Ropalomera tessellata Prado, 1966

Kirst, Frederico Dutra & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the Amazonian species of Ropalomera Wiedemann, 1824 (Diptera: Ropalomeridae), Zootaxa 3151, pp. 1-27 : 19-21

Ropalomera tessellata Prado, 1966

Rhopalomera tessellata Prado, 1966: 215 , 233, 235 (key, figs. 57–59, description). Ropalomera tessellata ; Prado, 1967: 72 (citation); Steyskal, 1967: 3; Prado & Papavero, 2002: 1 (catalogue); 2009: 4 (catalogue).

Holotype male. Body: 9.8 mm; wing: 9.6 mm

Head: Frons yellow, with thin yellowish pilosity and two spots of silver pollinosity; eye circumference with silver pollinosity. Ocellar tubercle brown, shiny and with a pair of bristles. Postocellar bristles divergent. Postocular bristles present. Antenna with dark-brown scape, very short; pedicel dark brown, twice the size of the scape, with one dorsal bristle; flagellomere orange basally and dark brown anteriorly; arista plumose with basal third orange, with long dark-brown hairs. Gena broad, yellow, covered with silver pollinosity and slender golden bristles, which are dorsally short and ventrally longer. Parafacialia yellowish with dark-brown pilosity and three distinct bristles. Face yellowish, matte, with globose facial tubercle. Clypeus same color as face. Palpus orange with sparse dark setae; short setae dorsally.

Thorax: Scutum brown with acrostichal and dorsocentral stripes of silver pollinosity. Scutellum trapezoid, dorsal surface concave rounded posteriorly, light and without pollinosity, side of apical third without silver pollinosity. Mesopleuron with stripe of silver pollinosity extending to the posterior spiracle. Chaetotaxy: one postpronotal, two notopleural, one presutural supra-alar weakly developed, one postsutural supra-alar, one postalar, one intra-alar, one intra-postalar, one acrostichal, two strong scutellar bristles, one apical and one on lateral half of scutellum. Mesopleuron with one strong bristle on anepisternum, one on katepisternum and one distinct seta on posterior margin of posterior spiracle.

Legs: Coxae with silver pollinosity. Femora with short fine pilosity, shorter than 2/3 width of femur. Fore femur with golden pilosity on proximal half of ventral surface, distal half with spot of silver pollinosity. Mid femur brown, dorsal surface with silver pollinosity and without pilosity on middle; two series of spine-like bristles that decrease in size toward the apex, eight anteroventral and five posteroventral; one preapical seta and two apical setae on dorsal surface, ventral surface with long golden pilosity on proximal half. Hind femur brown, with silver pollinosity on middle region of dorsal surface, four strong bristles on distal half; apical third of ventral surface with strong bristles on protuberance, four anteroventral and three posteroventral. Fore and mid tibiae slender, with dorsal ridge; fore tibia yellowish dorsally and with one preapical bristle, with dense golden pilosity on anteroventral surface of apical third. Mid tibia brown with short, dark-brown pilosity, except distal third of ventral surface with long pilosity; one apical, ventral spine-like bristle. Hind tibia with long thin bristles, apical third of ventral surface with dense golden pilosity on tibia surface. Tarsi yellowish, with dense golden pilosity ventrally.

Wing: Infuscated, without infuscations in veins.

Abdomen: With light dark-brown tergites, each tergite with spots of diffuse silver pollinosity. Sternite 5 rectangular with sides slightly rounded, with long bristles on the sides and apex, posterior margin of sclerotized area with large invagination rounded in the mid region ( Fig. 43 ). Terminalia: cerci longer than surstylus, fused on basal two-thirds, with long bristles on the apex and sides ( Figs. 44, 45 ). Surstylus with broader base than the apex, in dorsal view with apical curvature and several scattered fine setae ( Fig. 46 ). Parameres trilobed, with preapical lobe on the middle, as thick as one of the apical lobes ( Fig. 47 ). Aedeagus with preapical, spine-like unsclerotized projection, apex and ventral middle portion more sclerotized ( Figs. 48, 49 ). Epiphallus with apical region curved and rounded and with short branches ( Figs. 48, 49 ).

Female: Differs from the male in the following: body size 8.0 mm; bright facial tubercle; mid femur without long pilosity on proximal half of ventral surface. Terminalia telescoped, membranous on sides, tergite 7 sclerotized, and cylindrical spermatheca.

Type material. Holotype male ( FIOC), labeled: [ BRAZIL], [Amazonas], Maués, 12–1936/ Coleção J. Lane/ Col[eção] D[epartamento] [de] Z[oologia] [de] S[ão] P[aulo]. Alotype ( FIOC): [ BRAZIL], [Amazonas], Manacapuru, 10–1936/ Coleção J. Lane/ Col. D. Z. S. P.

Conditions of material type examined: Holotype: All abdomens previously dissected by Prado (1966). In subsequent years was lost the abdomens. Antennas without arista; without right wing. Alotype: antennas without arista; frons with spot of whitish substance; wings and part of thorax with orange substance; abdomen lost.

