Leptostylum leuconotum ( Wulp, 1892 )

Gudin, Filipe Macedo & Messas, Yuri Fanchini, 2018, On taxonomy and hosts of Leptostylum Macquart, 1851 (Diptera: Tachinidae: Blondeliini), with description of a new species and a new host record, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (21 - 22), pp. 1395-1415 : 1401-1403

Leptostylum leuconotum ( Wulp, 1892)

( Figure 4 )

Leptostylum leuconotum ( Wulp), 1892: 195 ( Exorista ). Holotype male (described as female, see Wood 1985) (BMNH). Type locality: Mexico, Guerrero, Amula.

Exorista leuconota, Wulp 1900: 482 [redescription of species, comparison to Exorista flavirostris Wulp, 1890 (included in Carcelia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 , teste Sellers 1943: 60)]; Guimarães 1971: 137 (catalogue, new combination to Leptostylum ); Papavero and Ibáñez-Bernal 2003: 212 (catalogue, as Leptostylum ).

Argyreomyia busckii Townsend 1915: 426 . Holotype male (USNM). Type locality: Panama, Porto Bello; Townsend 1931: 179 (in synonymy with L. pulchellum ); Townsend 1941: 278 (new combination to Leptostylum ); Wood 1985: 49 (catalogue), 50 (in synonymy with L. leuconotum ); Evenhuis et al. 2015: 52 (catalogue of Townsend’ s genera).

Leptostylum busckii, Guimarães 1971: 137 (catalogue).

Leptostylum leuconotum, Guimarães 1971: 137 (catalogue); Wood 1985: 49 (comparison to L. itaquaquecetubae and L. pulchellum ), 50 (included species); 116 (illustration of male abdomen exhibiting sexual patches, ventral view); Papavero and Ibáñez-Bernal 2003: 212 (catalogue); Wood and Zumbado 2010: 1388 (illustration of male abdomen exhibiting sexual patches, ventral view), 1407 (distribution).

Remarks

Wood (1985) suggested that L. leuconotum and L. itaquaquecetubae are synonymous with L. pulchellum . Indeed, L. leuconotum shares with these two species a sex patch only on tergite 4, and densely haired eyes. However, it exhibits strikingly differences among Leptostylum species , such as head and body entirely covered by whitish pruinosity and constricted frontal vitta ( Figure 4a–d ). There are four male specimens in MZSP that probably are L. leuconotum . Specimens are from Nova Friburgo and Tijuca Forest (city of Rio de Janeiro), state of Rio de Janeiro. One additional male ( Figure 4 ) was collected by the authors from Serra da Cantareira, city of São Paulo, state of São Paulo. Leptostylum leuconotum is registered in Mexico and Panama ( Guimarães 1971; Wood 1985). Additional studies of male terminalia could confirm the identity of these specimens as L. leuconotum or as a new species of Leptostylum , with affinities to this species. About nomenclatural acts made for A. busckii , see remarks section for L. pulchellum below.

Figures

Figure 4. Male of Leptostylum leuconotum (Wulp, 1892), deposited at MZSP. From Serra da Cantareira, São Paulo, Brazil. (a) Head, dorsal view. (b) Head, frontal view. (c) Head, lateral view. (d) Dorsal habitus. (e) Lateral habitus. (f) Wing, dorsal view. (g) Abdomen, latero-ventral view, showing sex patch on tergite 4. Scale bars: 1 mm.