Argentinomyia nigrans ( Fluke, 1945 )

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 : 92-94

Argentinomyia nigrans ( Fluke, 1945)

( Figs 53 , 54 and 92D )

Rhysops nigrans Fluke, 1945: 8 . Type locality: Brazil. Santa Catarina. Nova Teutonia. HOLOTYPE Female AMNH (Examined). Refs.: Fluke, 1945: 26 ( Fig. 8 , head, lateral view, female); 1957: 279 (Figs 111–112, male genitalia).

Rhysops nigrans . Fluke, 1957: 266

Rhysops nigrans . Thompson et al. 1976: 44

Argentinomyia nigrans . Montoya, 2016: 461

Rhysops funerea Hull, 1949: 74 . Type locality: Brazil: Santa Catarina: Nova Teutonia. HOLOTYPE Male Hull collection, examined from photographs). n. syn.

Rhysops funereus . Thompson et al 1976: 43

Type material. HOLOTYPE. Adult Female, BRAZIL. Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia , 857 m, 1.vi.1936, F. Plaumann ( AMNH) . ALLOTYPE. BRAZIL Label with the same data as Holotype except 20.vii.1937 (1♁, AMNH) . PARATYPE. BRAZIL. Santa Catarina, Bom Retiro , 845 m, 21.i.1929, F. Plaumann (1♁, 3♀, WIRC; 1♁, AMNH; 1♀, USNM ENT 00058843 ); ... vi and vii.1936 and 1937, F. Plaumann (10♀, AMNH) . METATYPE: BRAZIL. Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia , 530 m, 21.vi.1936, F. Plaumann (3♀, AMNH) .

Length (n= 5): Body, 9.5–10.1 mm; Wings, 6.2–7.1 mm.

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

Redescription. MALE. Head ( Fig. 53A ): 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 white 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 53B–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. 53C ): 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. 53C ): 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. 53B ): Semi-shining black to opaque, yellowish-red triangles on basal corners of the 2 nd tergum reaching over the sides and 1/2 of segment length, pile longer alongside, short, black and appressed on discs of tergites; sterna shining black, yellow and long pilose; male genitalia: surstylus in lateral view ( Fig. 54A ) with dorsal and ventral margins similar (square-like); hypandrium in ventral view ( Fig. 54C ) narrowed laterally towards the apex; aedeagal lobe in ventral view ( Fig. 54C ) circular, apex rounded.

FEMALE ( Figs 53D–F ). Similar to male except for usual sexual dimorphism and differing in the frontal triangle pollen whitish along the eyes, brownish elsewhere.

Taxonomic notes. Argentinomyia nigrans is similar in appearance to A. plaumanni sp. nov. differing from it by having the wing tinged with brown ( Figs 53 B-C, E-F); 2 nd tergum with a pair of triangular yellow maculae on basal corners reaching over the sides and 1/2 of segment length, others abdominal segments without maculae ( Figs 53B, E ). In A. plaumanni sp. nov. the wing slightly yellowish ( Figs 61 B-C, E-F); 2 nd tergum with a pair of basolateral elongate yellow maculae reaching the apical 3/4 of the segment length; 3 rd tergum with a pair of basal elongated maculae reaching apical 2/3, but not reaching lateral margin; 4 th and 5 th terga black ( Figs 61B, E ). Based on males, A nigrans differs from A. plaumanni sp. nov. in having the surstylus in lateral view ( Fig. 54A ) with dorsal and ventral margins similar (square-like) [versus surstylus with dorsal margin slightly concave and ventral margin slightly convex in A. plaumanni sp. nov. ( Fig. 62A )] (see “diagnosis” under each species or key).

Remarks. Hull (1949) recognized that A. funerea is similar to A. nigrans and established that A. nigrans differs from it by the combination of the following characters: the male with an obscure yellowish macula on 2 nd tergum, more indistinct than in the female, tibia reddish yellow on basal 1/3, wings only tinged with brown instead of being deeply brownish as in A. funerea . Cooper & Cumming (1993) did not register a type specimen for A. funerea housed at the CNC. The examination of the type specimen from photographs provided by the CNC revealed that indeed it is housed there and corresponds to a specimen of A. nigrans ( Figs 54D–G ), therefore, A. funerea is formally synonymized under A. nigrans .

Comments. The Holotype specimen of R. nigrans is currently in the AMNH. Photos are available on their website AMNH: https://sci-web-001.amnh.org/imulive/iz.html?#details=ecatalogue. 10021029.

Biology. Label data suggest that A. nigrans visits flowers of “Granadilla” Passiflora edulis (Passifloraceae) .