Additional material examined. BRASIL, Roraima, Rio Uraricoera, Ilha do Maracá, 01–04.iii.1988, J. A. Rafael, Armadilha Shannon, Ƥ ( INPA); Amazonas, Fonte Boa, Arm. Baixa, 21–24.ix.2005, J. A. Rafael, 2 3, ( INPA); Rio Unini, Paraná do Bacaba, 12–17.vi.1996, R. Ferreira, 3 ( INPA); Presidente Figueiredo, v–vi.1999, Arm. McPhail, B. Ronchi-Teles, Ƥ; same but, ix.1999, 3 (all INPA); AM 240, km 24, Comunidade São Francisco de Assis, 02°01’S / 59°49’W, 01–11.ix.2002, Isca de banana fermentada, F. Xavier & U. Barbosa, 3 ( INPA); same but, 02°01’05”S / 59°49’59”W, 26.vii–03.viii.2005, F. F. Xavier F°, G. M. Lourido e R. Machado, 3 ( INPA); Vila de Balbina, 16–22.x. 2003, 15m, melado de cana 10%, mata, platô, J. C. Almeida, 3 ( INPA); Parque Nacional do Jaú, 24.vii.1995, 3 ( INPA); Manaus, ZF 2, Km 14, Torre 16–30 m, 02°35’21”S / 60°06’55”W, 18–21.v.2004, 3 Ƥ ( INPA); BR 174, Km 40, Estação Experimental de Fruticultura Tropical, 16.i. [19]97, McPhail, em sorva, B. Ronchi-Teles, 3 3, Ƥ; 20.ii.1997, em araçá; 21.iii.1997; 19.ix.1997 (all INPA); AM 0 10, Km 35, Sítio Vida Tropical, 06.ii.1997, Arm. McPhail, em goiaba de Anta, B. Ronchi-Teles, 3 ( INPA); km 31, Embrapa, 14.xii.1991, L. P. Albuquerque & J. Rinda, Arm. Shannon, casca de cacau, Isca de Fruta, 3 ( INPA); Reserva Adolpho Ducke, 24.v– 07. vi.1988, 3 ( INPA); same but, 07–10.vi.1988, Isca de Fruta, Y. Camara & J. F. Vidal, 2 3; 16.iii–06.iv.1989 (all INPA); same but, 10–17.ix.1988, Y. Camara & J. E. Rinda, 2 3; 15–22.xii.1988 (all INPA); same but, 06.xi.2002, E. F. Soares & A. L. Pinheiro, mata, platô, 3 ( INPA); same but, 24–27.ix.2004, Barro Branco, 30m, mata, platô, melado de cana 10%, 3 ( INPA); same but, 16.vi. 2003, 25m, McPhail modif[icada], A. P. Tregue-Costa, 8 3; 24.vi. 2003, 15m; 29.vi. 2003, 25m; 15.viii. 2003, 15m; 25m; 26.viii. 2003, 25m; 16.x. 2003, 25m (all INPA); same but, 20.v.2003, área aberta, platô, 25m, 2 3 ( INPA); same but, 24.vii.2003, E. F. Soares & A. L. Pinheiro, 3 ( INPA); same but, 24.vii. 2003, 15m, A. P. Tregue-Costa, melado de cana 10%, 4 3; 07.viii. 2003, 25m; 15.viii. 2003, 5m; 23.x. 2003, 15m (all INPA); same but, 03.xi.1988, Arm. Suspensa, 30m, J. A. Rafael, 3; same but, 20m, 01.xii.1988, 3 (all INPA); same but, NS2 200mts, [arm. suspensa com septo] preto, A. Henriques et. al., 3 ( INPA); same but, xi. 2003, 20 m, OL1– 0 mts, preto, 3 ( INPA); same but, xi.2003, OL1– 700 mts, vermelho, 3 ( INPA); same but, xi.2003, OL1– 1800 mts, vermelho, 3 ( INPA); Itacoatiara, x.1999, McPhail, B. Ronchi-Teles, 3 ( INPA); São Paulo de Olivença, 03°28’50”S / 68°55’25”W, Campina, 11–14.ix.2005, J. A. Rafael & F. F. Xavier F°, 3 ( INPA); Beruri, Estacionamento do Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária, km 3, 03 °56’62”S/ 61°21’02”W, 28.ix–09.x.2002, U. Barbosa & X. Filho, 2 3 ( INPA); Manacapuru, ii.1998, McPhail, B. Ronchi- Teles, Ƥ ( INPA); Coari, rio Urucu, Angelim, 5˚03’33”S/ 65˚14’48”W, 23.xii–02.xii.1992, P. F. Buhrnheim & N. O. Aguiar, à luz mista de mercúrio, 3 ( CZPB); Carauari, Ramal do Roberto, [UTM] 5°04’31,5”/ 67°10’W, 05–15 mts, vii.2005, J. A. Rafael, 3 ( INPA); Pará, Tucuruí, Rio Tocantins, saúde, 3–5.vi.1984, 3 ( MPEG); Mato Grosso, Cáceres, 19.xi.1984, Buzzi, Mielke, Elias, Casagrande, Proj. Polonoroeste, 200427, 3 ( DZUP); same but, 12.xii.1984, C. Elias, 200398, 3 ( DZUP).

Geographical distribution. Brazil (Roraima, Amazonas, Amapá, Pará, Mato Grosso).

Variations. The coloration of the face can vary from yellow to brown.

Discussion. This species was recorded for the first time in Brazil in the states of Roraima and Mato Grosso. It resembles R. femorata in the color of the thorax, and R. titillatrix in the color of the abdomen. It also resembles R. titillatrix and R. tibialis in having a silver strip of pollinosity on the pleural area that extends to the metathoracic spiracle. It differs from these species in the wings, the morphology of sternite 5, parameres, and epiphallus.

Figures

FIGURES 43 – 49. Ropalomera tessellata 3: 43, Sternite 5; 44 – 45, epandrium (ventral and lateral view); 46, left surstylus (dorsal view); 47, left paramere (lateral outer view); 48 – 49, inner male terminalia (ventral and lateral view). Scales: 43 – 45, 48, 49 = 0,5 mm; 46, 47 = 0,2 mm.