brown, densely microsetulose. Wing with a complete and broad discal band and with apex broadly pigmented.

Abdominal tergites 1 + 2, 3, 4 and 5 red, pleuron also red; pleuron and tip of ovipositor also red; posterolateral corners of syntergite 1 + 2 and lateral margins of tergite 5 black.

HEAD. Arista almost bare, with indistinct pubescence in basal third only. Postpedicel oval, as long as wide. Frontal vitta 0.4× frontal width at maximum, 0.1–0.2× frontal width at anterior margin, indistinctly elevated anterior to ocelli; postocellar part almost parallel-sided and broad, posterior margin expanded and slightly broader than space between postocellars. Palpus black, broad, mostly parallel-sided but gradually tapered at apex. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower bristle at frontal-orbital junction, upper at level of ocelli. Postocellar bristle as large as and almost in line with inner vertical bristle.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite slightly convex and mostly microsetulose.

Postpronotum elevated, inconspicuously but densely microsetulose with a few scattered setulae posteroventrally. Prosternum evenly setulose, anterior margin with fine setae. Suprahumeral bristles absent (type with a slightly enlarged anterior dorsocentral setulae present on right side only). Anterior notopleural bristle minute, less than 0.3× length of posterior bristle. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area flat but weakly differentiated. Scutellum convex, twice as wide as long.

MALE TERMINALIA. Basal distiphallus broad, phallic bulb broad with a large lower chamber extending to form a short, curved distal distiphallus just under half as long as basal distiphallus. Genital fork large, arms incurved with long distal bristles and inner surface with short stout tooth-like setae from base to apex; arms divided by a shallow and broad cleft.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Bursa extended distally as a common spermathecal duct about as long as spermathecal body, primary spermathecal duct arising at apex of common duct, secondary spermathecal duct arising laterally below base of primary spermathecal duct. Primary spermathecal duct gradually swollen in distal half, stems of primary spermathecae with separate narrow bases arising from truncate apex of primary duct, stems beyond the bases very long and strongly convoluted, paired spermathecae cup-shaped. Secondary duct much smaller, shorter and uniform in width, ending in a short constriction leading to a small, elongate duct gradually expanded to a single small, elongate spermatheca (single spermathecae duplicated in one specimen, see remarks). Ventral receptacle small, short but distinct.

Remarks

Nudopeza verpa belongs to a group of three similar species here treated as the N. verpa group (with N. nigriscutellum and N. viva). Members of this group resemble species currently treated as Calosphen in having conspicuous wing banding. Nudopeza verpa, N. nigriscutellum and N. viva were sequenced and recovered together deep within Nudopeza in the CO1 ML tree next to the N. pronigra group. Nudopeza duplitheca is also recovered with the N. verpa group on CO1 ML trees but there are no morphological characters supporting that placement. Males are unknown for N. viva and N. nigriscutellum, but males of N. verpa have a short and sinuate distal distiphallus unlike other Nudopeza but similar to some species currently treated as Calosphen. Nudopeza zostera, which has a long and straight distal distiphallus, also resembles the N. verpa group although it sequences next to the N. sumaco group.

All specimens in the type series of Nudopeza verpa were collected at the same time and place, but they show significant colour variation, with markedly different black and orange morphs (compare Figure 33 and Figure 34) that share the same CO1 BIN and have an apparently identical male distiphallus and female spermathecal complex. Four of the 11 orange morph specimens have an extensive orange area on the basal half of the mid and hind tibia and also have a more reddish frons (Figure 34A). There are also minor differences in the colour of the anterior mesonotum, with the black colour of the postpronotum and the black suprahumeral spot variably developed. One of the two dissected females with extensive orange femoral pigmentation has the secondary spermatheca duplicated (Figure 34B), unlike other specimens of either the black or red morphs of the species.

Both morphs are very similar to species in other genera, including sympatric undescribed species of Calosphen s.l. with remarkably similar pigmentation but widely separated from Nudopeza on CO1 ML trees.

3.34. Nudipeza versivitta sp. nov.

Figure 36. Nudopeza versivitta sp. nov. paratype ♀, Ecuador (DEBU) (A,B). Habitus, lateral. (C). Head and thorax, dorsolateral. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures.

Figure 36. Nudopeza versivitta sp. nov. paratype ♀, Ecuador (DEBU) (A,B). Habitus, lateral. (C). Head and thorax, dorsolateral. (D). Spermathecae and associated structures.

3.34.1. Etymology

The specific name refers to the silver vittae on the mesonotum, which have a right-angled bend presuturally and a distinctive split postsuturally.

3.34.2. Material Examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; Zamora-Chinchipe, Reserva Biologica San Francisco, Canal Trail, 3°58′30″ S, 79°4′25″ W, 2000 m, 25.ii.2009, M. Pollet, A. De Braekeleer, debu00410165; RBINS.

Paratype

ECUADOR • 1♀; same locality as holotype but yellow pan trap, 18–25.ii.2009, M. Pollet, A. De Braekeleer; DEBU (unsuccessfully barcoded as MYCRO15-15).

