Curtonotum quinquevittatum Curran, 1933

Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H. & Wiegmann, Brian M., 2013, <p> <strong> A revision of Afrotropical Quasimodo flies (Diptera: Schizophora; Curtonotidae). Part IV — the continental Afrotropical species of <em> Curtonotum </ em> Macquart, with descriptions of thirteen new species and a combined phylogenetic analysis of the Curtonotidae </ strong> </ p>, Zootaxa 3684 (1), pp. 1-166 : 86-89

Curtonotum quinquevittatum Curran, 1933

Figs 116 , 140 , 176 , 248, 252, 256 , 299 , 328 , 329 .

Curtonotum quinquevittata Curran, 1933: 3 . Type locality: [ Zimbabwe] “S. Rhodesia, Lomagundi ”.

? Cyrtonotum anus sensu Malloch, 1930: 327 , non Meigen, 1830: 95 ( Diastata ), auctt. misidentification (synonymy: Curran 1933: 3).

Curtonotum quinquevittata: Cuthbertson (1936: 54) .

Curtonotum quinquevittatum: Wirth and Tsacas (1980: 672) .

Curtonotum quinquevittatum: Meier et al. (1997: 10) .

Curtonotum quinquevittatum: Pollock (2002: 1734 , figs 8 a–b, p. 1735).

Curtonotum quinquevittatum: Kirk-Spriggs (2008c: 251) .

Redescription: Male (primarily based on field-pinned N-T).

As redescribed for C. campsiphallum (above), differing in the following respects:

Measurements: Overall length unknown; 4 mm ( Tsacas 1977: 161) (the ♀ measures 4.3–4.6 mm; n = 2, N-T); length of head and thorax combined 1.6–2.5 mm; length of thorax and scutellum combined 1.5–2.5 mm; wing length 2.6–3.6 mm (n = 5, N-T).

Head ( Figs 116 , 140 ). Eye height/length ratio: 10:6 (n = 1, N-T); frons ( Fig. 140 ) slightly wider than long, frons length/width ratio: 5:7 (n = 1, N-T); arista with 8–10 long dorsal branches and 5 ventral branches; lunule and face uniform grey pruinose throughout, 9 fine setae bordering genal groove; gena narrow, eye height/genal height ratio: 10:1 (n = 1, N-T), silver pruinose throughout.

Thorax ( Fig. 116 ). Mesonotum golden-grey pruinose, with four narrow parallel brown pruinose vittae rather poorly defined; postpronotum with 10 fine black-brown setulae; anepisternum with 19 fine setulae scattered across surface; katepisternum with 12 short, fine setulae.

Legs. Fore coxa with 12 brown setulae; fore tibia with ctenidium of 8–9 short, sharp, black spinules.

Wing ( Fig. 176 ). Dm–cu crossvein with submedial angle.

Abdomen. Tergites 3–5 with well developed “T-shaped” brown lateral maculae, but not merging with median fascia; sternites 5 and 6 ( Fig. 299 ); sternite 5 large, elliptical and laterally expanded, lateral maculae with longitudinal division medially; sternite 6 narrow basally, laterally expanded with broad, shallow V-shaped apical excision, extensive maculae laterally, clothed in moderately long setae, those on inner margins longer and stronger.

Terminalia ( Figs 248, 252, 256 ). Hypandrium ( Fig. 248 , hy) rather short, with reduced broad-based roundedtruncate dorsobasal lobe; hypandrial arms (in profile) much broader in anterior ½, with evenly curved dorsal margin, sclerotised area of medial lobes (viewed dorsally), widely expanded into 2 concave plates, closely proximal, but not overlapping; postgonite (pg); epandrium (ep); cercus (ce); surstylus (ss); phallus (as in Figs 252 , ph, bp, dp; 256, bp, dp); phallapodeme ( Fig. 252 , ph); ejaculatory apodeme (ea); basiphallus ( Figs 252, 256 , bp) narrow, broadest medially, not expanded apically, with brown, heavily sclerotised, elongate and well separated baso-ventral process, with 2 large, well spaced teeth-like serrations on posterior margin and one smaller serration on anterior margin; distiphallus (dp) long, heavily sclerotised, widest at mid length, scimitar-like (viewed laterally), membranous area very narrow.

♀ Similar to ♂, except in the following respects: wing length 2.9–3.8 mm (n = 4, N-T). The obclavate spermatheca was illustrated by Tsacas (1977: 160, fig. 7e), but given intraspecific variation this has little value in differentiating the species.

Variation. Some variation is apparent in the size, shape and number of teeth-like serrations on the dorsal and ventral margins of the baso-ventral process of the distiphallus. Given that other characters are consistent this is here regarded as falling within the range of intraspecific variation.

