Crapedochaeta transversa

Lonsdale, Owen & Marshall, Stephen A., 2006, Revision of the New World species of Craspedochaeta (Diptera: Clusiidae), Zootaxa 1291 (1), pp. 1-101 : 77

Crapedochaeta transversa group

This group is characterized by five pairs of fronto­orbital bristles (character 2), pale bristles (character 5; found in numerous other species), a pregonite without basal setulae (character 25), a subterminal flagellum on the ventral receptacle (character 30) and an abrupt subapical “cap” on the spermatheca (character 32). Excluding the basal C. apsilutea , the group is further defined by yellow basal tergites (character 11), surstyli that are nearly parallel, rather than twisted (character 20), united cerci (character 21), spermathecae that have an inverted distal segment (character 33) and an inwardly produced anterodistal corner on the surstylus (character 19). The produced anterodistal margin of the surstylus is most pronounced in C. protomis , C. feminea , C. ornata , C. festiva and C. pacaraima (character 19, state 2), and is lost in those species with thin basal extensions on the surstyli or highly reduced surstyli, both of which form a single clade.

The lineage with highly reduced surstyli (character and 15) is the most speciose in the group and quite well supported, being further characterized by yellow a cruciate pattern on the scutum (character 10), an apically and (sometimes) medially patterned wing (character 13, reversal), large, united, plate like cerci (character 21, state 2), two strong and one medium­length bristle on the pregonite medially (character 23, state 2), a small ejaculatory apodeme (character 29), and an elongate basiphallus (character 26) that probably compensates for a highly reduced distiphallus. Character support for subgroups within this clade is weak, and those depicted here should be considered tentative.