Nostima xenohypopia Edmiston & Mathis 2005

Nostima xenohypopia

DIAGNOSIS.—Nostima xenohypopia is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of external characters: face anteromedially projected with rounded V-shaped projection; wing maculate with brown crossveins r-m and dm-cu; wing veins R4+5 and M sinuous; tergites 3–5 with 2 parallel rows of microtomentose spots; and tergite 2 with large, round, microtomentose mediolateral spots.

DESCRIPTION.—Small shore flies, body length 1.48 mm; yellowish brown to brown with whitish silver microtomentum.

Head: Frons with brown ventrolateral triangles with whitish silver microtomentum, anterior semicircle brown with whitish silver microtomentum. Occiput brown with whitish silver microtomentum. Outer vertical seta length of inner vertical seta; paravertical seta present. Scape and pedicel dorsally brown, ventrally whitish gray; flagellomere 1 dorsally brown, ventrally whitish gray. Facial background coloration yellowish brown with whitish gray microtomentum; narrow band of whitish silver microtomentum along eye margin beginning at outer vertical seta and extending to gena. Medially along parafacial, a yellowish brown band extending lateroventrally below gena. Face anteromedially projected with rounded V-shaped projection. Face ventrally, medially, and dorsally with whitish gray microtomentum, darker yellowish brown bands medially across face between ocelli and also across face below medial shield-shaped whitish gray microtomentous band. Gena and postgena with whitish silver microtomentum, ventral margin of gena, ventral margin of postgena, and dorsal margin of gena shiny dark brown and forming contiguous bands with thoracic microtomentum pattern. Maxillary palpus yellow; prementum yellowish brown.

Thorax (Figure 174): Scutal length 0.41 mm; scutellar length 0.10 mm. Mesonotum medially with brown line laterally bounded with whitish gray bands; dorsocentral line brown, broken with whitish gray areas connecting medial and lateral stripes; whitish gray stripe between dorsocentral line and interalar seta; postpronotum with patches of brown and whitish silver microtomentum; scutellum brown dorsally with dense, whitish gray microtomentum between bases of apical scutellar setae, dorsolaterally with dense, whitish gray microtomentum; anepisternum striped, brown with whitish silver microtomentum on dorsal and on ventral below midline; katepisternum striped brown, with whitish silver microtomentum on medial ; subscutellum yellowish brown with sparse, yellowish silver microtomentum; anatergite yellowish brown with sparse, yellowish silver microtomentum. Chaetotaxy: anterior dorsocentral seta length of posterior seta; anterior notopleural seta – length of posterior seta; lateral scutellar seta length of posterior seta. Wing (Figure 174): length 1.39 mm; width 0.59 mm; costal-vein ratio 1.08; M-vein ratio 0.40; maculate with white spots on amber background; veins brown except in white spots; crossveins brown; brown band in c cell from C through anterior tip of vein R1; posteriorly r1 cell white with darker brown medial area posteriad of sc break, a round white posterodorsal spot, and brown around vein R2+3; cell r2+3 brown with crescent-shaped white spot ventrad of white spot in r1 cell, a triangular light brown spot posteriad of vein R2+3 and dorsad of vein R4+5, a round white dorsoposterior spot extending through C vein, and an oval-shaped white ventroposterior spot; cell br anteriorly light brown, posteriorly white; vein R4+5 sinuous; cell r4+5 with round white posterior spot, a crescent-shaped white medial spot, and an hourglass-shaped white region at posterior tip of cell; crossveins r-m and dm-cu surrounded with dark brown bands; cell dm with oval-shaped white posterior spot, an oval-shaped white spot and an hourglass-shaped white spot posteriad of dm-cu, M vein distad of dm-cu sinuous; cell cua1 with round white medial spot and with round white ventroposterior spot along ventral wing margin. Halter yellowish brown, ventrally with whitish gray microtomentum. Legs yellowish brown.

Abdomen (Figures 249, 250): Background yellowish brown with sparse, yellowish silver microtomentum; tergite 2 bearing 4 long posteromedial setae; tergites 1–5 covered with sparse, yellowish silver microtomentum; tergite 2 with 3 rounded whitish gray microtomentose mediolateral spots; tergite 3 with a rounded whitish gray microtomentose mediodorsal spot, a rounded whitish gray microtomentose laterodorsal spot, a crescent-shaped whitish gray microtomentose lateral spot, and a rounded whitish gray microtomentose lateral spot; tergite 4 with a crescent-shaped whitish gray microtomentose mediodorsal spot, a rectangular whitish gray microtomentose lateral spot, and a rounded whitish gray microtomentose lateroventral spot; tergite 5 with a rounded whitish gray microtomentose spot, a rectangular whitish gray microtomentose lateral spot, and a rounded whitish gray microtomentose lateroventral spot. Male unknown.

TYPE MATERIAL.—The holotype female of Nostima xenophypopia is labeled “DOMINICAN REP. Pedernales Prov. Sra. [Sierra] de Bahoruco “Las Abejas” 1300m/17.I.1989 [17 Jan 1989] L. Masner Cloud forest/HOLOTYPE Nostima xenohypopia Edmiston & Mathis CNC [red].” The holotype is glued directly to the side of a pin, is in excellent condition (left wing removed and in a microvial attached to the pin), and is deposited in the CNC.

DISTRIBUTION (Figure 136).—Neotropical: West Indies (Dominican Republic).

ETYMOLOGY.—The species epithet, xenohypopia, is derived from the Greek words xeno, meaning strange, and hypopion, meaning the part of the face under the eyes, in recognition of the distinctive shape of the facial projection found in this species.