Lamproclasiopa Hendel

Costa, Daniel N. R., Mathis, Wayne N. & Marinoni, Luciane, 2016, A revision of the shore-fly genus Lamproclasiopa Hendel (Diptera, Ephydridae), ZooKeys 631, pp. 1-99 : 8-9

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Ephydridae

Genus Lamproclasiopa Hendel

Lamproclasiopa Hendel 1933: 79 [as a subgenus of Discocerina ]. Type species: Lamproclasiopa facialis Hendel 1933, original designation. Zatwarnicki and Mathis 2001: 36 [status as a genus; generic diagnosis]. Wirth 1968: 7 [Neotropical catalog]. Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 168-169 [world catalog]. Zatwarnicki et al. 2016: 16-19 [recharacterization in phylogenetic review of tribe].

Basila Cresson 1942: 116. Type species: Ditrichophora nadinae Cresson 1925a, original designation. Zatwarnicki and Mathis 2001: 36 [synonymy].

Diagnosis.

Lamproclasiopa is distinguished from other genera of Discocerinini by the following combination of characters: Small to medium-sized shore flies, body length 1.7-3.0 mm; generally sparsely to densely microtomentose, subshiny to dull species (Figs 2, 9, 25, 57, 69). Head: One proclinate and one reclinate pair of fronto-orbital setae. Arista usually bearing 5 dorsal rays, rarely 6. Face moderately prominent at level of dorsal facial seta; antennal grooves generally distinctly defined ventrally; face lacking secondary series of setae; facial setae 2, dorsal setae not arising from shiny papilla, lacking a dorsoclinate seta at lower lateral extremity; parafacial narrow to moderately wide throughout length, lacking ventroclinate setulae; gena generally short but very high in the polita group. Eye generally oval, moderately microsetulose, bearing interfacetal setulae (sometimes not discernible by light stereomicroscope). Proboscis with 7 pseudotracheae; cibarium of primitive type with 4 medial sensillae arranged in a horizontal row and 4 moderate posterior sensillae. Thorax: Anterior notopleural seta inserted near middle toward ventral margin, distance between anterior and posterior setae slightly less than half distance between postpronotal seta and anterior notopleural seta; noto pleuron bearing several setulae in addition to 2 larger setae; presutural supra-alar seta usually present, well developed; postsutural supra-alar seta lacking; acrostichal setae, including prescutellar pair, lacking, only tiny setulae present. Wing variable, mostly to completely hyaline in most species but some with maculation pattern; costa bearing 5-6 long, dorsal setae between humeral and subcostal breaks; costal vein ratio varying between 0.40-0.90. Forefemur normally developed, lacking row of short, stout setae along posteroventral surface; hindtibia lacking a preapical, ventral, spur-like seta. Stem of halter blackish brown, knob white to whitish yellow. Abdomen: Tergites usually unicolorous, lacking pale-colored areas laterally; male tergite 4 longer than tergite 3. Male terminalia: Epandrium as inverted U in posterior view, dorsal arch complete; arms separate ventrally beyond cerci, surface covered with setae; cercus not fused with epandrium, in posterior view semicircular or crescent-shaped; gonites variously shaped, usually symmetrical, separate from hypandrium, in lateral view generally lunate without setulae; aedeagus longer than wide, mostly tubular, in ventral view navicular, without projections, in lateral view cigar-shaped or tapered toward apex; phallapodeme separate from aedeagus, in ventral view variously shaped; in lateral view irregularly triangular with distinct ventral projection; hypandrium in ventral view U- or Y-shaped with long posterolateral arms (incision reachs to 1/3-1/2 hypandrial length, in lateral view flat, sometimes slightly arched; ejaculatory apodeme absent. Female terminalia: Ventral receptacle without operculum, C-shaped stalk with broader head.

Distribution

(Figs 7, 14, 36, 59, 81, 104, 111, 139). Oriental, Nearctic and Neotropical Regions.

Discussion.

With the exception of Lamproclasiopa laevior (Cresson), which is a very disjunct species, occurring only on the Indian Subcontinent, the other congeners are found thus far only in the New World and there primarily in the Neotropics. In the older literature, including catalogs, this genus was frequently treated as a subgenus of Discocerina (see generic and species’ synonymies).

We have arranged all recognized species into species groups based primarily on similarity, both external features and structures of the male terminalia. These groups are not necessarily monophyletic, although some are. Within a species group, the species are treated in alphabetical order.

Key to species of Lamproclasiopa