Description

LENGTH. 12–14 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly black, frontal plate cream yellow, frontal vitta velvety black except for a whitish pruinose band over ocelli, orbital plate dark chestnut brown. Antenna light brown; clypeus shiny blue-black; palpus brown with yellow base, face pale yellow, subantennal area and adjacent parafacial black, anterior gena and lower parafacial white. Postpronotum pale yellow dorsally and posteriorly, with an indistinct large circular velvety black spot just above; scutum mostly black to blue black with a distinct pattern of silvery pruinosity forming a broad lateral band extending as a narrow branch to posteromedial margin of postnotum; postsutural part of silvery pruinose band surrounding an oblong dark spot. Scutellum silvery pruinose laterally (continuous with prescutellar silvery pruinose area), dark centrally. Mesopleuron black with a large shiny yellowish white area on the posterior 2/3 of the anepisternum; katepisternum with a silvery pruinose vertical band surrounding a short row of white bristles in front of the main vertical row of black bristles. Foreleg black except for white tarsomeres, black area extending to base of tarsomere one. Mid and hind femora dark brown to black on distal half, basal half divided evenly into an orange-brown base and a broad yellowish orange ring; mid and hind tibiae brown to black; hind tarsomeres 1–2 and part of tarsomere 3 white with pale setulae, distal tarsomeres brown with black setulae. Wing infuscation extensive, with a broad and complete V-shaped discal band and extensive but diffuse preapical band.

Female abdomen with black tergites and mostly white pleuron; P2 dark; oviscape black with reddish apex.

Male unknown.

HEAD. Arista sparsely long pubescent, bare on distal fifth, longest hairs slightly longer than basal width of arista. Postpedicel oval, 1.7× as long as wide, densely white setulose. Palpus broad, convex ventrally and with distal quarter of ventral surface strongly sloped to apex. Frontal vitta expanded anterior to ocelli, width 0.4× frontal width at maximum, tapered to a narrow anterior margin, slightly tapered behind ocelli to broad posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower bristle at frontal-orbital junction, upper at level of ocelli. Postocellar bristle slightly shorter than inner vertical.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad, posterior part circular and evenly convex, entirely microsetulose. Prosternum evenly pale setulose with patches of fine black setae anterolaterally. Postpronotum mostly bare, microsetulose along dorsal margin. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Anterior notopleural bristle less than half as long as posterior. One postsutural dorsocentral bristle. Scutellum twice as wide as long,

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct narrow and parallel-sided in basal third but expanded to 4× basal width in middle third and then slightly tapered distally to an expanded apex, stems long and loosely coiled with a many conspicuous digitiform processes; spermathecal body broadly short-cylindrical with a deeply invaginate apex. Secondary spermathecal duct narrow basally, arising on bursa separately from primary duct, much smaller than primary duct, distally swollen and with a small, irregularly shaped spermatheca. Ventral receptacle small with a broad base.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza versivitta resembles N. venezuelensis in most details of thoracic and head colour but differs in having a partially pigmented postpronotum, single dorsocentral bristle, distally dark and expanded hind femora and a darkly pigmented wing. The elaborate silvery vittae on the mesonotum are apparently homologous, but the connection between the longitudinal vitta and the postpronotum is oblique in venezuelensis and right-angled in versivitta. The spermathecal complex of both species is similar, with cylindrical, transversely grooved primary spermathecae on long and adorned stems, but the primary spermathecae of N. versivitta are much longer. Both species are atypical in Nudopeza for their centrally black scutellum, but other characters (postpronotal colour, round suprahumeral spot, white frontal plate, patterned pleuron, typical spermathecal complex) place them in the genus. Both species belong in the N. sumaco group (see remarks for N. venezuelensis).

3.35. Nudopeza viriola sp. nov.

Figure 37. Nudopeza viriola sp. nov. holotype ♀, Bolivia (DEBU). (A). Head and thorax. (B). Habitus, dorsolateral; abdomen lateral with oviscape as inset. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures. (D). Habitus, oviscape removed. Abbreviations bc—bursa copulatrix, pd—paired spermathecal duct, sd—single (secondary) spermathecal duct, vr—ventral receptacle.

Figure 37. Nudopeza viriola sp. nov. holotype ♀, Bolivia (DEBU). (A). Head and thorax. (B). Habitus, dorsolateral; abdomen lateral with oviscape as inset. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures. (D). Habitus, oviscape removed. Abbreviations bc—bursa copulatrix, pd—paired spermathecal duct, sd—single (secondary) spermathecal duct, vr—ventral receptacle.

3.35.1. Etymology

The specific name is from the Latin for little bracelet, referring to the bracelet-like white ring surrounding the upper part of the anepisternum.

3.35.2. Material Examined

Holotype

BOLIVIA • ♀; La Paz, Coroico, Cerro Uchumachi, 16°12′43″ S, 67° 42′49″ W, 2550 m, cloud forest, 16.iv.2001, S.A. Marshall; DEBU00149674.

Description

LENGTH. 13 mm.

COLOUR. Head mostly black, frontal plate yellowish white except for dark inner margin, frontal vitta velvety black except for a whitish pruinose band over ocelli, orbital plate dark chestnut brown. Antenna light brown except for white inner basal surface of postpedicel; clypeus shiny brown; palpus brown with yellow base, face yellow, subantennal depression, gena and parafacial white. Postpronotum pale yellow dorsally and posteriorly, with an indistinct large circular velvety black spot just above; scutum mostly black to brown with a distinct pattern of silvery pruinosity forming a broad lateral band extending as a narrow branch to posteromedial margin of postnotum; postsutural part of silvery pruinose band surrounding a large oblong dark area. Scutellum brownish orange centrally, darker and sparsely microsetulose laterally. Mesopleuron mostly black, anepisternum with a broad white rim posteriorly, dorsally and anterodorsally; katepisternum with a silvery pruinose vertical band surrounding a short row of white bristles in front of the main vertical row of black bristles. Fore femur white ventrobasally, foreleg otherwise brown except for white tarsomeres, tarsomere one black basally. Hind femora dark brown to black on distal 2/3, basal third divided evenly into a brown base and a narrower yellowish orange ring, mid femur similar but brown base and yellow ring in basal fifth of femur much smaller; mid and hind tibiae brown to black; hind tarsomeres 1–3 white with white setulae, distal tarsomeres pale brown with yellowish setulae. Wing infuscation strong, with a broad and complete V-shaped discal band and extensive but diffuse preapical band. Female abdomen with black tergites and mostly white pleuron; P2 with a broad but pale vertical dark band; oviscape black with reddish apex.

