Curtonotum apicale Hendel

Klymko, John & Marshall, Stephen A., 2011, Systematics of New World Curtonotum Macquart (Diptera: Curtonotidae) 3079, Zootaxa 3079 (1), pp. 1-110 : 52-55

Curtonotum apicale Hendel

Figures 73–81 , and 209

Curtonotum apicale Hendel, 1913: 621 .— Wirth, 1975: 78.1 [Neotropical catalogue].

Diagnosis. Curtonotum apicale is unique in several characters. It is the only Curtonotum species outside of the C. murinum species complex that has three pairs of marginal setae on the scutellum; the only Curtonotum species outside of the C. murinum species complex that has female cerci fused and with stout setae; and the only Curtonotum species outside the C. vulpinum species complex besides C. trypetipenne that has a distinct pale “window” at the apex of r 3+4.

Description. Length: 5.0– 6.3 mm.

Head: Frons yellow-brown, darker laterally, with moderate bulge ventally and scattered pale setulae, slightly narrower ventrally, width 1.4–1.5 times height. Ocellar triangle and narrow strip on either side of frons dull grey microtomentose, lateral margins narrowly shiny silver microtomentose, microtomentum on ocellar triangle not extending anterior of anterior ocellus, narrow microtomentose strip extending from median occipital sclerite to half way between insertion of proclinate seta and ventral margin of frons. Proclinate seta at midpoint of sagittal distance between anterior ocellus and ventral margin of frons, lateral to major reclinate seta; minor reclinate seta anterior to and slightly medial of major reclinate (in some specimens minor reclinate seta almost directly medial of proclinate seta). Face shiny silver microtomentose, ground colour dark brown; vibrissa slightly larger than adjacent subvibrissals. Parafacial silver microtomentose with light brown ground colour, moderately broad; gena light brown with dark patch directly below eye, only lightly microtomentose, eye height 7.8–8.8 times gena height. Clypeus silver microtomentose, ground colour dark brown; palpus and prementum very dark brown, former with silver microtrichia, latter lightly silver microtomentose. Antennae with yellow-brown ground colour, scape and pedicel lightly silver microtomentose, first flagellomere with silver microtrichia, darker in ground colour on apical two-thirds.

Thorax: Silver microtomentose with dark 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. Scutum with 4 very subtle parallel dark vittae (best seen without magnification). Postpronotal lobe with 3–5 prominent setae (most specimens with 2, anteriormost seta smallest, middle seta ca. twice as long, posterior seta ca. 3–4 times as long); notopleuron setulose; scutellum with 3 pairs of marginal setae, the second pair from the median relatively weak. Anepisternum with 3 setae on posterior half; katepisternum with 2 setae, anterolateral seta weak; linear tuft of setulae under fore coxa straw coloured. Fringe of dark setulae present around ventral margin of posterior spiracle; meron bare.

Legs: Coxae densely silver microtomentose, legs otherwise lightly so. Chaetotaxy black, except for very dense, regularly spaced transverse rows of setulae anteroventrally on apical third of fore tibia and similar setulae on fore tarsomere 1, these dark brown. Coxae dark brown in ground colour. Fore femur dark brown in ground colour, with 4–5 posterodorsal setae and 6–7 relatively slender and elongate ctendial setae; mid femur medium to dark brown in ground colour, with 4–6 anterior setae; hind femur dark brown on apical quarter to third, otherwise yellow-brown in ground colour, with single subapical dorsal seta. Fore tibia brown-yellow in ground colour; mid tibia brown-yellow in ground colour, darker on apical ca. fifth, with 2 strong and 1 intermediate, and several small ventral apical setae, the intermediate seta between the 2 strong setae; hind tibia brown-yellow, darker on apical ca. 0.15. Tarsi yellow-brown, anteroventral margins of mid and hind tarsomere 5 without short cuneiform setae.

Wing: Alula relatively broad. Non-infuscated areas of wing clear, thus strongly contrasting with infuscated areas. Costal cell and portions of r 1 and r 2+3 below costal cell dark brown infuscated; r 1 and anterior half of r 2+3 dark brown infuscated from just proximal of midpoint between crossveins r-m and dm-cu to distal edge. R 2+3, R 4+5 medium-brown infuscated distally, infuscation extending proximally along M 1 to proximal of dm-cu, R 4+5 with distinct clear patch at apex. Broadly dark grey-brown infuscated around crossvein dm-cu; m 1 otherwise light brown infuscated along margin and broad apical area, dm otherwise medium brown infuscated along CuA 1 in apical half.

Abdomen: Ground colour dark brown, silver microtomentose, except where noted. Tergite 1 dull grey microtomentose; tergite 2 dull grey microtomentose medially, tergites 3 through 5 with dark brown medial vitta. Tergites 2 through 5 dark brown microtomentose on distal half (on tergite 2 this lateral to the grey microtomentose medial vitta), dark brown area tapering to posterior margin on lateral face of each tergite. Tergites 1 through 5 with microtomentum darker toward lateral margin (visible only ventrally).