Differential diagnosis. Curtonotum quinquevittatum is probably most closely-related to a group of two other species having the vittae on the mesonotum weakly defined, male sternite 5 expanded or otherwise modified, the basiphallus narrow and elongated and the membranous area of the distiphallus narrow ( C. angolenese and C. freidberg sp. n.). They are separable by use of the above key.

Type material examined. [ ZIMBABWE]: holotype ♂, “xii.[19]28 / Lomagundi / S. Rhodesia / A. Cuthbertson [handwritten & printed] // 2288 / S Rhodesia / Dept. Agric. [handwritten & printed] // Holotype ♂ / CURTONOTUM / quinquevittatum / Curran / designi par / L. TSACAS 1973 [handwritten & printed] // Curtonotum / TYPE / quinquevittatum / Curran. ♀ / No. [handwritten & printed] // Curtonotum ♂ / quinquevittatum Curran, 1933 / A. H. Kirk-Spriggs vidit 2009” ( AMNH). In fair condition, dissected, abdomen and terminalia in micro-vial pinned beneath specimen; mounted on same pin as female paratype (see below). Paratypes (labelled: “ Curtonotum ♀ / quinquevittatum Curran, 1933 / A. H. Kirk-Spriggs vidit 2006–2009”): [ ZIMBABWE]: 1♀, same data as holotype and on same pin ( AMNH); 1♀, “XII.28 / Lomagundi / S. Rhodesia / A. Cuthbertson [handwritten & printed] // Accession / No. 10005 [handwritten & printed] // 3704 [handwritten] // Curtonotum / PARATYPE / quinquevittata / Curran ♀ / No. [handwritten & printed]” ( PPRZ) .

Remarks. There is some confusion regarding the identification of the types of this species and subsequent interpretation of type material. In his original description Curran (1933: 4) refers to: “Types.– Holotype, male, allotype, female, Lomagundi, S. Rhodesia, December, 1928. Paratypes: four females, Lomagundi, December, 1928 (A. Cuthbertson); male and female, Lourenco Marques, January–March, 1914 (H.A. Junod)”. The type series therefore comprises the male holotype, plus six females and one male paratypes. In the introduction to the paper Curran notes (p. 1) “The types of the new species are deposited in The American Museum of Natural History”.

Later Cuthbertson (1936: 54) stated: “… some of the type specimens were collected in burrows of warthog and antbear near Balla Balla from January-March, 1933. Probably breeds in the faeces of these burrowing animals. The paratype female is in the Department Collection.” The “Department Collection” to which Cuthbertson refers is the Department of Agriculture , Salisbury [= Bulawayo], the collection of which is now housed in PPRZ, Harare. The specimen concerned was here examined and confirmed as one of the four genuine ♀ paratypes listed by Curran (see above) .

Tsacas (1977: 161) examined the male holotype and allotype (mounted on the same pin) in AMNH (misspelling the type locality as “Lonsagundi” rather than Lomagundi) and interpreting 4 ♀ specimens from the same locality as the holotype deposited in the BMNH as paratypes. He noted that the 2 specimens from Lourenço Marques cited as paratypes by Curran could not be examined. Tsacas did not examine specimens deposited in PPRZ .

Only the holotype male and female allotype (on the same pin), from Lomagundi are deposited in AMNH. Neither the four paratypes from the same locality nor the two paratypes from Lourenço Marques could be located in the AMNH collection .

Examination of material in PPRZ reveals a female specimen from Lomagundi that is clearly labelled as a paratype by Curran. This indicates that Curran labelled his paratypes as such. The fact that specimens collected at the same locality on the same date are deposited in USNM (see below), indicates that Cuthbertson (or the researchers he sent material to), distributed specimens to various museums and there is no reason in this case to assume that the BMNH specimens are paratypes. The four specimens from Lomagundi in the BMNH, interpreted as paratypes by Tsacas do not bear Curran’s paratype label and are therefore not paratypes and the three outstanding paratypes cited by Curran must be regarded as lost .

As noted and synonymised by Curran (1933: 3), J.R. Malloch (1930: 327) misidentified this species as C. anus Meigen , “… represented by four examples in my African material …” Malloch cited the locality of these specimens (p. 328) as “Lomagundi, S. Rhodesia, vi.-vii.1929, No. 2288, Dept. Agric. (A. Cuthbertson). A pair taken in copula.” There are four ♀ specimens from Lomagundi, S. Rhodesia, labelled “ C. anus Mg. ” in USNM. Two of these (on the same pin) labelled “ xii.1928 ” and two (on the same pin) labelled “VI-VII 1929”. The first of these bears Malloch’s C. anus Mg. det label. Despite Malloch only citing “A pair taken in copula ” in the “Locality” section of the paper, he clearly stated that he examined four specimens in all (see above). As all four are female, Malloch must have assumed that these were taken in copula as they are pinned together on the same minuten. Curran stated that the types of Curtonotum quinquevittatum are deposited in AMNH and there is no evidence to suggest that these four specimens have any type status. These specimens are here tentatively identified as C.? quinquevittatum , as dissected males are required for definitive identification.