Male unknown.

HEAD. Arista sparsely long pubescent, bare on distal fifth, longest hairs slightly longer than basal width of arista. Postpedicel oval, subequal in length and width, densely white setulose. Palpus parallel sided, apex rounded. Frontal vitta expanded anterior to ocelli, width 0.4× frontal width at maximum, tapered to a narrow anterior margin, slightly tapered behind ocelli to broad posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower bristle at frontal-orbital junction, upper at level of ocelli. Postocellar bristle slightly shorter than inner verticals.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad, posterior part circular and evenly convex, entirely microsetulose. Prosternum evenly pale setulose with patches of fine black setae anterolaterally. Postpronotum mostly bare, with a few scattered dark setulae ventrally and white microsetulosity along dorsal margin. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Anterior notopleural bristle less than half as long as posterior. Two postsutural dorsocentral bristles. Prescutellar area weakly differentiated. Scutellum twice as wide as long,

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct narrow and parallel sided in basal half but expanded to 3× basal width distally, stems long and coiled with many conspicuous digitiform processes; spermathecal body goblet-shaped, narrowed to base and deeply invaginate apically. Secondary spermathecal duct narrow basally, arising on bursa separately from primary duct, much smaller than primary duct, distally swollen and with a very small, elongate spermatheca adorned with spikes. Ventral receptacle small, broadly rounded.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza viriola is part of the N. sumaco group (see comments under that species). Most species in this group have a similar posteriorly divided silver thoracic vitta, an extensive white area on an otherwise dark anepisternum, a reddish brown to black orbital plate, and a dark scutellum. The paired spermathecae differ in shape between species, but males remain unknown for the species group. Nudopeza viriola is like N. venezuelensis in having two dorsocentral bristles but differs from that species in having mostly dark mid and hind femora.

3.36. Nudopeza viva sp. nov.

Figure 38. Nudopeza viva sp. nov. holotype ♀, Colombia (IAVH). (A). Habitus (B). Head and thorax. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures, one of the two primary paired spermathecae broken off.

Figure 38. Nudopeza viva sp. nov. holotype ♀, Colombia (IAVH). (A). Habitus (B). Head and thorax. (C). Spermathecae and associated structures, one of the two primary paired spermathecae broken off.

3.36.1. Etymology

The specific name is an easily remembered but arbitrary combination of letters.

3.36.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COLOMBIA •♀; Boyaca, SFF Iguaque, Cerro Pan de Azucar, 3300 m, 2–22 viii.2001, malaise, P. Reina, M2023; CO1 process code MYCRO 1039-23; IAVH.

Paratypes

COLOMBIA • 1♀; same as holotype • 1♀; Boyaca, SFF Iguaque, La Planada, 19.iv–6.v, malaise, P. Reina; IAVH • 1♀; Cabana Carrizal, 10–28.Vi.2001, malaise, P. Reina IAVH.

Description

LENGTH. 15 mm

COLOUR. Head black except for yellow raised lower margin of frontal plate, reddish brown antenna and dark brown face; fronto-orbital plate with an indistinct diagonal line between the striate and subshining frontal plate and the shiny blue-black orbital plate. Frontal vitta entirely velvety black and microsetulose, black velvety area extending to lower fronto-orbital bristle and partly along the division line between the orbital and frontal plates. Clypeus black except for yellow posterior corner. Palpus yellow at base, mostly dark brown. Fore tarsomere one black except for white apex, fore tarsomeres 2–4 white, tarsomere 5 mostly black. Mid and hind femora mostly orange with narrow and indistinct brown basal bands; mid and hind tibiae and tarsomeres brown. Thorax mostly orange with a yellow to white postpronotum, an indistinct darkened spot just above postpronotum and a large black area covering most of the scutum between the postpronota; scutum otherwise orange, indistinctly microsetulose except on depressed prescutellar area. Wing with a complete, dark and broad discal band and with apex broadly pigmented.

Abdominal tergites 1 + 2, T5–6 and oviscape orange, T3 and 4 brown, pleuron slightly darkened on dorsal half.

HEAD: Arista bare except for a few minute setulae in basal third. Postpedicel oval, slightly longer than wide. Palpus convex ventrally, tapered to apex. Preocellar frontal vitta greatly expanded, 0.7× frontal width at maximum, tapered to less than 0.2× frontal width at anterior margin, distinctly elevated in lower quarter; postocellar part parallel-sided and broad, posterior margin broader than space between postocellars. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, lower bristle at frontal-orbital junction and arising from an apparent angled extension of the frontal vitta, upper at level of ocelli. Postocellar bristle large, subequal to inner verticals.

