Agrophaspidium Wheeler and Mlynarek

Wheeler, Terry A. & Mlynarek, Julia J., 2008, Systematics of Agrophaspidium, a new genus of Neotropical Chloropidae (Diptera), Zootaxa 1926, pp. 41-52 : 42

Agrophaspidium Wheeler and Mlynarek , gen. n.

Type species: Agrophaspidium monticola sp. n. (by present designation).

Diagnosis: Small Oscinellinae with shining or partly shining frontal triangle, short and stout cephalic and thoracic bristles, strong outer vertical bristle posterolateral to inner vertical bristle, 1+1 notopleural bristles, scutellum flattened dorsally with four setulose marginal projections bearing strong bristles; male genitalia in most species with enlarged epandrium, branched surstylus and elongate, usually branched, cercus.

Description: Chloropidae , Oscinellinae . Head with frontal triangle shining or partly shining, bare except for row of interfrontal setulae along margin; frons with sparse interfrontal setulae; cephalic bristles short and stout, 5–9 reclinate fronto-orbitals; ocellars and postocellars reclinate, convergent, inner vertical bristle short and weak, usually proclinate, in line with posterior ocelli, outer vertical longer and stronger than other cephalic bristles, displaced posteriorly on upper occiput; eye large, round, bare or with sparse short hairs; gena narrow, densely pollinose, silvery-white (especially in anterior view) except for shining brown ventral margin; vibrissal angle not projecting, vibrissa present; face flat, narrow, densely pollinose, silvery-white, especially ventrally, facial carina absent; antenna with scape and pedicel short, first flagellomere small, rounded; arista pubescent, aristal setulae longer than width of arista at base; proboscis small, palpus short.

Scutum with 1 anterior and 1 posterior notopleural bristle, 1 postsutural supra-alar, 1 postsutural dorsocentral all dark, strong and stout; postpronotal seta and other scutal setae weak; scutal setulae short, weak, evenly arranged over surface or in closely set indistinct rows; scutellum flattened dorsally, with four marginal projections (shorter in A. pollinosum ), each bearing 1 strong, stout bristle ( Figs. 2–4 ); thoracic pleurites bare, except for sparse setulae on katepisternum. Wing ( Fig. 1 ) hyaline, anal angle and alula well-developed, cell c narrow, second costal sector longer than third; cell r1 narrow, R2+3 and R4+5 strongly diverging at base, cell br sometimes broader at midpoint than at crossvein r-m, crossvein r-m near middle of cell dm, crossvein dm-cu perpendicular. Legs without outstanding bristles or spurs; femoral organ apparently absent, tibial organ elongate, oval, velvety, with single longitudinal row of setulae along midline. Abdominal tergites broad; sternites small, narrow; spiracles 3–5 in abdominal membrane ventral to lateral margins of tergites.

Male postabdomen: dorsal pregenital sclerite symmetrical, left and right spiracles 6 and 7 on sclerite close to lateral margin; epandrium enlarged, inflated (except in A. minutum ); surstylus variable in shape and size, usually with distinct inner lobe extending from medial base of main lobe (except in A. minutum ); hypandrium open posteriorly; pregonite and postgonite simple, triangular; basiphallus short, distiphallus simple, membranous, unmodified; phallapodeme simple; phallic guide round; cercus usually elongate (except in A. minutum ), sometimes branched apically; subepandrial sclerite distinct but small.

Female terminalia unmodified, typical of Oscinellinae .

Etymology: The generic name is from the Greek agrophe (rake) and aspidion (shield), referring to the shape of the scutellum. The gender of the name is neuter.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. 1. Agrophaspidium flavimana, wing. 2. Agrophaspidium monticola, scutellum. 3. Agrophaspidium flavimana, scutellum. 4. Agrophaspidium pollinosum, scutellum.