Male terminalia: Sternite 5 well sclerotized, truncate posteriorly; tergite 6 moderately sclerotized, tergite 7 well sclerotized, dorsal length ca. 0.8 times epandrial dorsal length; sternites 6 and 7 well sclerotized, separated into right and left portions; sternite 6 broad, right portion with large acutely pointed knob on right, left portion more heavily sclerotized proximally; sternite 7 relatively long, slightly shorter than right portion of sternite 6. Epandrium relatively large, with scattered setulae (in no area these particularly long); surstylus fused to epandrium, broadly rounded with slightly pointed apex in lateral profile, with rounded concavity in posterior margin and ventral surface just lateral of postgonite, minutely setulose ventral and dorsally. Cercus squat, slightly pointed posteriorly on ventral half, longest cercal setulae longer than longest epandrial setulae. Hypandrium with narrow based, antrorse dorsobasal lobe, posterior bridge produced ventrally and anteriorly, epandrial arm narrowing distally, bowed dorsally, broadly fused distally with opposite hypandrial arm, without setulae; postgonite elongate, minutely setulose and with slight dorsal bend apically. Phallapodeme with relatively narrow, elongate, anteriorly bulging “fan”, margin opposite fan convex with subacute point; basiphallus weakly sclerotized basally, relatively stout; distiphallus relatively large, base elongate, expanded distally in lateral profile, bowed to left, apex bilobed, left lobe longer, nearly perpendicular to axis of phallus, extending dorsally, well sclerotized ventrally on proximal half, otherwise membranous, apex with 3 acute finger-like projections, ventral-most projection smallest, with minute antrorse, broad-based stout spinules, middle projection of intermediate length, with similar spinules, dorsal-most projection longest, smooth, right lobe heavily sclerotized ventrally on proximal half and on left margin, otherwise membranous, left margin with 2 acute teeth, apically rounded. Ejaculatory apodeme just outside of basiphallus, elongate, with small pores medially, broadening slightly basally.

Female terminalia: Sternite 5 length 0.9 times width, sternite 6 length 0.5 times width. Ovipositor relatively stout. Tergite 6 desclerotized medially; tergite 7 well sclerotized medially. Tergite 8 and sternite 8 weakly sclerotized proximally, though proximal edge of tergite 8 discernable. Sternite 8 truncate posteriorly, without apical area of heavy sclerotization. Sternite 10 with narrow, spinule-free, dorsoventrally flattened apodeme extending well into space between tergite 8 and sternite 8. Tergite 10 and cerci fused, with short stout setae medially and flattened plate-like setae laterally, these largest at apex. Spermatheca elongate, base rounded with irregular bumps, apex with large bumps, surface with coarse wrinkles. Ventral receptacle with basal half heavily sclerotized, distal half less heavily sclerotized, neck conical, apex bent, bulbous, duct with very fine transverse ridges.

Type material. Hendel’s (1913) type series included eight syntypes from Peru. Hendel made no indication of a holotype in his publication. Four syntypes (2♂, ♀, 1 sex unknown [abdomen missing]) from this type series have been examined. The male was labeled as typus by Hendel, and is here designated the lectotype, while the others were labeled cotypus by Hendel, and are here designated the paralectotypes. A lectotype has been designated to avoid any confusion surrounding the definition of C. apicale should the original type series prove to be made of more than one species .

Lectotype here designated: ♂: PERU. Junín: Chanchamayo , 14.i.1904 ( SMTD) . Paralectotypes: PERU. Huánuco: ♂, “Pachitea Münd.”, 150 m, 22.xi.1902 , ♀, 20.xi.1903, 1 sex unknown (abdomen missing), 26.xi.1903 ( SMTD) .

Other material examined. ECUADOR. Napo: ♂, Misahuali , 28.xi.1976, P.M. Turner ( USNM) . PERU. Huánuco: ♂, Monsoon Valley, Tingo Maria , 10.X.1954, E.I. Schlinger & E.S. Ross ( CASC) . Madre de Dios: ♂, Manu Nat. Pk., Cocha Cashu Biol. Stat. , 380 m, 31.viii–1.ix.1986, D.C. Darling ( ROME) ; ♂, ♀, Manu, Rio Manu, 250 m, Pakitza , 12˚7’S, 70˚58’W, 9–23.ix.1988, A. Freidberg ( USNM) . Ucayali: ♂, Previsto , 850 m, 18.vii.1965, J. Schunke ( BMNH) .

Figures

FIGURES 73–76. Curtonotum apicale Hendel. 73. Scutellum, dorsal. 74. Male terminalia, left lateral. 75. Male terminalia, posterior. 76. Distiphallus, dorsal.

FIGURES 77–81. Curtonotum apicale Hendel. 77. Tergite 8 and tergite 10 + cerci, dorsal. 78. Female sternite 8, ventral. 79. Female sternite 10, ventral. 80. Spermatheca. 81. Ventral receptacle.