Goniaspis Duda, 1930

Mlynarek, Julia J. & Wheeler, Terry A., 2018, Phylogeny and revised classification of the tribe Elachipterini (Diptera: Chloropidae), Zootaxa 4471 (1), pp. 1-36 : 21-22

Goniaspis Duda, 1930

( Figs 39–43 )

Goniaspis Duda, 1930: 59 . Type species: Cadrema rubra Becker, 1916 (subsequent designation by Duda 1931: 165). Paleoenderleiniella Duda, 1930: 57. Type species: Cadrema rubra Becker, 1916 (subsequent designation by Sabrosky 1941: 761).

Diagnosis. Oscinellinae with an apicoventral, hind-tibial spur, trapezoidal scutellum and long slender arista.

Description. Chloropidae , Oscinellinae . Vertex rounded in lateral view ( Fig. 39 ); frontal triangle shining and bare; frons microtomentose; cephalic chaetotaxy: long peristomal bristles, cruciate postocellar bristles, cruciate short ocellar bristles, long outer vertical bristles, interfrontal setulae long and on margin of frontal triangle, orbital bristles reclinate, of equal size; eye sparsely and microscopically pubescent; gena narrow, vibrissal angle rounded, indistinct; face flat, wide, carina absent; first flagellomere reniform, higher than wide, arista longer than width of frons, and slender ( Fig. 40 ); proboscis and palpus short.

Scutum square, as wide as long; thoracic chaetotaxy: 1 anterior, 1 posterior notopleurals, 1 postsutural supraalar bristle, 1 dorsocentral bristle; scutellum usually flat dorsally, trapezoidal, usually wider than long ( Fig. 41 ); 1 pair apical scutellar bristles on small tubercles, 1 or 2 pairs of lateral scutellar bristles; thoracic pleurites bare except for a row of setulae on katepisternum. Wing long, narrow, hyaline, second costal sector equal to or shorter than third costal sector, distance between crossvein r-m and dm-cu 2.4 times length of dm-cu, anal angle reduced, alula small, much longer than wide; veins pale; halter white. Legs long and slender; male femoral organ present as two rows of 3–5 tubercles; small, apical ventral spur on mid tibia; hind tibial spur present, usually apical, length usually more than twice diameter of hind tibia; tibial organ oval, sometimes very narrow, 0.2 to 0.25 times length of hind tibia.

Abdominal tergites setulose laterally and with sparse setae posteriorly, mostly microtomentose; sternites slender, with sparse setae; male spiracles 3–5 in membrane near lateral margin of tergite.

Male postabdomen: pregenital sclerites narrow; spiracles 6 and 7 in membrane ventral to lateral margin of dorsal sclerite; epandrium rounded, usually higher than long in lateral view ( Fig. 43 ) and wider than high in posterior view ( Fig. 42 ); surstylus simple, clavate or quadrate; hypandrium closed posteriorly; pregonite fused with postgonite, weakly sclerotized; basiphallus elongate, weakly sclerotized; distiphallus short, membranous; phallapodeme simple; phallic guide sclerotized; cercus small, triangular, projecting posteroventrally.

Female terminalia not modified, cerci separate, cylindrical, setulose.

Geographic distribution. Species of Goniaspis have been recorded only from the Neotropical region including the Caribbean.

Remarks. Goniaspis has recently been revised (Mlynarek & Wheeler 2009). As a result of this analysis, the generic limits have been expanded to include an undescribed Puerto Rican species with a short hind tibial spur. That species is the sister group to the rest of the genus.

Figures

FIGURES 39–43. Goniaspis rubra. 39. Head: lateral; 40. Antenna; 41. Scutellum, dorsal; 42. Male genitalia, posterior; 43. Male genitalia, lateral. (42–43 reproduced with permission from Mlynarek & Wheeler, 2009). Abbreviations: cer—cercus; epd—epandrium; sur—surstylus. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.