Schildia fragilis ( Carrera, 1944 )

Dikow, Torsten & Bayless, Keith M., 2009, Taxonomic revision of the genus Schildia Aldrich, 1923 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae) with the description of new extant and extinct species, Insect Systematics & Evolution 40, pp. 253-289 : 268-271

Schildia fragilis ( Carrera, 1944) ( Figs 12 , 31–34 , 38 ) ( Carrera, 1944: 88, 89)

Schildia (Shannomyioleptus) fragilis ( Hull 1962: 314 ).

Schildia fragilis ( Martin 1965: 114; Martin 1968b: 5; Martin 1975: 189; Artigas & Papavero 1988: 98, 102).

Schildia zonae ( Martin, 1975: 190, 192). syn.n.

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the wide face, the light brown to brown lateral postpronotal lobes, the long postocular setae, and the long presutural dorsocentral setae.

Redescription. Head: Face silver pruinose, sometimes dorsal half apruinose, wide, wider than adjacent ommatidium; mystax light yellow, 2 setae; vertex wide, wider than face at clypeal–facial margin, silver pruinose; occipital triangle apruinose, distance between triangle and median eye margin more than adjacent ommatidium; occiput laterally grey pruinose, median dorso-ventral stripe silver pruinose; postocular setae yellow, long; proboscis brown; Antennae: scape and pedicel light yellow, light yellow to light brown setae dorsally and ventrally; postpedicel light yellow proximally, light brown distally, silver pruinose, between 1.5–2 times as long as combined length of scape and pedicel; stylus brown, 1/4 as long as postpedicel, composed of 1 element.

Th orax: Predominantly brown, parts silver and brown pruinose; antepronotum, postpronotum, and median postpronotal lobes silver pruinose; lateral postpronotal lobes apruinose, light yellow to light brown; scutum brown, sometimes antero-laterally lighter brown, predominantly apruinose, lateral and posterior margins brown pruinose; presutural dc setae: 1 short, 1 intermediate, 1 long, postsutural dc setae: 3–5 short anteriorly oriented setae, 5–6 short acr setae, 1 npl and 1 spa seta; anepisternum brown, few yellow anepisternal setae on anterior and dorsal margins, anteriorly and dorsally silver and remaining parts brown pruinose; anepimeron, proepimeron, katepisternum, katepimeron and meron+metanepisternum brown, proepimeron silver pruinose, katepisternum anteriorly and antero-dorsally silver pruinose, posterodorsally brown pruinose, central area apruinose, meron+metanepisternum brown pruinose anteriorly, medially apruinose, posteriorly silver pruinose, metkatepisternum brown, silver pruinose; scutellum brown, silver pruinose, few very short apical scutellar setae; Legs: light yellow to light brown; coxae and trochanters light yellow; pro and mes femora light yellow with 2 transverse light brown bands, met femur mostly light yellow to light brown, clubbed in distal 1/3, club brown, yellow transverse band at proximal margin of club, scattered brown macrosetae on pro and mes femora, met femur with distinct rows of brown macrosetae; pro and mes tibiae light yellow with 2 light brown transverse bands, met tibia brown with median yellow transverse band, about 2 times as long as width of tibia, all tibiae with yellow to light brown erect macrosetae in rows, pro and mes tibiae with 2 long apical macrosetae, met tibia with 2 apical macrosetae; tarsus light yellow to light brown, proximal tarsomere always longer than 2 following tarsomeres combined, short and long macrosetae on all tarsomeres; all empodia minute, sometimes met empodium 1/4 of median claw; median claw more than half as long as lateral claw; Wings ( Fig. 12 ): length = 4.4–4.7 mm; few microtrichia, trichoid spicules short, symmetrical dorsally and ventrally, about 18–20 on M1 between r-m and diversion of M 1 and M 2; cell d small, terminating in M 2 and M 3, r-m situated proximal to separation of M3 and CuA1; R1 reaching C well proximal to R5 and M1 joining C, R2+3 straight proximally and smoothly arching posteriad distally; halter light yellow, knob dark brown, length = 0.9 mm.

Abdomen: Brown; T2 length = 2.7–3.0 mm, T2 with yellow transverse band medially, T2–3 with short, erect, evenly spaced macrosetae, remaining T with irregularly spaced and longer macrosetae, T7–8 with lateral sensory areas ( Fig. 34 ); Male terminalia ( Figs 31–33 ): epandrial halves fused medially, distal tip straight, pointed; epandrium and hypandrium fused proximally, gonocoxite and hypandrium fused to form gonocoxite-hypandrial complex; Aedeagus: not protruding from hypopygium, very short, prong a wide tube; Female genitalia (see Figs 9and 10 in Artigas and Papavero 1988) - spermathecae occupying only segment 8, individual spermathecal ducts long and coiled; spermathecal reservoirs not sclerotized, as wide as individual ducts, forming a coil.

Type material. The ♂ holotype of Shannomyioleptus fragilis is labeled “ Maracaju Mato Grosso Brasil / Junho 1937 / Serviço Febre Amarela M.E.S., Bras. / ♂ / HOLOTIPO (red label) / Shannomyioleptus fragilis Carrera, 1944 ♂ M. CARRERA DET. (species name and author handwritten, black border) / 104435” ( MZSP). The specimen was originally double mounted (attached to triangular label paper), but was destroyed when shipped to the authors (the remnants are preserved in a vial) . A ♀ paratype is labeled “ Maracaju Mato Grosso Brasil / Maio 1937 / Serviço Febre Amarela M.E.S., Bras. / ♀ / ALLOTIPO (red label) / 104436 / Shannomyioleptus fragilis Carrera, 1944 ♀ M. CARRERA DET. (species name and author handwritten, black border) / ♀ ” ( MZSP). The specimen was originally double mounted (minuten attached to pin), but has been destroyed when shipped to the authors (the remnants are preserved in a vial) . A paratype of undeterminable gender is labeled “ Maracaju Mato Grosso Brasil / Junho 1937 / Serviço Febre Amarela M.E.S., Bras. / PARATIPO (red label) / Shannomyioleptus fragilis Carrera, 1944 M. CARRERA DET. (species name and author handwritten, black border)” ( USNM). The specimen is double mounted (attached to triangular piece of label paper) and is in good condition (abdomen broken posterior to T 2) . Another paratype of undeterminable gender is labeled “ Maracaju Mato Grosso Brasil / Junho 1937 / Serviço Febre Amarela M.E.S., Bras. / ♀ / PARATIPO (red label) / S.W. Bromley Collection 1955 / Shannomyioleptus fragilis n. sp. 44 M. CARRERA DET. (species name and author handwritten, black border)” ( USNM). The specimen is double mounted (attached to triangular piece of label paper) and is in poor condition (antennae, right wing, most legs, and abdomen broken) . Another paratype of undeterminable gender is labeled “Serviço Febre Amarela M.E.S., Bras. / Maracaju Mato Grosso Brasil / Junho 1937 / PARATIPO (red label) / Shannomyioleptus fragilis Carrera, 1944 M. CARRERA DET. (species name and author handwritten, black bor- der)” ( MCZ). The specimen is directly mounted (glued laterally to pin) and is in fair condition .

The ♀ holotype of Schildia zonae is labeled “ PANAMA C. Z. Piña Area 18 Nov 57 W.J. Hanson (date handwritten) / USU (red ink) / HOLOTYPE Schildia zonae Chas. H. Martin (species name handwritten, red label) / zonae (handwritten)” ( EMUS). The specimen is doubled mounted (attached to paper point), and is in very good condition. The ♂ paratype of Schildia zonae is labeled “ PANAMA C. Z. Piña Area 18 Nov 57 W.J. Hanson (date handwritten) / USU (red ink) / ALLOTYPE Schildia zonae Chas. H. Martin (species name handwritten, red label)” ( EMUS). The specimen is doubled mounted (attached to paper point) and is in good condition ( T 5–8 glued to paper point) .

Specimens. Brazil: Paraná: 2♀ Morretes , 25°34’S 048°53’W, 10–13.iv.2002, M. Tavanes et al. ( MZSP) ; British Guyana: 1? Essequibo R., Moraballi Creek , 12°15’S 070°54’W, 21.ix.1929, Oxford University Expedition ( BMNH) ; Peru: Madre de Dios: 1♀ Manu (Erika near Salvacion ), 12°15’S 070°54’W, 5–6.ix.1988, A.Freidberg ( USNM) .

Distribution. Brazil, British Guyana, Panama, Peru ( Fig. 38 ). Biodiversity hotspot/ high-biodiversity wilderness area: Cerrado, Mesoamerica/Amazonia ( Fig. 38 ).

Remarks. Schildia zonae , described from Panama, is here synonymized with S. fragilis as this species is here shown to be more widespread than initially thought by Martin (1975). Morphologically, the holotypes are indistinguishable and the male terminalia also provide evidence that the two described species are actually one taxon.

Figures

Figs 9–12. Photographs of extinct and extant species of Schildia. (9) †Schildia martini sp.n. (holotype, AMNH Luzzi); (10) †Schildia martini sp.n. (paratype, AMNH DR-V-7); (11) Schildia adina sp.n. preserved in Malagasy copal (Coll. Stuke). (12) Schildia fragilis (USNM, Peru).Scale bars = 1 mm.This figure is published in colour in the online edition that can be accessed via http://www.brill.nl/ise

Figs 25–36. Male terminalia with gonostyli (dark grey) and lateral processes of gonostyli (light grey) shaded in lateral views, abdominal T8, and wings of Schildia species. (25–27) Male terminalia of S. malaya sp.n.: 25, lateral; 26, dorsal; 27, ventral. (28–30) Male terminalia of S. microthorax. 28, lateral; 29, dorsal; 30, ventral. (31–33) Male terminalia and T8 of S. fragilis: 31, lateral; 32, dorsal; 33, ventral; 34, T8 dorsal. (35–36) Wings: 35, S. malaya sp.n.; 36, S. microthorax. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 38. Map of the Neotropical region with biodiversity hotspots and wilderness areas, shaded in grey, showing distribution of Schildia alphus (square), S. caliginosa sp.n. (star), S. fragilis (circle) and S. gracillima (triangle). Open symbols, type localities.