Pipunculus violovitshi Kuznetzov, 1991

Kehlmaier, Christian, 2008, Finnish Pipunculidae (Diptera) studies Part I: Taxonomic notes on Cephalops Fallén, 1810, Pipunculus Latreille, 1802 and Tomosvaryella Aczél, 1939, Zootaxa 1672, pp. 1-42 : 26-27

Pipunculus violovitshi Kuznetzov, 1991

( Figs 1, 5 , 43–44 , 74 & 84–85 )

Pipunculus varipes auct. nec Meigen, 1824: 21 Pipunculus violovitshi Kuznetzov, 1991: 2

Material: Finland, N, Tvärminne village, 6642:287: 1ɗ, 14.–27.VI.1990; 1ɗ, 1.–15.VII.1990, Albrecht; Finland, N, Sibbo, Nevas, 6687:412: 1ɗ, 10.–15.VII.1989; 1ɗ, 5.–11.VII.1987, Albrecht; Germany, Bavaria, Oberallgäu, S of Fischen, 10°16’42’’E 47°27’11’N, 760m: 1Ψ, 15.VIII.2004, Kehlmaier ( PCCK); Germany, Sachsen, Weißeritzkreis, Kurort Kipsdorf, NSG Hofehübel, 13°40’06’’E 50°48’09’’N, 670m: 1ɗ 1Ψ, 5.VII.2002, Kehlmaier ( PCCK).

Male: Body length: 5.0– 5.6mm. Wing length: 5.4–6.1mm. Flagellum smaller than in other species and dark brown ( Fig. 84 ). Frons grey pollinose. Occiput entirely grey pollinose but brown pollinosity can be present posterior to ocellar triangle ( Fig. 84 ). Eyes meeting for slightly less than length of frons (14–16 facets). Postpronotal lobe dark brown. Prescutum and scutum weakly grey to brown pollinose in anterior fifth to quarter, narrowly along lateral and posterior margin (occasionally also weakly dorsocentrally), otherwise shining. Pleura with anepimeron weakly grey to brown pollinose, otherwise with weak grey pollinosity. Scutellum with apical fringe of about 20 long hairs, the longest ones about half of its maximum length ( Fig. 74 ). Subscutellum grey pollinose. LTC about 1.2–1.9 times LFC. Trochanter yellow. Femur dark brown with base narrowly to basal quarter and apical quarter to third yellow. Hind femur evenly and gently covex ventrally. Tibia yellow, can be slightly darkened ventromedially. Tarsi yellow, with distitarsi darkened. Pulvilli of front legs slightly shorter than distitarsi. Tergite 1 anterodorsally brown, otherwise grey pollinose. Tergites 2– 5 laterally shining or narrowly and weakly greyish-brown pollinose, dorsally with brown pollinosity in anterior two thirds (tergite 2), half (tergite 3) or only narrowly (tergites 4–5). Membranous area narrow, slot-like, broadest in lower part ( Fig. 85 ). Surstyli narrow in dorsal and almost straight in lateral view ( Figs 1 & 5 ). Phallus trifid with ejaculatory ducts almost circular and conspicuously sclerotized, dark brown (in one occasion almost hyaline in distal half).

Female: Body length: 4.3–5.3mm. Wing length: 5.3–5.9mm. Flagellum mid to dark brown and smaller than in other species. Frons entirely grey pollinose. Postpronotal lobe yellow. Prescutum and scutum grey pollinose in anterior quarter, broadly along lateral and narrowly along posterior margin, centrally shining. LTC about 0.9–1.0 times LFC. Pleura and subscutellum grey pollinose. Trochanter yellow. Femur with basal quarter or less and apical third yellow. Tibia yellow, darkened ventromedially. Tarsi yellow, distitarsi darkened. Pulvilli of front leg as long as distitarsi. Tergite 1 brown pollinose in anterodorsal half, otherwise with grey pollinosity. Tergites 2–6 laterally grey pollinose. Dorsally, tergite 2 grey pollinose in anterior half, otherwise shining like tergites 3–6. Ovipositor in lateral view with strongly curved piercer, showing a distinct ventral step ( Fig. 43 ).