THORAX: Cervical sclerite convex, inconspicuously microsetulose. Prosternum setulose with short fine setae anteriorly and anterolaterally. Postpronotum inconspicuously microsetulose, with a few scattered setulae. Anterior notopleural bristle absent on all paratypes, very small on holotype. Suprahumeral setae absent. One dorsocentral bristle, prescutellar area flat and depressed but weakly differentiated. Scutellum convex, twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Primary spermathecal duct expanded slightly from base to apex, stems of primary spermathecae very long and strongly convoluted, with digitiform processes; paired spermathecae cup-shaped. Secondary duct arising separately from bursa, much smaller, shorter and mostly uniform in width, ending in a short constriction leading to a small, elongate duct and single small but elongate spermatheca. Ventral receptacle very short but distinct, broadly rounded.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza viva sp. nov. belongs the N. verpa group, a small group of Calosphen-like species (see comments under N. verpa).

3.37. Nudopeza yungasensis sp. nov.

Figure 39. Nudopeza yungasensis sp. nov. Bolivia (DEBU). (A,B). ♂ holotype, living. (C). head and thorax. (D). ♂ paratype terminalia. (E). phallic bulb and distal part of basal distiphallus.

Figure 39. Nudopeza yungasensis sp. nov. Bolivia (DEBU). (A,B). ♂ holotype, living. (C). head and thorax. (D). ♂ paratype terminalia. (E). phallic bulb and distal part of basal distiphallus.

3.37.1. Etymology

Nudopeza yungasensis is named for the Yungas region of Bolivia in which it occurs.

3.37.2. Material Examined

Holotype

BOLIVIA • ♂; La Paz, Coroico, Cerro Uchumachi, 16°12′43″ S, 67° 42′49″ W, 2550 m, cloud forest, 16.iv.2001, S.A. Marshall; DEBU00149674.

Paratype

BOLIVIA • 1♂; same data as holotype, CO1 process code MYCRO113-15; DEBU0014875.

Description

LENGTH. 14 mm.

COLOUR. Head yellow to orange except for shiny black clypeus, velvety black frontal vitta and extensive darkly pigmented area between frontal and orbital plates and along upper back of head. Palpus yellow except for black apex. Antenna orange-brown. Postpronotum pale yellow; scutum mostly orange with black and yellow markings, presutural area with a black suprahumeral spot followed by an incomplete narrow vitta and an anteriorly expanded median black vitta tapering out before suture; postsutural area with a complete and parallel-sided central yellow vitta flanked by complete black vittae. Scutellum entirely white to yellow in middle area (continuous with white postsutural vitta). Pleuron mostly yellow, with black vertical bands on anepimeron, posterior margin of katepisternum and centre of anepisternum; katepisternal bristles black. Fore coxa mostly orange but posterior surface black, fore femur orange on basal third, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres 2–5 white. Mid and hind femora orange except for a broad subbasal black ring and a narrower preapical black ring. Hind tibia and tarsus black except paler ventral surface of first tarsomere. Wing infuscation absent or very weak. Abdomen mostly pink, P1–2 mostly black.

HEAD. Arista bare except for a few inconspicuous short hairs in basal fifth. Pedicel with short black setulae and several equally short ventral bristles; postpedicel oval, subequal in length and width. Palpus mostly parallel-sided, tapered apically. Frontal vitta almost half as wide as frontal width at maximum, slightly expanded and elevated anterior to ocelli, slightly tapered to broad anterior margin, almost parallel-sided behind ocelli, slightly expanded at posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles. Postocellar bristle large, subequal to inner vertical bristle.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite broad and flat. Prosternum setulose and with fine setae over much of anterior half except for central area. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose and with scattered small setulae. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area apparently flattened but obscured by pin on both types. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

MALE TERMINALIA. Basal distiphallus twice as long as epandrium, broad and almost parallel sided, ending in a very large and complex phallic bulb with ejaculatory duct passing into a broad ventral part below a looped structure that tapers basally before turning ventrally and extending to the large distal opening of the phallus. Ejaculatory apodeme larger than epandrium, sperm pump globose. Postgonite small, with three long apical bristles. Hypandrium with an expanded, scoop-like anterior part extending slightly beyond apex of phallapodeme.

Female unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza yungasensis is a relatively large, distinctively coloured member of the N. pronigra species group from high-elevation forests in Bolivia. It is recovered on CO1 ML trees as the sister species to the similarly large and distinctive species N. mephitis and N. rutilans from high-elevation forests in Peru.

3.38. Nudopeza zarza sp. nov.

Figure 40. Nudopeza zarza sp. nov. holotype ♀, Trinidad (DEBU). (A). Head and thorax, dorsal. (B). Spermathecae and associated structures. (C). Head and thorax, lateral. (D). Wing and abdomen.

Figure 40. Nudopeza zarza sp. nov. holotype ♀, Trinidad (DEBU). (A). Head and thorax, dorsal. (B). Spermathecae and associated structures. (C). Head and thorax, lateral. (D). Wing and abdomen.

3.38.1. Etymology

The specific name is from the Spanish for bramble.

3.38.2. Material Examined

Holotype

TRINIDAD • ♀; Morne Blue, 2700′, 6.vii 1969, H. and A. Howden; CNCI.

Paratype

TRINIDAD • ♀ (headless); same data as for holotype but 17–28.viii.

