Curtonotum pantherinum (Walker)

Klymko, John & Marshall, Stephen A., 2011, Systematics of New World Curtonotum Macquart (Diptera: Curtonotidae) 3079, Zootaxa 3079 (1), pp. 1-110 : 67-71

Curtonotum pantherinum (Walker)

Figures 11 , 115–121 , and 214

Curtonotum pantherinum (Walker) .—Hendel, 1913:618, 623 [combination, key, redescription].— Curran, 1934: 400 [key, British Guyana list].— Hendel, 1936: 91 [list of specimens from Pará, Brazil, expedition].— Wirth, 1975: 78.2 [Neotropical catalogue].

Heleomyza pantherinum Walker, 1849: 1090 .

Curtonotum salinum Curran, 1934: 440 .— Malloch, 1930: 325 [new synonym].— Wirth, 1975: 78.2 [as synonym of Curtonotum pantherinum (Walker) , Neotropical catalogue]. Diagnosis. Distinguished from congeners by the combination of extensively infuscated r 1, r 2+3 and margins of crossvein dm-cu, dark brown to black palpi, prementum, and frons (with paler medial vitta), and an eye height to gena height ratio over 16.

Description. Length: 5.6–8.3 mm.

Head: Frons dark brown, with poorly defined pale medial vitta, green iridescence (visible only from oblique angle), mild to moderate bulge ventrally and scattered setulae, width 1.4–1.5 times length, slightly narrower ventrally, lateral margins narrowly silver microtomentose. Ocellar triangle and narrow strip on either side of frons dull grey microtomentose, microtomentum of ocellar triangle extending anterior of anterior ocellus in some specimens, its margin rounded, narrow microtomentose strip extending from median occipital sclerite to just past insertion of proclinate seta, proclinate seta at midpoint of sagittal distance between anterior ocellus and ventral margin of frons, anterior to and lateral of major reclinate seta; minor reclinate seta anterior to and slightly medial of major reclinate seta. Face shiny silver microtomentose, ground colour light to medium yellow-brown; vibrissa much larger than adjacent subvibrissals. Parafacial silver microtomentose with light brown ground colour, narrowing ventrally; gena with dark brown ground colour, only lightly microtomentose, eye height 18.4–20.0 times gena height. Clypeus silver microtomentose with medium brown ground colour, palpus and prementum with very dark brown ground colour, palpus brown microtrichose, prementum lightly silver microtomentose. Scape and pedicel silver microtomentose, with orange-brown ground colour, first flagellomere with orange-brown ground colour on proximal quarter to third, otherwise dark brown, silver microtrichose.

Thorax: Silver microtomentose with dark purple-brown ground colour throughout, paler around postpronotal lobe, anterior spiracle, base of wings and margin of scutellum. Scutum strongly arched, each scutal, postpronotal, scutellar and anepisternal seta and setula with dark spot around socket, these becoming confluent posteriorly on scutum and scutellum, the degree of this variable between specimens. Scutum with 2 posteriorly broadening narrow dark vittae, these extending onto scutellum. Postpronotal lobe with 3 prominent setae, anterior-most seta shortest, ca. half length of middle seta, posterior-most seta intermediate, ca. three-fourths of middle seta length, occasionally an additional smaller seta present anterior to anterior-most seta; notopleuron setulose; scutellum with 2 pairs of marginal setae. Anepisternum with 3 prominent setae and 2 or 3 small setae on posterior half; katepisternum with 2 setae, anterolateral seta weak. Fringe of dark setulae present ventral and posterior to posterior spiracle, minute setulae present on ventral half of meron.

Legs: Coxae densely white microtomentose, legs otherwise lightly so, tan in ground colour, except where noted. Fore femur with 4–6 posterodorsal setae, 5–9 short and moderately stout ctendial setae; mid femur brown on apical ca. one-sixth, with 4–6 anterior setae; hind femur brown on apical ca. one-sixth, with 1–2 subapical dorsal setae. Mid tibia with 2 strong, 2 moderate, and several weak apical ventral setae, 1 moderate between the 2 strong setae, the other moderate posterior to the 2 strong setae. Anteroventral margins of mid and hind tarsomere 5 without short cuneiform setae.

Wing: Alula moderately broad. Costal cell and area of r 1 below costal cell dark brown infuscate; r 1 otherwise dark brown infuscate except for small patch distal of costal cell; r 2+3 dark brown infuscated on anterior half starting at level of clear patch in r 1, broadly medium brown infuscated at apical margin. dm-cu with broad grey-brown bor- der, M 1 and CuA 1 with faint brown borders.

Abdomen: Dark brown in ground colour, purple-silver microtomentose except where noted. Tergite 2 with large diffuse dark brown microtomentose medial vitta, dark area extending laterally along posterior margin. Tergites 3–5 with narrower, better defined dark brown microtomentose medial vitta. Tergite 3 dark brown on posterior half of dorsal face, tergites 4 and 5 dark brown on posterior ca. third of dorsal surface, the anterior margins of these brown patches bowing anteriorly on tergites 3 and 4, thus forming broken lateral vitta, these narrowly connected to anterior margin in some specimens. Brown patches on tergites 3–5 tapering to the hind margin, extending to lateral margins in some specimens (especially on tergites 4 and 5). Small dark brown patch along anterior margin of tergites 3 and 4 opposite bow in margin of posterior brown patches, further adding to appearance of interrupted lateral vitta, in some specimens these not visible (presumably obscured by posterior margin of adjacent tergite).

Male terminalia: Sternite 5 with posterior margin truncate, well sclerotized. Tergite 6 moderately sclerotized, desclerotized dorsally, tergite 7 well sclerotized, relatively long, dorsal length ca. 0.4–0.5 times epandrial dorsal length. Sternite 6 bent over but not broken along protandrial ridge, well sclerotized and broad, more heavily sclerotized proximally; sternite 7 separated into right and left portions, right portion slightly shorter than adjacent area of sternite 6. Epandrium relatively small, proximal margin slightly invaginate dorsally, setulose, 2–3 distoventral setulae long and thick, with elongate bare (free of setulae and microtrichia) posteroventral extension, these fused to eachother by weakly sclerotized membrane; surstylus articulating with epandrium, broadly rounded posteriorly, medial margin concave, area opposite postgonite concave, with scattered minute setulae dorsally and ventrally. Cercus elongate, ventral margin flat, posterodorsal margin rounded, longest cercal setulae shorter than longest epandrial setulae. Hypandrium with low, rounded, broad-based anterodorsal projection, posterior bridge extending slightly ventrally, hypandrial arm elongate, bending ventrally more than 45˚ at junction with epandrium, with 3 venterolaterally oriented setulae posterior to bend, distally with 2 small medial lobes, proximal-most lobe forward facing, distal-most lobe abutting with opposite hypandrial arm, neither lobe fused with opposite hypandrial arm; postgonite with scattered minute dorsal setulae, in lateral profile with low, angular, subapical dorsal projection. Phallapodeme with large “fan”, margin opposite fan straight to convex basally, concave distally; basiphallus weakly sclerotized basally, very elongate; distiphallus base elongate, straight and parallel sided, apex bilobed, left lobe slightly longer, orientation slightly to left of phallic axis, well sclerotized on medial margin, otherwise membranous, ventrally with finely scaled texture, dorsally smooth, right lobe oriented slightly right of phallic axis, well sclerotized ventrally nearly to apex, otherwise membranous, with fine scaled texture ventrally on left, otherwise smooth, with fine spinules dorsally apically. Ejaculatory apodeme outside of basiphallus, elongate, slightly thicker and with small pores basally.

Female terminalia: Sternite 5 length 4.0–4.2 times width, sternite 6 length 1.7–1.8 times width. Ovipositor slen- der (as in Figure 202 ). Tergite 6 desclerotized medially on proximal ca. half. Tergite 7 desclerotized medially. Sternite 8 truncate posteriorly, with slightly concave surface posteriorly, heavily sclerotized distal ca. sixth, area of sclerotization sharply demarked and free of microtrichia. Tergite 8 and sternite 8 weakly sclerotized proximally. Sternite 10 heavily sclerotized and with antrorse spinules medially, area of sclerotization flaring proximally, proximal margin with slight dorsal bend, profile narrow on proximal half, broader on distal half. Spermatheca slender and elongate with apex acute, minutely papillose. Ventral receptacle with heavily sclerotized flared “collar” at neck base, neck elongate, more or less parallel sided, bent forward, head bulbous, minutely roughened, duct finely wrinkled longitudinally.

