Scipopus (Scipopus) belzebul ( Schiner, 1868 )

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 : 25-28

Scipopus (Scipopus) belzebul ( Schiner, 1868)

Figs 6B , 7

Calobata belzebul Schiner, 1868: 251 .

Scipopus bolivianus Hennig, 1934: 328 . Syn. nov.

Scipopus belzebul – Enderlein 1922: 210 (key). — Frey 1927: 74 (listed). — Curran 1934a: 451 (key). — Aczél 1949: 339 (catalog); 1951: 538 (key). — Steyskal 1968: 48.15 (catalog). — Ferro & de Carvalho 2014: 59 (listed). — Marshall et al. 2016: 544 (catalog).

Scipopus bolivianus – Aczél 1949: 340 (catalog); 1951: 539 (key). — Steyskal 1968: 48.15 (catalog).

Non Scipopus belzebul – Cresson 1930: 327 ( S. (S.) planus sp. nov.). — Hendel 1933: 61 ( S. (S.) convexus sp. nov.). — Hennig 1934: 322 (key), 324 (diagnosis) ( S. (S.) convexus ). — Albuquerque 1972a: 92, figs 1–9 (re-description) ( S. (S.) convexus ).

Differential diagnosis

Scipopus (Scipopus) belzebul resembles other species of Scipopus s. str. with a white first fore tarsomere and a shiny epicephalon clearly delineated from the upper frontal vitta ( S. (S.) brikelos sp. nov., S. (S.) chalybeus , S. (S.) nigripennis , S. (S.) furcifer , S. (S.) lateralis ). It differs in the wide, dark brown or black epicephalon, the blue sheen on the scutum and the dark brown or black clypeus.

Type material examined

Lectotype ( Calobata belzebul ) (photos provided by Peter Sehnal, Vienna, 2020)

VENEZUELA • 1 ♀; Lindig; 1864; Alte Sammlung; belzebul det. Schiner; NHMW .

Holotype ( Scipopus bolivianus ) (borrowed and photographed in 2002)

BOLIVIA • 1 ♀; Yungas [La Paz] v. Coroico; 1000 m a.s.l.; 18 Jun. 1906; SMTD .

Paratypes ( Scipopus bolivianus )

BOLIVIA • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; 8 Jun. 1906; SMTD (not examined) • 2 ♂♂; Yungas de La Paz ; 1000 m a.s.l.; BMNH (examined by photo only) • 1 ♀; ohne Loc. [without location]; MLUH (not examined) .

Other material examined

COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Cauca PNN Gorgona Alto el Mirador ; 2°58′ N, 78°11′ W; 130 m a.s.l.; 20 Feb.– 6 Mar. 2001; H. Torres leg.; Malaise; M.1475 ; IAVH • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 6–23 Oct. 2000; R. Duque leg.; M.900; DEBU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; Antigua Laguna ; 70 m a.s.l.; 5–20 Sep. 2000; M.912 ; debu01088997/MYCRO551-19 sequenced for CO1–5′; IAVH • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; El Saman; 5 m a.s.l.; 9–27 Aug. 2001; H. Torres leg.; M.2120; IAVH (photographed, Fig. 7A, C–E ) • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; Mancora ; 60 m a.s.l.; 23 Oct.–8 Nov. 2000; M.906; IAVH (dissected and photographed, Fig. 7B ) • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; El Helechal; 30 m a.s.l.; 13 Apr.–7 May 2001; M.1651; debu01088988/ MYCRO528-19 sequenced for CO1–5′; IAVH • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; El Roble; 130 m a.s.l.; 20 Feb.–6 Mar. 2001; M.1475; IAVH .

Description

LENGTH. 12–14 mm.

HEAD. Palpus dark brown, lighter apically, pale brown microtrichose and setulose on entire surface, narrow (length 4.6 × height). Clypeus dark brown or black, width ~2.1× height, bare medially, white microtrichose in posterolateral corners. Frontal vitta dull orange, microtrichose. Orbital plate orange, bare and shiny anteriorly. Epicephalon dark brown or black, shiny, mostly bare (white microtrichose near upper fronto-orbitals), wide (width over ⅔ of upper frontal vitta width at inner verticals), clearly delineated from upper frontal vitta. Paracephalon dark brown or black, slightly convex on posterolateral portions. All head chaetotaxy well-developed.

THORAX. Scutum black-brown, microtrichose, with even blue sheen ( Fig. 7C ). Female cervical sclerite with slight anterior bump. Postpronotal lobe black-brown, outer margin with several setulae. Notopleuron black-brown, with anterior, median and posterior white microtrichose spots. Pleuron black-brown with the following microtrichosity: entirely white on proepisternum, entirely white except brown posterodorsally on proepimeron, white on anteroventral ⅓ of anepisternum, with remainder in ventral corner and elsewhere on anepisternum brown, white anterior patch on katepisternum and posterior stripe extending onto anterior katatergite. Legs black-brown; first and second fore tarsomere white dorsally, hind tarsomere 1 almost entirely white dorsally.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. Tergites black-brown. T1 with fine, long, white setae. Abdominal pleuron pale grey, microtrichose, with P1 and upper half of P2–6 dark brown. T1+2 ~2.0× length of T3. Oviscape 1.5– 2.0× length of T6, black-brown, silvery-microtrichose on anterior ⅓. Combined spermathecal ducts short; common duct ⅔ of entire duct length. Paired spermathecal duct short (~4.0 × length of paired spermathecae), parallel-sided. Paired spermathecal stem slightly longer than spermatheca, relatively inornate. Paired spermathecae spherical. Single spermathecal duct narrow, arising from base of paired duct, ½ the diameter and ¾ the length of paired duct. Single spermatheca small, bulb-like (not visible in Fig. 7B ).

MALE ABDOMEN. Not observed.

Remarks

NHMW holds two syntypes of Scipopus (Scipopus) belzebul . The specimen that matches the original description of Schiner (1868) is here designated as lectotype; the other specimen is S. (S.) erythrocephalus . Cresson (1930), Hendel (1933), Hennig (1934) and Albuquerque (1972a) all described Scipopus belzebul as having convex bumps on the paracephalon, meaning these authors likely did not examine the type(s) of Schiner and were mistaken in their identification; the species those authors refer to is S. (S.) convexus sp. nov., a new species described here. The type of Scipopus bolivianus is identical to Scipopus (S.) belzebul and is therefore treated here as a new junior synonym.

Distribution

Steyskal (1968) lists the distribution from Panama south to Brazil and Bolivia, but all of the specimens we have confirmed as this species are from South America.

Figures

Fig. 6. Variation in oviscape white microtrichosity. A. Scipopus (Scipopus) planus sp. nov. B. Scipopus (Scipopus) belzebul (Schiner, 1868). C. Scipopus (Parascipopus) nigriscapus subgen. et sp. nov.

Fig. 7. Scipopus (Scipopus) belzebul (Schiner, 1868) (IAVH). A. Head, ♀, anterior view, Colombia, nontype. B. Female spermathecae and associated structures, Colombia, non-type. C. Head and thorax, ♀, dorsal view, Colombia, non-type. D. Habitus, ♀, Colombia, non-type. E. Thorax, ♀, left lateral view, illustrating white microtrichosity, Colombia, non-type. Abbreviations: afv = anterior frontal vitta; an = anepisternum; cd = common duct; epi = epicephalon; op = fronto-orbital plate; para = paracephalon; pd = paired spermathecal duct; pfv = posterior frontal vitta; ps = paired spermatheca; pss = paired spermathecal stems; sd = single spermathecal duct.