Scutops lopesi Amorim & Vasconcelos, 1989

Freitas, Geovânia & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Scutops Coquillett, 1904 (Diptera: Periscelididae), Zootaxa 5244 (5), pp. 401-427 : 412-414

Scutops lopesi Amorim & Vasconcelos, 1989

( Figs 9– 10 , 19E , 21 )

Scutops lopesi Amorim & Vasconcelos, 1989: 39 ( Figs. 4–7 ); Mathis & Rung, 2011: 359 (world catalog).

Diagnosis. Frons yellow with a vertical median, pale brown, oval spot small, above base of antennae; ocellar triangle brown; silver pruinescent band adjacent to posterior margin of eye reaching the gena; scutum brown with a median, yellow, triangular elongate stripe reaching the presutural region; 1 dorsocentral seta; fore first tarsomere enlarged; hyaline transversal preapical band of the wing incomplete.

Holotype male. Redescription. Body length: 4.0 mm; wing: 3.6 mm. Head ( Figs 9A–C ). Frons yellow with a vertical median pale brown small oval spot above antennae; ocellar triangle brown; fronto-orbital inconspicuous, short, sparse, thin, and brown. Face whitish yellow; dorsal portion higher than wide in frontal view, slightly convex and apical margin subtriangular. Gena and postgena yellow, with long, thin, brown setae. Occiput with sparse, short, thin and brown setae; silver pruinescent band adjacent to posterior margin of eye reaching the gena. Antenna yellow; pedicel with four dorsal setae dark brown and robust; arista with ten dorsal and four ventral branches. Buccal pieces brown. Thorax ( Figs 9A, C ). Scutum brown with a median yellow wide stripe, triangular anteriorly, from presutural region to posterior margin of scutum, and a dorsocentral slender yellowish-brown inconspicuous stripe from postpronotal lobe to postalar callus; postpronotal lobe whitish yellow with dense silvery pruinescence; notopleuron and supra-alar area yellow, with dense silvery pruinescence; scutellum yellow with lateral margin brown; subscutellum brown; pleura brown, anepisternum shiny brown. Setae: 1 dorsocentral; katepisternal setae similar in length; distal scutellar about 4/5 the length of basal seta. Legs ( Fig. 9A ). Coxae brown, mid and hind coxa slightly paler; trochanters pale brown; femora brown with apical portion yellow; foretibia brown, mid and hindtibia yellow with a sub basal and a preapical brown ring, preapical ring incomplete; tarsus yellow. Forefemur with posteroventral setae developed; first fore tarsomere broadened and midtibia with apicoventral spine black. Wing ( Fig. 19E ) gently brownish, darkened at distal half of anterior margin, with base of costal cell yellow, transversal preapical hyaline band short, incomplete. Halter yellow. Abdomen ( Fig. 9A ). Tergites and sternite brown. Terminalia ( Figs 10A–C ): epandrium as high as wide in posterodorsal view; cercus ovoid, elongate; postgonite small, concave anteriorly and rounded posteriorly in lateral view; hypandrium + phallapodeme with anteroventral rounded lobe in lateral view; phallus slender, long, about 2.5 times longer than hypandrium + phallapodeme, membranous, sclerotized laterally; ejaculatory apodeme truncate apically.

Female. As in male. Terminalia ( Fig. 10D ): tergite and sternite 7 forming a ring wider than high; sternite 8 broad, hemispheric and with dorsal margin slightly concave; cercus subrectangular.

Locality records: Brazil (Amazonas*, Maranh„o*, Rio de Janeiro), Ecuador (Orellana), Venezuela (Amazonas) ( Fig. 21 ).

Type material examined: Holotype male ( MZSP). [ BRAZIL], [Rio de Janeiro], Grajahú [Grajaú [22°55′57.5′ ′S 43°16′30.0′′W], (Lopes & Oliveira), 28.vii. [1]941, on foliage in shady places (printed on white paper). Holotype condition: forelegs, except coxae, lost; right wing damaged at section between R 2+3 –R 4+5; not dissected.

Paratypes: [ BRAZIL], [Rio de Janeiro], Grajahú [Grajaú], (Lopes & Oliveira) 1 female ( MZSP), 10.viii.[1]941; idem 23.i.[19]36, (H. S. Lopes), 1 female ( MZSP) .

