Paraleia sharkeyi Oliveira & Amorim, 2012, sp. n.

Paraleia sharkeyi, sp. n.

(Figs. 11, 22)

Diagnosis. Three ocelli. Wing with brown, undefined markings. Female sternite 8 distal border with deep lateral incisions at each side, quite strongly setose.

Material examined. Holotype Ƥ, COLOMBIA, State of Cundinamarca, PNN Chingaza, Alto de La Bandera, 04°31’N 73°45’W, 3,660 m, 04–10.v.2002, M3218 (A. Garcia Leg.) (IAvH). Paratype. 1Ƥ, same data as holotype, 15.xi–01.xii.2001, M2600 (L. Cifuentes Leg.) (MZUSP).

Description. Male. Unknown.

Female. Head. Vertex brown, with scattered, whitish, longer bristles. Mesal ocellus small, lateral ocelli close to but not touching eye margin. Frons and clypeus brown, with scattered setulae; labella yellow; maxillary palpus whitish yellow, five palpomeres, length of last palpomere almost twice the penultimate, first two palpomeres short. Scape and pedicel subequal in length, yellow, apical half of first flagellomere light brown, basal half lighter, second and third flagellomeres brown with lighter basal fourth, remaining flagellomeres brown. Thorax. Pronotum yellow, with four strong yellow setae, three stronger, dorsally, one smaller, ventrally. Scutum brown, dark yellow on anterior corner, above wings, along line of dorso-centrals. Scutum with short scattered setae, stronger dorso-centrals, and supra-alars. Scutellum yellow, with four scutellar bristles. Pleural sclerites brown, bare. Pleural membranae brown. Haltere whitish, setose. Legs yellow, mid and hind coxae with a brown mesal macula. Tibial spurs 1:2:2, brown, spurs almost twice width of tibial apex. Some few dark apical setae on fore tibia, mid and hind tibiae with long, strong black setae. Wing (Fig. 11). Length, 4.5 mm, width, 1.6 mm. Membrane with few macrotrichia scattered on anal cell, brown rather undefined transverse markings at basal third, around base of cubital fork, mid of wing, distal to first sector of Rs and base of medial fork, and across distal third of R5, besides an inconspicuous macula anteriorly to r-m. C extending considerably beyond apex of R5; Sc complete, ending in C at wing basal third; sc-r present. R1 clearly shorter than r-m, reaching C at distal third of wing; Rs almost transverse; R5 relatively short, reaching C before level of M1; r-m almost longitudinal, about seven times length of first sector of Rs. M1+2 almost as long as r-m length; length of M1 and M2 more than twice M1+2 length; CuA clearly depressed midway to apex. M1 and M2, apical half of M4 and second sector of CuA setose, A1 bare. Abdomen. Abdominal tergites brown, sternites light brown. Terminalia (Fig. 22). Terminalia yellow. Distal border of the sternite 8 with deep lateral incisions at each side, quite strongly setose; cercus longer than rest of terminalia, basal cercomere longer than apical one.

Etymology. This species is named after the American entomologist Michael Sharkey.

Comments. There is some minor variation at wing maculation between the specimens of the type series. This species is very similar morphologically to P. bolivari, sp. n. and P. denticulata sp. n., with differences in the wing maculation and in the shape of sternite 8. Paraleia sharkeyi sp. n. has stronger maculae on wing membrane just after the first section of Rs, apex of R5, and around base of cubital fork (Fig. 11), and sternite 8 with a deep lateral incision, which is quite strongly setose (Fig. 22). Paraleia bolivari sp. n. has the wing membrane strongly at the first section of Rs, at wing apex, at base and apex of cubital fork (Figs. 5, 6), and a sternite 8 round with fringe of setae (Figs. 14, 15); in P. denticulata sp. n. the wing membrane is inconspicuous maculated at the first section of Rs and at the wing apex (Figs. 7, 8), and the sternite 8 is wide with a distal incision, brown and long setae (Fig. 19).