The fast-running flies (Diptera, Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae) of Singapore and adjacent regions
Author
Grootaert, Patrick
Author
Shamshev, Igor V.
text
European Journal of Taxonomy
2012
2012-01-06
5
1
162
journal article
10.5852/ejt.2012.5
e809cd3a-36bb-413d-9f19-70837d7db34b
3715167
B69F002A-C1A0-439D-9477-62BFA87DEAD7
Genus
Drapetis
Meigen, 1822
Drapetis
Meigen, 1822: 91
. Type-species:
D. exilis
Meigen, 1822
, by monotypy.
Caecula
Gistl, 1848
: IX. An unnecessary new name for
Drapetis
. Type-species:
Drapetis exilis
Meigen, 1822
, automatic.
Arbicola
Gistl, 1848: 152
. An unnecessary new name for
Drapetis
. Type-species:
Drapetis exilis
Meigen, 1822
, automatic.
Recognition
The genus
Drapetis
can be distinguished from other genera of the
Drapetini
by the following combination of the characters: head close-set upon thorax, gena very narrow, antennae upturned, postpedicel more or less rounded ventrally; wing with Rs long, abdominal tergites with squamiform setae, intersegmental modifications present.
Diagnosis
Small (about
1.5 mm
) shining black robust flies. Head closely set upon thorax. Frons with sides divergent above. Eyes contiguous on face. One pair of vertical bristles. Ocellar tubercle with 2 pairs of bristles. Antennae upturned, pedicel with circlet of subequally short setae; postpedicel usually short and rather ovate with lower margin convex; stylus arising apically, arista-like, long. Gena linear. Palpus small, with short subapical seta; lacking sensory pit. Thorax largely shining, anepisternum with small hairs or bristles at least in upper posterior corner or bare. Postpronotal bristle not prominent. Mesonotal bristles very prominent but acrostichals and dorsocentrals undifferentiated; no setae between mid and hind coxae. Legs short, robust, lacking prominent bristles. Wings normally developed; finely infuscate; Rs long, originating before midway of R
1
; R
1
meeting costa at middle of wing; R
2+3
complete, meeting costa beyond middle of wing; R
4+5
and M
1+2
more or less parallel near wing margin; A
1
present as fold; crossvein CuA
2
absent; crossvein bm-cu somewhat oblique or transverse; cell br shorter than cell bm. Abdomen with some tergites modified or unmodified; squamiform setae present; gland-like intersegmental structures absent. Terminalia with epandrium completely divided; left epandrial lamella fused to hypandrium; left surstylus differentiated from epandrial lamella, divided; right surstylus differentiated from epandrial lamella; cerci separated; hypoproct unmodified; hypandrium setose subapically or bare; phallus short; usually two rod-shaped apodemes (i.e. ejaculatory and ventral apodemes) present. Female similar to male; terminalia elongate; tergite 8 separated from sternite 8; cercus elongate ovate.
Remarks
Currently,
Drapetis
includes about 80 species worldwide, with 18 species known from the Oriental Region. In contrast to its sister genus
Elaphropeza
,
Drapetis
is not common in
Singapore
. Locally, however, representatives of this genus can be very abundant and several species coexist. This is particularly true for the mangrove at Chek Jawa where wrack mainly composed of decomposing green algae is washed onto the shoreline and wild boars dig in the sand. At this site we found three species of
Drapetis
together in large numbers. They were active on sand that was disturbed by the wild boars and that was enriched with pieces of decomposed wrack. Four of the five species of
Drapetis
that we recorded in
Singapore
are mangrove species.
Drapetis hutan
sp. nov.
is the single record of a species occurring in rain forest. This would suggest that
Drapetis
having a mainly Palaearctic distribution, radiated and thrived in mangroves in Southeast Asia and was less successful in rain forests.
Key to species of
Drapetis
from
Singapore
1. Postpedicel ventrally rounded with dorsoapical stylus (
Fig. 105
), at most 1.5 times as long as wide. Palpus and proboscis brownish yellow. Halter yellow. Hind femur brownish in apical 2/3, otherwise legs yellow............................................................................................
D. mandai
sp. nov.
– Postpedicel elongate, almost conical, 2.5-3.0 times as long as wide with nearly apical stylus (
Fig. 93
). Different combination of characters...........................................................................................2
2. Palpus white (at most yellowish).........................................................................................................3
– Palpus black..........................................................................................................................................4
3. Labrum brown. Hind femur swollen, with row of long pale brown anteroventral bristles on apical quarter........................................................................................................................
D. laut
sp. nov.
– Labrum white. Hind femur slender, with only 2-3 dark subapical anteroventral bristles............. ..................................................................................................................................
D. bakau
sp. nov.
4. Halter pale. Hind femur yellow in male; hind tibia weakly curved and as long as hind femur, hind tarsomere 1 with 2-3 black ventral spinules at base.........................................
D. pantai
sp. nov.
– Halter with dark brown knob. Hind femur completely black; hind tibia strongly curved and much shorter than femur; hind tarsomere 1 without ventral spinules at base..................
D. hutan
sp. nov.