Additional material examined: BRAZIL, Amazonas, Paraná do Xiboreninho, 03º15′S – 60º00′W, 6.viii.1979, (Adis, Erwin e Montgomery), mixed water, Innundation forest canopy fogget with Pyrethrum tray 337, 1 female ( NMNH) ; [Manaus], Reserva F [lorestal] Adolpho Ducke [2°57′33.2″S 59°55′27.0″W], Platô Trilha Norte / Sul, 26.xii.06–11.i/07, Arm [dilha] suspensa amarela Dossel (Feitosa, M. & Freitas, G. Cols), 1 male ( INPA) ; Rio Tarumã Mirim, 2km from Rio Negro , 03º02′S – 60º17.2′W, 30. July. 79, Igapó, Black water imundation forest canopy fogged with Pyrethrum, Canopy Fogging Project, TRS#03, Tray # 250 (Adis, Erwin, Montgomery et.al.,collectors) 1 male ( NMNH) ; Maranhão, Parque Estadual Mirador [6°24′41.0″S 44°28′41.9″W], Base da Geraldina, Armadilha Luminosa, 22.ii–01.iii.2009, M.B. Aguiar-Neto, & M.J.A. Holanda, 1female ( CZMA) . ECUADOR, Orellana, Res. Etnica Waorani , 0º39.4′S, 76º27.2′W, 216m, lot# 1542, 21.vi.1996, ( T. L. Erwin), 1 male ( NMNH) ; idem, lot# 1145, 1.vii.1995, ( T. L. Erwin), 1 male ( NMNH) ; idem, lot# 1720, 2.x.1996, 1 female ( NMNH) . VENEZUELA, T.F.A., Basecamp 01°51ʹN, 66°10ʹW, Cerro de la Neblica 140m, 20–24 March 1984, O.Flint & J. Louton, Malaise trap, 1 female ( USNM) .

Variations: Coloration of vertical brown spot on the frons varies from pale brown, almost imperceptible, to dark brown.

Comments: The missing structures of the holotype were redescribed based on the original description and paratypes. Scutops lopesi and S. marcgrafi are very similar species, both with an elongated acrostichal yellow stripe on the scutum, the legs are predominantly brown and the hyaline preapical band in the wing is incomplete. It is very difficult to distinguish these two species. The male of S. marcgrafi is unknown, and the female holotype cannot be dissected. So, the distinction between these two species is tentatively made based on coloration of the thorax and frons, as presented by Amorim & Vasconcelos (1989) and as cited in the key. It is noteworthy that the paler brown median spot below the ocellar tubercle on the frons of S. lopesi is not always evident in other specimens of S. lopesi . This medial ocellar tubercle is absent in the holotype of S. marcgrafi .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Scutops fascipennis Coquillett, 1904. A–C male (Costa Rica, Higuito), D female (Costa Rica, Puntarenas). A. Epandrium, postgonite and cercus, posterodorsal view; B. Same, plus hypandrium+phallapodeme and phallus, lateral view; C. Ejaculatory apodeme; D. Female terminalia, posteroventral view. Abbreviations: pha—hypandrium+phallapodeme; ep— epandrium; ce—cercus; ps—posgonite; su—surstylus, ph—phallus; TG + ST 7—syntergosternite; TG—tergite; TS—sternite.

FIGURE 5. Scutops flavithorax sp. nov.. A–C (holotype). A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, frontal view; C. Thorax, dorsal view.

FIGURE 6. Scutops flavithorax sp. nov.. A–D (paratype). A. Epandrium, postgonite and cercus, posterodorsal view; B. Same, plus hypandrium+phallapodeme and phallus, lateral view; C. Ejaculatory apodeme; D. Female terminalia, posteroventral view.

FIGURE 7. Scutops ipixunensis sp. nov.. A (paratype), B–C (holotype). A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, frontal view; C. Thorax, dorsal view.

FIGURE 9. Scutops lopesi Amorim & Vasconcelos, 1989. A–C (holotype). A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, frontal view; C. Thorax, dorsal view.

FIGURE 10. Scutops lopesi Amorim & Vasconcelos, 1989. A–C male (Brazil, Amazonas), D female (Ecuador, Orellana). A. Epandrium, postgonite and cercus, posterodorsal view; B. Same, plus hypandrium+phallapodeme and phallus, lateral view; C. Ejaculatory apodeme; D. Female terminalia, posteroventral view.

FIGURE 19. Wings. A. Scutops chapmani Curran, 1934; B. Scutops fascipennis Coquillett, 1904; C. Scutops flavithorax sp. nov. (paratype male); D. Scutops ipixunensis sp. nov. (paratype female); E. Scutops lopesi Amorim & Vasconcelos, 1989; F. Scutops marcgrafi Amorim & Vasconcelos, 1989; G. Scutops melinus sp. nov. (holotype female); H. Scutops peruanus Hennig, 1952; I. Scutops robustus sp. nov. (paratype female). J. Scutops spinophallus sp. nov. (holotype male).

FIGURE 21. Distributional map with records of S. chapmani, S. fascipennis, S. lopesi, S. melinus sp. nov., S. peruanus and S. spinophallus sp. nov..