Hoplocheiloma perforatum (Enderlein)

Marshall, S. A., 2011, A review of the genus Hoplocheiloma Cresson (Diptera: Micropezidae), Zootaxa 2806 (1), pp. 1-23 : 15-17

Hoplocheiloma perforatum (Enderlein)

Figs. 22–26

Tanypoda perforatum Enderlein 1922 , 202.

Hoplocheiloma perforatum (Enderlein) , Hennig 1935: 57.

Body length 6–8mm. Wing length 4–7mm. General colour: Most of head and thorax reddish brown but with extensive pollinose areas; face yellowish white but usually with a distinct black transverse band along lower margin; proepisternum with a transverse black band just above the long, golden ventral proepisternal setae. Abdominal tergites dark brown to blue-black.

Head: Frons orange-brown, darker at anterior margin and upper parts of orbital strips, frontal vitta broad, dull (microsetulose) and tapered anteriorly; orbital strips subshining; two very small frontal setae as well as large orbital, inner vertical and outer vertical setae. Ocellar triangle black. Clypeus uniformly pale orange, middle part with two stout setae and a few small setulae, clypeus covered with fine white setulae (denser on lateral portions). Lunule with a few scattered black setulae, face weakly sclerotized and pale except for dark lower margin (often forming a distinct narrow black transverse band), densely microsetulose. Palpus small, half as long as clypeus; almost parallel-sided, with evenly spaced small black setae. Mentum strongly setose.

Thorax: Notum orange with a distinct silvery presutural pattern forming an anchor shape (longitudinal anterior part connected to a posterior transverse band) and two distinct silvery postsutural spots. Both sexes with a uniform row of small acrostichal and dorsocentral setae, 1–3 anterior dorsocentral setae usually enlarged, much longer and slightly thicker than other setae, one large prescutellar dorsocentral seta only. Notopleuron with a large posterior seta and a smaller anterior seta. Main vertical row of katepisternal setae black or dark brown with a much weaker anterior row of golden setae, ventral apex of katepisternum with two long thick seta and one long thin seta.

Legs: Fore coxa conspicuously white on anterior surface due to dense white microsetulae, bare and dark reddish brown elsewhere. Fore femur and tibia dark brown to black, tibia with dense white microsetulae ventrally on distal third, tarsomere one and basal half of tarsomere two of foreleg white, other fore tarsomeres black; mid and hind femora mostly dark brown with one or two distal yellow preapical bands and a dark apex; mid and hind tibiae brown, first tarsomere of mid and hind legs white, tarsomeres otherwise black.

Wing: Broad discal band with a straight or slightly concave distal edge; preapical and stigmatal bands narrow, complete, parallel-sided; apical infuscation large; clear area between narrow preapical band and apical infuscation sometimes complete and sometimes surrounded by infuscated area. R 2+3 ending at or very slightly beyond plane of dm-cu.

Abdomen: Tergite one brown, other tergites black, tergites 1 and 2 fused but delineated by a band of silvery microsetulae. Tergite 1 with long pale lateral and dorsolateral setae, other tergites with small black setulae only.

Female abdomen: Abdominal pleuron of female darkly pigmented on dorsal part of segments 2–4 and then dark area abruptly more extensive, encircling segments 5 and 6. Tergite 7 with a prominent central pale and depressed area. Oviscape shining except for basal silvery white densely microsetulose area that broadly encircles base of oviscape. Pleuron of segment three with conspicuously long setae. Single spermatheca elongate, slightly wider than duct; paired spermathecae with elongate, contorted bases and spherical, apically invaginated heads.

Male abdomen: Pleuron dark dorsally on segment 2, segment 3 with a narrow dark band extending halfway around abdomen, segments 4–6 with a single dark band that circles abdomen (abdominal membrane thus entirely dark behind segment 4). Pleural sac absent, pleuron without bulging area. Epandrium yellow-brown, contrasting with darker pregenital segments. Genital fork long and narrow, arms strongly bowed, converging distally with entire inner surface covered with short, stout spines; basal part of fork medially carinate, carina continuous with trough between fused basal halves of arms. Anterior part of hypandrium forming two long separate arms; distiphallus with basal and distal parts subequal, bulb small and between arms of the relatively broad basal part, distal part with duct narrow with apex tapered. Aedagal apodeme wide and scoop-like distally.

Type material. HOLOTYPE (unique, ♂, ZMHU; examined and photographed): “ Brasil ” (handwritten green label) “Kat.-Nr. 4704”.