Additional material examined (all labelled: “ Curtonotum quinquevittatum Curran, 1933 ♂ det. A.H. Kirk- Spriggs 2009”): ANGOLA: 1♂, Angola, Benguela, [no date], F.C. Wellman, Curtonotum quinquevittatum Curran, L. Tsacas det. 1976 ( USNM) ; 3♂, Angola, Cacula , elev. 1530 m, 25.v.[19]59, E.S. Ross & R.E. Leech Collection [1 labelled Curtonotum quinquevittatum Curran, L. Tsacas det. 1976] ; 16♂, Angola , 10 mi. NE of Sá da Bandeira [= Lubango], 1700 m, 20.v.1958, E.S. Ross & R.E. Leech Collection [12 labelled Curtonotum quinquevittatum Curran, L. Tsacas det. 1976] (all CAS) ; 2♂, same except: Muséum Paris [1 head missing] ( MNHN) . [ DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO]: 1♂, Congo belge: P.N.U., Lusinga (1.760 m), 2–4.v.1949, Mis. G.F. de Witte, 2604a ( RMCA) ; 1♂, alto Uelle, Congo B., Dungu, IV.1927, F.S. Patrizi, Museo Civico di Genova ( MSNG) . MALAWI: 14♂, Malawi: North Viphya Mts., 1500 m, Rt. M1, 21–22.ix.1998, 10 km S. Chikangawa, F. Kaplan & A. Freidberg ( TAU) . TANZANIA: 1♂, Tanzania, Matombo , Morogoro reg., 4.II.1987, No. 36., 32., leg. Pócs & Zicsi ( HNHM) . [ ZIMBABWE]: 2♀, Lomagundi, S. Rhodesia, Dept. Agric. , xii.1928, 2288 S. Rhodesia Dept. Agric., Curtonotum anus Mg. det. J.R. Malloch ; 2♀, same except: VI-VII.1929, Cyrtonotum anus Mg. (all USNM) . TOGO: 1♂, Togo: Région du Centre: Montagne Gabongala , Forêt du Mont Balat ( Balam ) between Diguina & Gassi Gassi ( NW of Diguina Konta ), 08°11'47"N, 00°55'19"E, 28.iv. 2008, 440 m, F. Menzel, Tog 74, Sparsely forested mountain slope & top of mountain range (above the mountain foot with the above coordinates) with dry forest, fire influenced ground, violet flowers of Kaemperia aethiopica (Zingiberac.) within herb stratum, swept [in spirit], BMSA (DNA)# 0010 ( BMSA) . ZIMBABWE: 2 unsexed, S. Rhodesia, Lomagundi , xii.[19]28, A. Cuthbertson, 2288, S Rhodesia Dept. Agric., B.M. 1932–470 , PARATYPE Curtonotum quinquevittata L. TSACAS DET. 1976 ”; 2♀, same data, except: Curtonotum ♀♀ quinquivittata Curr. (type series, but not types = nigripalpis Hend. = cuthbertsoni Duda (unpublished synon.) det. J.C Deeming 1964” [both specimens on same pin with lower of two dissected with abdomen in micro-vial pinned beneath specimen] (the aforementioned 4 specimens erroneously cited as “ paratypes ” by Tsacas 1977: 161) (all BMNH). COUNTRY UNKNOWN [probably Mozambique]: 1♂, Savane, D, VG., F. 3.5.71, Paris Museum ( MNHN) .

Distribution. Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi,? Mozambique, Tanzania, Togo and Zimbabwe ( Figs 328 , 329 ). This species occurs at higher elevations (ca. 801–1200 m), but is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. It predominantly occurs in eastern Africa, with a single record in West Africa and is apparently restricted to the Angolan section of the Great Escarpment in the south-west.

Bionomics. Occurring in eight major habitat types; predominantly in Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands, with records from the Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests vegetation type (Appendix III). Recorded as roosting in the burrows of Aardvark and Warthog in Zimbabwe by Cuthbertson (1936, as S. Rhodesia) and Pollock (2002).

Figures

FIGURE 328. Distribution of continental Afrotropical species of Curtonotum. Topographical: C. sao, C. gonzo sp. n., C. quinquevittatum and C. tsacas sp. n.

FIGURE 329. Distribution of continental Afrotropical species of Curtonotum. Major Habitat Types: C. sao, C. gonzo sp. n., C. quinquevittatum and C. tsacas sp. n.

