On the identities of Neotropical Stegana species (Diptera, Drosophilidae). III. Four Costa Rican species described by J. R. Malloch

ABSTRACT The identities of the following four New World species of Stegana from Costa Rica, Stegana atrimana Malloch, 1924, Stegana nigrita Malloch, 1924, Stegana schildi Malloch, 1924, and Stegana tempifera Malloch, 1924, are clarified, and their redescriptions are provided. According to the original descriptions, the holotypes of the four species, deposited in the National Museum of Natural History (USNM), were males. However, upon dissection of their terminalia, we realized that all but one (S. tempifera) are females. Therefore, redescriptions of their external morphology (and/or terminalia) are mainly based on male paratypes, except for S. schildi, which is based on a male non-type specimen from Panama bearing Malloch's handwritten identification label. Photomicrographs of the habitus and terminalia, in addition to china ink drawings of the aedeagi and associated sclerites, are included.

On the identities of Rhinoleucophenga pallida Hendel and Rhinoleucophenga obesa (Loew) (Diptera, Drosophilidae), with description of a new sibling species from Brazil

Abstract Rhinoleucophenga pallidaHendel, 1917 (type species of the genus) is redescribed based on its female holotype and a male from a nearby locality, and Rhinoleucophenga obesa (Loew, 1872) on its two syntypes, which are designated as the male lectotype and a female paralectotype. Both are valid species. A proposal is made to establish the genus Pseudophortica Sturtevant, 1918 (type species R. obesa), a junior synonym of Rhinoleucophenga, to subgenus rank and include all species of Rhinoleucophenga described or redescribed from males except R. pallida, which is unique in having a remarkable pedunculate surstylus, among other differences. The North American R. obesa is compared to its closest sibling, the South American species Rhinoleucophenga gigantea (Thomson, 1869). The occurrence of R. obesa in Brazil is also questioned, as suggested long ago by Marshall R. Wheeler. The specimens from Brazil previously identified as such most probably belong to the new species described in the present paper as Rhinoleucophenga (Pseudophortica) cantareira sp. nov. (type locality: Parque Estadual da Cantareira, City of São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil). Numerous photomicrographs of their habitus and male terminalia taken with a Smartphone's rear camera and digitally stacked to create images with greater depth of focus are provided.

A new Costa Rican species of Drosophila visiting inflorescences of the hemi-epiphytic climber Monstera lentii (Araceae)

ABSTRACT Drosophila monsterae sp. nov. is described from 11 males and 13 females collected from the inside of closed inflorescences of Monstera lentii (Araceae) at 1810 m altitude in the Forest Reserve of Cerro de La Carpintera, Canton La Unión, Province of Cartago, Costa Rica. Although flies have been seen wandering and copulating inside the floral chambers of closed inflorescences during the floral female phase, eggs or larvae have not yet been found either in the spathe or in the fleshy spadix. The new species is related to Drosophila tristani Sturtevant, 1921, from San José, Costa Rica, from which it differs mainly by having smaller slightly circular compound eyes, distinctly broader genae (cheek index ca. 2.4 vs 5 in D. tristani), and the inner capsule of spermathecae with an unusual folded duct at basal half of its very wide introvert. This is the eighth species to be included in the New World, essentially Neotropical, subgenus Phloridosa. Photomicrographs of male and female terminalia are also provided.

A new species of Neotropical Drosophila (Diptera, Drosophilidae) belonging to the guarani group

Abstract Drosophila butantan sp. nov., a species belonging to the guarani group and closely related to Drosophila nigrifemur from Bolivia, is described based on a female, and some of its offspring, collected at the forest reserve of the Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária "Armando de Salles Oliveira", São Paulo City, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Although externally similar, the two apparently forest-dwelling species can be told apart by having distinct oviscapt valves and spermathecal introverts and tips. Accordingly, a proposal is made to also include D. nigrifemur, a previously unassigned species, in the guarani group. The two species seem to be also related to Drosophila alexandrei and Drosophila guaraja as indicated by their external morphology, their elongate spermathecae and the not so sharply pointed oviscapt valves. The karyotypes of the new species differ from those described for D. alexandrei and D. guaraja, while those of D. nigrifemur remain still unknown. Photomicrographs of the male and female imagines, in addition to drawings and photos of their terminalia, are also included.

