Ropalomera nudipes Frey, 1959

Kirst, Frederico Dutra & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the Amazonian species of Ropalomera Wiedemann, 1824 (Diptera: Ropalomeridae), Zootaxa 3151, pp. 1-27 : 17-19

Ropalomera nudipes Frey, 1959

Rhopalomera nudipes Frey, 1959: 47 –48 (key, description); Prado, 1966: 215 –216 (key, citation).

Ropalomera nudipes ; Steyskal, 1967: 3; Prado & Papavero, 2002: 1 (catalogue); 2009: 4 (catalogue).

Allotype female. Body: 7.5 mm; wing: 7.3 mm

Head: Frons yellow with thin yellowish pilosity and two spots of silver pollinosity covering the ocellar region to the vertex; eye circumference with silver pollinosity. Ocellar tubercle dark brown, shiny and with pair of bristles. Postocellar bristles divergent. Postocular bristles present. Antenna with brown scape, very short; pedicel brown, twice the size of the scape and with hairs and one dorsal short bristle; flagellomere orange with anterior margin dark brown; arista plumose with long hairs, dark brown with basal third orange. Gena broad, brown, covered with silver pollinosity and slender golden bristles, which are dorsally short and ventrally longer. Parafacialia brown with dark-brown pilosity and four distinct bristles. Face brown, shiny, with rounded facial tubercle. Clypeus dark brown. Palpus yellowish with sparse dark bristles that are short dorsally.

Thorax: Scutum dark brown with acrostichal and dorsocentral stripes of silver pollinosity. Scutellum trapezoid, dorsal surface concave, rounded posteriorly, light and without pollinosity; side of basal half and ventral surface with silver pollinosity. Mesopleuron without stripe of pollinosity. Chaetotaxy: one postpronotal, two notopleural, one presutural supra-alar weakly developed, one postsutural supra-alar, one postalar, one intra-alar, one intra-postalar, one acrostichal, and two scutellar bristles, with one apical and one on lateral half of scutellum. Mesopleuron with one strong bristle on anepisternum, one on katepisternum and one distinct seta on posterior margin of posterior spiracle.

Legs: Coxae with silver pollinosity. Femora dark brown with spots of silver pollinosity and thin pilosity. Mid femur with two series of spine-like setae (11 anteroventral and 12 posteroventral) that decrease in length toward the apex; one apical seta on dorsal surface. Hind femur with seven long dorsal bristles; distal half with seven anteroventral, spine-like bristles and four on posteroventral surface. Tibiae brown, with short slender bristles. Fore tibia with dense golden pilosity on anteroventral surface of apical third and long preapical bristle on surface. Mid tibia with one long, anteroventral preapical bristle and one ventral apical spine-like bristle. Hind tibia with dorsal ridge, four long bristles on protuberances. Tarsi yellowish and with dense golden pilosity on ventral surface.

Wing: Yellowish with distinct spots on cross-vein r-m, on final portion of vein R1, on R2+3, R4+5 and on intersection between CuA1 and dm-cu ( Fig. 62 ).

Abdomen: With shiny dark-brown tergites, each tergite with four silver spots of pollinosity (giving chessboard appearance). Terminalia: telescoped, sternite 6 without pollinosity spots and weakly sclerotized.

Male: Differs from the female in the following ways: facial tubercle matte and rounded. Abdomen: sternite 5 trapezoid with rounded sides, posterior margin with v-shaped invagination medially, lateral bristles longer ( Fig. 36 ). Terminalia: cerci fused on basal two-thirds, bristles as long as cercus ( Figs. 37, 38 ). Surstylus twice the size of cerci, falciform, with bristles on dorsal surface ( Fig. 39 ). Parameres bilobed ( Fig. 40 ). Aedeagus sclerotized on basal half and middle (end part of aedeagus lost) ( Figs. 41, 42 ). Epiphallus anchor-shaped with truncated apex and long branches ( Figs. 41, 42 ).

Type material. Alotype female ( NHRS), labeled: [ BRAZIL], Amazon / Maj 1924, A. Roman/ Allotypus (red rectangular label)/ Rhopalomera nudipes n.sp Frey det. (manuscript label)/ NRM Sthlm, loan 1805/08 (green label).

Condition of Alotype: in good condition, not dissected.

Additional material examined. BRASIL, Amazonas, Manaus, Reserva Adolpho Ducke, 5m, 26.viii.2002, Armadilha McPhail modificada, A. P. Tregue-Costa, 3 ( INPA); same but, 9–16.x.2002, E. F. Soares & A. L. Pinheiro, área aberta, baixio, Ƥ; same but, 18.xii.2002, platô, 3 Ƥ (all INPA); same but, 29.v. 2003, 15m, A. P. Tregue- Costa, Ƥ; same but, 06.vi.2003, platô, 5m, Ƥ; same but, 16.vi. 2003, 25m, 2 Ƥ (all INPA); BR 174, Km 23, EARA, 28.v.1997, McPhail, em abil, B. Ronchi-Teles, 3 Ƥ; 10.vii.1997, em bacuri; 21.viii.1997 (all INPA); Nova Aripuanã, Comunidade Bela Vista, Lago Shaddá, 18–22.iv.2005, Programa de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade, F. F. Xavier F°, 3 ( INPA); Manicoré, cachoeirinha, 05°29’44,0”S, 60°49’21,3”W, Rio Madeira, Margem Esquerda, suspensa com melado de cana, ix.2004, M. Pena & A. Silva, Ƥ ( INPA), São Paulo de Olivença, Armadilha alta, 11– 14.ix.2005, J. A. Rafael, Ƥ ( INPA).

Geographical distribution: Brazil (Amazonas).

Variations. Not observed.

Discussion. This species has similarities with Ropalomera clavipes , including wing spots, but these spots differ in their number and sharpness, which in R. nudipes are less distinct and numerous. Furthermore, this species is smaller, and the male genitalia differ as follows: Surstylus falciform and epiphallus anchor-shaped with truncated apex and long branches.

Figures

FIGURES 57 – 64. Wings: 57, Ropalomera albifaciata sp. n. (3 paratype); 58, R. clavipes (3); 59, R. femorata (3); 60, R. glabrata (3); 61, R. goyana (3); 62, R. nudipes (Ƥ); 63, R. tessellata (3); 64, R. tibialis (3). Scales = 2,0 mm.

FIGURES 36 – 42. Ropalomera nudipes 3: 36, Sternite 5; 37 – 38, epandrium (ventral and lateral view); 39, left surstylus (dorsal view); 40, left paramere (lateral outer view); 41 – 42, inner male terminalia (ventral and lateral view). Scales: 36 – 38, 41, 42 = 0,5 mm; 39, 40 = 0,2 mm.