938
Studia Entomologica,vol. 12, Iasc. 14, novembro1969

A Revision of the Tropical American speciesof the Genus Lecteria Osten.Sacken(Tipulidae, Diptera)CharlesP. Alexander

Editdra Vozes Ltda., Petrdpolis,Rio de Janeiro,BrasilStudia Ent., vol. 12, fasc. 1-4, novembro1969

321

A Revisionof the Tropical AmericanSpeciesof the Genus
LecteriaOsten-Sacken(Tipulidae,Diptera)CharlesP. Alexander
Emeritus, University of Massachusetts,
Departmentof Entomology,
Amherst, Massachusetts(With l5 figures)

Lecteria Osten Sacken
L e c t e r i o O s t e n S a c k e n ;B e r l i n .
L e c t e r i a : A l ex a n d e r ; P r o c . U .

Osten Sackenf oundedthe genus Lecteriaon a single species
that he erroneouslyhad determinedas being armillaris (Fabricius). A secondspecies,Lecteriocalopus (Walker) had long
been placed in the synonymy of armillaris but now is known
to representa valid species.I am greatly indebtedto Dr. S. L.
Tuxen and Dr. Leif Lyneborg, of the lJ niversifetetsZoologiske
Museunr,Copenhagen,Denmark,for re-examining
the type materialof armillarispreservedin the FabricianCollectionand for providing additional notes and excellentf igures of the wing and legsof the type that are reproducedin this paper. I likewise wish
to expressmy sincerethanks to Mr. Richard I. Vane-Wright, ot
the British Museunr( Natural History) f or providing a detailed
re-descriptionand cxcellentfigures of thc type of calopusthat
are presented
ih this report.It is believedthat the correctidentifiesof these two speciesnow are known. A third species,Lecterio
mattogrossoeAlexander,was defined in I 913. A studl' of thenumerousspecimensof Neotropical members of the genus in
my collectionhas shown that severalf urther speciesare involved
and certain of these are describedas new in this paper.
Lecteria comprisesa very distinct group of crane flics, its
nearestallies evidc'ntlybeing the Old World Conosiavan derWulp and the very close ClydonodozusEnderlein. The genus
had long been known fronr the striking species,armillaris, welldistributedand conrmonin many collections.In 1912 Enderlein(ZooL Jahrb.,Syst.,32: 50-5'l) proposeda new genusPsaronius,lrasedon a supposednew species,lituratus Enderlein,that now
is pfacc'din the synonymyof obscura ( Fabricius). Psaroniusis
fronr typical Lecteria chiefly by the presenceof
distingtrishable
tibial spurs and by a nrinor featureof wing venation,the elongate
vein R r-s-+ in the radial f ield. Other features,including thevenation and hypopygial structure, are so similar in the two

