Penthetria neonigrita Fitzgerald 2021, n. sp.

Penthetria neonigrita Fitzgerald n. sp.

(Figs. 30, 33–35, 45, 54–55, Map 5)

Type Material. Holotype: Male (Fig. 30), point-pinned (NHMLA), COLOMBIA, Nariño Laguna LaCocha, IX– 26–71, GE Bohart [white label] / LACM ENT 395043 [white label with data matrix barcode] / HOLOTYPE, Penthetria neonigrita Fitzgerald [red label]. Missing left foreleg. Paratypes: Same data as HT, 3M, 3F (NHMLA), 1M (SFC).

Additional Material examined. ARGENTINA: TUCUMAN: 4 km S Capitan Cáceres, MT in old vegetated river channel, 25.x–12.xi. 2003, 430 m, 27°13.54’S, 65°38.34’W, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker, 1F (SFC); BOLIVIA: COCHABAMBA: S. Corani, Yungus El Chapare, 29–31.I.1976, 2900 m, L.E. Pena, 1F (CNCI); Paracti, Chapare, 1–4.II.1976, 2200 m, L.E. Pena, 3F (CNCI); Incachaca, 25–31 VIII 1956, L.E. Pena, 2M (CNCI); LA PAZ: Prov. Nor Yungas, Cotapata, 16°17.2’S, 67°51.0’W, 1-XII-2011, S.M. Clark, 1M (BYUC); COLOMBIA: Santa Marta National Park, 1950 m, 23.xi.2010, 11.10°N, 74.07°W, J.H. Skevington, 1M (CNCI); CAUCA: Páramo de Puracé, 26 II 1970, ca. 3400 m, D.M. Wood, 1M (CNCI); NARIÑO: Mallama, 1943, F. R. Fosberg, 1M (USNM); ECUADOR: CAÑAR: El Tambo, 2800 m, 4–7.III.65, Pena, 2M (CNCI); CARCHI: Tulcan, 2800 m, 27. VI. 65, L. Pena, 1M (CNCI); Troya, 2950 m, 11–13. VI.1965, L.E. Pena, 6M (CNCI); Cerro Chiles, 3200–3300 m, 26–27. VI. 65, Pena, 7M (CNCI); Cerro Pelado, 25 VI 1965, 3200 m, L. Pena, 20M, 3F (CNCI); COTOPAXI: Salcedo, 2650 m, 22.II.65, L. Pena, 1M (CNCI); NAPO: 6.38 km W Baeza, Hwy E- 20, 1987 m, 25 Jan 2012, B. Kondratieff, 2M (CSUC); PICHINCHA: 0°16’S, 78°16’W, 28.II.76, G. & M. Wood, 1M (CNCI); VENEZUELA: Camp Rangel, 7-26-50, Trop. For., 1260 El, E. Schwarz, 10F (USNM); ARAGUA: Rancho Grande, 18–27.II.71, 1100 m, G. & M. Wood, 1F (CNCI); CARACAS: Sher. Humb. Hotel, 9 XII 1970, J.W. Boyes, 1M, 1F (CNCI), 1M, 1F (SFC); LARA [?]: Yacambo, 1200 m, 10 May 1981, H.K. Townes, 1M (CNCI); MERIDA: 3800 m, 5 km NE Pico el Aguila, IX- 12-1973, R. M. Bohart, 1M (SFC); Merida, Libertador, VII 31979, R. W. Brooks, A.A. Grigarick, J. McLaughlin, R.O. Schuster, 1M (SFC); Merida, XI-17-72, G.E. Bohart, 9M (NHMLA); Merida, 17–21 May 1996, W.C. Pitt, 1F (NHMLA).

