Telothyria van der Wulp, 1890

Fleming, AJ, Wood, D. Monty, Smith, M. Alex, Dapkey, Tanya, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel, 2020, Revision of Telothyria van der Wulp (Diptera: Tachinidae) and twenty-five new species from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica with a key to Mesoamerican species, Biodiversity Data Journal 8, pp. 47157-47157 : 47157

Telothyria van der Wulp, 1890

Telothyria van der Wulp, 1890: 44, [also 1890: 167]. Type species: Telothyria cupreiventris van der Wulp, 1890, by subsequent designation of Brauer & Bergenstamm (1891: 378 [also 1891: 74]).

Thereuops Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1891: 378 [also 1891: 74]. Type species: Miltogramma brevipennis Schiner, 1868 (preocc. by Miltogramma brevipennis Bigot, 1861), by subsequent designation of Brauer & Bergenstamm (1891: 378 [also 1891: 74]). Synonymy proposed by Aldrich 1929:7. [see below under Telothyria schineri Fleming & Wood, nom. n.]

Therevops . Incorrect subsequent spelling of Thereuops Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1891 ( Aldrich 1929: 7, 33).

Thelothyria . Incorrect subsequent spelling of Telothyria van der Wulp, 1890 (Brauer & Bergenstamm 1893: 132 [also 1893: 44]).

Comatacta Coquillett, 1902: 199. Type species: Brachycoma pallidula van der Wulp, 1890 (= Stomoxys variegata Fabricius, 1805), by original designation. Syn. n.

Leskiopsis Townsend, 1916: 627. Type species: Myiobia thecata Coquillett, 1895, by original designation. Synonymy proposed by Wood and Zumbado 2010: 1412.

Ptilomyia Curran, 1925: 8 (preocc. by Ptilomyia Coquillett, 1910). Type species: Ptilomyia plumata Curran, 1925, by original designation. Synonymy proposed by Curran 1928: 112.

Ptilomyoides Curran, 1928: 112. Type species: Ptilomyia becquaerti Curran, 1925, by monotypy. Syn. n.

Eutelothyria Townsend, 1931: 332. Type species: Eutelothyria itaquaquecetubae Townsend, 1931, by original designation. Syn. n.

Ptilomyiopsis Townsend, 1933: 527 (nomen novum for Ptilomyia Curran). Type species: Ptilomyia plumata Curran, 1925, by designation of the same species for Ptilomyia Curran, 1925. [ Curran 1928 proposed the synonymy of Ptilomyia Curran, 1925 with Comatacta Coquillett, 1902. Despite this proposed synonymy Townsend 1933 proposed a replacement name for Ptilomyia Curran, erected on the basis of Ptilomyia plumata Curran, 1925 which Townsend considered to be generically distinct from Comatacta ; junior synonym of Comatacta Coquillett, 1902 [teste Curran 1928: 112]]. Syn. n.

Euptilomyia Townsend, 1939: 451. Type species: Euptilomyia frontalis Townsend, 1939, by original designation. Syn. n.

Floradalia Thompson, 1963: 486. Type species: Floradalia major Thompson, 1963, by original designation. Syn. n.

Telothyria Other species included in Telothyria Robineau-Desvoidy

bequaerti Curran, 1925: 352 ( Ptilomyia ). Holotype male (AMNH), by original designation. Type locality: Brazil, Roraima, San Alberto. [Type locality cited in Curran (1928) as Honduras in error] Comb. n.

Telothyria brasiliensis Leskiopsis

cruenta Giglio-Tos, 1893: 3 ( Chaetona ). Holotype female (MRSN), by original designation. Type locality: Mexico. Comb. n.

cupreiventris van der Wulp, 1890: 169 in key [1890: 182, description] ( Telothyria ). Lectotype male [not female as published, Townsend 1931: 91] (BMNH), by fixation of Townsend 1931: 91. Type locality: Mexico, Tabasco, Teapa.

frontalis Townsend, 1939: 451 ( Euptilomyia ). Syntypes, 2 males (USNM), by original designation. Type locality: Brazil, São Paulo, Juquía [cited in Guimarães 1971: 121 as Itaquaquecetuba]. Comb. n.

