Ropalomera titillatrix Steyskal, 1967

Kirst, Frederico Dutra & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the Amazonian species of Ropalomera Wiedemann, 1824 (Diptera: Ropalomeridae), Zootaxa 3151, pp. 1-27 : 24-25

Ropalomera titillatrix Steyskal, 1967

Rhopalomera tibialis Walker, 1852 in Prado 1966: 215, 237 (key, figs. 70–76, description). Ropalomera titillator Steyskal, 1967: 3 (catalogue); Prado & Papavero, 2002: 1 (catalogue). Ropalomera titillatrix Prado & Papavero, 2009: 4 (catalogue).

Lectotype male (New designation). Body: 13 mm; wing: 12.8 mm

Head: Frons orange with anterior margin brown; eye circumference with silver pollinosity. Ocellar tubercle dark brown, shiny and with one pair of bristles. Postocellar bristles divergent. Postocular bristles present. Antenna with orange scape, very short; pedicel orange, twice the size of the scape and with one dorsal bristle; flagellomere brown with orange base. Gena broad, yellow, covered with golden pollinosity and with slender orange bristles that are short dorsally and longer ventrally. Parafacialia orange with dark-brown pilosity and three distinct bristles. Face orange, matte, with globose facial tubercle. Clypeus orange. Palpus light brown with sparse dark bristles, these longer ventrally.

Thorax: Scutum orange with acrostichal and dorsocentral stripes of silver pollinosity. Scutellum trapezoid, directed slightly upward, dorsal surface concave, rounded posteriorly, bright and without pollinosity, anterolateral surface with 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 supraalar, one postalar, one intra-alar, one intra-postalar, one acrostichal; two strong short scutellar bristles, one apical seta and one strong, short anterolateral seta. 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 bristles and no pollinosity. Fore femur with five slender bristles in series on apical third of dorsal surface; ventral surface with long pilosity on distal half and four strong bristles on apical third, posteromedial surface with long pilosity and apical third with three strong bristles. Mid femur with one preapical seta and two curved apical setae on dorsal surface, ventral surface with slender bristles that are orange and long on proximal half; distal half with two series of 12 spine-like setae that decrease in size toward the apex, one anteroventral and one posteroventral. Hind femur thicker in middle region than other femora, with ten strong dorsal bristles on distal half, ventral surface with 17 anteroventral spine-like bristles, and 15 posteroventral. Tibiae brown; fore and mid tibia slender. Hind tibia thickened, with ridge and long bristles dorsally. Tarsi yellowish.

Wing: Hyaline, infuscated around R1, R2+3, r-m and part of M.

Abdomen: Lost. Original description and illustrations according to Prado (1966): “brown with brownish spots; Sternite 5 rectangular as Figure 75. Post-abdomen: Sternite 6 well represented (Figure 72); spinus titillatorius [epiphallus] curved, with extremity free anchor shape, with long branches (Figures 73, 74); parameres bilobed (Figure 76); Aedeagus cylindrical, membranous largely (Figure 73).”

Information within brackets is not in original text.

Type material examined. Lectotype male ( FIOC), here designated, labeled: COLEÇÃO CAMPOS SEABRA/ Óbidos, Pará, BRASIL, xi-1953, J. Brazillino.

Two paralectotype males ( FIOC), here designated, labeled with same data as lectotype.

Condition of lectotype and paralectotypes: abdomen lost, but otherwise in good condition.

Geographical distribution. Brazil (Pará).

Variations. No variations were found.

Discussion. The external morphology of this species is similar to Ropalomera tibialis . It was not possible to redescribe the abdomen due to the lack of specimens to dissect, as the terminalia of the type was lost.