A new Neotropical species of spot-thoraxed Drosophila (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Drosophila pauliceia sp. nov., a spot-thoraxed species closely related to Drosophila boraceia Vilela & Val, 2004, is described from flies collected in an urban remnant of the montane Atlantic Forest located at the Cidade Universitária "Armando de Salles Oliveira", São Paulo city, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The two forest-dwelling species can be externally distinguished mainly by having a different pattern of thoracic spots. A new group of spotted flies (peruensis group) is proposed to include them, in addition to Drosophila peruensis Wheeler, 1959, from Urubamba River, Peru, and Drosophila atalaia Vilela & Sene, 1982, from Brazil and Argentina. To facilitate comparisons, illustrations of the male and female terminalia of the new species and of some unpublished views of those of D. atalaia are included. Additionally, a new group of unspotted species (named caponei group) is proposed to include Drosophila caponei Pavan & Cunha, 1947 and D. neochracea Wheeler, 1959, both previously considered to be related to D. atalaia.

Drosophila pauliceia sp. nov., espécie com tórax pintado e muito semelhante à Drosophila boraceia Vilela & Val, 2004, é descrita a partir de exemplares procedentes de um fragmento urbano da Mata Atlântica de planalto, localizado na reserva da Cidade Universitßria "Armando de Salles Oliveira", cidade de São Paulo, estado de São Paulo, Brasil. As duas espécies podem ser separadas principalmente com base no padrão das pintas do tórax e, juntamente com Drosophila peruensis Wheeler, 1959 e Drosophila atalaia Vilela & Sene, 1982, são incluídas em um novo grupo proposto no presente artigo sob o nome peruensis. Além das ilustrações detalhadas das terminálias masculina e feminina da nova espécie, desenhos inéditos dessas estruturas foram preparados também para Drosophila atalaia. Adicionalmente é proposto o grupo caponei que inclui D. caponei Pavan & Cunha, 1947 e D. neochracea Wheeler, 1959, duas espécies com tórax não pintado embora previamente consideradas próximas à D. atalaia.

Polytene chromosomes and phylogenetic relationships in ten Drosophila species of the annulimana group (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Polytene chromosomes banding patterns of ten of the 16 species of the Neotropical annulimana group of Drosophila were used to propose phylogenetic relationships among species. Drosophila annulimana chromosomes were used as the standard sequence and the most parsimonious series of changes (paracentric inversions) were considered. In some cases, intermediate hypothetical rearrangements were proposed to explain the sequences present in a given species. A total of 47 paracentric inversions were detected, most of them (44.7 percent) in chromosome 4. Three subgroups, partially coincident with those previously proposed based on morphological and karyotypical analyses, were classified as: 1) annulimana subgroup (Drosophila annulimana, D. aracataca, D. aragua, and D. arauna), 2) gibberosa subgroup (D. ararama, D. gibberosa, D. pseudotalamancana, and D. schineri), and 3) arassari subgroup (D. arapuan, and D. arassari).

Drosophila angustibucca Duda sensu Frota-Pessoa is an undescribed species (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Drosophila angustibucca Duda sensu Frota-Pessoa é uma espécie ainda não descrita (Diptera, Drosophilidae). Uma nova espécie sul-americana de Drosophila, incluída no subgrupo I do grupo tripunctata e identificada incorretamente nos últimos 50 anos como sendo a espécie costarriquenha Drosophila angustibucca (sensu Frota-Pessoa, 1954; non Duda, 1925), é descrita no presente artigo sob o binômio Drosophila nappae sp. nov. Os espécimens-tipo foram retirados de uma linhagem obtida a partir de várias fêmeas coletadas entre julho de 1994 e abril de 1995 no Morro Santana, Porto Alegre (RS), Brasil. A descrição é acompanhada de ilustrações detalhadas das terminálias masculina e feminina.

A new spot-thoraxed species of Drosophila from the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil (Diptera, Drosophilidae)

Drosophila boraceia sp. nov. é descrita, e sua terminália masculina ilustrada, a partir de um macho coletado na Estação Biológica de Boracéia, Salesópolis, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. A primeira vista, ela pode ser facilmente confundida com as espécies de Drosophila do subgrupo fasciola do grupo repleta, por apresentar um padrão de fusão das pintas do tórax semelhante àquele típico das espécies daquele subgrupo, das quais difere principalmente por possuir uma terminália masculina estruturalmente diferente. Entretanto, alguns componentes da terminália masculina de Drosophila boraceia sp. nov. apresentam uma certa semelhança com aqueles encontrados em Drosophila atalaia Vilela & Sene, 1982, espécie não agrupada e que também apresenta pintas no tórax.