Telothyria illucens Telothyria

insularis Curran, 1927: 12 ( Comatacta ). Holotype male (AMNH), by original designation. Type locality: Puerto Rico, San Juan. Comb. n.

itaquaquecetubae Townsend, 1931: 333 ( Eutelothyria ). Holotype male (USNM), by original designation. Type locality: Brazil, São Paulo, Itaquaquecetuba Comb. n.

major Thompson, 1963: 486 ( Floradalia ). Holotype female (CNC), by original designation. Type locality: Trinidad, Maracas Valley. Comb. n.

micropalpus Curran, 1925: 9 ( Ptilomya ). Holotype male (AMNH), by original designation. Type locality: Brazil, "Piedra Blanca" (as “Chapada”, in error according to Arnaud 1963: 126). Comb. n.

minor Thompson, 1963: 488 ( Floradalia ). Holotype male (CNC), by original designation. Type locality: Trinidad, St. Augustine. Comb. n.

nautlana Townsend, 1908: 101 ( Comatacta ). Holotype male [sex not given in original description, determined from holotype examination] (USNM), by original designation. Type locality: Mexico, Veracruz, San Rafael, Jicaltepec. Comb. n.

Telothyria placida Telothyria

plumata Curran, 1925: 8 ( Ptilomya ). Lectotype male (AMNH), designated by Arnaud (1963). Type locality: Brazil, Mato Grosso, "Chapada" [probably in or near present-day Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Guimarães]. Comb. n.

relicta van der Wulp, 1890: 171 ( Telothyria ). Holotype female (BMNH). Type locality: Mexico, Veracruz, Atoyac.

Telothyria rufopygata Viviana V.? rufopygata

Telothyria rufostriata Telothyria

schineri Fleming & Wood, nom. n. for Miltogramma brevipennis Schiner, 1869

brevipennis Schiner, 1868: 324 ( Miltogramma ). Holotype male (NHMW). Type locality: Brazil. Junior primary homonym of Miltogramma brevipennis Bigot 1861. [ Miltogramma brevipennis Schiner 1868 is a junior primary homonym of Miltogramma brevipennis Bigot, 1861 a valid name within the Sarcophagidae . The authors hereby propose the replacement name Telothyria schineri for Miltogramma brevipennis Schiner. The type material originally referenced by Schiner is conserved, with the specific epithet being selected in honor of Ignaz Rudolph Schiner.]

thecata Coquillett, 1895: 105 ( Myiobia ). Lectotype male (USNM), by fixation of Townsend in Townsend 1939: 250 (mention of "Ht male" from Bucks and Delaware counties in USNM is regarded as a lectotype fixation). Type locality: USA, Pennsylvania, Bucks County.

trinitatis Thompson, 1963: 484 ( Eutelothyria ). Syntypes males and females (1 male in CNC), by original designation. Type locality: Trinidad, Brazil (village name). Comb. n.

variegata Fabricius, 1805: 281 ( Stomoxys ). Holotype male (ZMUC), by original designation. Type locality: South America. Comb. n.

tricincta Fabricius, 1805: 301 ( Musca ). Holotype female (ZMUC). Type locality: South America. Syn. n.

pallidula van der Wulp, 1890: 95 ( Brachycoma ). Holotype male (BMNH). Type locality: Mexico, North Yucatan, Temax.

Telothyria Telothyria cupreiventris van der Wulp, 1890: 169. by subsequent designation

