Houghia blancoi Fleming & Wood, sp. nov.

Houghia blancoi Fleming & Wood, sp. nov.

Fig. 15 a–f

Diagnosis. Houghia blancoi is a member of a group of five sibling species with few distinctive features except in the male terminalia and the extent of the gold tomentosity on the fronto-orbital plate; these are H. blancoi, H. romeroae, H. chavarriae, H. marini, and H. matarritai. The eye is bare and the antenna is entirely black. The ground colour of the abdomen is black, and sex patches are confined to tergites 4 and 5. In H. blancoi the gold tomentosity is confined to the vertex, not extending forward beyond the upper reclinate orbital seta (Fig. 15 b) and the apex of the first flagellomere is shorter than the face by half the length of the pedicel.

Description. Male. Antenna black. When viewed in profile, antenna arises distinctly above middle of eye. Length of first flagellomere almost extending to facial margin, (usually shorter by less than length of pedicel). Facial ridge bare except for a few (usually 3–5) decumbent small setae above vibrissa. Palpus pale, usually distinctly yellowish. Postgena behind postoccipital row, above level of lower facial margin, with a small patch of few black setae. Parafacial silver. Two possible forms exist, colour of fronto-orbital plate pale brassy to gold on its entire length from vertex to base of antenna (more than 50% coverage) or gold only at vertex, adjacent to ocellar triangle, the remainder silver (up to 25% coverage). Surface of fronto-orbital plate almost bare. Ocellar triangle, when viewed from above appearing to be notched anteriorly. Diameter of anterior ocellus equal to, or greater than, diameter of base of adjacent ocellar seta or less than diameter of base of adjacent ocellar seta. Ocellar setae arising beside, or slightly in front of, anterior ocellus. Eye bare. Postpronotum with 4 or 5 postpronotal setae. Dark stripes on either side of dorsocentral row of setae separated from one another by yellow tomentosity. Median and lateral stripes on either side of scutum separate from each other posteriorly. Postsutural dorsocentral setae 4. Anterior quadrant of anepisternum covered with short setae except for usually 3 to 5 distinctly larger setae. Katepisternum with three setae, the middle one always the smallest. Vein R1 bare dorsally. Legs ranging from reddish brown to yellow tinged but overall dark. Coxae dark usually concolourous with remainder of leg. Ground colour of dorsal surface of abdomen dark to black. Ground colour of ventral surface of abdomen entirely black. Sex patches present on tergites 4 and 5. Ground colour of sex patches shiny black. Terminalia: surstylus bayonet shaped, posterodorsal half bare, apex bearing many stout apical spines, tip with light inwardly apical curve when viewed dorsally. Cerci rounded, apex with blunt, hooked tip, ventral surface haired, separation between cerci straight, about as long as surstylus. Lobe of sternite 5 small and pointed apically, inner margin covered in dense tomentosity appearing darker than surrounding cuticle, internal edge inwardly curved, multiple apical setae emanating from lobe.

Hosts. Houghia blancoi has been reared 14 times from caterpillars of Trogoptera salvita (Mimallonidae). This widely-distributed caterpillar has been reared 552+ times in both dry forest and rain forest, however to date Houghia blancoi has only been reared from the dry forest. This fly was reared from no other species of caterpillar with the exception of one singleton fly barcode: DHJPAR0008143, which was reared from a megalopygid, Norape Janzen 03.

Holotype. ♂, CNC. Type locality Costa Rica, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Prov. Guanacaste, Sector Horizontes, Vado Esperanza (10.78938°, -85.55098°), 85 m, 09/01/2007, Johan Vargas, DHJPAR0021839.

Paratypes. 14 ♂, 17 ♀ (CNC) Costa Rica, Prov. Guanacaste, ACG database codes: DHJPAR0008136, DHJPAR0008139, DHJPAR0008143, DHJPAR0008138, DHJPAR0008137, DHJPAR0008839, DHJPAR0011508, DHJPAR0011530, DHJPAR0008121, DHJPAR0008111, DHJPAR0008134, DHJPAR0008135, DHJPAR0011490, DHJPAR0011529, DHJPAR0008133, 91-SRNP-2359, 90-SRNP-1732, 07-SRNP-14997, 90-SRNP-1730, 90- SRNP-1775, 05-SRNP-65188.

Etymology. Houghia blancoi is dedicated to Roger Blanco of Area de Conservación Guanacaste, cocoordinator of ACG Research and Subdirector for ACG Area Silvestre Protegido, in recognition of his decades of protection of the forests in which this tachinid lives.

Distribution. Costa Rica, ACG, Prov. Guanacaste, dry forest, 85–380 m elevation.