Coproica acutangula (Zetterstedt, 1847)

Bergeron, Matthew D., Marshall, Stephen A. & Swann, John E., 2015, A review of the New World Coproica (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) with a description of 8 new species, Zootaxa 3953 (1), pp. 1-157 : 18-19

Coproica acutangula (Zetterstedt, 1847)

Figs. 2, 9, 13–15, 29–40

Limosina acutangula Zetterstedt, 1847: 2499 [male]. Type locality: Sweden ,

Borborus pusillus .—Meigen, 1830: 296 [misidentification, nec Copromyza pusilla Fallén, 1820 ]; Morge, 1976: Pl. 163, Figs 12a,b [Meigen’s original illustr.].

Heteroptera pusilla .— Macquart, 1835: 570 [generic combination].

Description. Body length 1.5–2.5 mm. Body colour dark brown. Face brown, frons dark brown. Interfrontal bristles in 4–5 (usually 5) pairs; postocellar bristles slightly convergent; 2 pairs of small postocellar setulae. Gena frequently yellow on anterior 1/3 to 2/3, occasionally brown to dark brown; eye to gena ratio approximately 2.3:1; 8–10 genal setae with anterior seta twice as long as posterior.

Scutellum with 25–30 discal setae distributed evenly between basal 1/6 and basal 1/4; 3–4 lateral bristles between larger anterior and posterior marginal scutellar bristles. Katepisternum with 2 small subequal dorsal bristles, each approximately 1/5 as long as the distance between dorsal margin of katepisternum and wing base. Legs brown, fore coxa yellow. Distal 1/2 of male fore basitarsus conspicuously quadrate. Mid tibia with additional small anterodorsal bristle at 1/8; proximal posterodorsal bristles present at approximately 1/4 and 1/2. Mid basitarsus with small, stout anterior bristles at 1/2 and 3/4, 1 subapical bristle, 1 stout, sub-basal anteroventral bristle, and a strong anteroventral bristle at 1/2 with a smaller posteroventral bristle just distal to it. Male hind basitarsus with conspicuous apicoventral process. Second costal sector 1.1–1.9 times as long as third costal sector. Costal bypass short, terminating within 5 vein widths of R 4+5. M on male wing angled posteriorly beyond r-m, appearing to be continuous with dm-cu. Crossvein dm-cu on male wing shallowly S-shaped, intersection with cu acute and conspicuous. Anal vein with distinct angulate bend. Posterior margin of male wing with distinct concavity at 3/4, row of enlarged ventral hairs along concavity, directed anteriorly.

Male terminalia: Sternite 5 crescent-shaped, anterior margin concave, posterior margin slightly produced medially with posteromedial patch of dense microtrichia and a posterior row of enlarged bristles; lateral bristles enlarged. Left ventral portion of sternite 6 with convex posterior margin. Epandrium with enlarged pair of dorsolateral bristles; subanal plate incomplete (cerci and epandrium separate medially below anal opening); ventral margin of cerci relatively flat and straight, 2 or 3 enlarged bristles present in a cluster posteromedially on. Surstylus with posterior and posteroventral processes; posterior process with elongate thickened black bristle at base, 2 subapical tooth-like bristles, and 4–6 apical bristles; posteroventral process short, rounded, heavily bristled. Postgonites symmetrical, straight, with distinct pointed posterior process half way along its length, and row of 3 small anterior setae distal to posterior process. Basiphallus gently curved, tubular, open posteriorly; epiphallus with elongate crest. Lateral sclerites of distiphallus rounded, with elongate, anteriorly directed process; central sclerite fusing with lateral sclerites apically; additional sclerite ventral to central sclerite, fused with central sclerite ventroapically and in centre; ventral surface of distiphallus bulbous. Apical membranes with sparse, lightly sclerotized spines.

Female terminalia: Tergite 8 long laterally, short dorsally. Tergite 10 pollinose, narrowly fused to cerci laterally; cerci conical, pollinose, with long and sinuate bristles. Sternite 7 broad, rounded. Sternite 8 transverse with rounded posterior corners, and a posterior row of 4 small setae. Sternite 10 relatively parallel with tergite 10 and cerci, posterior margin not curved dorsally, lateral portions curved dorsally, with medial and lateral pairs of enlarged bristles. Spermathecae spherical; duct length approximately equal in length to spermathecal bulb.

Type material. Holotype male: SWEDEN: “in Svecciae meridionalis, in Paradislyckan ad Lund” ( LUND, not examined).

Material examined. See Appendix A.

Distribution: Afrotropical: Zaire; Australasian/ Oceanian: Hawaii (USA); Nearctic: Canada (AB, BC, MB, ON, QC) , USA (AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, MD, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NM, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY); Neotropical: Bermuda, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico (BCS, CAM, CHU, COA, DUR, JAL, MEX, MOR, NAY, VRC), Puerto Rico, Venezuela; Oriental: Japan (Okinawa), Pakistan, Taiwan; Palaearctic: Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kirghistan, Latvia, Macedonia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia (CET, FE, NET, SET, WS), Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan.

Comments. Coproica acutangula was designated as the type species of Coproica in 1996 (ICZN, 1996). It is cosmopolitan in distribution and the name-giving species of the C. acutangula species group, a group with an Old World origin. Males of C. acutangula can be distinguished from all other species of Coproica by a cluster of elongate microtrichia on the posterior wing margin, dm-cu forming an acute angle with CuA 1 ( Fig. 29 ), and a ventral process on the hind basitarsus ( Fig. 14 ; the latter character is shared with its sister species, C. digitata ).

Although we did not reexamine the type, the identity of this distinctive, common, synanthropic species seems unequivocal, as it has been consistently treated in the literature for many years.

Figures

FIGURES 9–12. scutellum. 9 Coproica acutangula (Zetterstedt). 10. Coproica diabolica sp. nov. 11. Coproica ferruginata (Stenhammar). 12. Coproica urbana (Richards). Abbreviations: EPR = enlarged posterior row of setae, MAB = midapical bristles, SAB = subapical bristles.

FIGURES 29–30. Coproica acutangula (Zetterstedt). 29. Male left wing, dorsal. 30. Female left wing, dorsal. Abbreviations: CB = costal bypass, EMT = enlarged microtrichia, ET = enlarged trichia along posterior margin of male hind wing.

FIGURES 13–20. Figs 13–15: Coproica acutangula (Zetterstedt). 13. Male left fore basitarsus, posterior. 14. Male left hind basitarsus, anterior. 15. left mid tibia, dorsal. Figs 16–20: left mid tibia, dorsal. 16. Coproica bifurcata sp. nov. 17. Coproica ferruginata (Stenhammar). 18. Coproica lugubris (Haliday). 19. Coproica novacula sp. nov. 20. Coproica rufifrons (Hayashi).