Ropalomera clavipes ( Fabricius, 1805 )

Kirst, Frederico Dutra & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the Amazonian species of Ropalomera Wiedemann, 1824 (Diptera: Ropalomeridae), Zootaxa 3151, pp. 1-27 : 6-8

Ropalomera clavipes ( Fabricius, 1805)

Dictya clavipes Fabricius, 1805: 329 .

Ropalomera clavipes ; Wiedemann, 1824: 17; 1828: 571; Curran, 1934a (citation): 432; Steyskal, 1967: 2 (catalogue); Prado, 1967: 71; Prado & Papavero, 2002: 1 (catalogue); 2009: 3 (catalogue).

Ropalomera spinosa Perty, 1833: 189 ( Figure 14 ); Prado, 1966: 216 (synonymy).

Ropalomera nebulosa Walker, 1857: 225 ; Prado, 1966: 216 (synonymy).

Rhopalomera clavipes ; Williston, 1895a: 184 –185 (key); Lindner, 1930a: 283; 1930b: 135; Hendel, 1933: 214 (description immature, fig. 1); Frey, 1959: 47 (key); Prado, 1963: 463 –465 (redescription, illustration); 1966: 214–215 (diagnosis, key).

Ropalomera minima Curran, 1934a: 432 (key, description); Prado, 1966: 214 (synonymy); Steyskal, 1967: 3; Prado & Papavero, 2009: 4 (catalogue); (revised synonymy).

Lectotype male (New designation). Body: 8.6 mm; wing: 9.1 mm

Head: Frons yellow with thin, yellowish pilosity and two spots of silver pollinosity covering the ocellar region to the vertex; eye circumference with silver pollinosity. Ocellar tubercle dark brown, shiny and with a pair of thin bristles. Postocellar bristles parallel. Postocular bristles present. Antenna with dark-brown scape, very short; pedicel dark brown, twice the size of the scape and with hairs on the anterior margin and one dorsal short bristle; flagellomere orange, with anterior surface dark brown; arista plumose with long hairs, dark brown with basal third orange. Gena broad, yellow, covered with silver pollinosity and slender golden bristles, which are dorsally short and ventrally longer. Parafacialia dark brown, with brown pilosity and three distinct, dark-brown bristles. Face brown, matte, with pointed facial tubercle. Clypeus dark brown. Palpus yellow with sparse small dark setae.

Thorax: Scutum brown with acrostichal and dorsocentral stripes of pale-golden pollinosity. Scutellum with dorsal surface concave, rounded posteriorly, light and without pollinosity, side of basal half with golden pollinosity. Mesopleuron without stripe of pollinosity. Chaetotaxy: one postpronotal, two notopleural, one presutural supra-alar weakly developed, one postsutural supra-alar, one postalar, one intra-alar, one intra-postalar, and one acrostichal; two short strong scutellar bristles, with 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 dark brown; fore and mid femora without pollinosity and with long slender bristles. Mid femur with a series of eight or nine spine-like, anteroventral setae on distal half and decreasing in size toward the apex, dorsal surface with two apical setae. Hind femur thicker in mid-region than the others, with silver pollinosity dorsally, seven distinct bristles on dorsal surface, and four distinct posteroventral distal bristles. Tibiae brown. Fore tibia on distal third with dense golden hairs on anteroventral surface, long and brown on proximal two-thirds. Mid tibia similar in size to femur, and with apical, ventral, spine-like bristle. Hind tibia with dorsal ridge, four long, strong bristles on protuberance. Tarsi with dense golden hairs on ventral surface, first two tarsomeres yellowish dorsally, the fifth segment brown.

Wing: Hyaline, with numerous large brown spots; final portion of vein M with small invagination ( Fig. 58 ).

Abdomen: With shiny dark-brown tergites, each tergite with four silver spots of pollinosity (giving checkered appearance). Sternite 5 approximately rectangular, with sides slightly rounded, and with short bristles covering most parts, except the central region and posterior margin ( Fig. 8 ). Terminalia: cerci fused on basal 2/3, distal 1/3 free, with long slender bristles laterally ( Figs. 9, 10 ). Surstylus as long as cerci, base twice as wide as the apex, in dorsal view outer margin concave and inner margins parallel ( Fig. 9, 11 ). Parameres bilobed, with base as wide as apex ( Fig. 12 ). Aedeagus with a sclerotized stripe on ventral region, without projections on the sides ( Figs. 13, 14 ). Epiphallus curved, with apical half perpendicular to basal region; apex rounded with short branches ( Figs. 13, 14 ).

Female: Differs from the male in the following ways: smaller body size, 7.5 - 8.0 mm; facial tubercle glossy, not pointed; legs thinner and with shorter bristles.

Type material. Lectotype male ( ZMUC), New designation, labeled: Colletor Sehestedt & Lund, Sudamerica .

Two paralectotype male ( ZMUC), New designation, labeled with same data of lectotype.

Condition of types: not dissected, in perfect condition.