FIGURES 112–117. Head and thorax (lateral view) of Afrotropical Curtonotum spp. (all males). 112. C. angolense (PT, Angola, 10 mi. NE Sá da Bandeira [= Lubango], CAS). 113. C. campsiphallum (N-T, Cameroon, Limbe (shore), TAU). 114. C. freidberg sp. n. (PT, Malawi, Viphya Mnts., TAU). 115. C. hay sp. n. (PT, Uganda, Mujenje, HNHM). 116. C. quinquevittatum (N-T, Malawi, Viphya Mnts., TAU). 117. C. sao (N-T, Nigeria, Gadau, BMNH). Not to scale.

FIGURES 130–141. Frons of Afrotropical Curtonotum spp. (male unless stated). 130. C. herrero (N-T, Namibia, Amkarub 269, NMNW). 131. C. maculiventris (N-T, [Zimbabwe], Chipinda Pools, BMNH). 132. C. striatifrons (N-T, Nigeria, Gadau, BMNH). 133. C. marriott sp. n. (♀ PT, Cameroon, Kriba (beach), TAU). 134. C. moffatt sp. n. (PT, Uganda, Mujenje, HNHM). 135. C. platyphallum (♀ N-T, Liberia, 8 mi. NW Zorzor, CAS). 136. C. angolense (PT, Angola, 10 mi. NE Sá da Bandeira [= Lubango], CAS). 137. C. campsiphallum (N-T, Cameroon, Limbe (shore), TAU). 138. C. freidberg sp. n. (PT, Malawi, Viphya Mnts., TAU). 139. C. hay sp. n. (PT, Uganda, Mujenje, HNHM). 140. C. quinquevittatum (N-T, Malawi, Viphya Mnts., TAU). 141. C. sao (N-T, Nigeria, Gadau, BMNH). Not to scale.

FIGURES 172–181. Wing of Afrotropical Curtonotum spp. (all males). 172. C. angolense (PT, Angola, 10 mi. NE of Sá da Bandeira [= Lubango], CAS). 173. C. campsiphallum (N-T, Cameroon, Limbe (shore), TAU). 174. C. freidberg sp. n. (PT, Malawi, Viphya Mts., TAU). 175. C. hay sp. n. (HT, Uganda, Mujenje, HNHM). 176. C. quinquevittatum (N-T, Malawi, Viphya Mts., TAU). 177. C. sao (N-T, Nigeria, Gadau, BMNH). 178. C. tsacas sp. n. (PT, South Africa, Kosi Bay Nature Reserve, BMSA). 179. C. gonzo sp. n. (HT, [Ghana], Kwadaso, HNHM). 180. C. saheliense (N-T, Nigeria, Samaru, MNHN). 181. C. simile (N-T, Oman, Ourm, MZLU). Not to scale.

FIGURES 247–258. Male terminalia of Afrotropical Curtonotum spp. 247–250. Hypandrium and epandrium (lateral view). 247. C. hay sp. n. (HT, Uganda, Mujenge, HNHM). 248. C. quinquevittatum (N-T, Malawi, Viphya Mts., TAU). 249. C. sao (N- T, Nigeria, Gadau, BMNH). 250. C. tsacas sp. n. (PT, South Africa, Kosi Bay Nature Reserve, BMSA). 251–254. Phallus (right lateral view). 251. C. hay (same). 252. C. quinquevittatum (same). 253. C. sao (same). 254. C. tsacas (same). 255–258. Apical section of phallus (left lateral view). 255. C. hay (same). 256. C. quinquevittatum (same). 257. C. sao (same). 258. C. tsacas (same). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 295–305. Male sternites of Afrotropical Curtonotum spp. 295. C. angolense (N-T, Angola, 10 mi. NE of Sá da Bandeira [= Lubango], CAS). 296. C. campsiphallum (N-T, Cameroon, Limbe (shore), TAU). 297. C. freidberg sp. n. (PT, Malawi, Viphya Mts., TAU). 298. C. hay sp. n. (HT, Uganda, Mujenge, HNHM). 299. C. quinquevittatum (N-T, Malawi, Viphya Mts., TAU). 300. C. sao (N-T, Nigeria, Gadau, BMNH). 301. C. tsacas sp. n. (PT, Kenya, Kainuk, TAU). 302. C. gonzo sp. n. (PT, [Ghana], Kwadaso, HNHM). 303. C. saheliense (N-T, Nigeria, Yankari Game Reserve, NMWC). 304. C. simile (N- T, UAE, Wadi Maidan, NMWC). 305. C. uncinatum sp. n. (PT, Namibia, Kubunyana, NMNW). Scale bars: 295–301, 303–305 = 0.5 mm; 302 = 0.6 mm.