Ataenogera Kröber

Hauser, Martin & Webb, Donald W., 2007, A revision of the new world stiletto fly genus Ataenogera Kröber (Diptera: Therevidae: Phycinae) with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 1530, pp. 41-67 : 43-44

Ataenogera Kröber

Ataenogera Kröber (1914:31, desc.), Malloch (1932:254, diag.), Cole (1965:349, cat.), Irwin and Lyneborg (1981a:262, diag.), Webb and Irwin (1989:37, sp. key, nom.; 1989:38, diag.), Irwin and Webb (1992:86, checklist; 1992:88, sp. list), Lyneborg (2002:103, diag.; 2002:104, sp. key). Type species Ataenogera abdominalis Kröber by monotypy.

Leptocera Kröber (1928:117, desc.), Webb and Irwin (1989:39, syn. of Ataenogera ). Type species Leptocera gracilis Kröber by monotypy. Preoccupied by Olivier (1813:489).

Ziehenia Kröber (1929b:434) , Webb and Irwin (1989:39 syn. of Ataenogera ). New name for Leptocera Kröber (1928) nec Olivier (1813:489).

Ziehenimyia Kröber (1929a:172) misspelling of Ziehenia Kröber (1929b:434) .

Epileptocera Richards (1929a:171 desc.). New name for Leptocera Kröber (1928) , nec Olivier (1813), Webb and Irwin (1989:39, syn. of Ataenogera ).

Diagnosis. The genus Ataenogera is the only Phycinae genus restricted to the Neotropical region and displays all characters of this subfamily, like the presence of setae on vein R1, the absence of lanceolate setae on the hind femur, and three spermathecae and no spermathecal sac in the females. Ataenogera strongly resembles Phycus in the dark black-gray coloration of the glabrous body, the long first flagellomere (making the antennae twice as long as the head), the dichoptic males, and the laterally compressed abdomen. Ataenogera is easily separated from Phycus in having the maxillary palpus one-segmented (two segmented in Phycus ); the discal cell pointed basally (truncated in Phycus ); the ventral apodeme short or reduced (long in Phycus ); and a large, heavily sclerotized hypandrium (only a few species of African Phycus species have a small hypandrium present). The phylogenetic relationship between Ataenogera and Phycus are not clear, but it is very likely that these two genera have a close relationship.

Description. Moderate sized flies, males 5.5–8.9 mm, females 6.5–10.5 mm. Males dichoptic, ommatidia of equal size; parafacial glabrous; antenna about twice as long as head, scape longer than wide, narrower than width of flagellum; flagellum three-segmented, longer than wide, longer than length of scape; maxillary palpus one-segmented. Thorax with one pair of dorsocentral macrosetae and one pair of scutellar macrosetae; cervical sclerite with setae, lacking macrosetae; prosternum lacking setae in and around ventral depression; setae present on anepisternum and laterotergite, absent on proepimeron, katepisternum, anepimeron, meron, metanepisternum, and scutellum. Wings with setulae dorsally on R1; pterostigma absent; M1, M2, and M3 originate separately from apical margin of discal cell; cell m3 generally closed, petiolate; discal cell acute basally; cell cup closed, petiolate. Legs. Coxa lacking setae on posterior area of midcoxa, hindcoxa with short, rounded, anterior knob, posterolateral macroseta absent of hindcoxa; femora lacking lanceolate, appressed setae dorsally; av and pv macrosetae absent. Abdomen with dark reddish brown to black lanceolate setae on male tergite 7 and sternites 5–8, and female sternites 5–8 ( Fig. 28 ) in Ataenogera abdominalis and A. brevicornis . This somewhat unique characteristic has also been found on male sternites 4–7 of the unrelated Australian agapophytine stiletto fly Acatopygia olivacea Winterton (Winterton 2007) . Male terminalia with tergite 8 rectangular, slightly emarginate posteriorly, anterior margin truncate; sternite 8 rectangular, posterior margin broadly rounded, anterior margin truncate, epandrium slightly longer medially than wide, cerci large, free, extending distally beyond posterolateral margin of epandrium and hypoproct, hypoproct slightly emarginate posteriorly, ventral view attached laterally to sides of epandrium with dark yellow setae; hypandrium triangular, strongly sclerotized, setae present or absent; gonocoxite separated medially, gonocoxal apodeme not extending anteriorly beyond anterior margin of gonocoxite, gonocoxal bridge present; aedeagus with dorsal apodeme fused to gonocoxal bridge; ejaculatory apodeme expanded posteriorly, extending anteriorly beyond dorsal apodeme; lateral ejaculatory processes absent. Female terminalia with tergite 9 suboval, separated medially with several macrosetae along posterior margin; acanthophorites lacking macrosetae; common spermathecal duct shorter than furca; three spermathecae and no spermathecal sac.

Figures

FIGURES 20 – 29. Ataenogera brevicornis. 20. male frons. 21. female frons. 22. epandrium, cerci, hypoproct, ventral view. 23. hypandrium, gonocoxite, gonostylus ventral view. 24. gonostylus, dorsal view. 25. aedeagus, dorsal view. 26. aedeagus, ventral view. 27. aedeagus, lateral view. 28. female terminal abdominal segments. 29. female reproductive organs. Scale = 0.1 mm.