Additional material examined. BRASIL, Roraima, Rio Uraricoera, ilha de Maracá, 21–30.xi.1987, J. A. Rafael e equipe, inseticida (fogging), Ƥ ( INPA); Amapá, Mazagão, Jarião V. Nova, 1958, Damasceno, Ƥ ( MZUSP); Amazonas, Presidente Figueiredo, ii–iii.2001, Armadilha McPhail (trap), B. Ronchi-Teles, 4 Ƥ, 2 3 ( INPA); Rio Preto da Eva, xi.1997, Arm. McPhail (trap), B. Ronchi-Teles, 80 Ƥ, 44 3; xii.1997 – i.1998, iii– iv.1998, vii.1998, ii–iii.1999, iv–v.1999, vii–viii.1999, ix.1999, x– ix.1999, vi–vii.2000, vii–viii.2000, xii.2000, i.2001, iv.2001 (all INPA); Parque Nacional do Jaú, 24.vii.1995, Arm. McPhail (trap), B. Ronchi-Teles, 2ª cachoeira, 12 Ƥ, 2 3 ( INPA); Manaus, 06.vii. [19]83, V. Py-Daniel, 3 ( INPA); Reserva Adolpho Ducke, 17.v.1996, B. Teles, Ƥ, ( INPA); same but, 06–13.ix.2002, E. F. Soares, A. L. Pinheiro, área aberta, platô, arm McPhail, Ƥ; same but, 02–09.x.2002, baixio, Ƥ; same but, mata, igarapé Barro Branco, Ƥ; same but, 9–16.x.2002, área aberta, baixio, 2 Ƥ; same but, 18.xii.2002, platô, 7 Ƥ; 08.i.2003; 15.i.2003; 19.ii.2003; 26.iii.2003 (all INPA); same but, 16.v.2003, área aberta, platô, arm. McPhail modif[icada], 25m, A. P. Tregue-Costa, 2 Ƥ; same but, 15m, 2 Ƥ; 20.v.2003; same but, 06.vi. 2003, 5m, 2 Ƥ; same but, 15m, Ƥ; same but, 16.vi. 2003, 15m, Ƥ; same but, 29.vi. 2003, 25m, Ƥ (all INPA); INPA, Sede, Campus I, 21.i.2003, Arm. de garrafa Pet, N. C. Silva-Júnior, 3 Ƥ, 2 3; 13.iii.2003 (all INPA); same but, 5.iv.2003, C. S. Bezerra, 2 Ƥ, 3 3; same but, 7.v.2003, Ƥ (all INPA); Manacapuru, viii.1997, Armadilha McPhail, B. Ronchi-Teles, 3 Ƥ, 2 3; same but, 9–23–30. xii.[19] 97, 12 3, 12 Ƥ; same but, ii.1998, 7 3, 15 Ƥ (all INPA); São Paulo de Olivença, Armadilha alta, 11–14.ix.2005, J. A. Rafael, Ƥ ( INPA); Guaraja, rio Ipixuna, 7º06’39”S / 73º05’25”W, 13–19.vi.1995, P. Bührnhein & N. O. Aguiar, Armadilha Shannon, Ƥ ( CZPB); Lábrea, Ramal Apaeral, Km 0 9, Sítio São Raimundo, 7º19’10”S 64º40’07”W, vi.2006, Arm. Suspensa, 20m, F. F. Xavier F o, Ƥ ( INPA); Pará, Tucuruí, Rio Tocantins, próx. cid. N. dos Patos, 12.iv.1981, coletor anônimo, 5770, 4 Ƥ ( MPEG); Conceição do Araguaia, 17–21.xi.1979, W. França, 2 3 ( MPEG); Rondônia, 62 km SE Ariquemes, 17– 24.iii.1989, W. J. Hanson, 180m, 3 3, 2 Ƥ; same but, 22–31.x.1997, 2 Ƥ (all EMUS); Ouro Preto do Oeste, Reserva do INPA, 25–28.viii.1986, F. F. Ramos, Arm. Suspensa, 15m, Ƥ ( MPEG); Tocantins, Palmas, Chácara São José, 10º17’14”S 48º20’21”W, 20.viii.2002, arm. McPhail, B. Ronchi-Teles, 4 Ƥ, 3 3 ( INPA); same but, Chácara Coquinho, 10º15’63”S 48º18’20”W, 23.viii.2002, em acerola, 3 Ƥ ( INPA); EQUADOR, Pich., nr Sto. Domingo, 7–14.v.1988, 2000 m, Hanson, Bohart, 1 3 ( EMUS); Napo, Yasuni Res. Sta., 19–30.x.1998, W. J. Hanson, 250m, 6º36’W 0º38’S, 3 Ƥ ( EMUS).

Geographical distribution. Guyana, Surinam, Brazil (Roraima, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Maranhão, Piauí, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, São Paulo), Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.

Variations. This species shows wide variation in body size, ranging from 7 to 12 mm. Coloration of the face ranges from yellow to dark brown. Femora in some specimens without silver pollinosity on the dorsal surface. The number of setae on the protuberance of the hind tibia can range from 4 to 5.

Discussion. Ropalomera clavipes is easily differentiated from other species of Ropalomera by the pattern of spots on the wings, though R. stictica Wiedemann, 1824 , also has spotted wings. The two species can be differentiated by the size of the wing spots, which are larger in R. clavipes . Ropalomera clavipes is representative of a group of species that have the paramere bilobed, and differs from most other species of the clavipes group by the presence of spots on the wings and by differences in sternite 5, the surstylus and the epiphallus. According to Steyskal (1967) and Prado and Papavero (2009), R. minima Curran, 1934 is a valid species, but after analysis of the original description (Curran, 1934) and illustrations of the type (from the AMNH web site), we revalidate the synonymy proposed by Prado (1966).

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 14. Ropalomera clavipes 3: 8, Sternite 5; 9 – 10, epandrium (ventral and lateral view); 11, left surstylus (dorsal view); 12, left paramere (lateral outer view); 13 – 14, inner male terminalia (ventral and lateral view). Scales: 8 – 10, 13, 14 = 0,5 mm; 11, 12 = 0,2 mm.

FIGURES 57 – 64. Wings: 57, Ropalomera albifaciata sp. n. (3 paratype); 58, R. clavipes (3); 59, R. femorata (3); 60, R. glabrata (3); 61, R. goyana (3); 62, R. nudipes (Ƥ); 63, R. tessellata (3); 64, R. tibialis (3). Scales = 2,0 mm.