Description

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR. Frontal vitta entirely black except for reddish brown area surrounding ocellar triangle, frontal plate white along inner half of anterior margin, pale reddish brown otherwise, divided from orbital plate by strong black angled bands; orbital plate reddish brown along lower margin and along frontal vitta, otherwise yellow until the black posterior head margin. Antenna, lunule, face and subantennal areas white to pale yellow; clypeus brown with pale corners; palpus light brown, paler basally. Postpronotum and posterior part of cervical sclerite white, scutum black between postpronota and with 2 complete longitudinal brown vittae running from suprahumeral area to brown scutellar margins, scutum otherwise pale brown to yellow; scutellum white centrally, brown on lateral margins. Mesopleuron mostly white with 2 vertical brown strips, one running from wing base along posterior margin of katepisternum to mid coxa, the other running from the middle of the anterior part of the anepisternum to the anterior margin of the katepisternum; posterior row of katepisternal bristles brown, smaller anterior row pale. Fore coxa pale yellow, femur orange-yellow on basal third, fore femur and tibia otherwise black, fore tarsomeres white except for basal ventral area of tarsomere one. Mid femur brown with a small basal yellow ventral area, a large distal ventral yellow area and a large preapical yellow ring; hind femur similar but with a large yellow ring basally. Mid and hind tarsomeres dirty white to yellowish. Wing infuscation weak, with a broad but diffuse discal band reaching anterior wing margin.

Female abdomen with T1–2 brown and T3–6 brown with a slightly paler broad central area; oviscape yellow at apex and yellow laterally on basal half, otherwise brown. Pleuron mostly white to yellow, P2 slightly darkened posteriorly.

HEAD (paratype only, head missing on holotype). Arista short-plumose except for basal and distal fifths. Postpedicel oval, 1.3× as long as wide. Palpus weakly convex ventrally and tapered apically. Pre-ocellar frontal vitta expanded to 0.5× frontal width at midpoint, tapered to a truncate anterior margin about 0.1× frontal width, almost parallel sided behind ocelli to broad posterior margin. Two strong fronto-orbital bristles, at level of ocelli and at orbital-frontal junction.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite with posterior part large, convex and microsetulose. Prosternum apparently bare except for a few scattered fine setae. Postpronotum indistinctly microsetulose and with scattered setulae on ventral half. Notum with a very small suprahumeral seta near anterior corner of postpronotum (apparently absent on paratype). Anterior notopleural bristle half as long as posterior. One long dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area slightly depressed, centrally microsetulose and laterally setulose. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecal ducts on a long, distinct common duct (distal extension of bursa), primary duct arising at apex of common duct and gradually expanding to a very broad apex from which the paired spermathecal ducts arise from a narrow forked basal part before expanding to very long and tightly coiled stems only slightly shorter than the primary duct; primary spermathecae large, broadly oval. Secondary spermathecal duct arising laterally from common duct near its apex, duct very short and weak, approximately as long as the very long, narrow club-like apical part that presumably corresponds to the secondary spermatheca. Ventral receptacle very small.

Male unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza zarza can be recognized by the two complete longitudinal mesonotal vittae, the all-brown tergites and the remarkably long and coiled spermathecal stems. It is treated as part of the N. arcuata species group.

3.39. Nudopeza zostera sp. nov.

Figure 41. Nudopeza zostera sp. nov. Holotype ♂, Ecuador (MECN). (A). Dorsolateral, living. (B). Dorsal, living. (C). Sternite 5 (genital fork), ventral. (D). Sternites 5–8, lateral. (E). Head and thorax, lateral. (F). Abdomen, to show long orange genital fork. (G). Terminalia.

Figure 41. Nudopeza zostera sp. nov. Holotype ♂, Ecuador (MECN). (A). Dorsolateral, living. (B). Dorsal, living. (C). Sternite 5 (genital fork), ventral. (D). Sternites 5–8, lateral. (E). Head and thorax, lateral. (F). Abdomen, to show long orange genital fork. (G). Terminalia.

3.39.1. Etymology

The species name, from the Greek for “belt” or “girdle” refers to the broad orange belt crossing the middle of the otherwise black mesonotum.

3.39.2. Material Examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♂; Napo, P.N. Antisana, Sector Vinillos, 17.i.2024, 2200 m, S.A. Marshall, CO1 sequence process code DEBU A553-24; MECN.

Description

LENGTH. 12 mm.

COLOUR. Head black except for a cream yellow to white raised frontal plate. Palpus black, yellow at extreme base only. Clypeus shiny black, bare. Antenna pale brown, scape and pedicel with black setae, postpedicel with golden setulae. Foreleg black except for white tarsomeres 1–5. Mid and hind femora mostly black, a narrow white ring in basal half and a broad preapical white ring; mid and hind tibia black; hind tarsomere one white. Postpronotum, propleuron and anterior quarter of scutum black, middle part of scutum (along transverse suture) broadly orange, posterior half of scutum and scutellum black. Mesopleuron mostly bright orange, posterior half of anepisternum yellow and posterior margin of katepisternum pale, main row of katepisternal bristles black. Wing with a complete and broad discal band and with apex broadly pigmented. Abdominal tergites mostly dark brown, anterior margin of T3 orange; pleural pigmentation not clear on type material.

HEAD: Arista indistinctly short plumose (apparently bare except for a widely spaced short hairs in basal half). Postpedicel suboval, slightly longer that wide. Palpus broad, spatulate, ventrally straight. Frontal vitta 0.4× frontal width at maximum, 0.2× frontal width at anterior margin, indistinctly elevated anterior to ocelli; postocellar part deeply grooved, tapered and then expanded to a posterior margin equal to space between postocellars. Two large subequal fronto-orbital bristles, frontal bristle at frontal-orbital junction and arising from an apparent angled extension of the frontal vitta, orbital bristle at level of ocelli. Postocellar bristle large and slightly posterior to inner verticals.

THORAX: Cervical sclerite convex on posterior half, bare anteriorly and posteriorly. Postpronotum bare. Suprahumeral bristles absent. Anterior notopleural bristle absent. A single pair of dorsocentral bristles and a complete row of dorsocentral setulae; scattered smaller setulae present between dorsocentral rows in both presutural and postsutural parts, central prescutellar area depressed and flattened but otherwise weakly differentiated. Scutellum convex, twice as wide as long.

