Sunday, March 15, 2020

[Entomology • 2020] Chvalaea yolkamini (Diptera: Hybotidae) • the First Mexican Species of Genus discovered on Instagram


Chvalaea yolkamini 
Jaume-Schinkel, Soares & Barros, 2020


Abstract
A new species of Chvalaea Papp & Földvári, 2002 is discovered after a photo on a social network and later collected in nature. Chvalaea yolkamini sp. nov. is described and illustrated here. In addition, for the first time we describe eggs with scanning electron microscopy and report on adult hunting behavior.

Keywords: Diptera, Empidoidea, dance flies, Ocydromiinae, Mexico

FIGURES 1–4. Chvalaea yolkamini sp. nov. habitus photographs.
1. Resting on a tip of a branch; 2–4. Feeding specimens.

Chvalaea yolkamini sp. nov.

Etymology. Yolkamini in Nahuatl, a native language in Mexico, means hunter, in reference to the predatory habits of this species of Chvalaea

Remarks. Chvalaea yolkamini sp. nov. is similar to C. sinclairi on the basis of the short postpedicel, about 1.5 times the length of scape and pedicel combined, apical pair of convergent scutellar setae thin and short, and short, blunt, black spine-like ventral setae absent on hind tarsomere 2. But the new species differs by the narrow hypandrium, about 2 times longer than wide, hypoproct with apex slightly sinuate in the middle in C. yolkamini sp. nov., while the apex is truncate in C. sinclairi and fore and mid tarsomere 1 pale yellow with dark apex in C. yolkamini sp. nov., while all fore and mid tarsi are pale brown in C. sinclairi.


Santiago Jaume-Schinkel,  Matheus M.M. Soares and Luana M. Barros. 2020. Chvalaea yolkamini sp. nov. (Diptera: Hybotidae), the First Mexican Species of Genus discovered on Instagram. Zootaxa. 4748(3); 592–600. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4748.3.12