Paradoxa Marshall 1896

Jaschhof, Mathias & Kallweit, Uwe, 2009, The Cycloneura Marshall group of genera in New Zealand (Diptera: Mycetophilidae: Leiini), Zootaxa 2090, pp. 1-39 : 4-5

Genus Paradoxa Marshall 1896

Marshall 1896: 290 (description); Tonnoir & Edwards 1927: 823 (discussion); Jaschhof 2006: 233 (discussion). Type species. Paradoxa fusca Marshall 1896 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. The top of the head is rounded and situated above the level of the ventral margin of the mesonotum ( Fig. 33 ). The lateral ocelli are far from the eye margins ( Fig. 26 ). The third maxillary palpus segment lacks translucent sensilla, which is an unusual character state of Leiini but found also in Procycloneura sp. The scutum is rounded anteriorly, not protruding ( Fig. 33 ). Sc is short and ends free; M is furcate, with short stem; and A1 joins CuA2 to form a closed cup ( Fig. 13 ). Paradoxa has no recognizable autapomorphic characters. The diagnosis, and the generic redescription that follows, are based on the type species, P. fusca , and P. paradoxa Jaschhof 2006 from South Africa.

Redescription. Color. Dark brown with lighter legs. Head. Head capsule in lateral view higher than long, rounded on top. Foramen situated little above midheight of head. Frons mostly asetose except some lateral setae. Antennae inserted at midheight of head. Scape little longer than pedicel, both setose. Fourteen flagellomeres; individual flagellomere slightly compressed, with very short stalk; node shorter or little longer than wide, longer in males than in females; short trichia of which the bases form polygon-like patterns, usually 1–3 short setae distally; apical flagellomeres with 2–3 short setae apically. Fine interommatidial setulae. Three ocelli in wide triangle on top of head, median ocellus smaller than laterals, the latter far from eye margins (the distance equates 3 times the ocellus width). 3–4 bristles in line behind upper eye margins, 1 pair of bristles behind median ocellus and 1 pair in front of lateral ocelli; all bristles directed anteriorly. Both face and clypeus subrectangular, setose. Labrum small, weakly sclerotized. Stipes strongly setose. Lacinia vestigial. Maxillary palpus 4- or 5-segmented; basalmost segment setose or asetose; second segment with few wartlike sensilla; third segment lacking translucent sensilla; apical segment longest. Prementum weak, asetose. Premental apodemes fused mesally, with 2 posterior processes. Labellum setose laterally; prestomal teeth forming long, dense mesal row.

Thorax. High, scutum index 2.05, episternum index 1.0. Postpronotum asetose. Suture between antepronotum and proepisternum weak; both sclerites with setae and bristles. Proepimeron situated posteroventrally of proepisternum, long and pointed, fitting into notch of preepisternum 2. Basisternum 1 asetose. Anepisternum smaller than preepisternum 2, with largely obscure suture between, both sclerites asetose like all other pleura. Preepisternum 2 covering basalmost portion of mid coxa. Anepimeron with narrow ventral portion occupying some space between preepisternum 2 and laterotergite. Mid-pleural pit well developed, its mound protruding, pleural apodeme funnel-shaped. Laterotergite ovate, bulging. Scutum rounded anteriorly, not protruding, with evenly distributed setae intermingled with bristles. Anterior parapsidal suture distinct. Prescutum not traceable. Scutellum setose, 2 lateral bristles. Mediotergite slightly arched. Wing. Long, wing index 2.6. Membrane with brown tinge, often darkened on anterior margin, with microtrichia on both sites and some setae close to posterior margin, or setae absent. Calypterous lobe developed, with setose margin. Dmp asetose. Anal lobe evenly curved. C extending much beyond apex of R5 and almost to wing apex, or ending clearly before wing apex. Sc very faint, short, ending free. One crossvein (Rs) between R1 and R 5 in proximal half of wing. R1 shorter than ta, ending in distal half of wing. Apical portion of R5 curved alongside C. M furcate; M-stem and basalmost portion of either M1 or M2 weak, Mstem much shorter than fork; tines of fork evenly diverging towards wing apex. CuA1 long, free basally. CuA2 sinuous. A1 infraspecifically variable, joining CuA2 to form closed cup or fading out shortly before CuA2. CuP present as distinct fold. A2 slightly furcate, or absent. Dorsal setae on all veins except on h, Sc, Rs, CuP, and A2; tb with or without dorsal setae. Ventral setae on R1 and R5. Halter with light stem and dark knob. Legs. Hind margin of hind coxa protruding. Tibial and tarsal trichia irregularly arranged. Fore tibia shorter than femur, with very short setae arranged irregularly or in lines. Fore tibial organ with semicircular rim, with numerous pale trichia of which the distalmost form a comb. Mid and hind tibiae with 2–3 rows of setae, longest setae little longer than tibial diameter. Hind tibial apical comb of pale setae present or absent. Tibial spurs 1:2:2, with serrated rims; spurs on mid and hind tibiae of unequal length. Empodia wide, longer than pretarsal claws. Pulvilli, if correctly identified, reduced to form tiny sclerotized plates. Claws with 1 large and 2 small teeth.

Abdomen. Setose except sternite 1. Light, weakly pigmented lateral lines (folds?) on male tergites 2–5 and sternites 2–6, and on female tergites 2–6 and sternites 2–7.

Male terminalia. Large, usually rotated 90–180°. Sternite 9 absent, or present as small bare sclerite. Tergite 9 elongate, partly merged with gonocoxites. Gonocoxites capsule-like, with deep V- or U-shaped ventral emargination and lateral lobes to hold gonostyli. Both postGA and antGA long. Gonostylus inserted ventrolaterally on gonocoxal capsule, clasping in vertical direction. Aedeagus and parameres forming complex structure with large membranous and small sclerotized portions. Hypoproct setose. Cerci largely fused mesally, setose. Female terminalia. Tergite 8 moderately long, setose. Gonocoxite 8 narrowly rounded, with numerous large apical setae. Tergite 9 long, setose. Gonapophyses 9 sclerotized, merged to form common internal structure. Tergite 10 very short, setose. Sternite 10 setose, merged with tergite 10, or separate. Cercus setose, basicercus much longer than disticercus.

Figures

FIGURES 30 – 33. Morphology of Leiini. 30: Head, in frontal view, of Cycloneura Marshall sp. 31: Head, in frontal view, of Tonnwardsia gen. et sp. n. 32: Head, in frontal view, of Paracycloneura apicalis Tonnoir. 33: Thorax, in lateral view, of Paradoxa fusca Marshall. Length of scale bar = 0.1 mm (for 30 – 32) and 0.25 mm (for 33).

FIGURES 26 – 29. Head in frontal view. 26: Paradoxa fusca Marshall. 27: Sigmoleia peterjohnsi sp. n. 28: Cawthronia nigra Tonnoir. 29: Waipapamyia dentata sp. n. Length of scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 13 – 18. Wings. 13: Paradoxa fusca Marshall, dorsal view. 14: Sigmoleia melanoxantha Edwards, ventral view. 15: Sigmoleia similis sp. n., ventral view. 16: Sigmoleia separata sp. n., dorsal view. 17: Sigmoleia peterjohnsi sp. n., vental view. 18: Cycloneura triangulata Tonnoir, ventral view.