ir

322

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical American Lecteriagroupsthat it appearsadvisableto placePsaroniusas a subgenus
of Lecteria.A third subgenus,NeolecteriaAlexander (Philippine
Jour. Sci., 53: 288; 1934), was basedon a speciesfrom Borneo
clescribedby Edwards as Lecteris bipunctata ( Sarawak Mus.
Jour., 3 : 265-266,pt. 9, tig. 10, wing; 1926). This f ly still isknown only trom the unique male type taken on Mount Dulit,
Sarawak, Borneo. This has vein Rr-*-n long, as in Psaronius,
but differs f rom all possibleallies by the loss of vein M t ot
the wings.A puzzlingfeaturein this f ly, as describedby Edwards,of the maxillary
is the apparentreductionin nuntberof segme'nts
palpus to a single elementand the union of the proximal threesegnrentsof the antennalflagelluminto a short fusion segntent.
Both of these charactersare different f ront those f ound in
Lecteria and are not significantly clifferent trom those foundin Conosiaand Clydonodozusand it nlay be found that Neo'lecteriais closerto thesegroupsthan to Lecteriawhereit presently
is assigned.
In the presentpaper eight undescribedspeciesare defined,nraking a total of elevenpresentlyknown from the Neotropicalregion. All known speciesare tropical, ranging f rom Mexico
to southernBrasil. The occurrenceof rather numcrousspecies
ol Lecteriain tropicalAtrica is well known and has beendiscussed
in various papersby the writer (Rev. ZooL Africaine,I I : 3753 8 1 , l g 2 3 ; R e v . d e E n t o n r o l o g i al,9 : 1 7 6 - 1 7 9 ,1 9 4 8 ; a n d
R u w e n z o rEi x p e d i t i o n1, 9 3 4 - 3 5( B r i t i s hM u s e u mN a t u r a lH i s t o r y ) ,l , n o . 7 , T i p u l i d a e :3 0 7 - 3 0 9 ,1 9 5 6 ) . A l l o f t h e ' A f r i c a n s p e c i e slrave t5e spurlesstibiae of Lecteria but show the elongatevein
Rr-,r-* of Psoronius.
In the presentpaper, in both descriptionsand tigures ofattentionis directedto the followingpoints: Maxillary
the species,
outer f lagellar segAntennael6-segntented,
palpi 4-segnrented.
nrents more elongate,with long verticils, in some excessively
k r n g ( F i g . 9 ) . L e g s w i t h t e n r o r ay e l l o w e dp, a t t e r n e dw i t h b r o w n ;tibiae and tarsi dark brown and white, the setaeof the whitenednedrings paler and ntorL'clelicatethan the long, stottt, blacke
bristlesof the darkenedsegntents.
Key to the Neotropical species of Lecteria s. str.
(,l. Tarsi rrnifrlrmly clarkeneclrlr virtually so, without a whitenecl n n

2(Fig. 2)
Tarsi with a whitened ring beyond miclle n g t h , i n c l u d i n g e s p e c i a l l Y

the second ancl thircl segments(FiS. I )Studia Ent., vol. 12, fasc. l-4, novembro1969

323

2. Wings with costal cell unclarkened
except at outer end in stigmal
region (Figs. 2-5); tibia white at outer end
calopus(Walker)
Costal cell of wing patternedwith brown at near midlength;tibia
with outer end darkened
3
3. Tarsi dark brown throughout;male hypopygiumwith aedeaguslong
and slender (Fig. 12)
fuscitarsissp. n.
Tarsi with basitarsusdark brown, second ancl third segmentsmore
brownish yellow but not whitened; male hypopygium with aedeagus
shorter, at apex clivideciinto two arms (Fig. 13)
retrorsa sp. n.
pattern
4. Darkenedof wing restricted, incluclingthe veins and small
areas in cells at and beyond the crlrd
5Darkened wing pattern more extensive, including cells and veins
beyond cord and also a broken band at level of origin of Rs,
including spots at R.s and in cell Crr, the interveningcell M paler... 6
5. Mesonotumredclishbrrlrvn; pleura somewhatpruinose,with a row ofbrown spots; abdomen dark ochre-brown with linear brownish black
stripes, the incisureswhitenerl; wings slightly yellowed, restrictedly
patterned with brown, including small marginal clouds in stigmal
a n d r a d i a l a r e a sa n d l e s se v i d e n t l ya l o n g t h e o u t e r v e i n s ( F i g . l ) . . . .
armillaris (Fabricius)
Mesonotalpraescutumbrown with three darker brown stripes,medianvitta narrow, laterals broacler, pleura grayish yelklw with a darkbrown krngituclinalstripe; abclominaltergites yellow, each segment
brown apically, lateral borders broadly clarker brown, sterniteswhitened, with a more yellowed central stripe; wings faintly tinged withyellow, very restrictedly patterned with brown, chiefly in stigmal
area and along cord
mattogrossaeAlexander
6. Male hypopygium with central phallosomic structure provided withnumerouslong pale spines; (aedeagusvery long and slender,exceeding the outer dististyle (FiS. 6)
acanthosomssp. n.
M a l e h y p o p y g i u mw i t h o u t s u c h a r m a t u r eo n t h e p h a l l o s o m e. . . . . . 7
7. M a l e h y p o p y g i u m w i t h o u t e r c l i s t i s t y l et e r m i n a t i n g i n t w o s p i n o u spoints (Figs. 7, 11)8
Male hypopygium with outer clististyle at apex extended into asingle decurveclpoint, the outer apical angle unmodified or withga rounded pale crest (Figs. 6, ll, 10, 12, 13, 15)
rt. Outer dististyle stout, its outer surface with numerous appressed
spinules; phallosomewith a central pair of straight slender spikes,
on either side subtendedby short narrow incurveclapophyses(Fig. 7)
ocanthostyla sp. .nOuter dististyleslencler,the surfacesmooth or virtually so; phallosome
with apophysesbroacl-basecl,
tips narrowly obtuse (Fig.. l!)slmptex sp. n.
9. Legs with basitarsientirely clark; hypopygiumwith phalkrsomehaving
the central structure elongate, forked at apex, each arm farther
prolongeclinto a long pale flap to produce a Y-shaped appearance(Fig. l5)tupsilonsp. n.
Legs with basitarsi clark, tips whitened; phallosome not modified
as above10