MALE TERMINALIA. Basal distiphallus short and broad, phallic bulb broad with large upper and lower chambers, the lower chamber extending to form a straight distal distiphallus 3× as long as basal distiphallus. Genital fork large, arms elongate and incurved at apex, with long bristles throughout and inner surface with short stout tooth-like setae distal 2/3 of inner surface; bases of arms divided by a narrow cleft.

Females unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza zostera resembles species of the N. verpa group (N. nigriscutellum, N. verpa and N. viva), which differ widely from other Nudopeza in their Calosphen-like wing pigmentation, the absence of the typical Nudopeza pale scutellar banding, and (in known males) the presence of a short to moderately long distal distiphallus. CO1 ML trees show N. zostera as the sister group to the N. sumaco species group, however bootstrap support is very low. Nudopeza zostera is treated with the N. verpa group in the key, but there is no molecular support for its inclusion in that group and its moderately long, straight distal distiphallus is very different from the short, sinuate distal distiphallus that characterizes the N. verpa group. Males are unknown for the N. sumaco group.

3.40. Nudopeza zumera sp. nov.

Figure 42. Nudopeza zumera sp. nov. holotype ♀, Ecuador (MECN). (A). Left lateral. (B). Left dorsolateral, head and thorax. (C). Right dorsolateral. (D,E). Spermathecal complex, lateral and ventrolateral. Abbreviations: bc—bursa copulatrix, pd—paired spermathecal duct, ps—paired spermatheca, sd—single spermathecal duct, ss—single spermatheca, vr—ventral receptacle.

Figure 42. Nudopeza zumera sp. nov. holotype ♀, Ecuador (MECN). (A). Left lateral. (B). Left dorsolateral, head and thorax. (C). Right dorsolateral. (D,E). Spermathecal complex, lateral and ventrolateral. Abbreviations: bc—bursa copulatrix, pd—paired spermathecal duct, ps—paired spermatheca, sd—single spermathecal duct, ss—single spermatheca, vr—ventral receptacle.

3.40.1. Etymology

The species name is an arbitrary combination of letters.

3.40.2. Material Examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; Mera, Centro de Investigación Sumac Kawsay 1°24′6.24″ S 78° 3′57.80″ W, 23–26.i.2024, S.A. Marshall, CO1 sequence process code DEBU A542-24 (no sequence returned); MECN.

Description

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR: Head mostly pale yellow; frontal vitta pale except for dark middle third of preocellar part and a narrow posterior margin, preocellar black part of frontal vitta continuous with narrow, steeply angled lines reaching eye; ocellar triangle black. Frontal plate below angled black line dull whitish yellow with striae, orbital plate above line orange-yellow and bare. Clypeus yellow with a shiny dark brown central patch. Palpus yellow. Pedicel yellowish brown, with uniformly short black setae; postpedicel yellow with golden setulae. Postpronotum white. Mesoscutum between postpronota with prominent but very small suprahumeral spots and a central, posteriorly tapered dark marking. Postsutural mesoscutum with indistinct brown vittae on each side of a broad, depressed, dull yellow central postsutural area. Scutellum yellowish white with brown lateral margins. Fore coxa, trochanter, basal third of tibia and entire ventral surface of femur whitish yellow, remainder of femur and entire tibia black; tarsomere one darkened at base but tarsus otherwise white. Mid femur yellowish except for a narrow dark preapical ring at 3/4; hind femur yellowish with the addition of a subbasal brown ring. Anepisternum white on posterior third, cream yellow at middle, and pale orange on anterior third; katepisternum white except for anterior margin and narrow orange posterior margin. Katepisternal bristles all golden-yellow. Wing yellowish, with a small and indistinct discal spot. Apical wing infuscation absent or very weak.

Abdomen with T1 brown, T2 pale brown with a black band dividing T1 and T2 and a dark brown posterior margin; T3 white except for a broad dark brown posterior margin, T4 mostly dark brown with a broad white anterior margin, T5 dark brown, T6 brown anteriorly, otherwise yellow; oviscape orange with a black dorsal strip. Pleuron white except for upper half of P5 and small dark upper areas on P1 and P2.

HEAD. Arista long plumose, with longest hairs as long as scape width. Postpedicel elongate oval, depressed dorsally and approximately twice as long as wide. Palpus paddle-shaped, almost straight-sided and rounded apically. Frontal vitta broadened anterior to ocelli, almost parallel-sided and narrow anteriorly and posteriorly; slightly more than one third as wide as frons at maximum width. Two large fronto-orbital bristles: one just above level of ocelli, the other at anterior extreme of dividing line between orbital and frontal plates. Postocellar bristle strong, slightly shorter than inner verticals. Suprahumeral setae absent. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite with a conspicuous round central depression, dark orange in centre of depression (Figure 42A). Prosternum long-setulose anteriorly. Postpronotum sparsely setulose, with indistinct microsetulosity. Anterior notopleural seta present but thin and half as long as posterior notopleural seta. One pair of dorsocentral bristles, area between them depressed and differentiated, with dense microsetulae. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecal complex with two equal length ducts arising independently from bursa, both ducts swollen at apex before narrowing to a single stem; the thicker (primary) duct with a single, very large, asymmetrical spermatheca prominently adorned with short processes. Thinner (secondary) duct apically tapered to a single stem that splits into two very small spermathecae each on a long stem. Ventral receptacle prominent, apically donut shaped.

