Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Apotropina longepilosa

Posted by von Tschirnhaus on 17-11-2022 15:04
#2

Chloropidae, Siphonellopsinae: Apotropina longepilosa (Strobl, 1893): A rare image of a rare species, correctly identified by Rui Andrade. Indeed, 74 publications mention or treat this species in taxonomic [type species of Lasiopleura] and phylogenetic context, but fewest record own findings. Different from other chloropids, Apotropina has the complete pattern of plesiomorphic long bristles including some which mostly disappeared during evolution (e.g. scapulars inside the humerus). The orbitals are procurved. Andersson (1977) figured the details including the asymmetries of male genitalia. Dely-Draskovits (1977, Ann. Hist.-nat. Mus. nat. hung. 69: 177-179) described a second Palaearctic (European) species, A. brevivenosa, which is rare, too, and extremely similar. I thoroughly compared my collected material of both: In brevivenosa the wings are slightly infuscated (longepilosa: hyaline), sternites are only slightly longer than wide (much longer), light pubescence of 3rd antennal segment shorter and more scarce (dense and longer), 3rd antennal article black in females, yellow in lower part in males (ochre or brown) peristomal edge yellowish (dark), face yellow in distal part (brown), propleuron at rear and below dusted (polished), second costal section short (long), hind femur shorter (narrower and longer), epandrium large (small). A. longepilosa was partly collected in the litoral, larval substrate unknown. In Spain many specimens were observed on the aggregation of dead females of the Ibis fly, Atherix ibis [after their egg deposition above streams]. I observed an aggregation of thousands of sexual-dimorphic Apotropina spec. in a dark moist rock shelter in the outback of Australia, the continent with a high species diversity of this genus.