Nostima melina Edmiston & Mathis 2005

Nostima melina

DIAGNOSIS.—Nostima melina is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of external characters: paravertical seta present; gena brown with silvery gray microtomentum; mesonotum brown with yellowish silver microtomentum, lacking vittae; crossveins and veins unicolorous, not white; forefemur yellow; hindtibia banded; and tergites microtomentose, none shiny nor fasciate along posterior margin, tergites 3 and 4 with dense, silvery gray microtomentose posterolateral spot.

DESCRIPTION.—Small shore flies, body length 1.15–1.25 mm; yellowish brown, brown, to dark brown with yellowish silver, silvery gray, and silvery white microtomentum; legs yellow, apical tarsomeres yellowish brown.

Head: Frons with brown ventrolateral triangle with yellowish silver microtomentum, anterior semicircle brown with yellowish silver microtomentum. Occiput brown with yellowish silver microtomentum. Outer vertical seta length of inner vertical seta; paravertical seta minute. Scape and pedicel yellowish brown; flagellomere 1 yellowish brown ventrally, brown dorsally. Facial background coloration yellowish brown with silver gray microtomentum; narrow band of silvery gray microtomentum along eye margin beginning at vertical setae, extending and gradually blending with silvery gray microtomentum on gena. Gena brown with silvery gray microtomentum; postgena brown with silvery gray microtomentum. Maxillary palpus yellowish brown; prementum yellowish brown.

Thorax (Figure 157): Scutal length 0.42–0.46 mm; scutellar length 0.10–0.14 mm. Mesonotum brown with yellowish silver microtomentum; scutellum brown with yellowish silver microtomentum; anepisternum brown with yellowish silver microtomentum; katepisternum yellowish brown with sparse, yellowish silver microtomentum; 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 apical seta. Wing (Figure 157); length 1.50–1.54 mm; width 0.61–0.62 mm; costal-vein ratio 1.21–1.30; M-vein ratio 0.22–0.26; amber background with pale brown veins and crossveins. Halter yellowish white. Legs yellowish brown; mid- and hindtibia with 2 dark bands; tarsomere 5 darker on all legs.

Abdomen (Figures 74–76, 215, 216): Background yellowish brown; tergites 1–5 covered with sparse, yellowish silver microtomentum. Male genitalia (Figures 74–76): epandriumcerci-surstyli complex fused; epandrium a broad dorsal band with rounded anterodorsal projection and with rectangular anteroventral projection; cercus crescent-shaped, fused anteroventrally with epandrium, separated dorsally from epandrium by V-shaped space, and bearing many long setulae; surstylus fused dorsally with epandrium, rounded with anterior projection, and bearing many long setae; aedeagal apodeme oval-shaped in lateral view, with broadly rounded anterior projection, pointed ventromedial projection, and narrowly rounded posterior projection; aedeagus crescent-shaped in lateral view with small C-shaped tip in ventral view; subepandrial plate-gonite fused; subepandrial plate reduced to small posterior margin of gonite and with rounded dorsal projections; gonite with broad base, posterior projection rectangular in lateral view and bearing prominent ventromedial setula; hypandrium a broad rectangular plate in ventral view, folded ventrad of gonites in dried specimens.

TYPE MATERIAL.—The holotype male of Nostima melina is labeled “KobbeBeach C[anal].Z[one], July 1967 W. W. Wirth/HOLOTYPE Nostima melina Edmiston & Mathis USNM [red].” The holotype is double mounted (minuten inserted through the right thorax anterior of halter), is in excellent condition (abdomen slightly shriveled), and is deposited in the USNM.

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED (7, 5 ).—BOLIVIA. La Paz: Chulumani (2 km S; 16°23.5′S, 67°31.8′W; 1750 m), 9–10 Mar 2001, W.N. Mathis (1 ; USNM).

COSTA RICA. Alajuela: Peñas Blancas (10° 18′N, 84°46′W), 18 Aug 1986, L. Masner (1 ; CNC). Guanacaste: Bagaces (10°21′N, 85°20′W; Malaise trap), 20 Jul-18 Aug 1999, 1. Jiménez Morera (1 ; INBIO); 11 Nov-8 Dec 1999, 1. Jiménez Morera (1; INBIO); Bagaces (10°22′N, 85°22′W; Malaise trap), 13 Sep-6 Oct 1999, I. Jiménez Morera (4; INBIO). Puntarenas: Coto Brus, Sabalito (8°53′N, 82°46′W), 28 Dec 1995, E. Navarro (1 ; INBIO).

ECUADOR. Manabi: Pichilingue, Mar 1958, M.R. Wheeler (1; USNM).

MEXICO. México: Ixtapan de la Sal (24 km S), 1 Aug 1962, N. Marston (1 ; KANS).

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. Tobago: Roxborough, Parlatuvier Road (Cacao plantation at 2nd milestone), 14 Oct 1937, J. Smart (1; BMNH).

DISTRIBUTION (Figure 77).—Neotropical: Bolivia (La Paz), Costa Rica (Alajuela), Ecuador (Manabi), Mexico (México), Panama (Canal Zone), Tobago.

ETYMOLOGY.—The species epithet, melina, is derived from the Latin adjective melinus, meaning quince yellow. The name refers to the honey-colored body.