Argentinomyia neotropica ( Curran, 1937 )

Montoya, Augusto L. & Wolff, Marta, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Argentinomyia Lynch-Arribálzaga, 1891 (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of 16 new species, Zootaxa 5234 (1), pp. 1-157 : 88-92

Argentinomyia neotropica ( Curran, 1937)

( Figs 51 , 52 and 92C )

Melanostoma neotropicum Curran, 1937: 4 . Type locality: Brazil. S„o Paulo, S„o Paulo. HOLOTYPE Male AMNH (Examined). Refs.: Fluke, 1957: 278 (Figs 117–118, male genitalia)

Rhysops neotropicum . Fluke, 1945: 18

Melanostoma neotropicum . Frey, 1946: 157

Rhysops neotropicum . Fluke, 1957: 266

Rhysops neotropicus . Thompson et al. 1976: 43

Argentinomyia cf. neotropica ( Curran, 1937) . Mengual et al. 2008: 547

Argentinomyia neotropicus . Navarro et al. 2009: 520

Argentinomyia neotropicus . Thompson & Skevington, 2014: 98

Argentinomyia neotropica . Montoya, 2016: 460

Melanostoma columella Fluke, 1945: 8 . Type locality: Brazil. Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia. HOLOTYPE Male AMNH (Examined). Refs.: Fluke, 1945: 26 ( Fig. 9 , Head, female, lateral view) 28 ( Fig. 39 , female abdomen, Fig. 40 , male abdomen)

Rhysops columella . Van der Goot, 1964: 217

Type material. HOLOTYPE. Adult Male , BRAZIL. S„o Paulo, 23°32’36.68”S, 46°24’39.36”W, 775 m, 18.iv.1905, A.A. Barbiellini ( AMNH) . ALLOTYPE. BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro, Nova Friburgo, E. Dorio, 4.iv.1937, H.S. Lopes (1♀, WIRC). “ ALLOTYPE / Melanostoma / columella ” ( AMNH) . PARATYPE. BRAZIL. Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia , 857 m, 10.vi.1937, F. Plaumann (1♁, AMNH) ; Rio de Janeiro, Nova Friburgo, E. do Rio , 846 m, 28.vi.1937, H. S. Lopes (1♀, WIRC) . “ PARATYPE / Melanostoma / columella ” (2♁, WIRC). METATYPE . BRAZIL. Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia , 857 m, 18.vi.1937, F. Plaumann (2♀, WIRC) ; São Paulo, Cantareira , - 870 m, 1945, J. Lane (1♁, WIRC) .

Length (n= 5): Body, 8.5–9.3 mm; Wings, 7.3–8.1 mm.

Diagnosis. Face perpendicular without prominent grooves above the tubercle; wing only tinged with brown; abdomen black with small yellow to red maculae on basal corners of the 2 nd tergum, reaching over the sides and 1/2 of segment length; femora and tarsi black; surstylus triangular-like; hypandrium narrowed laterally towards the apex; aedeagal lobe with apex acute.