Description

Male. Head: frons narrow 1/10-1/8 of head width; 1-4 reclinate orbital setae; anteriormost reclinate orbital seta distinctly longer than uppermost frontal seta; ocellar setae most often absent, if present then these appearing short and underdeveloped, easily confused with vertical setulae arising behind anterior ocellus; eye bare, ventral margin below level of vibrissa; fronto-orbital plate ranging from shining silver or gold to brownish with a silver sheen; fronto-orbital plate with short black or blonde hairs interspersed among frontal setae; fronto-orbital plate with setae not extending below lower margin of pedicel; lower margin of face slightly lower than vibrissa almost not visible in profile; facial ridge bare in most species, the few exceptions possessing yellow almost inconspicuous hairs along margin; palpus either straight or with a slight club at apex, sparsely haired; arista ranging from bare to plumose, usually distinctly-thickened on basal 1/2, ranging in color from orange to dark brown-black. Thorax: gray to golden tomentose over a black to reddish-brown ground color; thorax covered in dense plumose blonde hairs or plumose hairs confined to lateral surfaces with disc of scutum covered in thin black hairs; prosternum bare; chaetotaxy: one proepimeral seta; one proepisternal seta; 4-5 postpronotal setae, basal setae arranged in a straight line; supra-alar setae 1-2:3; intra-alar setae 1-2:2-3; dorsocentral setae 3-4:3-4; acrostichal setae 3-4:3-4; katepisternum with 2-3 setae; meral setae usually absent in the traditional sense instead meral row replaced by a fan of long plumose hairs (Fig. 2 c). Scutellum with three pairs marginal setae; apical scutellar setae crossed apically, 1/8-1/10th as long as subapical scutellars; basal scutellar setae equal in length to subapical setae, often slightly shorter; subapical setae straight, ranging from divergent to convergent; ranging from gray to golden pollinose. Legs: ranging in ground color from yellow to dark reddish-brown; coxae covered in dense plumose blonde hairs. Wing: slightly longer than abdomen; translucent slightly hyaline; all veins bare, with 1-2 setula at base of vein R4+5; apical cell open at or just before the apex of wing; bend of vein M obtuse-angled. Abdomen: ground color ranging from a deep maroon, to different tonalities of yellow-orange with longitudinal middorsal brown markings; middorsal depression on syntergosternite 1+2 (ST1+2) reaching to hind margin of tergite; median marginal setae present only on tergite 4 (T4) and tergite 5 (T5) (one exception Telothyria omissa sp. n., which lacks the marginal setae on tergite 4 (T4)); median discal setae absent on ST1+2-T4, occasionally present on T5; sex patch absent. Male terminalia: Sternite 5 with median cleft ranging from deeply excavated and smoothly V-shaped, to shallow and only slightly separated; margins either bare or covered in dense pollinosity; lateral lobes of sternite either sharply pointed, rounded apically or squared, sometimes with a small group of strong setulae along outer margins; basal section of sternite 5 subequal to slightly longer than length of apical lobes. Cerci in posterior view sharply pointed and triangular typically with a well defined basal shoulder separating upper lobe from apical section, ranging from slightly shorter to subequal in length of surstyli, fused along entire length; in lateral view, with a strong downward curve on apical 1/3, and several strong widely spaced setae along basal 2/3. Surstylus in lateral view, almost equilateral along its length, rounded at tip, sometimes slightly pinched at midpoint appearing digitiform, appearing fused with epandrium, when viewed dorsally straight and slender or with a slight sinusoidal curve, parallel at apices. Distiphallus either long and slender or short and stout, ranging from 1.5X to 2X as long as basiphallus and tubular, weakly tapering apically. Distiphallus, hinged at a strong acute angle with basiphallus, a synapomorphy of the Dexiinae .

Female as in male except in the following aspects: head: bearing 2-3 pairs of proclinate orbital setae, as well as 2-3 pairs of reclinate inner orbital setae; one pair of outer vertical setae present; thorax: meron bearing either typical meral setae not plumose blonde hairs as in male (Fig. 2 d) or a mix of both plumose blonde hairs and regular setae (Fig. 2 e); legs: can display dimorphic coloration from males; abdomen: slightly more globose than males, coloration of the abdomen can be dimorphic between the sexes; female terminalia were not dissected, however external examination showed these to be unspecialized.

Diagnosis

Telothyria can be recognized most easily by the presence of long plumose hairs covering more than 50% of the thoracic surfaces, a trait that was historically used to unify the genera within the tribe. In males of the genus, and many of the females, the meral setae are also replaced with these plumose hairs. Characters of note within Telothyria are: prosternum bare; fronto-orbital plate haired; parafacial bare; arista ranging from plumose to bare; ocellar setae weakly developed or absent; eye bare; females of all species with two pairs of well-developed proclinate orbital setae, absent in males; first postsutural supra-alar seta poorly developed in length at most 0.5X second postsutural supra-alar; the three major setae of the postpronotum arranged in a straight line; most of the thorax covered in plumose blonde or coppery hairs (some species lack these setae dorsally) (Fig. 1 ); wings lacking costal spine. Abdomen with median marginal setae only on T4 and T5 (exception Telothyria omissa sp. n.), and discal setae absent.

Distribution

From southeastern USA west to Mexico and south to Brazil.

Ecology

Within the ACG inventory Telothyria has been reared from two families of lepidopteran hosts throughout the diverse ecosystems of the research area, Crambidae , and Tortricidae . Guimarães (1977), suggested Spodoptera sp. of the family Noctuidae , however he failed to identify the species of Telothyria and as such casts a doubt on this potential host.

Taxon discussion

Based on our observations of the apomorphies shared by the species assigned to the tribe Telothyriini , expressed as a result described herein, we propose the synonymy of all the genus-group names listed above within the tribe Telothyriini . Most recently, it has been suggested that the Telothyriini are a phylogenetically nested sub-clade within the Dexiinae ( Stireman et al. 2019); this evidence, is still the subject of discussion, as the reconstruction of the Dexiinae is still unclear. So, for the sake of continuity, taking into account all the available evidence, and given the remarkable difference between Telothyria and other genera within the Dexiinae , the authors have chosen to maintain the Telothyriini as a monotypic tribe, until further examination is conducted to clarify its classification.

Figures

Figure 1. Detail of thorax and head of Telothyria relicta van der Wulp, 1890 displaying the characteristic plumose hairs that cover the surfaces of the thorax. These hairs are unique to this genus, within the family Tachinidae.