Phaeopterina Frey, 1927

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 : 111-113

Subgenus Phaeopterina Frey, 1927

Phaeopterina Frey, 1927: 73 (type species: Phaeopterina heteropus Frey, 1927 ).

Pseudeurybata Hennig, 1935: 28 (type species: Pseudeurybata stigmatica Hennig, 1935 ). Syn. nov.

Scipopus (Phaeopterina) – Hennig 1934: 321 (key). — Steyskal 1968: 48.15. — Jackson et al. 2015: 415. — Marshall 2010: 810 (key).

Scipopus (Phaeopterinus) – Aczel 1949: 344 (catalog).

Phaeopterina – Marshall 2016: 254 (listed).

Remarks

Phaeopterina was originally diagnosed as being similar to Scipopus in most characteristics other than the absence of postocellar setae, but only a quarter of the species in the subgenus as now defined lack postocellar setae. We here circumscribe the subgenus based on molecular data and re-diagnose the newly defined subgenus using the combination of characters below. Molecular data show the type species of Phaeopterina and Pseudeurybata in monophyletic sister clades, but we were unable to find morphological characters by which to diagnose the clades. Since there are no practical morphological means of diagnosing Pseudeurybata from Phaeopterina , the new definition of S. ( Phaeopterina ) includes Pseudeurybata as a junior synonym, maintaining the monophyly of the subgenus while making it more easily diagnosable. Pseudeurybata was previously diagnosed by the tall and strongly deflexed clypeus, but the group of species with this character is shown to be paraphyletic in our molecular analysis, which places Pseudeurybata zeta within S. ( Phaeopterina ).

Diagnosis

Scipopus (Phaeopterina) (including Pseudeurybata ) is recognizable by the combination of an entirely or mostly dull orbital plate, a developed pair of apical scutellar setae, an elongate thorax (length/height≥ 0.97) and postpronotal lobe (length/height ≥ 3), and sometimes a smooth or absent common spermathecal duct (rugose in Caribbean species). Scipopus (Ph.) fraudator sp. nov., placed in S. ( Phaeopterina ) mainly on the basis of molecular data (Fig. 2), is the only species of S. ( Phaeopterina ) to have shiny, clearly delineated orbital plates, making it superficially similar to species of S. ( Parascipopus ). It differs from S. ( Parascipopus ) in having the single and paired spermathecal ducts arising independently from the bursa and is further distinguished from similar species of S. ( Parascipopus ) by characters given in the key. Most S. ( Phaeopterina ) also have a shiny epicephalon, but the two Caribbean species have a dull epicephalon (as in some species of Scipopus s. str.).

Description

LENGTH. 9–17 mm.

HEAD. Palpus orange to black, wide or narrow, nearly parallel-sided, rounded and tapered apically, setulose. Antenna and parafacial orange (brown in S. (Ph.) brunneus sp. nov.). Clypeus orange, brown or black, short or tall (length 1.4–2.7 × height), white microtrichose on entire surface or bare. Frontal vitta dull, orange, microtrichose (brown posteriorly in S. (Ph.) fraudator sp. nov.). Orbital plate dull, orange, microtrichose (shiny and bare in S. (Ph.) fraudator , partially shiny and bare in S. (Ph.) brunneus ). Epicephalon orange, brown or black, wide or narrow, shiny and clearly delineated from upper frontal vitta or dull, orange, microtrichose, and not clearly delineated from upper frontal vitta. Paracephalon orange to black. Head with inner vertical, outer vertical and 1–2 lower fronto-orbital setae; upper fronto-orbital absent in S. (Ph.) gorgonae and sometimes S. (Ph.) turgidus sp. nov., and postocellar seta absent in a quarter of species.

THORAX. Scutum orange, dark brown or black, often with a wide, silvery blue median sheen ( Fig. 50A) (sometimes only visible at certain angles) and spots or patches of pale microtrichosity ( Fig. 47B). Mesothorax tapered anteriorly. Thorax elongate (length/height>0.97). Cervical sclerite often relatively flat or slightly convex, sometimes swollen in females. Postpronotal lobe orange, brown or black, elongate (length 3.0–4.0 × height), bare or setulose. Notopleuron uniformly orange, brown or black, or with varying patterns of silvery or pale brown microtrichia. Pleuron dark brown or black, entirely white microtrichose (at most small bare spot on anteroventral margin of anepisternum) ( Fig. 47A). Legs orange, dark brown or black, femora sometimes yellow or pale brown basally or with orange or black bands. Fore and hind tarsomere 1 partially or entirely white or entirely brown dorsally, often with ventral golden fringe. Female abdominal pleuron pale yellow or grey, microtrichose, usually with dark shading on P1 and dorsal half of some or all of P2–6; male abdominal pleuron orange or pale grey, microtrichose, usually with dark shading on P1, dorsal half or entirety of pleural sac, and some or all of P3–P6.

WING. Patterning variable, ranging from uniformly brown infuscate, clear, infuscate with three subapical hyaline spots ( Fig. 61D), with subapical hyaline band ( Fig. 58F) or hyaline with apical infuscation ( Fig. 68).

ABDOMEN (J+ ♀). Tergites orange, dark brown or black. T1 with fine white, yellow and/or black setae, remainder of abdomen with medium length or short black or orange setulae.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. T1+2 1.1–2.5 × length of T3. Anterior margin of T2 sometimes swollen, posterior margin of T2 1.4–2.1 × the width of T1. Oviscape variable in dimension but tapered distally and sparsely covered in short or medium length pale or black setulae and white microtrichia basally. Paired and single spermathecal duct arising independently from bursa copulatrix in most species ( Fig. 47E), single duct arising from common duct in Caribbean species ( Fig. 58E), and single duct arising from very short, smooth common duct in a few species ( S. (Ph.) brunneus sp. nov., S. (Ph.) musculosus sp. nov., S. (Ph.) sexguttatus ) ( Fig. 61C). Paired spermathecal duct smooth, usually narrow and long, often with a swollen distal bulb ( Fig. 70C). Paired spermathecal stems usually bare, sometimes with bumps or spiked projections. Paired spermathecae usually elongate and approximately ovoid or sac-like. Single spermathecal duct smooth and usually narrow, ending in one or two small ovoid or finger-like spermathecae.

MALE ABDOMEN. T1+2 2.0–2.5× length of T3. Genital fork arms with or without inner basal processes, length and shape of arms and processes variable. Epandrium stout (length ≈ height) to elongate (length>2.5 × height). Basiphallus small and usually crescent-shaped or frame-like when viewed ventrally ( Fig. 71B). Basal distiphallus usually long and wide (≈ length of epandrium), ending in phallic bulb. Phallic bulb usually large and ovoid, with multiple chambers. Distal distiphallus absent ( Fig 47D), short and wide ( Fig. 54D), or long and narrow ( Fig. 58D). Phallapodeme usually broad and expanded apically ( Fig. 60D). Anterior margin of hypandrium often with broad, fan-like extensions ( Fig. 60D), otherwise slender. Ejaculatory apodeme varying in size, usually with a fan-like apodeme attached to a bulbous sperm pump.