Redescription. MALE. Head ( Fig. 51A ): Face nearly straight, tubercle low with two very faint transverse depressions; white pollinose, shining on a broad mid-vitta, around the oral edges, a narrow band dorsal the gena from the eyes to the oral edge, an arc dorsal the antennae and thinly pollinose from antennae down the slopes of the face almost to the flat area opposite tubercle, pile white. Frontal triangle dark with a broad opaque band just ventral the ocelli, gradually fading into white pollen in the depression, pile black. Gena shining black with thin, more whitish pollen, pile white. Ocellar triangle semi-shining black with black pile. Occiput whitish pollinose and pilose on lower two-thirds, black pilose on dorsal 1/3. Antennae brownish-black, short, ratio 1.0:1.3:1.9, reaching to the tubercle, scape shorter than basoflagellomere, basoflagellomere a little shorter than scape and pedicel, reddishyellow but darker on outer sides and dorsal on basoflagellomere, arista yellow at base and dark on apical 1/3, pilose. Thorax ( Figs 51B–C ): Black, mesonotum semiopaque on disc, more shining alongside, pile longer and brownishyellow; with two median white-pollinose vittae on anterior half, pile whitish and very short, dark brown alongside beyond the notopleural suture. Pleura lightly white pollinose, white pile; notopleural tubercle prominent. Scutellum blue-black, shining, slightly rugose, pile short and pale; fringe thin and white. Wing ( Fig. 51C ): Ashen, tinged with brown, stigma elongate brown, microtrichose, except cell c bare basal 1/2, cells bm bare on basal 1/3 and r only slightly bare basally, cell cua bare on anterior 1/3 or more, very light clouds at the fork of second and third veins and on anterior cross-vein, calypter wholly brown; plumula white; halter yellow, capitulum slightly brown. Legs ( Fig. 51C ): Dark brown to black; femur reddish-yellow apically; tibia reddish yellow on basal 1/3; pile all black, even the mat under the metatarsus. Abdomen ( Fig. 51B ): Semi-shining black to opaque, 2 nd tergum with a pair of narrow yellowish-red triangles maculae on basal corners reaching over the sides and 1/2 of segment length, 3 rd tergum black in the middle but with a pair of large rectangular maculae, which do not reach the lateral margins, but reach apical 1/3 of the segment, the apex rounded, 4 th tergum similar but with a smaller macula; the hairs on sides longer and yellowish above, with black-brown hairs in black areas; sterna shining black, yellow and long pilose; male genitalia: surstylus in lateral view ( Fig. 52A ) triangular-like; hypandrium in ventral view ( Fig. 52C ) narrowed laterally towards the apex; aedeagal lobe in ventral view ( Fig. 52C ) with apex acute.

FEMALE ( Figs 51D–F , 52C ). Similar to male except for usual sexual dimorphism and differing in face with four transverse ridges, white facial hairs. Frontal triangle with a wide opaque black fascia just ventral to the ocelli, the pollinose whitish depression, black hairs. Thorax very short hairs, shield with two apical setae. Abdominal macula narrow and more isolated than in male, maculae on 2 nd tergum broad, on 3 rd and 4 th terga reaches only half of the segment length.

Taxonomic notes. Argentinomyia neotropica is similar in appearance to A. lineata differing from them by having the face perpendicular without prominent grooves above the tubercle ( Figs 51A, C , D-F); wing only tinged with brown ( Figs 51 B-C, E-F); femora black ( Figs 51A, C , D-F); maculae on basal corners of the 2 nd tergum, reaching over the sides and 1/2 of segment length ( Figs 51B, E ). In A. lineata face with two faint transversal grooves above tubercle ( Figs 42A, C , D-F); abdomen with elongate linear yellow vittae ( Figs 42B, E ); metafemur yellow on basal 1/5, pro- and mesofemora broadly yellow apically ( Figs 42A, C , D-F). Based on males, A. neotropica differs from A. lineata in having the aedeagal lobe in ventral view ( Fig. 52C ) with acute apex [versus aedeagal lobe circular, apex rounded in A. lineata ( Fig. 43C )] (see “diagnosis” under each species or key).

Remarks. The weak definition of Rhysops and Melanostoma resulted in taxonomic confusion identity, producing misidentification such as Curran’s species Rhysops neotropica ( Curran, 1937) and the subsequent description of Melanostoma columella by Fluke (1945), with the subsequent double inclusion of Argentinomyia neotropica in the key of Rhysops and Melanostoma ( Fluke 1945) . Thompson, when reviewing the Neotropical fauna, suggested that A. neotropica could represent a complex of two species, which vary from one large morphotype, with orange spots on 2 nd tergum and other smaller morphotypes without maculae on 2 nd tergum (F.C. Thompson, personal unpublished notes). We had the opportunity to study male specimens from several localities and we verified that it is one of the most variable species of Argentinomyia in terms of maculae pattern. The review of material from both morphospecies, with the dissection of male genitalia, revealed that they obviously correspond to the same species. For these reasons, we believe that this is more likely a single, variable species, which also could explain the description of Melanostoma columella by Fluke (1945) and the inclusion of Rhysops neotropica ( Curran, 1937) with the double inclusion of the species in the key of Rhysops and Melanostoma ( Fluke 1945) .

