Nephochaetopteryx aryi De-Souza & Souza & Carvalho-Filho 2022, sp. nov.

Nephochaetopteryx aryi sp. nov.

(Figs 2–3)

Type material. Holotype male (MPEG), labelled as follows: Magalhães Barata, Pará, Brasil [municipality of Magalhães Barata, state of Pará, Brazil] / Vila de [= Village of] Calafate / 14–18.I.2017 / Souza, C. C. Col. [= collector] [printed on white label] // Manguezal [= mangrove forest] Açaíteua / (0°51’40.57”S 47°40’6.36”O) / Armadilha de garrafa PET [= trap made of 2-litre plastic bottles] / Isca de caranguejo [= crab bait] [printed on white label]. [Holotype with cleared abdomen and dissected terminalia placed in glycerin in a microvial pinned beneath the specimen.]

Paratypes: 1 male (MPEG), same data as holotype except 16–18.I.2021 [printed on white label] [good condition, with extended terminalia still attached to the specimen]; 1 male (MPEG), same data as holotype except 16–18.XII.2015 / Cols.: [= collectors] Souza, C. C.; Soares, J. M. M.; Tavares de Jesus, K. M. // isca de camarão [= shrimp bait] [printed on white label] [specimen missing some setae and all of its left legs; abdomen and non-dissected terminalia in glycerin in a microvial pinned beneath the specimen].

Diagnosis (male). Sternite 5 without a lobe (Fig. 3C). Cercus short and broadened, with a constriction in the region between the cercal base and the cercal prong in lateral view, bearing two projections: one elongate (longer than cercus) and thin, L-shaped, with quadrate tip, the other short and thumb-like (Figs 2B–C, 3A–B). Juxta very long (longer than basiphallus), mostly membranous, tapering distally (Figs 2B–C, 3E).

Description. Male. Body length: 4.2–5.0 mm (n = 3).

Head. Fronto-orbital and parafacial plates, gena, postgena and postocular strip with greyish-yellow microtomentum. Parafacial plate with very short, fine setae along lower anterior eye margin. Frontal vitta black on apical half, reddish-brown on basal half. Six frontal setae. One reclinate fronto-orbital seta. One proclinate fronto-orbital seta. Two orbital setae. Inner vertical setae parallel and outer vertical setae divergent, longer (1.5 x) than post-oculars. Occiput with black setulae. Gena and postgena with black setulae. Scape and pedicel brown, first flagellomere grey, arista plumose in basal half. Palpus brown.

Thorax. Dark brown with gold-grey microtomentum; scutum with three black longitudinal stripes; scutellum with a median black spot on anterior margin. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 0+1 (fine); dorsocentrals 2+4; intra-alars 2+2; supra-alars 1+3; postpronotals 3; notopleurals 2 plus 1 to 2 subprimary setae; postalars 2; proepisternals 2; proepimerals 1; anepisternals 6; katepisternals 3; merals 6. Postallar wall setulose. Scutellum with 1 pair of basal setae, 1 pair of lateral setae, 1 pair of apical setae and no discal setae. Legs. Brown. Fore femur with rows of anterodorsal and anteroventral setae. Fore tibia with one anteroventral seta in distal half and two posterodorsal setae in proximal half. Mid femur with two setae on anterior surface, with rows of anteroventral and posteroventral setae on proximal half and two apical setae on posterior surface. Mid femur with a ctenidium of four, rounded spines on posteroventral surface and without a differentiated posteroventral seta. Mid tibia with two posterodorsal setae on distal half. Hind coxa with stout setae on posterior surface. Hind femur with two apical setae on posterior surface and rows of anterodorsal and anteroventral setae, first anteroventral seta about two times the length of the other setae. Hind tibia with two anterodorsal and two posterodorsal setae. Apical setae present on all tibiae. Wing. Hyaline, with a dark spot beginning in the terminal portion of vein R 1 and filling the distal third of cell r 1 and the anterior half of the distal half of cell r 2+3; vein R 1 entirely setulose dorsally. Third costal section bare on ventral surface. Vein R 4+5 setulose dorsally to crossvein r-m; cell r 4+5 open. Tegula blackish. Basicosta white.

Abdomen. Tergites brown with a band of greyish microtomentum on anterior 4/5 of dorsal and lateral surfaces. Sternite 2 yellow with a brown median strip; sternites 3 to 4 brown with yellow lateral margin. Sternites 2 to 4 with yellowish setulae and some black marginal and median setae and sternite 4 with a median patch of thick setae near posterior margin. Terminalia. Sternite 5 brown, wider than long, posterior arms well developed, widened and rounded distally, with few fine setae sparsely distributed along inner margin; cleft shallow and widened; lobe absent (Fig. 3C). Syntergosternite 7+8, epandrium and cercus dark brown (Figs 2B–C). Cercus dark brown, short, shorter than epandrium, slightly arched, broadened, with a constriction in the region between the cercal base and the cercal prong in lateral view (Figs 2C, 3A). Tip of cercus rounded in lateral view, bearing some thick and pointed setae (Figs 2B–C, 3A–B). Cercal base with some fine and long setae (Figs 2B–C, 3A–B). Cercal prongs narrowed and widely separated in dorsal view, bearing two projections: a short and thumb-like one and an elongate (longer than cercus), thin, and L-shaped one with a quadrate tip (Figs 2B, 3B). Surstylus short, elongate and thin, with distal portion bent posteriorly, long setae distally and with setulae restricted to base (Fig. 3A). Pregonite short and almost clubbed distally (Fig. 3D). Postgonite almost straight, with a triangular tip and a long pre-apical seta on ventral margin (Fig. 3D). Phallus dark brown (Figs 2B–C). Basiphallus short, almost quadrangular (Fig. 3E). Juxta well-developed and mostly membranous, tapering distally, with pointed tip strongly curved dorsoapically (Figs 2C, 3E). Ventral margin of distiphallus bearing a bifid sclerotized plate and a glossiform projection covered with microtrichia (Fig. 3E). Vesica elongate and narrow, about the same length as distiphallus, strongly arched (Figs 2C, 3E). Inner process of vesica clubbed (Fig. 3E). Median and lateral styli short, both inserted medially on distiphallus (Fig. 3E).

Female. Unknown.

Remarks. This species differs from all other described species of Nephochaetopteryx in having cercus with two projections: one elongate (longer than cercus) and thin with quadrate tip, and one short and thumb-like (Figs 2B–C, 3A–B). In addition, it has a very long juxta (longer than basiphallus), tapering distally (Figs 2B–C, 3E). In most of the other species of Nephochaetopteryx the juxta is not notably elongate.

This species seems to be associated with mangrove forests, where it possibly feeds on dead crustaceans, since all the analyzed specimens were collected only in traps baited with rotting shrimp and crab.

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL— Brazil (Pará) (Fig. 1).

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Ary Souza, a reputed and awarded photojournalist from the city of Belém and father of the second author, who passed away in April 2020.