Pseudorhopalia mirandai ( d’Andretta & Carrera, 1951 ), d'Andretta & Carrera, 1951

Calhau, Julia, Nihei, Silvio Shigueo & Lamas, Carlos José Einicker, 2014, Taxonomic revision of Pseudorhopalia Wilcox & Papavero, 1971 (Insecta, Diptera, Mydidae, Rhopaliinae), with description of a new species from the Brazilian Amazon, Zootaxa 3884 (4), pp. 333-346 : 335-338

Pseudorhopalia mirandai ( d’Andretta & Carrera, 1951)

( Figs. 1–3 , 9 )

Rhopalia mirandai d’Andretta & Carrera, 1951: 7 , figs. 1–8. HT male, MZUSP. Type-locality: Brazil, Ceará, Icó. Pseudorhopalia mirandai . Ref.– Wilcox & Papavero, 1971: figs. 57, 132–134, map 7 (new comb.); Artigas & Papavero, 1990: figs. 31–32 (spermatheca); Papavero & Artigas, 1990: 127 (cat.).

Diagnosis. Head with dense whitish pubescence, absent around ocelli. Wing vein CuA1+M3 absent; cell r4 slightly constricted distally. Male and female abdomen with similar colors, mostly pale yellow with brown spots. Phallus without a pair of dorsal projections.

Male. Total length, excluding antenna, 11.07–14.89 mm, n= 5 (14.25 mm in the holotype). Head ( Figs. 1 A,C). 2.02 mm high in lateral view, 3.07 mm wide in anterior view (holotype); about 2 times wider than the interocular distance bellow antenna; setulae pale yellow, mystax pale yellow, denser on ventral half; pubescence dense, whitish, covering head entirely, except around ocelli. Mouthparts. Proboscis brown, labellum smaller than subcranial cavity. Antenna. Yellowish brown, darker on distal half of distal postpedicel, setulae yellowish brown on scape and pedicel, black on postpedicel; holotype measurements: scape 0.26 mm long, pedicel 0.13 mm long, proximal postpedicel 0.69 mm long, distal postpedicel 1.01 mm long, 0.47 mm wide; distal postpedicel broader at about two-thirds of its length; sensory area rounded, restricted to apex on anteroventral surface of antenna.

Thorax ( Figs. 1 A, 2A). Integument yellow, densely beige pubescent; antepronotum with a row of short black setulae; postpronotal lobe yellow setulose; scutum short yellow setulose, with reddish brown intraalar and acrostichal glabrous stripes; scutellum laterally with few short golden setulae; mediotergite brownish medially, smooth; prosternum and proepisternum long yellow setulose; anepisternum asetulose; anepimeron with sparse yellow setulae; metakatepisternum ventrally with short sparse yellow setulae; metepimeron with very few short yellow setulae.

Legs ( Figs. 1 A, 2B). Yellow to yellowish brown, setulae mostly short, black; fore, mid and hind coxae yellow with brown and yellow short setulae and dense beige pubescence; fore, mid and hind trochanters yellow with short yellow setulae; hind femur 3.76 mm long, 0.43 mm wide (holotype), yellowish brown, paler on proximal half, with 7–11 dark brown spiniform macrosetae (9 in the holotype), black short setulose with few yellow setulae proximally on posterior surface; fore, mid and hind tibiae yellowish brown; fore tibia with three reddish strong setae at apex; mid tibia with four reddish strong setae at apex; hind tibia 3.33 mm long, 0.13 mm wide (holotype), ventral keel undeveloped, apical spur absent, with six ventroapical to subapical strong reddish setae; fore, mid and hind tarsi yellowish brown; fore, mid and hind tarsomeres 1–4 with red to black antero and posteroventral stronger setae at apex; hind tarsomeres 1–5 lengths (width), respectively, 0.47 mm (0.17 mm), 0.26 mm, 0.22 mm, 0.19 mm, 0.39 mm (holotype); pulvillus yellow, distinctly smaller than fore, mid and hind tarsomere 5; claw orange-brown, tip black.

