Syneches curvipes (Fabricius)

Soares, Matheus M. M., Freitas-Silva, Rafael A. P. & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2021, Review of Brazilian species of Syneches Walker (Diptera, Hybotidae, Hybotinae), with description of ten new species, Zootaxa 5049 (1), pp. 1-84 : 28

Syneches curvipes (Fabricius)

( Figs 1A , 15A–E , 52 )

Damalis curvipes Fabricius, 1805: 147 .

Hybos curvipes: Wiedemann, 1828: 415 .

Damalis quadricinctus Fabricius, 1805: 148 .

Hybos quadricinctus: Wiedemann, 1828: 415 .

Syneches quadricinctus: Bezzi, 1909: 314 (key); Smith, 1967: 10 (cat.); Yang et al., 2007: 313 (cat.); Menezes & Ale-Rocha, 2016: 413–415 (syn.).

Syneches curvipes: Bezzi, 1909: 314 (key); Collin, 1933: 28 (cit.); Smith, 1962: 212 (cit.); 1967: 9 (cat.); Yang et al., 2007: 307 (cat.); Menezes & Ale-Rocha, 2016: 413–415 , figs 33–39, 107, 119 (rev., Brazil). Type locality: America Meridional.

Diagnosis. Large size (6.0 mm) ( Figs 1A , 15A ). Antenna dark brown ( Figs 1A , 15C ); palpus and proboscis brown to dark brown ( Figs 1A , 15C ). Prosternum fused to proepisternum; scutum rounded, as broad as mesopleuron in lateral view, orange yellow to brown, covered with golden pruinescence, except dorsocentral stripe with gray pruinescence ( Figs 1A , 15B ). Abdomen dark brown, except tergite 1 and lateral of tergites 2–4 yellow to pale brown ( Figs 1A , 15A ). Legs yellow to pale brown, except fore and hind tibiae and all tarsomeres 5 brown to dark brown, hind femur yellow to brownish on basal half, strongly swollen with 1AV series of spiniform bristles inserted on short tubercles ( Figs 1A , 15D ). Wing hyaline, greyish; pterostigma long, oval, brown near base fading off apically; second section of M 1 longer than crossvein r-m; both cells br and bm longer than cell cua ( Fig. 15E ).

Material examined. BRAZIL. Amapá: Calçoene, Balneário Asa Aberta , 02°31′072″N 50°58′16.8″W, Malaise, 17–18.iv.2014, J.T. Câmara & J.A. Rafael (1 ♂, 1 ♀, INPA) ; idem, Ig. Asa Aberta, Varredura , 17.iv.2014 (1 ♂, 2 ♀, INPA) ; Serra do Navio, Estr. Cach. Pedra Preta , 00°53′39.2″N 52°00′41.9″W, Malaise, 14–16.iv.2014, J.T. Câmara & J.A. Rafael (1 ♀, INPA) . Pará, Rio Nhamundá , 01°35′11″S 57°37′32″W, Syneches curvipes (Fabricius) Det. Ale-Rocha, 1999 (1 ♀, INPA) .

Distribution. Brazil (Amapá *, Amazonas and Pará) ( Fig. 52 ); Guyana. Syneches curvipes is known to occurr only in the Amazon biome.

Remarks. This species is remarkably similar to S. catarinae , but it can be separated by the characters given in the key (see also “Remarks” under S. catarinae ). A female specimen of S. curvipes was photographed resting on the vegetation in Guyana ( Fig. 1 ), showing the typical sitting and waiting hunting behavior of many hybotid flies [see Wilder (1974) for Nearctic Syneches species and Jaume-Schinkel et al. (2020) for the genus Chvalaea ( Hybotidae : Ocydromiinae )].

Figures

FIGURE 1. Syneches Walker. Habitus. A. Syneches curvipes (Fabricius, 1805), (female from Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo, Guyana); B–C. Syneches rafaeli Ale-Rocha & Vieira, 2008; B. Male from Magalhães Barata, Pará, Brazil; C. Female from Magalhães Barata, Pará, Brazil. Figure 1A provided by Paul Bertner. Figures 1B–C provided by César Favacho.

FIGURE 15. Syneches curvipes (Fabricius, 1805) (female from Pará). A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Thorax, lateral view; C. Head, lateral view; D. Hind leg, anterior view; E. Wing.

FIGURE 52. Syneches Walker. Geographical records of S. angulatus Menezes & Ale-Rocha, 2016; S. curvipes (Fabricius, 1805) and S. repletus Bezzi, 1909 in Brazil