10. Outer clististyleslencler,
without an outer terminalcrest; phallosome
incluclingsmall spikelikepoints that are subtendedby slightly longer
and stouter arcuated apophyses (Fig. 8)
bicornuta sp. nOuter dististylewith a long low crest before apex; phallosome
including a broacl central plate, its posterior border convexly rounded(Fie. l0)cetrata sp. n.
2l|

324

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical American Lecteria

I. Previouslydescribedspecies

I . Lecteria(Lecteria)armillaris( Fabricius)
Tipula armillaris Fabricius; Syst. Antl.,' e ip.
o t . ,20, T i p u l a 1 2 ; 1 8 0 5 .
Limnobia armillaris: Wiedemann; Dipt.
i: l 3 ; 1 8 2 1 .

All other referencesto armillaris by later authorsevidently
pertain to other species.
The original descriptionby Fabriciusis as follows: <<Tipulo
armillaris; alis punctatis obscuris ferruginea,femoribus annulis
duobus ferrugineis,tibiis tribus albis. Media obscureferruginea,
abdominis segmentismargine f lavis. Pedes elongati, femoribus
annulis duobus ferrugineis,tibiisque annulis tribus albis. Alaealbidae,punctis f uscis sparsis>.Habitat in Anrericameridionale.
Dom Smidt, Mus. Dom Lund.
Wiedemannadds sotne f urther notes on the type specimen
but doesnot discussthe distinctivepatternof the tarsus.Fabricius
statementof there being three white rings on the tibia must
include the single broad ring on the tarsus, additionalto thetwo on the tibia as correctly indicatedby Wiedemann.
The exact locality where the type material was collectecl
remainsunknown.Mrs. Ella Zimsen (The type rnaterialof I. C.
Fabricius,pp. I -656; Copenhagen,l go4) writes concerningthis<<
ln Fabricius' later works the insectsf rom the West Indies art:
very often nrentionedas originatingfrom Smidt. On old wellpreservedoriginal labelsfronr Sehestedand Tonder Lund's collection the name is spelled Schmidt. In the I 780's thcrc livecl
a Custonrhouse off icer, Adanr Levin Schmidt,ancl a surgeon,
Johan ChristianSchmidt,both of thenr employedon St. Croix.
It is not certain who is rneant>>.
The above does not seem toapply to the presentcase since no speciesof Lecteria is known
from the West Indian islands,includingSt. Croix in the forrner
DanishWest Indies,now the Virgin Islandsof the United States.
Concerningthe further data suppliedby Dr. Lyneborg,asmentionedearlier,he writes that two specinrens
are in the series
at Copenhagen,both having lost their abdomensand one also
the legs. The secondspecimenwas designatedas lectotypeandis the one f igured herewith. The left posterior leg is intact
and is shown; the right rniddle l.g has the fenrur, tibia ancl
metatarsus;
other legs lost. From Lyneborg'stiguresthe following
points should be emphasized.
Wing (Fig. l) clear,rvith srnallindistinctinfuscations
chieflyin thc outer radial f ield but also narrowly along the veins.The

