Scipopus (Phaeopterina) gorgonae Hennig, 1934

Lindsay, Kate & Marshall, Stephen A., 2023, A revision of Scipopus Enderlein including the subgenera Scipopus s. str., Phaeopterina Frey and Parascipopus subgen. nov. (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 904, pp. 1-189 : 126-129

Scipopus (Phaeopterina) gorgonae Hennig, 1934

Figs 54–55

Scipopus gorgonae Hennig, 1934: 329 .

Scipopus gorgonae – Aczél 1949 c: 342 (catalog). — Steyskal 1968: 48.16 (catalog). — Marshall et al. 2016: 544 (catalog).

Differential diagnosis

Scipopus (Phaeopterina) gorgonae resembles S. (Ph.) rufilabris , S. (Ph.) turgidus sp. nov. and S. (Ph.) noturgidus sp. nov. in having brown infuscate wings, a light brown epicephalon and clypeus, and dark brown legs, but differs from all congeners in having an apically swollen and diverging male genital fork, a bare postpronotal lobe and the narrow epicephalon (width <⅔ of frontal vittal width at inner verticals).

Type material examined

Syntypes

COLOMBIA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Gorgona Island ; 2.59′ N, 78.20′ W; 24 Jul.; L.E. Cheeseman leg.; BMNH .

Other material examined

COSTA RICA • 1 ♂, 10 ♀♀; San Juan de Peñas Blancas, San Ramón, Soltis Research Centre ; 17 Aug. 2013; S.A. Marshall leg.; MNCR (♂, ♀ dissected and photographed, Fig. 54A–F ) • 1?; same collection data as for preceding; UGIC201-15/MYCRO102-15 sequenced for CO1–5′, CO1–3′, 12S, 28S; DEBU • 1 ♀; Alajuela, Volcán Tenorio, N slope nr Bijagua Biol. Stn; 700 m a.s.l.; 19 Jun. 2000; Buck and Marshall leg.; pan traps in treefall; DEBU .

Description

LENGTH. 10–14 mm.

HEAD. Palpus orange apically, light brown basally, entirely pale microtrichose and setulose. Clypeus orange or light brown, width ~2.2 × height, silvery microtrichose on entire surface. Frontal vitta dull, orange, microtrichose. Epicephalon light brown or orange, shiny, conspicuously silvery microtrichose, narrow (width <⅔ of upper frontal vitta width), clearly delineated from upper frontal vitta ( Fig. 54F ). Upper fronto-orbital seta absent, 1–2 pairs of lower fronto-orbital setae; all other head chaetotaxy well-developed.

THORAX. Scutum black-brown, dark brown microtrichose, with a wide, silvery blue median sheen. Female cervical sclerite convex anteriorly. Postpronotal lobe black-brown, bare. Notopleuron black-brown, pale microtrichose on ventral margin and outlining anterior notopleural seta. Legs dark brown or black, slightly lighter basally. Fore tarsomere 1 dark brown or black with prominent ventral golden fringe; hind tarsomere 1 dark brown or black with slight anteroventral golden fringe. Wing evenly dark brown infuscate.

ABDOMEN (J+ ♀). T1 with fine, long white setae.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. Pleuron pale grey, dorsal half of P1–2 dark brown, P3–6 almost entirely dark brown. T1+2 ~1.9× length of T3; posterior margin of T2 ~1.4× as wide as T1. Oviscape black-brown, white microtrichose on anterior ⅔, ~2.5× length of T6. Common duct very short, smooth, not delineated from paired duct. Paired spermathecal duct long (7.0 × length of paired spermathecae), narrow, parallel-sided, swollen apically and with slight striae. Paired spermathecal stems narrow, with jagged irregular tubercles, longer than spermathecae. Paired spermathecae elongate, curved, pointed apically. Single spermathecal duct arising from base of paired duct, narrow, <½ diameter and length of paired duct, slightly swollen apically. Single spermatheca elongate, with jagged tubercles.

MALE ABDOMEN. Pleuron pale grey, dorsal half of P1, 3–6 dark brown; pleural sac off-white on ventral half, dark brown on dorsal half. T1+2 ~2.5× length of T3. Genital fork small (≈ in length to T6), arms diverging, distal ends swollen, densely lined with spinules on inner margins ( Fig. 54C ); inner basal process angled inwards, ¼ length of arm. Epandrium elongate (length 2.0 × height), short setose on posteroventral margin. Basiphallus small, frame-like. Basal distiphallus long (≈ length to epandrium), broad, partially ending in phallic bulb. Phallic bulb elongate (length 2.0× height), complex and multi-chambered.Distal distiphallus short (≈ length to phallic bulb), apex expanded and rounded. Phallapodeme slender, not apically expanded. Anterior hypandrium narrow, only slightly expanded.

Remarks

The male syntype has very pale hind legs, which are probably faded from their original colour.

Distribution

Colombia, Costa Rica (new record).

Figures

Fig. 54. Scipopus (Phaeopterina) gorgonae (Hennig, 1935) (MNCR). A. Head, ♀, anterolateral view, Costa Rica, non-type. B. Habitus, ♀, Costa Rica, non-type. C. Male genital fork, ventral view, Costa Rica, non-type. D. Male terminalia, lateral view, Costa Rica, non-type. E. Female spermathecae and associated structures, Costa Rica, non-type. F. Head and thorax, ♀, dorsal view, Costa Rica, non-type. G. Living, J, Costa Rica. Abbreviations: bc = bursa copulatrix; bdp = basal distiphallus; ddp = distal distiphallus; e = epandrium; h = hypandrium; pb = phallic pulb; pd = paired spermathecal duct; ps = paired spermathecae; pss = paired spermathecal stems; sd = single spermathecal duct; sp = sperm pump; ss = single spermatheca.

Fig. 55. Scipopus (Phaeopterina) gorgonae (Hennig, 1935), living, ♀, Costa Rica.