Spaniopsis White

Kerr, Peter H., 2010, 2592, Zootaxa 2592, pp. 1-133 : 98-100

Genus Spaniopsis White

Figs. 20–22, 30, 32, 61–62, 82, 105, 149, 164.

Spaniopsis White 1915: 43 . Type species Spaniopsis tabaniformis White 1915 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Although Spaniopsis is a distinctive genus, I could only find a single feature of the internal mouthparts that I consider unambiguously autapomorphic. In Spaniopsis species , the cornu is fused apically to the pharyngeal pump. I have not seen this in any other tabanomorph. Nagatomi & Soroida (1985) illustrate Atherix ibis and Suragina caerulescens as having a fused cornu also, however I did not see this in any of the athericids I examined over the course of this study. In all other taxa examined, the cornu extends beyond the pharyngeal pump, in line with the cibarium.

Spaniopsis species are very stout bodied flies, small to moderately sized (3 to 6 mm), with generally gray or dark gray thorax, with the posterior margin of each abdominal tergite often lightened to light brown or faded yellow in color so that the abdomen appears banded. Wings are mostly hyaline and either only lightly infuscate in the costal vein area (more darkly in S. marginipennis ), or infuscate near wing veins (as in S. mackerrasi ); male holoptic, eyes separated in female; antenna with terminal stylus, laterally compressed; mandibles present; laterotergite bare; M 3 incompletely present or absent; tibial spur formula 0:2:0; hind tibia without macrochaetae; tergite 9 with ventrolateral arms, extending posteriorly, surrounding and fusing to sternite 9 laterally; female spermathecal ducts with accessory glands. Spaniopsis is restricted to Australia and is more likely to be confused with local Tabanidae and Athericidae than with Rhagionidae , especially given the annoying bloodfeeding behavior of the females. Spaniopsis may be distinguished from both Athericidae and Tabanidae by the absence of a scale on the postspiracular sclerite and by the unsegmented, lanceolate form of the flagellum. Spaniopsis differs from Austroleptis by having a bulbous clypeus; a two-segmented palp; mandibles present; an unsegmented, lanceolate flagellum; and by the absence of hind tibial spurs. The genus may be distinguished from Atherimorpha most easily by its robust body, the form of its antenna, M 3 absent or incomplete, laterotergite bare, and hind tibia without spurs.

Description. Head. Clypeus bulbous. Scape approximately same size as pedicel. First flagellomere of antenna enlarged bearing stylus of single segment. Eyes in male ommatidia split into dorsal and ventral areas; smaller ventrally. Eyes inconspicuously setulose; in female, dichoptic; in male, holoptic. Parafacials in male not swollen. Labella longer than palpus, with pseudotracheae. Theca short and stout; formed by two sclerites, slightly separated medially. Palpus one-segmented. Stipes surrounded by membrane above theca, directed posteriorly. Lacinia longer than palpus, with serrated tip. Mandibles present. Cibarial pump short, as wide as long or wider. Cornu shorter than cibarial pump, apically fused to pharyngeal pump. Pharyngeal pump anteriorly broad, forming cup-like structure, longer in total length than length of cibarial pump.