Studia Ent., vol. 12, fasc. l-4, novembro1969

325

Tib

o

lt

'"---rtffi,.\.J,+f;,flt';rfi
{,iL
-\ 15
i:: ):::

Fig. l. Lecteria (Lecteria) armillaris (Fabricius); hind leg and wing of holotype.
Fig. 2. Lecteria (Lecteria) calopus (Walker); hind leg and f ore tarsus of holotype.
- F i g . 3 . T h e s a m e : w i n g o f h o l o t y p e .- F i g . 4 . T h e s a m e : o v i p o s i t o ro f h o l o t y p e .
(Symbols:
Fig.5. The same; lateral view of head and thorax of holotype.
Leg, F = femur; Tib : tibia; Tar = tarsus).

f igure shows no dark pattern on wing basad of the cord. The
posteriorleg is shown ( Fig. I ), with the basal two-thirds of thefemur undarkened,yellowish,outer third with tip and a narrower
subterminalband dark, enclosinga yellow ring that is subequalin extent to the darkenedtip; tibia with three darkenedrings,

326

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical AmericanLecteria

the narrowestat apex, broadestat rnidlength,the three rings
enclosingtwo whitish annuli, the outer one more extensive,asshown; posteriortarsuswith the broaclbase and narrowertip
darkened,the wider centralpart pale, involvingnearlythe outer
third of basitarsus,
all of secondsegntent,
and aboutthe proximal
three-fourths of the third, the renrainderdark. Of particularimportancein the aboveare the sparsedarkenedpattern of thewings,with no area basadof origin of R.s,and the distributionof the dark and light pattern of all three regionsof the leg,particularlythe darkenedapex of the tibia and the broad whitering of the tarsus.A comparisonwith the corresponding
l.g ofcalopusemphasizes
thesedifferences.
No f urther specimensthat can be assignedto armillaris
havebeenseenby nle and its exactgeographicalhabitatremainsounknown. In the restricteddarkencdwing pattern it agreesnrost
nearly with mattogrossee,differing in slight details of coloration
as shown in the later descriptionand in the k.y.
It should lre noted that wlten defining the genus Lecteria( 1887: 206) the detailed descriptionprovided by Osten-Sacken
was believed to pertain to arntillaris but evidently represents
a different species.In this material,fronr Brasil, Osten Sacken
stressesthe presenceof a supernumerarycrossveinin cell R+ of
the wings and in sorne specimensa second such vein in cellRr,. Such crossveinsare not found in armillaris nor in any othernrember of the' genus known to nle and presumably represent
a further undescribedspecies.

2. Lecteria(Lecteria) calopus( Walker)
L i m n o b i a c a l o p u sw a l k e r ; I n s . S a u n d e r s i a n at,. D i'p, \t leursa.,,'p- tt .1 :5 : l 3 g ; 1 9 5 6 .
L e c t e r i a . c a l o p u s A l e x a n d e r -; P r o c . U . S . N a t l .
197;' lg13; erroneously
placed in the synonynly of armiilaris.

I n 1 9 1 2 ,E d w a r d s( i n A l e x a n d c rl,g l 3 : 4 8 8 ) s t a t e dt h a ttltere was a type ntale and a typc fenralethen presentin the
British Museunr,both in very good condition,each having losta singleleg. To the specimenOstenSackenearlierhad affixed
a note readins'Comp. this to LintnobiaarmillarisWd.'. In
accordancewith the generalbelicf at the tinre that there wasa singlevariatrleand widespreadspeciesof Lecteriain Tropical
Anrerica,thc presc'ntf ly had been placed in the synonymyof
armillaris.
I am greatly indebtedto Mr. Vane-Wrightf or providinga very complc'te'
and accuratere-descriptionand figures of theStudia Ent., vol. 12, fasc. 1-4, novembro1969