Geographical range. Argentinomyia nigrans (n= 194) is the abundant species in collections, distributed in Argentina * (Misiones), Serra de Fartura and Serra de Mantiqueira in Brazil (Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, S„o Paulo) and Eastern slope of Western Cordillera of Colombia * (Boyacá) ( Fig. 92D ). The species is present at low and middle altitudes (233–2150 m) in the following biogeographical domains and provinces: Northern Andes : Magdalena (871 m) ; Paraná (233–2150 m) : Araucaria Forest (914–1200 m) , Atlantic Forest (1662–2150 m) and Paraná Forest (233–857 m) .

Non-type material examined. ARGENTINA . Misiones, Iguazú, -25.655778, -54.471099, 233 m, 4-10.x.1927, R.C. and E.M. Shannon (1♀, USNM ENT 01443753). BRAZIL. Minas Gerais, 16Km a SE de Itamonte Pq Nac Itamonte, -22,368504, -44,778372, 2150, 26.v.2011, M. G. Hermes (3♀, CEUFLA); Paraná, Curitiba, -25,424429, -49,265382, 914 m, 1975-1976, Malaise trap, H. S. Telford (13♁, 11♀, DZUP 46593; 46579; 46600; 46589; 46602; 46603; 46604; 46598; 46578; 46575; 46576; 46567; 46573; 46571; 46594; 46583; 46584; 46566; 46580; 46587); 934 m, 28.x.1975, A. Sakakibara (2♀, DZUP 4657046595); Refugio de vida silvestre dos campos de Palmas, - 26,533 807, -51,599362, 1200 m, A. Couto (4♀, DZUP); Curitiba, Cto Politécnico , -25,436585, -49,255367, 962 m, 21.vi.2005, M. G. Hermes (1♀, CEUFLA); Rio Grande do Sul, Bar„o de Cotegipe, -27,6208, -52,3797, 687 m, 15.i.1967, F. Giacomel (2♀, DZUP 46562-63) ( Marinoni et al. 2007); Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia, -27,183334, -52,383334, 500 m, 1.vi.1964, F. Plaumann (35♁, 44♀, USNM ENT 01406596; 01406443; 01406435; 01406436; 01384750; 01406454; 01406585; 01406446; 01406450; 01406425; 01406452; 01406580; 01406440; 01406442; 01406579; 01406611; 01406437; 01406453; 01443775; 01406605; 01384767; 01384677; 01384330; 01384727; 01384699; 0134683; 01384477; 01384441; 01384720; 01384806; 01384855; 01384783; 01384877; 01384743; 01384670; 01384891; 01384820; 01384835; 01383238; 01383141; 01443763; 01384907; 01384666; 01383952; 01384872; 01383522; 01384886; 01384694; 01384662; 01383987; 0138772; 01384640; 01383363; 01383681; 01384771; 01406600; 01406606; 01406448; 0146595; 01406591; 01406449; 01406610; 01406415; 01406441; 01406590; 01406438; 01406601; 01443758; 01443762; 01443752); 6.i.1969, F. Plaumann (3♁, 5♀, AMNH); 400 m, 3.v.1937, F. Plaumann (9♁, 11♀, BMNH); 3.v.1937, F. Plaumann (1♁, 1♀, FMNH); Bom Jardim da Sierra, - 28,137 522, -49,966651, 1089 m, 5.vi.2006, A.J.C. Aguiar, A. Martines, L.R.R. Faria Jr (1♀, CEUFLA); São Paulo, Campo do Jardão, -22,742928, -45,596348, 1662 m, 1.i.1954, J. Lane (6♁, 1♀, WIRC). COLOMBIA. Boyacá, Buena Vista, Vereda Patiño, 5.650832, -74.286905, 871 m, 8.iv.2004, W. Avila, Net en “Granadilla” Passiflora edulis (1♀, UNAB).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Differences in wing macula pattern, lateral view. A. Argentinomyia crenulata (♀); B. Argentinomyia sagoti sp. nov. (♁); C. Argentinomyia CR-18 (♁).

FIGURE 53. Argentinomyia nigrans (Fluke, 1945), male (USNM ENT 01384670): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (USNM ENT 01406441): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 54. Argentinomyia nigrans (Fluke, 1945), male genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm. D–G. Rhysops funerea (Hull, 1949), male Holotype (CNC DIPTERA 169358). D. Latero–frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view; G. Label.

FIGURE 61. Argentinomyia plaumanni sp. nov., male Holotype (USNM ENT 00036936): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 62. Argentinomyia plaumanni sp. nov. male Holotype, genitalia. A., Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

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