Nearctic Anthomyzidae: a monograph of Anthomyza and allied genera (Diptera)
Author
Roháćek, Jindřich
Author
Barber, Kevin N.
text
Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae
2016
suppl.
2016-12-30
56
1
412
journal article
9539
10.5281/zenodo.4272829
e8b0cf7e-6ff3-40d9-8e92-87e099b9cefe
0374-1036
4272829
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E95E58A5-E0F1-4237-9D7C-4A81BB3120DD
The
Anthomyza gracilis
group
The
Anthomyza gracilis
group was erected by
ROHÁĆEK (2006a)
to include two Palaearctic species,
A. gracilis
Fallén, 1823
and
A. elbergi
Andersson, 1976
, and was characterized by several apomorphic features, two of which were considered strong synapomorphies by
ROHÁĆEK (2009a)
, viz. the peculiar dentate ventral appendage of the caudal process of the transandrium (
Figs 18–21
,
530–532
) and the spermathecae with a long digitiform invagination (
Figs 29, 32
,
540, 541
). In the Nearctic Region three more species belonging to this group were found that are described below as
A. furvifrons
sp. nov.
,
A. vulgaris
sp. nov.
and
A. equiseti
sp. nov.
These additions have not necessitated substantial modincation of the diagnosis of this species group which includes the following apomophic characters (unique synapomorphies marked with U in parentheses behind the character): (1) body densely grey to brownish grey microtomentose and largely dull; (2) medandrium high and narrow; (3) dorsal internal sclerite at base of postgonite usually large and bearing some spines; (4) caudal process of transandium ventrally with large toothed appendage (U); (5) aedeagal part of folding apparatus with clusters of dark spines, different on each side (U), cf. also
Figs 15
,
22
; (6) female T7+S7 ventrally with desclerotized area that is often widened anteriorly; (7) paired internal sclerites in female genital chamber large, long and nat; (8) spermathecae with long digitiform invagination and eccentrically inserted duct (U); (9) female T10 with 1 pair of long setae and a few shorter setae in addition.
Based on morphological data, the
A. gracilis
group seems to be most closely allied to the
A. tschirnhausi
group (as denned here, see above). This relationship is supported by the following (obviously apomorphic) characters: medandrium high; postgonite slender and elongate; caudal process of transandrium strongly sclerotized; female T8 long and slender; and, particularly, female genital chamber with paired internal sclerites very elongate.
Two clades can be recognized in the
A. gracilis
group. The nrst includes both Palaearctic species (
A. gracilis
,
A. elbergi
) plus the Nearctic
A. furvifrons
sp. nov.
(synapomorphies: aedeagal part of folding apparatus with strong spines also ventrally; internal paired sclerites in female genital chamber doubled), while the second includes only two Nearctic species,
A. vulgaris
sp. nov.
and
A. equiseti
sp. nov.
(synapomorphy: female T7+S7 ventrally with posteromedial lappet-shaped appendage). Additional notes on relationships for Nearctic taxa are elaborated upon below under each species. The most interesting of them appears to be the sister-species pairing of
A. furvifrons
and the Transpalaearctic
A. elbergi
.
Notes.
Anthomyza gracilis
has been repeatedly recorded from the Nearctic Region (see MELANDER 1913;
JOHNSON 1925
;
PROCTER 1946
;
SABROSKY 1965
;
COLE 1969
; ARNETT 1993, 2000;
FOOTE 2002
). Because this Palaearctic species has not been connrmed as occurring in North America in this study of the holdings of major North American collections, all these records must be based on misidentined specimens of other species of the
A. gracilis
group (i.e.
A. furvifrons
,
A. vulgaris
) or of members of the
A. pallida
group (i.e.
A. concolor
,
A. vockerothi
) and the
A. tschirnhausi
group (i.e.
A. shewelli
) as evidenced by determination labels listed in the respective sections on
paratypes
or material examined.
The illustration of an adult male
Anthomyza gracilis
in the Manual of Nearctic
Diptera, Vol.
2 (VOCKEROTH 1987:
Fig. 75.1
), which was also used in
ROHÁĆEK (1998b
:
Fig. 22.1
), was based on European specimens but unfortunately not of true
A. gracilis
. They represent
A. collini
Andersson, 1976
, which belongs to a species group not occurring in the Nearctic Region. This shortcoming results from the fact that, before ANDERSSON’ s (1976) revision,
A. collini
had been misunderstood to be
A. gracilis
, while the true
A. gracili
s had been recorded under the synonymous name of
A. sordidella
(
Zetterstedt, 1848
)
(for more detail see
ROHÁĆEK 2006a
). The
CNCI
specimens [
England
:
Devon
: Newton Abbot,
22.vi.1960
, 1 ♂ (genit. prep.) and
Sweden
: Sk: Bjerred, 2 ♂♂ (1 ♂ genit. prep.),
29.v.1951
, all J. R. Vockeroth leg.], upon which R. Idema based his illustration in VOCKEROTH (1987), have been examined and they all belong to
A. collini
.