327

fenrale specimenthat was selectedas holotype of the species
in 1967. It appearsthat the ntale mentionedby Edwards inmight rvell
lgl2 has been lost or mislaid and if re-discovered
be placed as the allotypefof the species.Vane-Wright'sfigures
illustratethe head and thorax, wing, ovipositor,with details ot
the leg pattern,fortunatelyshowingthe posteriorleg and enablinga direct comparisonwith the conrparablestructurein armillaris.
The f igures are in pencil and were made by use of canlera
lucida. I have copied them to the best of my abilities. The
f urther notes by Vane-Wright supplernentthe briet account by
Walker and are provided here.
Head with rostrum short, brownish.Palpi yellowishbrown,(unless atour segmented.Antennae apparently 1O-segmented
nrinute l Tth is present),brownish.Scape subequalin length todistanceacross the vertex betweenthe eyes' or approximately
one-third the ntaximum width of head; pedicel globular, moreyellowecl;f irst f our f lagellar segmentssontewhatroundedabove,
more so beneath,each with one or two long dorsal verticils
that are about three-fourths the length of the scape; remaining
segnrentsbeyond the sontewhattransitional f if th narrow' cylindrical, with nunrbersof long verticils disposedaround thenr,
all flagellar segntentssubequalin length. Vertex grayish, dustedwith brown, *ittt nlany longishhairs that curve forwards; central
zone of verte'xvery slightly ntore brownish,the postero-lateralbehindcyes similar.
zonesof head inrrnediatelyThorax (Fig. 5) with pleurapatternedwith brownishmarks
on a silvery dusted yellowish brown ground, arranged about
as shown;dorsunrpatternedwith light and dark brown on silvery
dustedground,as shown.Legs ( FiS. 2) with coxaeconcolorous
yellowish;posterior
with pleura,basesllloredarkened;trochanters
fenrur with basal half yellowish,followed by a narrow wltitislt
ring, especiallythc'setae,then by brown, white and brown ringsin that order,the proportionsabout as shown,brown colorsquite
clark,appearingbrownishblack to the unaided€Ye,the withenedzones similarly appearingmore creanl colored; posterior tibia
as shown, base dark brown, followed by a white ring, then along brown zone,the apicalring white; posteriortarsusas shown,
entirely dark brown. Fore tarsi ( Fig. 2) somewhatlonger thant h o s eo f m i d c l l eo r p o s t e r i o rl e g s .W i n e s ( F i g . 3 ) w i t h s r o u n dslightly yellowishhyaline,with a pale brown pattern,including
the stigrna.Haltereswith stem yellowishbrown, knob slightly
darker.

328

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical AmericanLecteria

Abdomenwith ground color reddishbrown, tergitestwo to
five each with a narrow preapicaldark band, laterallyextended
forward to fornr dark lines,thesetergiteswith an apical whitish
yellow band subequalin width to the preapicaldark one, themarkings most clearly defined on tergites two and three; apexof sixth tergite,with the renrainingouter tergites,bright chestnut
brown; sternitesyellow basally,apicesmore darkened.Ovipositor( Fig. 4) with cerci gently curved,yellowishbrown. Type ferttale.
Length of abdomento tip of ovipositor12.5 mtn.
H o l o t y p e ,f e m a l e ,< S o u t hA m e r i c a >( B r i t i s h M u s e u m ) .

3. Lecteria(Lecteria)mattogrossae
Alexander
Lecte.ria.matto-gross^e Alexander; proc. u.
(wing;; lgl3.

s.