Males unknown.

Remarks

Although this species is based on only a single female specimen, the conspicuously modified cervical sclerites, characteristically pigmented abdominal segments 4–5 and the limited frontal pigmentation all seem distinctive. The spermathecal complex, with a pair of small spermathecae on one duct and a very large, asymmetrical spermatheca on a second duct of equal length, is unique but most similar to N. horologia.

3.41. Nudopeza zygoma sp. nov.

Figure 43. Nudopeza zygoma sp. nov. holotype ♀, Guyana (ROM). (A). Abdomen, lateral. (B–E). Habitus. (F). Oviscape, with spermathecal complex and oviduct teased out. (G). Spermathecal complex, lateral.

Figure 43. Nudopeza zygoma sp. nov. holotype ♀, Guyana (ROM). (A). Abdomen, lateral. (B–E). Habitus. (F). Oviscape, with spermathecal complex and oviduct teased out. (G). Spermathecal complex, lateral.

3.41.1. Etymology

The species name is from the Greek for bolt or bar, referring to the dark bar extending the length of the scutum.

3.41.2. Material Examined

Holotype

GUYANA • ♀; District 8, Mount Wokomung, 5°6′34″ N59°49′15″ W 1234 m, Malaise trap, primary rainforest, 27.x–1.xi.2004, B. Hubley; ROM.

Paratypes

GUYANA • 2 ♀♀; Potaro-Sipanuni, Potaro River vic. 5°9′56″ N59°46′42″ W, 680 m primary rainforest, dung pitfall trap, 19–20.x.2004, B. Hubley; ROM • 1♀; Mount Wokomung, 141 m, 4–8.xi.2004, B. Hubley; ROM.

Description

LENGTH. 10 mm.

COLOUR. Head orange and black, with postocciput and orbital plate shining blue black to dark brown, frontal vitta velvety black except for a quadrate area orange area surrounding the black ocellar triangle; lower frontal plate, lunule and parafacial yellow to pale orange, upper part of frontal plate brown. Antenna with scape orange, pedicel dark brown, postpedicel reddish pale brown. Palpus yellow. Clypeus shiny blue-black with yellow posterior corners. Thorax orange except as follows: postpronotum pale orange with whitish margins and flanked medially by circular black dots; scutum with a complete central dark vitta broadened anteriorly and posteriorly and extending onto scutellum, postsutural area with two narrow incomplete dark vittae. Scutellum with pale orange lateral margins but mostly dark. Mesopleuron mostly orange except for dark posterior margin of the katepisternum and the slightly darkened posterior part of the anepisternum (against the broad white pleural suture); main vertical row of katepisternal bristles black. Fore coxa orange, fore femur orange ventrally and on basal half, brown dorsally on distal half; fore tibia brown, fore tarsomeres 1–3 white, tarsomeres 4 and 5 pale brown. Mid femur orange except for an incomplete brown subbasal ring and a complete brown preapical ring; hind femur similar but rings larger and more complete. Hind tarsomeres pale brown. Wing with distinct discal and apical bands, discal band triangular (tapered towards base). Abdomen with tergites mostly dark brown with a blue shine, T3 mostly pale. Pleuron mostly white, P1 slightly darkened, posterior part of P2 dark, upper quarter of P4 and upper half of P5–6 dark (dark areas indistinct on paratypes). Oviscape brown, darkest apically.

HEAD. Arista short plumose, longest rays approximately 1.5× as long as width of basal aristomere. Pedicel with long ventral apical setae, postpedicel concave dorsally, tapered, length 1.8× basal width. Palpus strap-like, medium width, mostly parallel-sided and rounded at apex. Frontal vitta 0.5× frontal width at maximum, preocellar frontal vitta very slightly expanded and slightly elevated in anterior half, sharply tapered to a narrow but truncate anterior margin, almost parallel-sided behind ocelli to expanded posterior margin. Two large fronto-orbital bristles, one at level of anterior ocelli and one well above lower corner of orbital plate. Inner vertical and outer vertical bristles strong, 1.5× as long as postocellars.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite inconspicuously microsetulose, subquadrate, only slightly convex on posterior half. Prosternum almost bare, with scattered small black setulae. Postpronotum indistinctly and sparsely microsetulose and with scattered small setulae. Notum with a small suprahumeral bristle near anteromedial corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle about half as long as posterior notopleural bristle. One dorsocentral bristle. Prescutellar area conspicuously depressed (damaged by pin on unique holotype). Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct narrow basally but abruptly and conspicuously swollen before middle, tapered distally to a small apical swelling and two short stems each leading to a small, acorn-shaped spermatheca. Secondary duct narrower at base and without an obvious swelling, slightly enlarged distally with a small apical swelling and very short ducts leading to two large, wrinkled club-shaped spermathecae, each about twice as large as the other paired spermathecae. Ventral receptacle prominent and rounded like a button mushroom.

Males unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza zygoma lacks the major diagnostic features of the genus but is nonetheless tentatively included here because of the characteristic pigmentation of the mesoscutum, which resembles many other Nudopeza but differs from related genera. Other features, including the white abdominal T3 and the equal-length spermathecal ducts with two unequal pairs of spermathecae, suggest a close relationship to some Nudopeza species in the N. arcuata group, especially N. horologia and N. duplitheca. The pigmentation of the frons is more like that of the Grallipeza pulchrifrons group than that of other Nudopeza.

3.42. Nudopeza zytha sp. nov.

Figure 44. Nudopeza zytha holotype ♀, Colombia. (IAVH). (A). Right lateral. (B). Head and thorax, dorsal. (C). Head, right dorsolateral. (D). Abdomen. (E). Spermathecal complex and part of anterior margin of oviscape, ventral.