Description. Male (Fig. 30). Body length: approx. [9.0] mm. Head. Black. Compound eye holoptic, covering virtually all of dorsal and lateral surface of head, with lateral longitudinal step dividing upper and lower portion of eye. Eyes nearly bare, with some very minute, very sparse ommatrichia present. Antennae black, ten flagellomeres with black setae. Flagellomeres wider than long except first flagellomere about as wide as long and ultimate flagellomere much smaller than preceding segments, about as wide as long. Three ocelli on well-developed tubercle. Thorax matte dark brown to blackish with light brown highlights on humeral ridge and posterior portions of pleurae. Thorax largely bare except fine short dark hairs on mesonotum in broad dorsocentral rows and a few hairs anterolaterally. Scutellum with sparse short fine dark hair and middle of katepisternum with long dark hairs. Legs. Slender elongate. Entirely dark brownish-black with dense short dark appressed hairs. Hind femur slightly thickened (clavate) on apical third. Hind tibia slender elongate virtually parallel-sided. Hind basitarsus robust to slightly swollen and sausage-shaped, about four times as long as wide (Fig. 30). Wings (Fig. 30). 8.0–[10.0] mm (n=7), brown fumose, darker costally. Veins brown, pterostigma concolorous with membrane. Venation as Fig. 30. Sc long, complete. R 2+3 elongate, subparallel to R 4+5, usually without basal appendix (HT with slight indication of an appendix on one wing and one female paratype with a basal appendix). CuA and CuP apically convergent, but reaching wing edge independently (not meeting). Abdomen. Dark brown to black. Terminalia (Figs. 33–35, 45) dark brown to black. Tergite nine broader than long, posterior margin with shallow emargination reaching about one-third depth of sclerite. In dorsal view, gonocoxites dorsoapically without small apically rounded medially-projecting lobe just dorsal to gonostylar socket. In ventral view, posterior edge of medially fused gonocoxites + hypandrium with a relatively narrow, deep, median cleft bounded by a pair of strongly developed ventromedian lobes (Fig. 34 & 34 inset, vml). In posterior view, gonostylus relatively slender, gently curved, apically acute (Fig. 35). In dorsal (Figs. 33, 45) and ventral (Fig. 34) views fused parameres projecting from out of genital capsule, shiny brown heavily sclerotized dome-like. Cerci fleshy, apically rounded with setae.

Female. Essentially as in male. Body about 9.0 mm and wing 9.0–11.0 mm (n=4). Eyes dichoptic. Antennae with ten flagellomeres. Female hind basitarsus slender elongate. Abdomen stout. Female terminalia (Figs. 54–55): Tergite nine more strongly developed than other New World species, medially subdivided, but posterolaterally broadly lobate. Tergite ten apparently absent. Cerci two-segmented, ultimate segment relatively short. Subgenital plate (= sternite eight) large, longitudinally subdivided, posterior margin with a pair of broad lobes medially. Y-shaped genital fork present. In addition to genital fork, a minute pair of sclerites present between the posterior margin of the subgenital plate and the anterior margin of sternite ten. Sternite 10 posteriorly broadly rounded. Three rounded, sclerotized, capsule-like, spermathecae present.

Diagnosis. Males of P. neonigrita can be distinguished from other New World species by the following combination of characters: ventromedian lobes of gonocoxite strongly developed (Fig. 34 and inset & 45, vml; these ventromedian lobes are more developed in P. neonigrita than any of the other New World species), ventromedian cleft appears deeper and narrow due to strongly developed ventromedian lobes (Fig. 34 inset), gonostylus relatively slender in posterior view (Fig. 35), apically acute, posterior emargination of tergite 9 relatively shallow and broad (cleft about one-third depth of tergite) without shelf-like development or field of densely-set, short, black, spinelike setae. In dorsal view, the paramere of P. neonigrita (Fig. 45) is bulbous and dome-like; very similar to that of P. heteroptera.

Remarks. This species was treated by Hardy (1945) as Penthetria nigrita Perty; see “species removed from Penthetria ” below.

Some specimens studied have the apical half of the gonostylus slightly more expanded in dorsal/ventral view though still distinctly slender in posterior view (compare Figs. 34 & 34 inset; difference in length of gonocoxite in these two figures is due to distortion from slide mounting). Females of P. neonigrita can be distinguished from New World congeners by the strongly developed, posterolaterally lobate tergite nine and sternite eight with relatively broad posteromedial lobes (Figs. 54–55).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Greek neos (new) and nigrita (from P. nigrita Perty) since neonigrita is a new name for those taxa that had previously been treated as P. nigrita Perty sensu Hardy (1945).

Geographic & Seasonal Distribution. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina (Map 5). Hardy (1945) also lists this species from Brazil and Peru. This species has been collected every month of the year except April (Table 1).