Acupalpa Kroeber

Shaun L., Winterton, 2011, Revision of the stiletto fly genera Acupalpa Kroeber and Pipinnipons Winterton (Diptera, Therevidae, Agapophytinae) using cybertaxonomic methods, with a key to Australasian genera, ZooKeys 95, pp. 29-79 : 34-35

Acupalpa Kroeber

Acupalpa Kröber 1912: 152; Kröber 1913: 18; Mann 1929: 23; Hardy 1939: 47 [as Acutipalpa ]; Irwin and Lyneborg 1989: 354 [catalogue]; Winterton 2000: 227 [revision]; Winterton et al. 2001: 197. Type species: Acupalpa rostrata Kröber 1912: 152.

Diagnosis.

Antennal scape shorter than or equal to flagellum; antenna elongate, cylindrical, total length slightly longer than or equal to head length; upper part of frons flat or slightly concave above antenna; face either protruding anteriorly below antennal base, or broadly rounded, expansive, short dark setae often present; parafacial setae absent; palpus apically narrow or acute, not spatulate; mouthparts length variable, frequently elongate and forward projecting (Fig. 3H); male postocular ridge with single row of macrosetae immediately laterad of ocellar tubercle, female with more than one row; wing infuscate, usually strongly banded; setae absent on wing vein R1; cell m3 closed; velutum patches on fore and hind femora; femora without macrosetae; single type of setal pile on femora, setae not appressed; prosternal furrow without setae; post spiracular pile absent; pleuron orange to black, overlain with sparse silver pubescence; mid coxa without setae on posterior surface; gonocoxites with velutum patch on ventral surface (Fig. 3B); articulated gonocoxal process present; hypandrium present; ventral apodeme of parameral sheath forked; dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath ‘T’ -shaped (Fig. 3F); three spermathecae in female; spermathecal sac present, sac simple or with smaller additional lobes basally, often with outer elongate lobes; spermathecal ducts joining common duct before bursa (Fig. 3G), female with A1 and A2 acanthophorite spines well developed; female sternite 8 emarginate along posterior margin.

Comments.

Acupalpa is a genus with some distinctive wasp mimicking species (Figs 1-2), often strikingly coloured with black and orange. The male terminalia are relatively conserved throughout both Acupalpa and Pipinnipons , and species identification is more easily and reliably accomplished using external characters of either sex. Closely related to Pipinnipons and Agapophytus , Acupalpa can be distinguished by the elongate, cylindrical antennae, scape not longer than flagellum, face usually expansive and protruding, and palpi that are acuminate or narrowly cylindrical. The latter two characters specifically differentiate Acupalpa from Pipinnipons , as the face is always narrow and the palpi spatulate in Pipinnipons . Agapophytus is separated from Pipinnipons and Acupalpa by the length of the scape ranging from relatively equal length, to significantly longer than the flagellum.

Included species.

Acupalpa albimanis ( Kröber), comb. n., Acupalpa albitarsa Mann, Acupalpa boharti sp. n., Acupalpa divisa (Walker), Acupalpa dolichorhyncha sp. n., Acupalpa glossa sp. n., Acupalpa imitans (White), comb. n., Acupalpa irwini Winterton, Acupalpa melanophaeos sp. n., Acupalpa miaboolya sp. n., Acupalpa minuta sp. n., Acupalpa minutoides sp. n., Acupalpa notomelas sp. n., Acupalpa novayamarna sp. n., Acupalpa rostrata Kröber, Acupalpa semirufa Mann, Acupalpa westralica sp. n., Acupalpa yalgoo sp. n., Acupalpa yanchep sp. n.

Key to Acupalpa species