Pipinnipons Winterton

Shaun L., Winterton, 2011, Revision of the stiletto fly genera Acupalpa Kroeber and Pipinnipons Winterton (Diptera, Therevidae, Agapophytinae) using cybertaxonomic methods, with a key to Australasian genera, ZooKeys 95, pp. 29-79 : 54-55

Pipinnipons Winterton

Pipinnipons Winterton, 2001: 205. Type species: Pipinnipons kroeberi Winterton, 2001: 206.

Diagnosis.

Antenna elongate, cylindrical, total length slightly longer than or equal to head length; scape shorter than flagellum; frons flat, smooth; face as narrow strip below antenna, glabrous; palpus spatulate apically; mouthparts short; occiput with single row of postocular setae immediately laterad of ocellar tubercle in male, multiple rows in female; wing banded infuscate or hyaline; setae absent on wing vein R1; cell m3 closed; elongate velutum patches on fore and hind femora; femora without macrosetae; single type of setal pile on femora, setae not appressed; prosternal furrow without setae; mid coxa without setae on posterior surface; post spiracular pile absent; gonocoxites with velutum patch on ventral surface (Fig. 24); articulated gonocoxal process present; hypandrium present; ventral apodeme of parameral sheath forked; dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath ‘T’ -shaped; three spermathecae in female; spermathecal sac present, usually with two smaller, additional lobes and/or outer reticulated lobes along length; spermathecal ducts joining common duct before bursa; female with A1 and A2 acanthophorite spines well developed; female sternite 8 emarginate along posterior margin.

Comments.

Pipinnipons is a distinctive genus of wasp mimicking therevids, often with metallic pubescence, yellow and black marking and banded wings (Fig. 23). It can be distinguished among related genera by the elongate, cylindrical antennae, scape not longer than flagellum, narrow face and palpi spatulate. The latter two characters specifically differentiate Pipinnipons from Acupalpa , as the face is broadly rounded, often produced, and the palpi are acuminate or narrowly cylindrical in Acupalpa . While the mouthparts are of variable length in Acupalpa (and often elongate and forward projecting), the mouthparts of Pipinnipons are always relatively short. As stated in the comments under Acupalpa , Agapophytus is separated from Pipinnipons and Acupalpa by the length of the scape ranging from relatively equal length, to significantly longer than the flagellum. The modified setae patch on abdominal tergite 2 mentioned by Winterton et al. (2001) as a characteristic of Pipinnipons is not present in all the new species described here, and is no longer considered diagnostic for the genus as it is also found sporadically in other, unrelated genera such as Neodialineura Mann, 1928 and Bonjeania Irwin and Lyneborg, 1989. The male terminalia are relatively conserved throughout the genus, and species identification is more easily done using external characters of both sexes. Pipinnipons is distributed along coastal eastern Australia from northern Queensland to Tasmania.

Included species.

Pipinnipons chauncyvallis sp. n., Pipinnipons fascipennis ( Kröber), Pipinnipons kampmeierae sp. n., Pipinnipons kroeberi Winterton, Pipinnipons sphecoda sp. n.

Key to Pipinnipons species: