Systematics and phylogeny of Dolichopodinae (Diptera: Dolichopodidae)
Author
SCOTT E. BROOKS
text
Zootaxa
2005
857
1
158
journal article
38789
10.5281/zenodo.170753
9f95910b-a770-4ce2-9eb5-91e8e99b1941
1175-5334
170753
7BDC5C6A-D9C8-4DDB-964A-F37059FA2B3D
Genus
Metaparaclius
Becker
(
Fig. 17
A–F)
Metaparaclius
Becker, 1922b
: 33
.
Type
species:
Metaparaclius subapicalis
Becker
[Australasian], by monotypy.
Recognition.
Metaparaclius
can be distinguished by the distal part of M, which is strongly bent anteriorly, convex and strongly convergent with R4+5, scape of male enlarged and thickened, pedicel reduced, arista subapical, bare and elongate with an apical lamella. Male and female
M. australiensis
are further distinguished by a dark black spot above the notopleuron and 2 strong setae on the proepisternum in front of the anterior spiracle.
Description.
Head: Vertex not excavated, 1 pair of strong vertical setae, stronger than postverticals. Frons about
2 x
wider than high, concave near base of antennae especially in male, sides subparallel. Face and clypeus very narrow in male, broad in female; clypeus flat, triangular in male, strongly and evenly produced in female, lower margin straight, not reaching lower eye margin. Palp and proboscis smaller in male; palp ovoid with subtriangular apex, with fine setae on apical third and 1 stronger apical seta. Antenna: Male scape greatly enlarged, elongate and thick, with weak medioventral process,
M. australensis
with 6–8 stronger setae on apicodorsal margin in addition to usual dorsal setae; pedicel reduced and funnelshaped; first flagellomere conical or subtriangular, 2.0–2.5 x as long as wide, pointed apically, with weak dorsal seta in
M. australiensis
; arista subapical, 1 or 2 segmented, basal segment very short when present, distal segment elongate, bare, with apical lamella. Female scape short, subconical, setose dorsally, with welldeveloped acute medioventral process; pedicel short; first flagellomere rounded; arista dorsal. Postvertical setae stronger than uppermost pair of postoculars.
FIGURE 17.
Metaparaclius australiensis
: (A) Male genitalia, left lateral view (external); (B) Male genitalia, left lateral view (internal); (C) Male genitalia, postgonite, dorsal view of apex; (D) Male genitalia, ventral view (postgonite, surstylus and cerci not shown); (E) Female genitalia, dorsal view; (F) Female genitalia, left lateral view.
Thorax: Acrostichals biserial; 5–6 dorsocentrals, aligned; 1 strong outer posthumeral, 1 weaker inner posthumeral; 2 notopleurals; 1 presutural; 1 sutural; 2 supraalars; 1 postalar.
Metaparaclius australiensis
with distinct dark metallic spot above notopleuron. Upper part of propleuron of
M. australiensis
with 2 strong black setae and several fine hairs; lower part of propleuron with 1 strong prothoracic seta and fine hairs; pleural surface in front of posterior spiracle bare; metepisternum with fine hairs. Scutellum with 1 strong inner seta and a weak outer seta on lateral margin.
Legs: Pulvilli developed normally on all legs. Midleg: Femur with 1 anterodorsal preapical seta. Hindleg: Coxa with strong lateral seta near middle; femur with 1 anterodorsal preapical seta; tibia of male
M. australiensis
with weak ridgelike process posteroapically; basitarsus shorter than second tarsomere, with 1–2 short anterior setae, 4–5 short ventral setae, male
M. australiensis
with bulging dentiform projection posterobasally.
Wing: R2+3 nearly straight; R4+5 straight with posterior bend apically; distal section of M beyond crossvein dmcu with obtuse to 90° anterior bend, arcuate and strongly convergent with R4+5, ending well before wing apex; crossvein dmcu equal to or slightly longer than distal portion of CuA1.
Abdomen: Subconical. Male: T6 bare; S2 unmodified; S3 weakly emarginate posteriorly; S4–S6 mainly membranous, S4 and S6 weakly sclerotized along lateral and anterior margins; segment 7 forming elongate peduncle, about as long as segments 5 and 6 combined; S8 heartshaped, narrowed proximally, setose. Hypopygium (
Fig. 17
A–D): Epandrium subrectangular in lateral view, about 1.7 x as long as high; foramen positioned anterolaterally, wellseparated from base of cerci; basiventral epandrial lobe not developed, basiventral epandrial seta near apex of ventral margin, slightly anterior to apicoventral epandrial lobe; apicoventral epandrial lobe welldeveloped with subquadrate ventral portion bearing 2 strong setae, dorsal portion rounded, keellike, with seta on ventral surface. Surstylus bilobed, both lobes about equal in length, long, thin. Ventral lobe digitiform with 1 short, weak dorsal seta near middle and several setae near apex. Dorsal lobe with apex enlarged and laterally flattened, dorsal surface emarginate preapically with keellike projection. Postgonite with anteroventral portion wellsclerotized, laterally flattened (
Fig. 17
B), with anterodorsal and ventral margin flared laterally; posterodorsal portion welldeveloped, widened and tripartite apically (
Fig. 17
D). Proctiger brushes absent. Cercus large, oval to subquadrate,
M. australiensis
with fine branched setae on apical margin (
Fig. 17
A). Hypandrium elongate, thin, free laterally, connected to epandrium basiventrally; hypandrial arms not connected to hypandrium, fused to ventral margin of epandrium (
Fig. 17
B); hypandrial apodeme welldeveloped. Sperm pump small; ejaculatory apodeme welldeveloped, laterally flattened, basal sclerite of sperm pump Ushaped in dorsal view, with long, thin lateral arms. Phallus thin, apical portion with 2 weak dentiform processes. Female (
Fig. 17
E,F): T6, S6, T7 and S7 undivided, T8 and S8 divided medially, tergite and sternite not fused anterolaterally. Furca present, narrow and triangular. T10 divided medially into hemitergites each bearing 4 spines.
Geographical Distribution.
Metaparaclius
includes two Australasian species,
M. subapicalis
from New
Guinea
and
M. australiensis
from northern
Australia
.
Phylogenetic Relationships.
Until additional specimens of the
type
species,
M. subapicalis
, are identified (see “Remarks”), the systematic position and monophyly of this genus will remain ambiguous. Based on the cladistic analysis,
Metaparaclius australiensis
is related to a lineage of Oriental species including “
Polymedon
”
inopinatus
,
Paraclius abbreviatus
,
P. pilosellus
and related species (see “
Tachytrechus
genus group” section above).
Metaparaclius australiensis
also appears to be closely related to the Australasian species
Paraclius neglectus
, which has a similarly modified postgonite, similar overall genitalic structure and several strong setae on the upper part of the propleuron.
Remarks.
Becker deposited the unique male
holotype
of
Metaparaclius subapicalis
in the Hungarian Museum, which was destroyed during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (M. Földvàri pers. comm.). No other specimens are known.
Material Examined.
Metaparaclius australiensis
Parent
, [
AU
]: ɗ
holotype
(
BMNH
); 5ɗ, 4Ψ (
CNC
); 3ɗ, 3Ψ (LEM).