Other material examined. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Puerto Plata, rural area near city, 20–27.xii.2003, S.M. Paiero, debu00251849,51 (1 ♂, 1 ♀, DEBU) ; Puerto Plata, beach/forest edge, 20–27.xii.2003, S.M. Paiero, debu 00241777 (♀, DEBU) ; Santo Domingo, 21.vii.1967 (1 ♂, 1 ♀, CNCI; labeled Hoplocheiloma notitipenne det L. Albuquerque) ; La Altagracia, 2kmN Bayahibe , 18– 23N. 68–51W, 10m, 3.vii.1992, on limestone, C. Young et al. (1 ♂, CMNH 329.187 ) ; Azua, Padre las Casas , 500m, 18.viii.1980, A. Norrbom (1 ♀, CMNH 320.242 ) ; RD-229 2km road to San Juan, near bridge on Viajama River , Azua Prov , 294m, 18˚ 35.245’N70˚58.058.085’W, 20.iv.2004, D. Perez et al. (1 ♀, USNM) ; RD-222 2km S road to San Juan-Nagua, near Rio Piedras , Espaillat Prov , 41m, 19˚ 36.650’N70˚511.058.753’W, 15.iv.2004, D. Perez et al. (1 ♀, USNM) ; RD-198 Matadero , start of hills , Peravia Prov , 450m, 18˚24.464’N70˚25.736’W, 14.iv.2003, D. Perez et al. (1 ♀, USNM) .

Comments. The unique type of this species is labeled only “ Brasil ”. The collector is unknown, but since few of the late 19 th century collectors were known to visit Dominican Republic and Brazil on the same trips this is unlikely to be a labeling error. It is remotely possible that Hoplocheiloma individuals were at some point moved from the Dominican Republic, perhaps with the slave trade in the early 19 th century, perhaps forming temporary and localized populations from which this type was collected. Hoplocheiloma specimens are unknown from recent Brazilian collections, so the apparent Brazilian origin of the type of H. perforatum is an enigma that points to the need for new collections of Micropezidae from Brazil. A review of neotropical Taeniapterinae prepared as a PhD thesis by the Brazilian student L. Albuquerque (1986) mentions the examination of only one specimen of the genus from anywhere in Central or South America, a “ Hoplocheiloma perforatum ” from “ Nicaragua, Alta Gracia, 22.xii.1966, R.H. Holston” and deposited in the CNCI. This specimen is undoubtedly the specimen of H. maculosum currently in the CNCI with three labels, one label that reads “Altagracia D.R22xii66”, one label that reads “L.H. Holston Collector”, and one label that reads “ Hoplocheiloma ferrugatum Hennig 1935 femea det. L. Albuquerque”. This specimen is certainly from the Dominican Republic, not Nicaragua, and there is thus no evidence (other than the problematic holotype of H. perforatum ) that any Hoplocheiloma species occur in Central or South America.

Although Hoplocheiloma perforatum does occur in the Dominican Republic, earlier records of this species need to be reconsidered since the Dominican Republic species that most readily keys to H. perforatum in Hennig is an undescribed species, here named H. hispaniola new species. This species has 8–9 discrete pale spots on the otherwise brown distal half of the wing, with the spots widely separated, and with spots both in cell dm and to either side of 4+ 5 in a large brown area above cell dm. Hoplocheiloma hispaniola differs from other Hoplocheiloma species in several other characters, including the loss of orbital and vertical setae.

The type of H. perforatum has 7 pale wing spots, 6 of which are in two rows of three large closely spaced spots, together forming hyaline bands much like the wing pattern of H. maculosum . The seventh spot is in cell dm, just basal to crossvein dm-cu. A similar seventh spot occurs to varying degrees in some specimens of H. maculosum , which can thus have the same wing pattern as the H. perforatum holotype. There is no doubt, however, that H. perforatum and H. maculosum are different species. The most obvious and consistent differences between H. maculosum and H. perforatum are color characters ( maculosum has a black thorax; perforatum has a brown thorax) but they also differ widely in male and female terminalia (pollinosity of the oviscape, spermathecal shape, phallus structure and dimensions of the hypandrium).

The unique type of H. perforatum has its notal pattern entirely concealed by the pin, but it is undoubtedly a Hoplocheiloma (clypeal setae clearly visible) and, with the exception of the wing spot mentioned above, it agrees with the characters of the 11 specimens considered here from the Dominican Republic. New specimens from Brazil are necessary to test the hypotheses, tentatively accepted here, that the Dominican Republic specimens are conspecific with the type.

Figures

FIGURES 22–26. Hoplocheiloma perforatum (Enderlein). 22, female habitus, left lateral; 23, spermathecae and associated structures; 24, male terminalia, left lateral; 25, female abdominal apex to show dorsum of oviscape; 26, front of head. Abbreviations: dp—distiphallus; hy—hypandrium; aa—aedeagal apodeme; ep—epandrium; ps—paired spermathecae; ss—single spermatheca.