Pyrgotoides Curran

Norrbom, Allen L., Sutton, Bruce D., Steck, Gary J. & Monzón, José, 2010, New genera, species and host plant records of Nearctic and Neotropical Tephritidae (Diptera) 2398, Zootaxa 2398, pp. 1-65 : 50

Pyrgotoides Curran

Figs. 91–92, 97–101

Pyrgotoides Curran 1934 (type species P. crassipes Curran , by original designation).

Gerrhoceras Hering 1942 (type species G. paradoxa Hering , by original designation). New synonymy.

Gerrhoceras Hering is here considered a subjective junior synonym of Pyrgotoides Curran , and P. paradoxus (Hering 1942) , new combination, and P. peruvianus (Korytkowski 1976) , new combination, are transferred from Gerrhoceras .

Pyrgotoides belongs to the tribe Dithrycini , indicated by its eversible membrane, on which the ventral stripes of spinules extended from the taeniae are fused medially ( Fig. 100) ( Korneyev 1999). The species of the genus share the following mostly apomorphic characters: eye relatively small, genal height more than half long diameter of eye ( Fig. 97); lunule large and setulose; antenna very short, first flagellomere no longer than pedicel; major thoracic setae short or absent; scutellum usually high and convex or produced dorsoapically, entirely microtrichose, and without distinct yellow markings; wing ( Figs. 91–92) elongate (> 2.5 times as long as wide) and predominantly brown, with 2 large hyaline areas on posterior margin and often with hyaline triangle on anterior margin distal to apex of vein R 1; body large (wing length> 7 mm), predominantly brown. We have not examined the primary type specimens of either P. crassipes or P. paradoxus , but have seen other specimens that appear to be conspecific with each of them. These specimens share a further apomorphy (first flagellomere setulose) with some but not all of the other species of Pyrgotoides . Besides the three described species, there are at least four undescribed species. Only P. peruvianus has been reared; it forms large stem galls on Ophryosporus peruvianus (J.G. Gmel.) R.M. King & H. Rob. ( Asteraceae : Eupatorieae ) (Korytkowski 1976). Pyrgotoides species are known from Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.