Comments. The holotype of this species could not be located. It is not at the British Museum of Natural History (Kirk-Spriggs, pers. comm.), the museum where it was housed when described by Walker (1849), nor at any other major museums where previous curtonotid workers worked ( NHMW, HNHM, USNM, AMNH, OXUM) .

The identity of Walker’s holotype is ambiguous. He described a species that has “head tawny, with two pitchy stripes on the crown from the eyelets to the base of each feeler” (i.e. 2 dark vittae on the frons), “sucker black, clothed with tawny hairs; palpi black, beset with black setae”, “disk of face pitchy”, “tawny legs”, “wings brown, darker on the foreborder from the middle to the tip”, and “lower crossvein clouded with brown". Curtonotum magnum and C. adusticrus have very dark faces, black mouthparts, and wings that could fit Walker’s description, however only one, C. magnum , has tawny (yellow-brown) legs (the femora and tibiae of C. adusticrus are dark brown). The frons of C. magnum is orange-brown with paler (though very diffuse) medial vitta and lateral margins, and as such could be interpreted as having “two pitchy stripes”, though they are not well-defined. A fairly conspicuous character in C. magnum that Walker did not mention in his description is the four vittae on the scutum. Walker’s specimen was in good condition (the dark haloes around the bases of setulae were visible, these are inconspicuous in greasy specimens), so it seems unlikely that they would be overlooked.

In addition, Walker’s holotype was collected in Pará , Brazil. The 21 specimens of C. magnum examined from this study were collected at six localities in southeastern Brazil, well away from Pará .

Hendel (1913) redescribed C. pantherinum as a species with a waxy yellow face, dark brown mouthparts, pale ochre legs with darkened apices on the tibiae and femora, and similar wing patterning. He also indicated the gena was quite narrow (half as wide as the first flagellomere) and that the species had dark markings posterolaterally on the tergites that extended anteriorly to midpoint or beyond.

Curtonotum salinum Curran was synonymized with C. pantherinum “as accepted by Hendel” by Malloch (1930). It is curious to note that Malloch designated C. salinum a junior synonym of C. pantherinum in 1930 based on his examination of C. salinum paratypes deposited at USNM, four years before Curran formally described the species. Stranger still, Curran makes no note of Malloch’s opinion in his 1934 paper, although he must surely have been aware of Malloch’s statement as he cited Malloch’s 1930 publication when discussing C. hendeli (see C. hendelianum comments section). The holotype and allotype of C. salinum at AMNH as well as the paratypes housed at the AMNH have been examined and in light of their very narrow gena, pale faces, dark mouthparts, and abdominal patterning similar to what Hendel describes they are almost certainly synonymous with Hendel’s concept of C. pantherinum , as no other species examined in this study possess all those characters.

While Walker’s original description agrees reasonably well with C. magnum it is missing any mention of scutal vittae and it is based on material collected well away from any known C. magnum collection locality. Therefore its synonymy with that species is not certain. The only way this situation could be fully resolved would be through the examination of Walker’s type specimen. Given that ambiguity still exists around the true identity of C. pantherinum and there is some possibility that Walker’s type specimen(s) may be relocated, we chose to continue to treat C. pantherinum as the senior synonym of C. salinum . This is the solution that provides the most taxonomic stability (avoids designating a new junior synonym and elevating a current junior synonym to a valid species) and can be emended if necessery should Walker’s specimens resurface.

