Leptocera mendozana Richards 1931

Leptocera mendozana Richards, 1931

(Figs. 80–86)

Leptocera (Leptocera) mendozana Richards, 1931: 82 (holotype ♂, BMNH, examined).

Leptocera mendozana.— Roháček et al., 2001: 155 (World catalog).

Description. Body length 2.1–3.0 mm. Coloration very similar to L. caenosa: Medium brown with anterior part of frons, lower part of face (sometimes), inner surfaces of pedicel and first flagellomere and part of gena more or less yellow to reddish; palpus, inner surface of fore coxa, mid trochanter, base of fore femur, knees, apices of tibiae, as well as mid and hind tarsi pale brown. Uppermost orbital setula inclinate and proclinate (sometimes absent on one side). Arista long-pubescent (as in L. caenosa). Palpus slender. Mid tibia with bristle above distal dorsal about 0.5–0.6x as long as distal anterodorsal bristle; lowermost bristle of proximal posterodorsal series shorter than lowermost bristle of anterodorsal series; posteroapical bristles short, ventral one twice as long as dorsal one.

Male terminalia (Figs. 80–83): Sternite 5 with numerous long bristles posterolaterally, medially with pale, bare, desclerotized area in front of field of enlarged microtrichia (this area extending almost to hind margin of sternite in some specimens); hind margin with 11–14 scales, median ones weaker and ca. 0.7x as long as lateral ones. Epandrium with numerous long bristles ventrally. Anterior section of surstylus with apex of anterior process drawn out and pointed, ventral lobe little produced, with several, mostly short bristles. Posterior section of surstylus with produced ventromedial corner (posterior view) bearing an additional strong bristle, ventrolateral corner with two strong bristles (both with pointed tips), posterior surface with numerous long pale hairs crowded in lateral half. Cercus simple (i.e., without finger-like or lamellate medial process).

Female terminalia (Figs. 84–86): Tergite 7 long and strongly convex, anteriorly with a pair of strong, cruciate bristles, median stripe in posterior 2/3 and hind margin shining, lacking tomentosity. Sternite 7 with thickened and narrowly shining hind margin (often difficult to appreciate in slightly teneral specimens). Fused tergite 10 + cerci short, with short hairs. Spermathecae elongate, with transversely ridged basal half and slightly dilated, bumpy distal half.

Type material. Holotype ♂ (BMNH): ARGENTINA, Prov. Mendoza, Mendoza, 5.i.1927, F. & M. Edwards.

Other material examined. ARGENTINA. Prov. Catamarca: Arroyo El Pintado S of La Viña, 650 m, 5 ♂♂, 27–28.ix.1968, 3 ♀♀, 27–29.ix.1968, L.E. Peña (CNCI); 6 km N Aconquija, 1,700 m, 2 ♀♀, 1–2.x.1968, 3 ♀♀, 2.x.1968, L.E. Peña (CNCI); 2 ♀♀, 4 km N Santa María, 1,700 m, 4–5.x.1968, L.E. Peña (CNCI). Prov. Jujuy: 1 ♂, La Quiaca, 3,500 m, 22°6'S, 65°37'W, 30.x.1968, L.E. Peña (CNCI); 1 ♀, Cerrillos, 3,600 m, 31.x.1968, L.E. Peña (CNCI); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Tres Cruces, 3,700 m, 22°55'S, 65°35'W, 26.ii.1992, lakeside, sweep, S.A. Marshall (DEBU). Prov. Salta: 2 ♀♀, Cañada La Gotera, 15 km W Chicoana, 18.ii.1992, sweep, S.A. Marshall (DEBU); 1 ♀, El Maray, 50 km W Chicoana, 2,500 m, 18–28.ii.1992, dry, pan traps, S.A. Marshall (DEBU). Prov. Tucumán: Tafí del Valle, 3 ♀♀, 6–12.xii.1947, R. Golbach, 1 ♀, 15.ix.1950, Marvos & Willink (IMLA); 1 ♂, 30 km N Tucumán, 700 m, 15.x.1968, L.E. Peña (CNCI). BOLIVIA. Dpto. La Paz: 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, 3 km E Desaguadero, shore Lago Titicaca, 16°33'26"S, 69°01'21"W, 19.iv.2001, shoreline drift, sweep, S.A. Marshall (DEBU, CBFC); 1 ♀, Lago Titicaca, Mapac, Sahuiña, 3,812 m, 23.vi.1997, L. Masner (DEBU). PERU. Dpto. Puno: 5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, La Huerta, 3,800 m, 24–28.xi.1955, L.E. Peña (CNCI).

Distribution. An uncommon Andean species that ranges from Lake Titicaca in Peru / Bolivia to central Argentina (Mendoza Province). The elevation range covered by this species (650–3,800 m) is one of the greatest in New World Leptocera.

Discussion. This species and the allopatric L. neocurvinervis are the only species in the L. caenosa group (except the L. cultellipennis subgroup from Robinson Crusoe I.), in which male sternite 5 possesses a pale desclerotized area in front of the field of enlarged microtrichia (in L. mendozana this field is bare, in L. neocurvinervis it is microtrichose). Diagnostic for L. mendozana are the simple male cercus (lacking lamellate medial process) and the produced ventromedial corner of the posterior section of the surstylus, which is armed with an additional spine-like bristle (besides the usual two, more lateral bristles). The female has few distinctive features. It differs from L. neocurvinervis sp.n. by the bumpy surface of the spermathecae and from L. papallacta sp.n. by the (usually) shorter bristle above the distal dorsal mid tibial bristle (both species are also darker than L. mendozana).