Nail. l\{us., .l.l: .196-.197,fig. 39

Length of head and thorax 4.8 nlnl. ( abclomenbroken) ;rving 13 mm.
Head with rostrunrand palpi dark brown. Antennaebrown;
scapeelongate-cylindrical,
pedicelglobular-cyathifornr;
flagellumwith proximal segmentsshort-oval,outer ones more slender,
cylindrical,providedwith long setae.Front and vertex with a'grayish yellow bloom, clearer gray on occiput; vertex withnumerousconspicuous
brown setae,sparseor lackingat midline.
Thorax with pronotutttpale whitish yellow, anteriorborderof scutumsomewhatmore infuscated.
Praescuturnin front brown,behind and in humeral region grayish yellor,v,extremecephaliclrorder gray; median stripe narrowly dark brown, lateral pairbroader, anteriorly lying close to the median line, behind thepseudosutural
fovea diverging to the lateral nrargin,the f ovea
reduced to a narrow impressedline shaped somewhat like aquestionmark; scutumlight grayish brown, lateral margin dark
chestnutbrown,beinga posteriorextensionof the lateralpraescutal
stripe; scutellumand postnotumdull yellow with a narrow indistinct brown median line. Pleura yellowish, with a graypruinosity;a dark brown stripe extendsf rom behind the headto the wing base,involvingthe base of the fore coxa. Halteresshort, stem yellowed, knob slightly darkened.Legs with coxae
pale whitishyellow,trochanters
yellow; remainderof legs broken.
Wings subhyaline,
faintly tingedwith yellowed;a restrictedbrownpattern that includessnrall spots at origin of R.s,Srr, bases ofveins Rr-s and Rr, and at end of vein Rsi also more narrowly
along cord and outer end of cell lsf M2. Venation: Sc long,

StudiaEnt., vol. 12, fasc. 14, novembro1969329

approxirnatingvein Rt-, at margin,as in genus
i R1z aboutonehalf Rr-si Rs long, stronglyarcuatedat origin, thenceextended
virtuallyparallelto vein Rt, in directlongitudinalalignmentwith
Rr-s-n and R+i Rs curvedstronglycephaladat tip, R+ similarly
basalsection
curvedcaudadso cell Rs at marginis very extensive;of vein Rs very long; M in direct alignmentwith Ms-E; m-cu
shortlybefore f ork of M.
Basal segmentsof abdontenwith tergites dull yellow, apexof each segmentlight brown, lateral margins broadly dark brown.
Sternitespale whitish with a narrow medianmore yellowedstripe,
before apex of each segmentwidened to include the whole segnrent.Terminal segntentsof abdomenbroken.
Holotype,Sex? - Corumbe,Mato Grosso,Brasil, April (H.
H. Smith); AntericanMuseuntof Natural History, New York.
The speciesstill is kno'wnonly from the unique type, as described.
In the marked recluctionof dark color in the wing pattern it is mostas in armillaris, as inclicatedin the key. The comparisonwith armillaris
was basedon the mis-interpretation
at the time the specieswas clescribeclof the latter species,as discussedelsewherein this paper.

II. Undescribedspecies

4. Lecteria (Lecteria) acanthosomasp. n.
Generalcharactersas in armillari.sancl allies; h)'popygiumdistinctive,
especiallythe phallosomewhere each half of the fused apophysesbears
about 20 long slenclerspines.

Male.
Length,about 13 mm.; wing, about9 mm.
F e m a l e . Length,about 14 mnl.; wing, about l 0 m r n .
Described f rom type material mounted on slides. Rostruma n d p a l p i d a r k brown. Antennaewith scape and pedicel dark
brorvn,flagelluntpaler. Head dark brown.
Thorax dark brown, vaguely variegated by paler areas.
Haltereswith stem whitened, knob weakly darkened.Legs withcoxae and trochanterspale; femora yellow, tip and a ring beyond
rnidlengthweakly darkened and with conspicuousblack setae;
tibiae brownish black, with two white rings, one subbasal,theother shortly before the darkened tip, vestiture of the whitenedrings pale and weak, of the darkened parts coarse, black,conspicuous;basitarsusblack, apex and all of segmentstwo tofour, white, terminal segmentbrownish black. Wings whitish subhyaline,patternedwith brown, includinga completeband at cord;

330

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical AmericanLecteria

a more or less brokensimilar area extendingfrom origin of Rs
to the Anal field; wing tip and an isolatedspot at end of vein
: m-cu at or shortly beyond
Rs brown; veins brown. Venation
the fork of M.
darker,especially
Abdominaltergiteslight brown,the incisuresat basesof segments;in maleseventhsegmentdarkerto produce
a weak ring; sternitesmoreuniformlyyellowed.Male hypopygium( Fig. 6) with the outer dististyle,slender,apex shallowlyand
unequallybilobed,the lower point long, outerlobe obtuse;surfaceof outer part of stylevaguelyroughenedbut not spinose.Phalloeachwith a longitudinalsome,p, distinctive,the fusedapophyses
row of long slenderspinesthat are directedoutward,the morebasal ones smaller,the number of spines on each side about
20. Aedeagusunusuallylong and slender,about one-halflonger
than the outer dististyle.
. Habitat: Panama
Holotype, 6 , on nticroscopeslide, Water C^y, Bocas delToro, August27, l9l7 (Axel Olsson).Allotopotype,I , on slide,taken in copula with the type.
The spinous phallosomeof the male hypopygium serves to separate
this fly from all others presently known.

