Nemopalpus Macquart, 1838

Wagner, Rüdiger & Stuckenberg, Brian, 2016, Cladistic analysis of Subfamily Bruchomyiinae (Diptera: Psychodidae), Zootaxa 4092 (2), pp. 151-174 : 159-161

Genus Nemopalpus Macquart, 1838

Nemopalpus Macquart, 1838b: 219 (1838c: 223) .

Type species: N. flavus Macquart, 1838 , by monotypy.

Nemapalpus Macquart, 1838: 85 (89). Incorrect original spelling of Nemopalpus Macquart, 1838 [teste Macquart (1839: 102)]. Nygmatodes Loew, 1845: 9. Unavailable name.

Palaeosycorax Meunier, 1905: 50.

Type species: Palaeosycorax tertiariae Meunier, 1905 , by monotypy.

Species included: N. flavus [Canary Islands]; N. capensis [ South Africa]; N. concolor [ South Africa]; N. davidsoni [South West Africa]; N. ledgeri [South West Africa]; N. orientalis [ Malaysia]; N. transvaalensis [ South Africa, Transvaal]; N. unicolor (female) [Borneo]; N. vietnamensis (female) [ Viet Nam]. N. vietnamensis and N. unicolor are only known from females and for this reason their position in the Old World clade is uncertain.

Diagnosis. Antenna with 16 antennomeres. Tip of maxillary palp reaches approximately mid-length of flagellomere eight. Males with paired, narrow ( Figs. 4 a; 5a), elongate vasa deferentia, aedeagus subtriangular in dorsoal view, ejaculatory apodeme laterally compressed, subtriangular. Females with single large sac-shaped spermatheca, distal part of spermathecal duct encircled by thick elastic hull.

Comments. Antennae and palpi of all Old World Nemopalpus are remarkably long. In N. orientalis antenna is more than 5 times longer than head diameter, and palpus about 4 times head length. Palpus length 0.75–0.80 of antenna length, i.e. palpus tip reaches 7th or even 8th flagellomere. Basal palp segment often difficult to differentiate, distal palp segment longer than preceding segments combined. In N. orientalis , relative lengths are:?-22-31- 51- 123 in female, and?-21-32- 52-184 in male. In the female holotype of N. vietnamensis respective length proportion are -45-60-70-220. First flagellomere remarkably longer than subsequent flagellomeres and about as long as palp segments 2 and 3 combined. Ascoids subdiscoidal, digitate (single subdiscoidal in N. ledgeri and N. davidsoni ; 1–2 subdiscoidal, or subdiscoidal plus digitate in N. concolor ), or V-shaped ( N. vietnamensis , N. orientalis , E. edwardsi ). N. vietnamensis is the only species with Newstead scales on palp segment 3.

Wing tip between R3 and R4. Due to the position of cross-veins (r2+3-r4+5, r5-m1, m2-m3) R2+3, R5 and M2 are with basal spurs in N. transvaalensis , and N. capensis (not in N. concolor ); in some specimens even with m2-m3 cross vein (figures 2a, 2b). Wings spotted in N. ledgeri and N. davidsoni , CuA2 short, distally curved towards wing margin.

FIGURE 2. Wings. a— Nemopalpus concolor Stuckenberg ; b— Nemopalpus transvaalensis Stuckenberg ; c— Eutonnoiria edwardsi (Tonnoir) . Labels: h-humeral cross vein, Sc-subcosta, R1-5 radial veins1 to 5; M1-3 medial veins 1 to 3; CuA1 and CuA2—cubitusanal veins; A—anal vein; r-m—radius-media cross vein; m2-m3 medial cross vein; m-cu media cubitus cross vein.

Male genitalia inverted by torsion of segments 7 and 8, each by approximately 90°. Sclerites of segment 8 often reduced in size narrow in lateral view; epandrium as well reduced to a short transverse band ( Fig. 4 a). In N. capensis , N. concolor , N. transvaalensis and N. flavus sternite 8 functionally has become part of the genitalia, often bulbous with marginal or distal setae. This feature is most obvious in N. flavus , where sternite 8 developed to a flat prolongation with terminal setae. Due to the integration of sternite 8 in the genitalia, the gonopods are shifted ventrally toward the epandrium. Thus, the aedeagus is positioned at the same level or even a bit more (morphologically) ventral than gonopods ( Fig. 4 a). Gonocoxites separate, without appendages, short subquadrate ( N. orientalis ), or slightly curved elongate tubular (Afrotropical species). Gonostyli elongate, in most species with few distal setae of different shape and strength; in N. ledgeri and N. davidsoni with patches of many dark densely packed microsetae. Distal setae increasingly strong from N. capensis and N. transvaalensis to N. concolor . Gonostylus tip directed distally ( N. orientalis ) or upright (means morphologically ventrad) in most Afrotropical species. Aedeagus in all species, including E. edwardsi , elongate triangular with sharp tip. Vasa deferentia very long with narrow diameter (~20 µm in N. orientalis ) hardly increasing in width towards testes, distally joined to a comparatively long common duct that is about half the length of the vertically broadened ejaculatory apodeme.

Females ( Figs. 6 a, 6b) with only one large, bean or sac shaped spermatheca in segments 4, 5, and 6 ( N. orientalis ), or filling up most of the abdomen ( N. flavus , N. capensis ). Spermathecal duct thin (diameter ~8 µm in N. orientalis ), longest in the Oriental species ( N. orientalis , N. vietnamensis , and N. unicolor ). Distal end or an increasing proportion of the gonoduct heavily cushioned; almost entire duct cushioned and spermatheca of median size in N. concolor and N. davidsoni ; shortest in N. flavus and N. capensis with a large spermatheca. Duct distally joined to a subrectangular vaginal sclerite with short lateral projections, and flanked by a pair of specifically shaped ‘structures’, which are flower-like probably membranous cavities on both sides of the genital orifice, function remains questionable.

The figure of N. vietnamensis (Quate 1962, Fig. 1 a) does not fit to the general appearance mentioned above. Most likely the ‘spindle shaped’ sclerotized end of the spermathecal duct was misinterpreted as spermatheca, which was probably lost during preparation.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Female habitus of Nemopalpus transvaalensis Stuckenberg. Scale bar— 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Lateral view of male terminalia. a— Nemopalpus concolor Stuckenberg; b— Boreofairchildia sziladyi (Tonnoir); c— Bruchomyia shannoni Alexander. Caption: sg—segment, st—sternite, tg—tergite, c—cerci, gcx—gonocoxite, gstgonostyle, eja—ejaculatory apodeme, vsd—vasa deferentia.

FIGURE 6. Spermathecae. a— Nemopalpus orientalis Edwards; b— Nemopalpus flavus (Macquart); c— Laurenceomyia similis (Wagner & Stuckenberg); d— Boreofairchildia nearcticus (Young); e— Notofairchildia stuckenbergi (Wagner). Abbreviations: flc—flower-like membranous cavities; vsc—vaginal sclerite; sd—sperm duct; d—diverticulum.