Apotropina exquisita (Malloch, 1940)

Ang, Yuchen, Lumbers, James & Riccardi, Paula R., 2023, A conspectus of Australian Apotropina (Diptera, Chloropidae) with the description of two new species, ZooKeys 1187, pp. 261-299 : 261

Apotropina exquisita (Malloch, 1940)

Fig. 13A-D

Lasiopleura (Lasiopleura) exquisita Malloch, 1940: 270.

Type locality and distribution.

Australia: Western Australia (Geraldton).

Examined material.

Holotype ♂ Label transcription: "Australian Museum, K 359226; Geraldton, W.A., 5. Sept. 1926., E.W. Ferguson; HOLOTYPE, Lasiopleura exquisita Mall.; Lasiopleura exquisita Type, det. JRMALLOCH; SPHTM Coll."; 28°46'S, 114°37'E. Deposited in the AMRI.

Taxonomic notes.

Apotropina exquisita belongs to a group of described species (including A. ornatipennis , A. proxima , and A. raymenti ) that have dark bodies with shiny tomentosity, wings with distinct dark patterning covering at least the medial region from costal margin to beyond R2+3 vein, and usually shiny-white alula. Apotropina exquisita can be distinguished from other species in this group with the following combination of characters: short capitate proboscis, with more than two distal tarsal segments dark, pleuron not completely whitish tomentose, wing with completely dark venation especially basally, and femora dark with extreme apices yellow (Fig. 13A-C ). This species is only known from female specimens, male morphology unknown. However, there is evidence that species in this group may have sexually dimorphic color patterns (see Fig. 1 ) where males may have more prominent patterns than females. Chaetotaxy as observed: 1 vibrissa; 2 weak proclinate interfrontal setae; 2 postpronotal setae; 2 scapular setae; 1+1 notopleural setae; short weak biseriate acrostichal row only in medial region of scutum; 1+3 dorsocentral setae; 1+1 supra-alar setae; postalar and intrapostalar setae present; scutellum with 1 discal setula; katepisternal seta missing/indistinct. Original description in Suppl. material 1.

Figures

Figure 1. In situ photo of Apotropina sp. showing sexual dimorphism. iNaturalist observation (Grove 2019) of two individuals (likely of A. ornatipennis (Malloch) or similar where ♂ wings (bottom left) have color pattern extending to wing apices (blue arrow), while the ♀ color pattern (top right) does not (red arrow).

Figure 13. Apotropina exquisita (Malloch) holotype ♀ (K 359226) A habitus, lateral view B habitus, dorsal view C head, anterior view D specimen labels.