Thorax. Mesonotum vittate. Dorsocentral bristles absent; all dorsal setae of equal length. Anepisternum setulose throughout posterior half, except in S. mackerrasi Paramonov where anepisternum bare. Laterotergite bare. Postspiracular scale absent. Proscutellum present. Subscutellum slightly swollen or not. Wing hyaline, with or without markings. Lower calypter reduced. Upper calypter well developed, with broad curvature, lobe-like, width twice length or less. Costa extends to wing tip. Humeral crossvein well developed. Sc-r crossvein weakly developed, positioned distal to h by approximate length of h. Dorsal side of R 1 setulose, ventral side bare. All other wing veins bare. R 1 and R 2+3 separated at wing margin. R 2+3 sinuous, apical third ultimately bends anteriorly slightly, toward leading edge of wing margin. Length of R 2+3 clearly shorter than R 5. Base of R 4 –R 5 fork proximal or directly above distal end of cell dm. R 4 nearly straight apically. R 5 ending at or near wing tip, clearly longer than R 4+5 (r-m to R 4 origin). R-m crossvein at proximal one-third to near halfway of discal cell. M 3 wing vein incompletely present (not reaching wing margin) or absent. Origin of CuA 1 at discal cell; m-cu crossvein absent CuA 2 approximately 2/3 length of posterior vein of cell bm). Alula with broad curvature that is slightly shifted distally. Anal lobe well developed. Cell cu p closed. Halter knob between 1/2–2/3 length of stem. Tibial spur formula 0:2:0. Hind coxal tubercle absent. Hind tibial macrochaetae absent.

Abdomen. Abdominal segments evenly tapered. In female, last 3 abdominal segments telescoped; tergite 7 much wider than long; intersegmental membrane between segments 7 and 8 short, as throughout abdomen; sternite 8 as wide as long or wider than long. Male terminalia with epandrium simple, not containing hypandrium ventrally. Epandrium wider than long, strongly notched anteriorly. Tergite 10 absent. Hypoproct triangular (rounded posteriorly), flattened, tomentose, without setae. Cercus directly adjacent to epandrium; widely displaced from one another, separation distance greater than three quarters width of cercus; held vertical in relation to rest of abdomen; in posterior view cupped, forming circular outline medially. Hypandrium fused entirely to gonocoxites. Gonocoxite with sinuous dorsal ridge, leading to gonocoxal apodeme. Gonocoxal apodemes short, usually not long enough to reach anterior margin of hypandrium. Sperm sac forming separate, distinct lobes ventrally. Ejaculatory apodeme short or long enough to reach anterior margin of hypandrium. Lateral ejaculatory processes present, not part of sperm sac posteriorly. Aedeagal tines absent. Endoaedeagal process absent. Female terminalia with tergite 9 with narrow anteriorlydirected ventrolateral projections, enveloping sternite 9. Spermathecae three, spherical, lightly to moderately sclerotized. Spermathecal ducts more than three times but less than five times length of sternite 9, not inflated at base of spermathecae. Spermathecal duct accessory glands arise at approximately the distal third of the spermathecal ducts. Spermathecal ducts sclerotized and thickened into narrow ring near junction with common spermathecal duct, otherwise slightly enlarged, lightly sclerotized, with small furrows on surface of ducts near base. Common spermathecal duct slightly thickened, about as long as longest diameter of genital chamber. Genital chamber circular, small, occupying fraction of sternite 9 area. Accessory gland posterior to genital chamber inconspicuous, easily overlooked even after staining. Sternite 9 anterior end rounded; posterior end with narrow posterolateral extensions. Tergite 10 present, entire, short (length less than half width). Sternite 10 present, split into two sclerites. Cercus two-segmented. First segment of cercusnot elongated, without ventral process. Basal cercal segment separated from one another dorsally by approximate width of second cercal segment. Ventral lobes of first segment of cercus not curving ventrally towards one another to form ring. Second cercal segment not elongated, without apical sensory pits.

Larva. Unknown.

Biology. Similar to Symphoromyia , Spaniopsis adult females take blood meals from vertebrate hosts ( Colless & McAlpine 1991; Ferguson 1915). Spaniopsis reportedly prefers shady, humid habitats, often at high elevation sites ( Paramonov 1962). Spaniopsis adults may be collected in Australia between November and May. Although species of this genus may be bothersome to humans, none are considered medically or economically important.

Literature. Paramonov (1962) gives a key to all Spaniopsis species (treated as Spania ).

Notes. Paramonov (1962: 139) states in his diagnosis that Spaniopsis “only has one spur on the hind tibia (often very weak).” All Spaniopsis species , however, have two mid tibial spurs and the hind tibia lack spurs entirely.