Wing ( Fig. 2 C). 8.81 mm long, 2.58 mm high (holotype); alula 0.82 mm long, 0.43 mm high (holotype); tegula and axillary sclerites yellow; membrane hyaline; veins yellow to light brown, paler on stem vein, Sc, M1+2, and at base of C; C fading posteriorly to junction with M1+2; Sc ending in C at the level of crossvein r-m; R3 short, sometimes emerging before or after fork of R4+5, but emerging from fork of R4+5 and absent on left wing in the holotype,; CuA1+M3 absent; r4 slightly constricted on distal third by vein R5; right wing with short rudimentary vein arising from R4+5 just before r-m; margin of upper calypter concave medially, fringe with fine, short, very sparse yellow setulae; halter yellow, darker dorsally, with very short black setulae ventrally on knob and stem.

Abdomen ( Figs. 1 A, 2D). Tapering posteriorly. Tergites mostly pale yellow with sublateral and medial brown spots; T1 yellowish brown with dense beige pubescence; T2 brown on anterior third, bulla black; S2–7 yellowish brown with very short sparse golden setulae, apubescent. Male terminalia ( Figs. 3 A–C). Hypopygium yellow to brown; epandrium yellow setulose; posterior process of gonocoxite very short; gonocoxite-hypandrial complex dorsally prolonged and connected to the base of the phallus.

Female ( Fig. 1 B). Legs. Hind femur with 6 red spiniform macrosetae. Abdomen. Broader than male abdomen. Female terminalia. T10 with 7–9 acanthophorite spines on each plate; furca with parallel lateral arms not connected anteriorly or posteriorly.

Distribution ( Fig. 9 ). BRAZIL. Ceará: Icó [6º24'07"S, 38º51'18"W], Cascavel [4º07'37"S, 38º14'30"W], Limoeiro [5º08'58"S, 38º05'49"W], Russas [4º56'24"S, 37º58'26"W].

Habitat. All the specimens studied were collected in the semiarid Caatinga biome, Northeastern Brazil, more specifically in the Septentrional “Sertaneja” Depression ecoregion ( Velloso et al. 2002). Caatinga is characterized by xerophilous and deciduous vegetation, with woody, thorny and small leaved plants, along with bromeliads, cacti, and seasonal herbs ( Bastos 1998). In the Septentrional “Sertaneja” Depression, climate is hot with a very long dry season, and soil is rocky and shallow ( Velloso et al. 2002). Caatinga is a very endangered biome, with less than 1% of its territory delimited as natural reserves with integral protection ( Leal et al. 2005).

Examined type-material. Male holotype. BRAZIL. Ceará, Icó [6º24'07"S, 38º51'18"W], iii.1939, D. Dias col., MZUSP. Holotype condition: specimen pinned, covered with dust; labels shown in Fig. 1 D. Paratypes: BRAZIL. Ceará, Icó, iii.1939, D. Dias col., 3 male, 1 of undetermined sex, MZUSP; Limoeiro, iii.1940, D. Dias col., 1male, 1 female, 1 of undetermined sex, MZUSP; Russas, iii.1940, D. Dias col., 1 male, 1 female, MZUSP.

Other examined material. BRAZIL. Ceará, Cascavel, ix.1939, D. Dias col., 1male, MZUSP; xi. 1939, 1 female, MZUSP.

Remarks. Observations on female terminalia were made based on illustrations by Artigas & Papavero (1990:105, Figs. 31–32), as no available female specimen had the abdomen intact for dissection.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pseudorhopalia mirandai d’Andretta & Carrera, 1950. A. Male holotype, lateral habitus. B. Female uncoded paratype, lateral habitus. C. Male holotype, head, anterior view. D. Male holotype, labels.

FIGURE 2. Pseudorhopalia mirandai d’Andretta & Carrera, 1950, male holotype. A. Scutum. B. Hind leg. C. Wing. D. Abdomen, dorsal view.

FIGURE 3. Pseudorhopalia mirandai d’Andretta & Carrera, 1950, male genitalia. A. paratype 111.194, epandrium and proctiger. B. uncoded specimen (MZUSP), gonocoxite-hypandrial complex and attached structures, lateral view. C. uncoded specimen (MZUSP), gonocoxite-hypandrial complex and attached structures, ventral view. cer: cercus; epa: epandrium; gxd: dorsal prolongation of the gonocoxite-hypandrial complex; pha: phallus.

FIGURE 9. Distribution map of Pseudorhopalia Wilcox & Papavero, 1971. Color codes: yellow, Pseudorhopalia manauara sp. n.; red, Pseudorhopalia mirandai d’Andretta & Carrera, 1950. Triangles indicate type-localities.