5. Lecteria(Lecteria)acanthostytasp. n.
Antennal flagellum black, base of first segment yellowed; mesonotal
praescutum with anterior half light cinnamon brown, gray posteriorly,
conspicuouslypatterned with brownish black; Ieg pattern generally as in
the subgenus,whitened band on tarsi including outer end of basitarsus;
darkenedwing pattern restricted,band at origin of R.s appearing as spotsat origin of R.s and in Anal field, cell M undarkened;male hypopygiumwith outer dististyle bearing abundant small spinules; phallosome withapophyses short, inner pair spikelike, aedeagus short, about two-thirds
the outer dististyle.

Length,about 15 mnl.; wing, l0 mm. Rostrum
M a I e.
and head gray,palpi darker brown. Antennaewith scapeheavily
gray pruinose,pedicelbrownishblack, flagellumblack, base of
first segmentnarrowlyyellowed.
Pronotum and pretergitesgrayish white. Mesonotalpraescutumwith anteriorhalf light cinnamonbrown, humeralregion
brownishblack
yellowed,posteriorparts light gray; a conspicuous
ground pattern, includinga narrow central vitta from anteriorborder almost to the suture, togetherwith two short broader

Studia Ent., vol. 12, fasc. l-4, novembro1969

---p

6

331

M

I

9

F i g . 6 . L e c t e r i a ( L e c t e r i a ) a c a n t h o s o m as p . n . ; m a l e h y p o p y g i u m .- F i g . 7 . L e c t e r i a( Lecteria) acanthost),la sp. n. ; male hypopygium.
Fig. 8. Lecteria (Lecteria)
Fig. 9. The same; maxillary palpus andh i c o r n u t a s-pm. anl e. ;. m a l e h y p o p y g i u m .
- Fig. 10. Lecteria (Lecteria) cetrata sp. n.; male hypopygiuqr antenna of(Symbols: a, aedeagusl ant, antenna; b, basistyle; d, dististyles; mp, maxillary
palpus; p, phallosome;t, ninth tergite).

stripeson posteriorhalf, thesecontinuedcaudadover the suture
as polishedblack areas;posteriorscleritesof notum light EraY,
vestiturelong and pale. Pleura light graY,with a narrow brown
dorsal stripe that ends at the pteropleuriteand a similar area

332

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical American Lecteria

on ventral sternopleurite;dorsopleuralrnembraneyellowed.Halteres with stem brown, extreme base yellowed, knob brownish
black. Legs with coxaeyellowed,trochantersslightly darkcr; legswith pattern and vestituregenerallyas in other membersof thesubgenus;whitgned band on tarsus including segmentstwo tofour and the qrtd of basitarsus.Wings with darkenedpatternrelativelyrestricied,the usual band at origin of Rs interrupted
by the clear cell M; band at cord relativelynarrow but virtuallycomplete.
Abdominal tergites obscureyellow, patternedlaterally withdark brown, subterminalsegmentsslightly darkened,sternites
yellowed. Male hypopygiunr( Fig. 7) with outer dististyle,d,relativelystout, at apex divided into two acute subequalpoints,
surface of style with abundantsmall spinules
I inner style withapical part relativelylong, tip obtuse,basal lobe of outer margin
low. Phallosonte--2p, with pairedstraightspikelikeinner apophyses
and shorter incurvedlateral points that do not attain the tipsof the inner pair; aedeagusunusuallyshort, about two-thirds
the outer dististyle.
Holotype,6 , Iquitos, Loreto, Peru, March-April l93l ( R.
C. Shannon) . Paratypes,2 6 8, Manaos, Amazonas,Brasil,
Octobe3
r 1, l9l9 (H. S. Parish).
The hypopygialstructure,especiallythe outer clististyleand phalloThe relationshipis shown by the key.
some, is clistinctive.