Comments. The Holotype specimens of M. neotropicum and Melanostoma columella are currently in the AMNH. Photos are available on their website AMNH: https://sci-web-001.amnh.org/imulive/iz.html?#details=ecat alogue.10020981 and https://sci-web-001.amnh.org/imulive/iz.html?#details=ecatalogue. 10021024.

Geographical range. Argentinomyia neotropica (n= 137) is an abundant species, distributed in Argentina * (La Pampa, Tucumán), Serra do Mar , Serra da Fartura Serra Paranapiacaba and Serra da Mantiqueira in Brazil (P Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, S„o Paulo), Eastern slope of Central Cordillera in Colombia * (Antioquia) and Paraguay * (Villarrica) ( Fig. 92C ). The species is present at low and middle altitudes (144–1700 m) in the following biogeographical domains and provinces: Northern Andes : Magdalena (1700 m) ; Paraná (144–1350 m) : Araucaria Forest (802–1350 m) , Atlantic Forest (775–928 m) , Paraná Forest (144–857 m) ; Chacoan (526–1514 m) : Cerrado (997 m) , Chaco (526–1514 m) .

Non-type material examined. ARGENTINA . Tucumán, Burruyacu, Quebrada La Toma , -26.499425, - 64.741942, 526 m, 21.xii.1950, R. A. Golbach (5♁, 1♀, WIRC) ; …, Burruyacu, Villa Padre Monti , -26.488779, - 64.971602, 530 m, 5.ii.1948, R.A. Golbach (7♁, 14♀, WIRC) ; Quebrada La Toma de Tafi , -26,499425, -64,741942, 526 m, 21.vii.1950, R.A. Golbach (5♁, 1♀, WIRC) ; La Pampa, Alpichiri , -27,333325, -65,749994, 1514 m, J.L Neff (1♀, USNM ENT 00086840 ) . BRAZIL. Minas Gerais, Araxá , -19,5933, -46,9406, 997 m, 22.xi.1965, C. T. Elias ; C. Elias (1♁, DZUP 45591 , Det: H. S. Telford) ; Paraná, Curitiba , -25,424243, -49,265093, 925 m, 20.vi.1985, T.J. Henry (2♀, USNM ENT 01406574 ; 01406430, Det: F.C. Thompson 1976) ; Paraná, Refugio de vida silvestre dos campos de Palmas , -26,533807, -51,599362, 1200 m, A. Couto (3♀, DZUP) ; Paraná, Curitiba, Cto Politécnico , -25,436585, -49,255367, 962 m, 30.vi.2005, M.N. Morales (2♀, CEUFLA) ; Curitiba , -25,4278, -49,2731, 934 m, 24.ii.1975, C. Elias (1♀, DZUP 45599 , Det. L. Marinoni) ; Rio de Janeiro, Nova Friburgo, E. do Rio , -22,288611, -42,534504, 928 m, 4.iv.1937, H. S. Lopes (1♀, AMNH) ; Same data, except: (2♁, WIRC) ; Rio Grande do Sul, Pelotas , -31,765399, -52,337589, 20.xii.1963, J. Lucia Montovani-Berzanko ( USNM ENT 01443747 ) ; Barga Negra, Planície Costeira do Rio Grande do Sul, -30.035963, -51.274657, 5 m, Kirst F.D. (n= 5, DZUP) . Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia , -27,183334, -52,383334, 500 m, 1.vi.1964, F. Plaumann (6♁, 4♀, AMNH) ; Same data, except: (37♁, 26♀, USNM ENT 01406383 ; 01406317; 014062649; 0140251; 01406352; 01406275; 01406195; 01406328; 01406351; 01406342; 01406273; 01406283; 01406274; 01406348; 01406236; 01406408; 01406270; 01406297; 01406226; 01406271; 01406223; 01406400; 01406209; 01406218; 01406295; 01406198; 01406202; 01384465; 01384800; 01384857; 01383342; 01384395; 01406260; 01384708; 01406407; 01384774; 01384903; 01384649; 01384660; 