Thecomyia mathisi Marinoni, new species

8. Thecomyia mathisi Marinoni, new species (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 13, 25, 37, 41, 44)

Description. Adult. Upper orbital seta absent. Fronto­orbital spot rounded, width approximately 1/3 frontal width. Rostrum 0.6­0.64 in males and 0.63­0.66 in females as high as eye. White microtomentose infra­ocular marking forming a triangle with margin between gena and postgena emarginate. Mid femur without anteromedial seta. Mid and hind femora wholly yellowish. Mesonotum with medial, gray, tripartite stripe, scutellum with broad medial yellow stripe. Ejaculatory apodeme wide apically, anterior and posterior margins slightly concave (Fig. 13). Phallapodeme apex broad. Anterior basiphallic process well developed, concave, anterior part bicuspid. Epiphallus well developed, extending to base of distiphallus. Distiphallus with 3 processes, the medial slender, projecting downwards; large membranous projection under distiphallus. Hypandrium in lateral view with dorsal margin slightly concave, anteroventral margin narrow, not rounded (Fig. 25). Anteroventral hypandrial plates in frontal view narrow, tapered laterally. Membranous projections of margins of anteroventral hypandrial plates broad but not extending to lateral margins of hypandrium, covered with minute hairs (Fig. 25). Anterior surstylus absent, posterior barlike (Fig. 13). Female sternites 6, 7 and 8 almost fused, presence of sternite 6 indicated by line of hairs, longer than wide; anterior margin of sternite 6 very slightly sinuate; mid longitudinal portion less sclerotized. Spermathecal duct with sclerotized region joining spermatheca long; apical, digitiform projection broad at base and short (Fig. 37).

Type specimens. HOLOTYPE MALE. 1. White rectangular label: [ECUADOR] " Ecuador. Prt. Orllna: Rio Tiputini (0O 38. 2'S, 76O 8. 9'W) 12­26 Aug 1999, W.N. Mathis, A. Baptista, M. Kotrba" (USNM). PARATYPES. The same label as on the holotype, 8 m. and 2 f. (USNM); 5 m. and 2 f. (DZUP).

Other specimens examined: BOLIVIA. Provincia Andres Ibanez Potrerillo del Guenda, 12 Nov 1993, P. Bettella col., 1 m. (BMNH).

Etymology.­ The species epithet, mathisi, is a Latin genitive patronym to the collector of the type species and to recognize the numerous and varied contributions of Dr. Wayne N. Mathis to the study of Diptera, especially Ephydridae.

Remarks. One male specimen from the BMNH, collected in Bolivia has all the external characters and the genitalia very similar to T. mathisi with some variation in the genitalia. It would be necessary to study more specimens to confirm if it is or not another species.