Figure 44. Nudopeza zytha holotype ♀, Colombia. (IAVH). (A). Right lateral. (B). Head and thorax, dorsal. (C). Head, right dorsolateral. (D). Abdomen. (E). Spermathecal complex and part of anterior margin of oviscape, ventral.

3.42.1. Etymology

The species name is from the Greek for a kind of beer.

3.42.2. Material Examined

Holotype

COLOMBIA • ♀; Valle del Cauca, PNN Farallones de Cali Ancicaya 3°36′ N 76°48′ W 730 m, Malaise 18.vii–1.viii.2000, S. Sarria Leg., M 1101, CO1 process code 1042-23; IAVH

LENGTH. 11 mm.

COLOUR: Frontal vitta with velvety black lower preocellar part; upper preocellar part and postocellar part dark with white pruinosity. Frontal plate white, separated from orange orbital plate by a broad angled band that arcs slightly inward at the upper orbital bristle; back of head black dorsally, white laterally. Face white, clypeus shiny blue-black. Palpus yellow with a few short dark bristles. Pedicel dark brown, densely covered by short black setulae; postpedicel mostly yellowish orange with golden setulae, darker at base. Postpronotum white; notum between postpronota with a small black triangular marking; suprahumeral spots absent. Scutellum white centrally with brown lateral margins. Distal third of dorsal surface of fore femur dark brown, femur otherwise yellowish. Mid femur yellowish except for brown subbasal and preapical rings. Hind femur with a yellowish basal ring and diffuse brown subbasal and preapical rings. Wing with discal band small and restricted to centre of wing. Apical wing infuscation absent or very weak. Anepisternum mostly pale orange, whitish yellow on posterodorsal corner. Centre of katepisternum pale, katepisternal bristles golden-yellow.

Female abdomen with T2 darker than other tergites and T3 white anteriorly and anterolaterally, oviscape with a narrow dark dorsal strip on basal and distal thirds, otherwise yellow with a dark apex. Pleuron mostly whitish but posterior half of P2 with a prominent dark vertical band.

HEAD. Arista plumose on basal 2/3, with longest hairs over half as long as scape width. Postpedicel elongate oval, dorsally concave, twice as long as wide. Palpus narrow, strap-like, almost parallel-sided and apically slightly tapered, rounded at apex. Preocellar frontal vitta gradually expanded anteriorly and then abruptly tapered to a narrow but blunt apex; maximum width 0.35× frons width. One orbital bristle, 2 frontal bristles (sockets only on type). All head bristles missing from unique type.

THORAX. Cervical sclerite depressed and densely microsetulose in anterior quarter, otherwise bare and convex. Prosternum almost bare, indistinctly setulose anteriorly. Postpronotum finely and indistinctly microsetulose with a few inconspicuous setulae. Notum with 1 very small bristle (suprahumeral bristle) near anterior corner of postpronotum. Anterior notopleural bristle well developed but smaller than posterior notopleural bristle (inferred from socket). One dorsocentral bristle. Central prescutellar area depressed and finely microsetulose. Scutellum twice as wide as long.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Spermathecae with primary duct long, gradually expanded to a truncate apex from which a narrow, simple tube arises centrally before splitting into two broad and strongly convoluted stems leading to large, apically broadened and broadly invaginate spermathecae. Secondary duct greatly reduced, about half as long and much less than half as wide, gradually expanding to a rounded apex, secondary spermatheca absent.

Males unknown.

Remarks

Nudopeza zytha keys out with the similar N. arcuata but clusters with the N. sumaco group on the CO1 ML tree.

4. Discussion

Although this work is based on examination of just a couple of hundred specimens, it has resulted in the description of 39 new species out of a total of 41 species considered. Over half the species in the genus (23 species) remain known only from females and 11 of these are known only from the holotype. Ten of the species considered here are known only from hand collections by the author and another six are known only from Malaise traps. This relative paucity of material despite the apparent high diversity of the group might reflect genuine rarity, restriction to an unrecognized microhabitat, or an association with an undersampled habitat such as the forest canopy. Although the many current Malaise trapping programmes in the neotropics will undoubtedly contribute further species, there is a need for targeted collecting by baiting, observation, sampling in neglected habitats and further collecting in the vast areas of the neotropics for which samples are currently unavailable. Continued collecting across the broad neotropical range of Nudopeza can be expected to significantly expand the genus.

This revision is part of an ongoing effort to sort out the generic classification of the New World Micropezidae and represents one of a series of papers aimed at resolving the taxonomy of the diverse clades traditionally treated, entirely or in part, as Grallipeza.

Figure 45. Maximum likelihood tree for Nudopeza species sequenced for CO1, with Scipopus and Hoplocheiloma as outgroups. Bold face numbers 1–6 are proposed species groups (1 = type clade or tapanti group, 2 = glypha group, 3 = sumaco group, 4 = arcuata group, 5 = verpa group, 6 = pronigra group). Order of information is specimen code/species name/BIN. Italicized numbers below the nodes are bootstrap values.

Figure 45. Maximum likelihood tree for Nudopeza species sequenced for CO1, with Scipopus and Hoplocheiloma as outgroups. Bold face numbers 1–6 are proposed species groups (1 = type clade or tapanti group, 2 = glypha group, 3 = sumaco group, 4 = arcuata group, 5 = verpa group, 6 = pronigra group). Order of information is specimen code/species name/BIN. Italicized numbers below the nodes are bootstrap values.