01384780; 01384876; 0184792; 01384890; 01384658; 0406308; 01406385; 01383576; 01384798; 01383402; 01384816; 01406332; 01406375; 01406380; 01406338; 01406219; 01406304; 01406395; 01406345; 01406349; 01406324; 01406414) ; 1.xi.1969, F. Plaumann (1♀, WIRC); 400 m, 29.vii.1938, F. Plaumann (1♁, 4♀, BMNH, Det: N.P Wyatt) ; Same data, except: (1♁, 4♀, FMNH) ; Bom Jardim da Sierra , -28,137522, -49,966651, 1350 m, 5.vi.2006, A.J.C. Aguiar, A. Martines, L.R.R. Faria Jr (1♀, CEUFLA) ; Três Barras , -26,1064, -50,3222, 802 m, 13.ix1966, J. S. Moure and O. H. H. Mielke (1♁, DZUP 45594 , Det. L. Marinoni) ; São Paulo, Guaianazes , -23,576607, -46,409769, 775 m, 1.ii.1950, M. Carrera (1♁, WIRC) ; Ribeirao Grande, Fazacenda Intermontes , - 24,197 324, -48,424401, 826 m, 6.iv.2006, S.B. Vosgueritchian (1♀, CEUFLA) ; Campinas , -22,9056, -47,0608, 854 m, 8.viii.1985, V. L. V. Arruda (1♁, DZUP 45592 , Det: C. J. B. de Carvalho) . COLOMBIA. Antioquia, Anorí, Vereda El Roble , Reserva Natural Arrierito Antioqueño , 6.984806, -75.111667, 1600–1700 m, 25-27.v.2012, Entomology Group, Net (1♁, CEUA 71679 ) . PARAGUAY. Villarrica , -25.749967, -56.432600, ix.1938, F. Schade (A.L. Melander Collection 1961) (1♁, USNM ENT 01406584 ) .

Figures

FIGURE 9. Pattern of abdominal terga, dorsal view: A. Talahua fervida (♀); B. Argentinomyia norrbomi sp. nov. (♀); C. Triangular maculae in Argentinomyia nigrans (♀); D. Argentinomyia rugosonasa (♁); E. Argentinomyia belmira sp. nov. (♀); F. Lineal maculae in Argentinomyia lineata (♁); G. Oblique maculae in Argentinomyia longicornis (♀); H. Argentinomyia andina (♁), head frontal view; I. Argentinomyia currani (♁), abdomen lateral view. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 39. Argentinomyia jamaicensis sp. nov., female Holotype (CNC DIPTERA 112271): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 40. Argentinomyia lanei (Fluke, 1936), male (USNM ENT 01364776): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (USNM ENT 0146360): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 42. Argentinomyia lineata (Fluke, 1937), male (USNM ENT 01406413): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (USNM ENT 01406353): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 43. Argentinomyia lineata (Fluke, 1937), male genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 51. Argentinomyia neotropica (Curran, 1937), male (USNM ENT 01409270): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (USNM ENT 01384792): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 52. Argentinomyia neotropica (Curran, 1937), male genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm. D. Natural habitus of a female specimen in Magdalena Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (iNaturalist catalogue number 6307133; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6307133). Photo taken by ©Gerónimo Martín Alonso.

FIGURE 92. Geographical distribution of Argentinomyia species in South America.