Material examined. BOLIVIA. Beni: ♂, Beni-Gebiet, Guayaramerin , 150 m, 10.v.1954, 2♂, 12.v.1954, all W. Forster (all ZSMC) . Pando: ♂, Cachuela Esperanza, 1921–1922 (iii), W.M. Mann ( USNM) . BRAZIL. ♂, “Brasilien” ( SMTD) ; ♂, Monat , iv.1935, P. Sandig ( USNM) . Amazonas: 6♂, Maués , xii.1936 ( MZSP) ; 9♂, 2♀, Manacapuru, 10.1936 ( MZSP) ; ♀, Manaus , viii.1969, Machado & Pezeiza ( MZSP) . Bahia: ♂ ( NMWC) . Pará: ♂ ( BMNH) ; 4♂, 2♀, Aldeia Coraci, 11 km W Canindé, Rio Gurupí , 10–20.iv.1963, 3♂, 16–26.iv.1963, B. Malkin ( MZSP) ; 16♂, 4♀, bôca do Cuminá-. Miri Orixminá, 19–26.i.1968, Exp. Perm. Amaz. ( MZSP) ; 10♂, 8♀, Candidé, Rio Gurupí , v.1963, R. Malkin, 2♂, v.1963, Malkin & Pinheiro, 2♂, ♀, iv.1963, Pinheiro & Malkin, ♂, 27.ii.1966, R. Malkin, ♂, 7–15.iv.1963, R. Malkin, 3♂, 2♀, 2–30.v.1963, R. Malkin (all MZSP) ; 6♂, ♀, Faz. Taperinha, prox. Santarém , 29.xii.1967 – 9.i.1968, 2♂, 1–11.ii.1968, Exp. Perm. Amaz. (all MZSP) ; ♂, Oriximiná , 12–13.i.1968, Exp. Perm. Amaz. ( MZSP) ; ♂, Fordlándia , ii.1957, Pereira & Machado ( MZSP) ; ♂, Belém, Martinez , ix.1955 ( MZSP) ; ♂, Castanhal , viii.1952, T. Dobzhansky ( USNM) ; ♂, ♀ (same pin), Utingo Belem, on foliage, v.1924, C.H.T. Townsend ( USNM) ; 2♂, Baker ( CASC) ; 20♂, 4♀, Santarém ( CMNH [Acc. No. 2966]) ; ♂, Benevides , x.1918, S.M. Klages ( CMNH [Acc. No. 6174]) ; 3♂, 2♀, “Near Para”, H.B. Merrill ( USNM) ; ♀, Braganza, H.B. Merrill ( USNM) ; ♂, Rio Xingu Camp , 52˚22’W, 3˚39’S, ca. 60 km S. Altamira, 8–12.x.1986, P. Spangler & O. Flint ( USNM) . Rio de Janeiro: ♀, Mangaritiba , viii.1938 – ii.1939, R.C. Shannon ( USNM) . Rondonia: 7♂, 5♀, 62 km SE Ariquemes , 13–25.iv.1992, W.J. Hanson ( UTAH) , same data except ♂, ♀, 7–18.xi.1995 ( UTAH) , same data except 3♂, 8–20.xi.1994 ( UTAH) , same data except ♂, 180 m, 17–24.iii.1989 ( UTAH) ; same data except 3♂, 2♀, 15–22.iii.1991, W. Hanson & G. Bohart ( UTAH) ; 4♂, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 62 km S. Ariquemes, 165 m, 10˚32’S, 62˚48’W, 12–22.xi.1991, E.M. Fisher ( CSCA) . São Paulo: ♀, Barueri , 15.i.1966, K. Lenko ( MZSP) . GUYANA. 2♂, 1908, K.S. Wise ( BMNH) ; ♂, ♀, Parrish, J.M. Aldrich ( USNM) . Barima-Waini: ♂, Canister Falls, Cattle trail survey, xi.1919, ♀, vi.1920, A.A. Abraham ( BMNH) . Demerara-Mahaica: 2♂, ♀, Ceiba (ca. 40 km S. Georgetown), 6˚29.9’N, 58˚13.1’W, 13.iv.1994, W.N. Mathis ( USNM) . Cuyuni-Mazaruni: ♂, Bartica ( USNM) , ♀, 9.v.1901, 7♂, ♀, 10.v.1901 ( ANSP) , 2♂, 11.v.1901 ( ANSP) , ♂, 21.vi.1901, J.M. Aldrich ( USNM) , ♂, 8.iv ( USNM) ; ♀, Kartabo , vi.1922, M.D. Haviland ( BMNH) , ♂, 15.vii.1926 ( CMNH) , ♂, 9.viii.1926 ( CMNH) , 2♂, ♀, 28.vii.1924, S. Crawford ( CMNH) , ♂, vi.1922, 3♂, ♀, vii.1922, 3♂, ♀, viii.1922, ♂, ♀, ix.1922, all M.D. Daviland (all BMNH) , 2♂, roadside, 17.ix.1937, Richards & Smart ( BMNH) ; 6♂, ♀, Cuyuni R., 3 mls. from Kartabo, high forest, Richards & Smart, 20.ix.1937 ( BMNH) ; ♀, Mazaruni , low forest, 2˚ growth, 15.viii.1937, ♂, ♀, 25.viii.1937, ♀, 26.ix.1937, all Richards & Smith (all BMNH) ; same data except 3♂, 2♀, high forest, 13.viii.1937, ♂, 24.viii.1937, all Richards & Smith (all BMNH) ; ♂, Essequibo R., Moraballi Cr., trail, 21.viii.1929, 2♂, dark forest, 29.viii.1929, ♂, swamp, 9.ix.1929, ♀, 2.x.1929, ♂, dark forest, ♀, trail, ♂, dark forest, 9.x.1929, ♀, 10.x.1929, 2♀, Wallaba forest, 19.x.1929, ♂, dark forest, 1.xi.1929, ♂ ♀, dark forest, 6.xi.1929, ♂, Wallaba forest , 7.xi.1929, ♂, swamp, 11.xi.1929, all Oxford University Expedition (all BMNH) ; ♂, Essequibo R., Monkey Jump , 9.x.1929, Oxford University Expedition ( BMNH) ; ♀, Kartabo, Bartica Dist. , 10.v.1924 ( USNM) , same data except ♂, ♀ (same pin), x.1920 ( USNM) ; ♂, Mazaruni-Potaro Dist., Kartabo Pt , 27.xii.1983, W.E. Steiner & J. Byrd ( USNM) . Potaro-Siparuni: ♂, 1 sex unknown (abdomen missing), Kangaruma , 18.viii.1911 ( USNM) ; ♂, ♀, Kaieteur, Tuheit Tr., high forest, 1.ix.1937, Richards & Small ( USNM) . Upper Demerara-Berbice: 2♂, Mallali ( BMNH) . Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo: 5♂, ♀, Rupununi Dist., Kurupukari, Essequibo Riv., E. side, Primary Rainforest , 200ft, 6–16.x.1990, H. Hubley ( ROME) ; ♀ Waranama , 13.xi.1936, Ogilvie ( USNM) . PERU. Madre de Dios: 3♂, ♀, Manu, Rio Manu , Pakitza, 250 m, 12˚7’S, 70˚58’W, 9– 23.ix.1988, A. Freidman ( USNM) , same data except ♂, 11˚56’S, 71˚18’W, fogging canopy at plot 1, 21.ix.1989, T. Irwin et al. ( ANSP) ; 24♂, 16♀, Los Amigos Biol. Stn., 2–14.vi.2006, Paiero & Klymko ( DEBU) . SURINAME. Brokopondo: ♀, 30.i.1969, L. & C.W. O’Brien ( USNM) . Sipaliwini: 6♂, Raleigh, Vallen-Voltzberg Res., Voltzberg Camp , 90 m, 29.i–13.ii.1982, J. Carpenter & D. Trail ( USNM) . VENEZUELA. Amazonas: 14♂, 4♀, R. Mavaca Camp, 65˚06’W, 2˚2’N, 150 m, 16–27.iii.1989, D.A. Grimaldi ( AMNH) . Bolívar: ♀, Akuriman, Gran Sabana , xi–xii.1940, P. Anduze ( USNM) ; Mérida: ♀ ( ZMUC) .

Figures

FIGURES 10–11. 10. Curtonotum brunneum Klymko & Marshall, sp. n. Apa Apa Reserve, La Paz, Bolivia. 11. Curtonotum pantherinum (Walker). Los Amigos Biological Station, Madre de Dios, Peru.

FIGURES 115–121. Curtonotum pantherinum (Walker). 115. Male terminalia, left lateral. 116. Male terminalia, posterior. 117. Distiphallus, dorsal. 118. Female sternite 8, ventral. 119. Female sternite 10, ventral. 120. Spermatheca. 121. Ventral receptacle.

FIGURES 195–202. Curtonotum punctithorax Fischer. 195. Male terminalia, left lateral. 196. Distiphallus, dorsal. 197. Male terminalia, posterior. 198. Female sternite 8, ventral. 199. Female sternite 10, ventral. 200. Spermatheca. 201. Ventral receptacle. 202. Ovipositor, left lateral.