A Revision of the Holarctic Genus Rocetelion Matile (Diptera: Keroplatidae)
Author
Fitzgerald, Scott J.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-07-31
4648
3
568
580
journal article
25565
10.11646/zootaxa.4648.3.10
b145ae84-fdf7-4bee-a1ce-da40f55ff58d
1175-5326
3356129
8B9E1512-C586-4F17-BDA5-B1BD7EC9D5E0
Rocetelion fenestrale
(Fisher)
Figs. 2
,
5, 6
,
9, 10
.
Rocetelion fenestrale
(
Fisher, 1938
)
, p. 197 as
Ceroplatus fenestralis
. HT male (ANSP);
USA
:
Michigan
.
Type material examined
.
HOLOTYPE
male (
ANSP
):
USA
:
MICHIGAN
: “
Isle Royale
,
Mich
/
Aug. 3–7, 1936
/
C. Sabrosky
” [white label] /
TYPE
/
Ceroplatus
/ fenestralis
♂
/ E. G.
Fisher 1938
” [red label].
Additional material examined.
CANADA
:
ONTARIO
:
Low Bush
,
Lake Abitibi
,
16 Aug. 1925
,
N.K. Bigelow
(
1 female
,
CNCI
)
;
USA
:
ALASKA
:
Grande Denali Lodge
, in window,
63.742740
,
-148.887810
,
14 July 2016
,
S. Fitzgerald
(
1 male
,
SFC
)
.
FIGURES 3–6.
Male terminalia of
R. fasciola
(3,4) and
R. fenestrale
(5,6). 3, 5 – dorsal view, 4, 6 – ventral view. Scale bars = ca. 0.5 mm. Abbreviations: cer, cerci; ep, epiproct; gc, gonocoxite; gs, gonostylus; ma, membranous area; T9, tergite 9.
Diagnosis.
In the Nearctic region, males can be distinguished from the similar
R. fasciola
by the gonostylus apically rounded (
Figs. 5–6
) and ventromedial membranous area of gonocoxites T-shaped (
Fig. 6
) and females can be distinguished from
R. fasciola
by tergite 10 triangular, broad anteriorly, narrowing to a point posteromedially (
Fig. 9
), and sternite 10 more tapered and not as apically broadly rounded as in
R. fasciola
(compare
Figs. 10 and 8
). Additionally, the known males of
R. fenestrale
have an unbanded abdomen (
Fig. 2
) whereas it is banded in males of
R. fasciola
(
Fig. 1
). See Diagnosis under
R. humerale
for distinguishing
R. fenestrale
from
R. humerale
.
FIGURES 7–10.
Female terminalia of
R. fasciola
(7,8) and
R. fenestrale
(9,10). 7, 9 – dorsal view, 8, 10 – ventral view. Scale bar = ca. 0.5 mm. Abbreviations: cer, cerci; S7, sternite 7; S8, sternite 8; S10, sternite 10; T7, tergite 7; T10, tergite 10.
Distribution (geographical and seasonal)
. This species is known from
Ontario
,
Canada
and
Alaska
and
Michigan
,
USA
. From the few specimens of this species that are known it appears to have a Nearctic boreal distribution. Specimens have been collected
14 July–16 August
.
FIGURE 11.
R. fasciatum
, holotype female, habitus and specimen labels. Scale bar = ca. 1.0 mm (specimen labels not to scale).
FIGURES 12–13.
R. fasciola
, holotype female, habitus and specimen labels. Scale bar = ca. 1.0 mm (specimen labels not to scale). Photographs courtesy of USNM.
Remarks.
Matile (1988)
considered
R. humerale
to be the sister species of
R. fenestrale
. A side-by-side com- parison of these two very similar species leaves one questioning whether the subtle differences found between the Nearctic (
R. fenestrale
) and Palearctic (
R. humerale
) forms represent interspecific differences or intraspecific varia- tion of one Holarctic species. However, so few specimens of either species is available for study that, at present, this question can’t be further explored. The distribution of characters in the specimens examined in the present study agree with
Matile’s (1988
,
1990
) illustrations and are consistent with Matile’s conclusion that
R. fenestrale
and
R. humerale
represent distinct, but very closely-related species. Therefore, despite the differences between the forms being small, in the absence of contradictory evidence
R. fenestrale
is retained as a distinct species.
The female of this species was previously unknown.
Fisher (1938)
mentions only the
holotype
male in the origi- nal description and
Matile (1988)
noted only a single male. The female tentatively treated herein as
R. fenestrale
was collected in Low Bush,
Ontario
and was not collected/associated with males. No additional specimens, male or female, were among the
CNCI
material collected in
Ontario
. However, the type locality on Isle Royale,
Michigan
is about seven miles from the
Ontario
border and about
400 miles
from Low Bush. This female has an unbanded abdo- men which fits the general habitus of males of
R. fenestrale
(though some
R. fasciola
females can also be unbanded) and has terminalia that differ from the only other known Nearctic species (
R. fasciola
) which appears to be restricted to the West coast of North America.