Notofairchildia Wagner & Stuckenberg

Wagner, Rüdiger & Stuckenberg, Brian, 2016, Cladistic analysis of Subfamily Bruchomyiinae (Diptera: Psychodidae), Zootaxa 4092 (2), pp. 151-174 : 166-167

Genus Notofairchildia Wagner & Stuckenberg gen. nov.

Type species: Nemopalpus stuckenbergi Wagner 2012 , Afric. Inv. 53: 358–360, by present designation.

Etymology. Dedicated to G.B. Fairchild (see above), and ‘ notos ’ (Greek for south). Gender is feminine.

Species included (all transferred from Nemopalpus ): N. acaenohybos comb. nov. [ Brazil]; N. amazonensis comb. nov. [ Brazil]; N. brevinervis comb. nov. [ Brazil]; N. cancer comb.nov. [ Colombia]; N. dissimilis comb.nov. [ Brazil]; N. espiritosantensis comb. nov. [ Brazil]; N. immaculatus comb. nov. [ Brazil]; N. phoenimimus comb. nov. [ Colombia]; N. brejetubensis comb. nov. [ Brazil]; N. rondanica comb.nov. [ Brazil]; N. stenhygros comb. nov. [ Brazil]; N. spinosus comb. nov. [ Brazil] and N. stuckenbergi comb.nov. [ Chile]. Provisionally included are the three species from Australasia: N. australiensis comb. nov. [ Australia], N. glyphanos comb.nov. [ Australia] and N. zelandiae comb.nov. [ New Zealand].

Diagnosis. Reduced size of male genitalia in general, paired vasa deferentia widening at base, aedeagus shorter than ejaculatory apodeme and gonocoxite, gonostyli elongate with simple apices. Anal vein curved towards wing margin. Female spermatheca [only few known] sac-shaped, without elongate slit or inner setae, but with diverticulum (only N. stuckenbergi known).

Comments. Neotropical species: the species mentioned above represent a morphologically and probably evolutionarily heterogeneous group that is distinct from Boreofairchildia and Laurenceomyia and most commonly found in the southern part of the Neotropical region. The principle feature of all these species is the reduced size of male genitalia. Although increasing in width at their base, the vasa deferentia are shorter than in Boreofairchildia ; aedeagus shorter than ejaculatory apodeme and shorter than gonocoxite. N. amazonensis with dorsal pores on tergite 5 (possibly glands that produce pheromones). Simple gonostyli are mentioned for N. rondanica , N. stenhygros , and N. immaculatus , the latter with tergites 6 and 7 conspicuously reduced in length and with tufts of setae laterally. N. brejetubensis has a simple gonostylus, the apical half kinked and broad. A bifurcate gonostylus occurs in N. phoenomimus and N. cancer while gonostyli with multiple apices occur in N. espiritosantensis and N. acaenohybos . Notofairchildia brevinervis , N. dissimilis , and N. stuckenbergi have a simple and apically blunt gonostylus. The spermatheca of female N. stuckenbergi is a simple translucent sac without longitudinal slit but with a conspicuous diverticulum, neither externally nor internally sculptured.

Australasian species: Concerning the shape of vasa deferentia, the Australian species most likely have closer relations to New World than to Old World species. Australian species are close relatives among each other but each with autapomorhies (Curler & Jacobson 2012). In general, genitalia are smaller than in Neotropical species. Vasa deferentia are relatively short and increasing in width at base.

Alexander (1928) described N. australiensis based on a female. Duckhouse (1965) described a male that he assumed to be the same species. Rightly, Curler & Jacobson (2012) indicate that Duckhouse’s association is probably incorrect, and that more than one species is represented by specimens identified as N. australiensis . Duckhouse (1965) however, mentioned many digitate ascoids on flagellomeres of the male that he determined as N. australiensis . This probably is a mistake, and conditions are similar to N. glyphanos (Curler & Jacobson 2012, see below). In N. australiensis the ejaculatory apodeme is as long as the aedeagus, which is only half as long as the gonocoxite. Prominent features are the shape of the gonostylus with two median processes of different morphological complexity similar to N. acaenohybos , and the strong apical spine, which is similar to those in some Sycorax species (subfamily Sycoracinae ).

The recently described N. glyphanos possesses numerous digitate sensilla and a pair of spatulate ascoids on flagellomeres, ejaculatory apodeme laterally compressed, aedeagus funnel shaped, features reminiscent of the Old World clade. Female gonoporus is ovate with many setae on both sides. Spermatheca ovoid without internal setae.

On either side of the gonoporus is a flower shaped area along with numerous setae (Curler & Jacobson 2012, Fig. 15) similar to some American species ( B. arroyoi , B. mopani , B. nearcticus , B. sziladyii ).

N. zealandiae has a number of apomorphies, male with short and basally wide vasa deferentia, gonocoxites broadly fused at base, gonostyli short with a kneed ‘nose’ bent inward ( Fig. 6 b). Cerci elongate and well sclerotized, slightly bent, similar to surstyli of Psychodinae ( Fig. 6 c); flagellomeres with single variable (bifid, trifid) ascoids, wings are held horizontally over the abdomen (Tonnoir 1940, p. 208). Setae of abdominal tufts on segments 3 to 6 are directed posteriorly (not anteriorly as in the Neotropical species). No tergites are divided but abdominal segments 7 and 8 are almost unsclerotized, probably retractable into the anterior part of the abdomen. Distal part of aedeagus is less than 0.5 times the length of the basal ejaculatory apodeme. Vasa deferentia open separate into the aedeagus without joining to a common duct (Tonnoir 1940, p 210). Female spermatheca appears as an elongate empty sac.

It was premature to place the Australian and New Zealand species in one of the genera treated here, or place them in genera of their own. Notofairchildia zelandiae has relations to the New World clade while relations of described Australian species seem to be closer to the Old World clade. The structural diversity of male genitalia permits some hypotheses: 1. some species represent exponents of differing subsequent immigrations from South America, 2. are relicts from geological time periods with species becoming extinct on Antarctica, or 3. in Australia immigration from the north in addition to presence of relicts is probable.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Spermathecae. a— Nemopalpus orientalis Edwards; b— Nemopalpus flavus (Macquart); c— Laurenceomyia similis (Wagner & Stuckenberg); d— Boreofairchildia nearcticus (Young); e— Notofairchildia stuckenbergi (Wagner). Abbreviations: flc—flower-like membranous cavities; vsc—vaginal sclerite; sd—sperm duct; d—diverticulum.