Annotations: Due to the misinterpretation of P. v a r i p e s Meigen, 1824 by all former authors and the subsequent transfer to Cephalops (see above), the specimens formerly addressed as Pipunculus varipes auct. nec Meigen, 1824 (in the following abbreviated as “ varipes ”) are left without any available name. It is proposed to address them as Pipunculus violovitshi Kuznetzov, 1991 for the time being due to the following reasons:

• The description of Pipunculus violovitshi Kuznetzov, 1991 is based on two males from Sakhalin Island, Russian Far East, deposited at ZISP and, although attempted, could not be obtained for study. According to Kuznetzov (1991: 2), P. v i o l o v i t s h i differs from “ varipes ” “… by the small third antennal segment and considerably prolonged surstyli of the male genitalia ”. Judging from his figures, the surstyli only seem to be very slightly longer compared to the specimens studied here and the flagellum, not figured by Kuznetzov, is found to be generally somewhat smaller in “ varipes ” compared to other European taxa of Pipunculus . Therefore, Kuznetzov’s P. violovitshi is regarded conspecific with P. v a r i p e s auct. nec Meigen, 1824.

• Pipunculus monticola Schummel, 1837 , synonymized with P. v a r i p e s by Becker (1921: 156), is regarded as a nomen dubium here (see above) and hence, cannot be applied to “ varipes ”. Verrall (1901: 102f) quotes the brief original description of this taxon. The whereabouts of the single type specimen is unknown at present and no subsequent writer seems to have been able to examine it.

• Morakote & Hirashima (1990) investigated the Japanese Pipunculus fauna and introduced Pipunculus subvaripes Morakote, 1990 and Pipunculus magnicarinatus Morakote, 1990 two species—both with a male holotype—closely allied to “ varipes ”, which they also record from Japan. Note that the female ovipositor of P. subvaripes figured (their Figs. 57 A, C) is more like “ varipes ” whereas P. v a r i p e s sensu Morakote & Hirashima (1990) (their Fig. 57 B) is distinctly different, which might indicate an incorrect association of the sexes. However, male P. v a r i p e s sensu Morakote & Hirashima (1990) (their Figs 54 A, B) corresponds with the concept of P. v a r i p e s auct. nec Meigen, 1824 whereas P. subvaripes and P. magnicarinatus differ in coloration and genitalic features, following the original description.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Surstyli in strictly dorsal and outer surstylus in lateral view of male Pipunculus violovitshi (1 & 5), Pipunculus elegans (2 & 6), Pipunculus oldenbergi (3 & 7) and Pipunculus zugmayeriae (4 & 8). Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 43 – 54. Ovipositor in lateral and dorsal view of female Pipunculus violovitshi (43 – 44), Pipunculus elegans (45 – 46), Pipunculus oldenbergi (47 – 48), Pipunculus zugmayeriae (49 – 50), Pipunculus calceatus (51 – 52) and Pipunculus stackelbergi (53 – 54, taken from Kuznetzov (1991 )). Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 74 – 83. Scanning electron micrographs of scutellum and left hind leg in anterior view of male Pipunculus violovitshi (74), Pipunculus zugmayeriae (75 & 81), Pipunculus oldenbergi (76 & 80), Pipunculus elegans (77), Pipunculus campestris (78 & 83), Pipunculus lenis (79) and Pipunculus fonsecai (82). Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 84 – 92. Light photographs of male Pipunculus ssp. 84: Head and thorax of Pipunculus violovitshi; 85: Syntergosternite 8 of P. violovitshi; 86: right hind leg in anterior view of Pipunculus wolfi; 87: subscutellum of Pipunculus campestris; 88: subscutellum of Pipunculus lenis; 89: Pleurae of P. campestris; 90: Pleurae of P. l e n i s; 91: Abdomen of P. campetris; 92: abdomen of P. l e n i s. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 55 – 66. Ovipositor in lateral and dorsal view of female Pipunculus lichtwardti (55 – 56), Pipunculus tenuirostris (57 – 58), Pipunculus lenis (59 – 60), Pipunculus carlestolrai (61 – 62, taken from Kuznetzov (1993 a), no scale given), Pipunculus dimi (63 – 64) and Pipunculus fonsecai (65 – 66). Scale bars = 0.2 mm.