6. Lecteria (Lecteria) bicornuta sp. n.
Allied to acanthostyla;mesonotalpraescutummecliumbrown, thestripes paler brownish yellow; white ring on tarsus extensive,involving
segmentstwo and three ancl outer third of basitarsus;male hypopygiumwith outer dististyleunusuallyslenderthroughout,narrowedvery graduallyto the decurvedtip, outer surfacewith short pale spinoidsetae;aedeagus
shorter than the outer dististyle.

M a I e.
L e n g t h ,a b o u t l 7 m m . ; w i n g , I I m m . ; a n t e n n a ,a b o u t2 . 2 m m . A n t e n n a ea n d m a x i l l a r yp a l p i ( F i g . 9 ) . P r o x i m a lflagellarsegmentsyellowed,the remainderbrown.
Pronotum buffy, sparsely pruinose. Mesonotal praescutumwith the ground mediumbrown, more extensivelaterallyand atends of suture,the ccntral interspacebecomingobsoleteat near
midlengthof the sclerite,stripes brownishyellow, vaguely morepruinosebehind; scuturttbrownish gray, each lobe with a central
oval pale brown area; scutellunrbrorvnishyellow; mediotergite

Studia Ent., v,.rl.12, fasc. l-4, novembro1969

333

brownish gray with a vague capillary darker central line. Pleura
chiefly grayish white with a brown dorsal stripe that extends
f rom cervical region to the pteropleurite;ventral sternopleurite
pale brown; dorsopleuralmembraneyellow. Haltereswith stentyellow, knob brown. Legs generally as in armillaris, the whitetarsal ring extensive,including.the outer third of basitarsusand
all of segmentstwo and three exceptingnarrow pale brown tips.
Wings with the darkened pattern pale brown, restricted, notinvolving cells C or M. Venation: Rr-"-n relativelylong, exceeding Rg.
Abdomenpale brown, posteriorborders of both tergites andsternitesslightly paler. Male hypopygiunr( Fig. 8) most similar
to that of acanthostylo,differing in the outer dististyle,d, whichis unusuallyslenclerthroughout,narrowedvery gradually to thedecurvedtip, with no indication of dilation or f orking; outersurfacewith abundantshort pale spinoid setae,not conspicuous
as in aconthostyta;apex of inner style obtuselyrounded.Phallosonte,p, unusuallysimple,includingshort straight spikeson theplate, the apophyseslonger and stouter, appearingas outcurvecl
horns. Aedeagus short and straight, shorter than the outerdististyle.
Habitat: Brasil.
Holotype, 6, Manaos, Amazonas,November4, 1919 (H.
S. Parish).
Although obviouslv allied to Let:teria (Lct'teritt) at:anthostyla,thepresentfly is clistinctin hypopygialcharacters,most evidentlythe outerclististyle.

7. Lecteria(Lecteria) cetrata sp. n.
Thoracic dorsum almost unifrlrmlylight cinnamonbrtrwn,each lateralend of suture with a major black area; wings with darkened pattern
restrictedlylight brown; male hypopygiumwith outer dististyleterminating
in a single spine; phallosomewith paired slender spines,near base ofeach with a strong projection; central plate broader than long, its
posterir-rr
border convexly rounded.

Length, about 16-17 nlnt.; wing, 12.5-13.5Jnrn.
M a I e.
L e n e t h ,a b o u t 1 7 - 1 8 I n m . ; w i n g , 1 3 - 1 4 m n 1 .
F e m a lc.
Rostrunt brown, patpi darker. Antennae with scape andpedicellight brown, flagellumdark brown, base of first segment
yellowed.Head above dark brownish gray, front, orbits and sides
of vertex clearer gray.

33-r.

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical American Lecteriir

Pronotum light brownish gray, anterior part of scutum
brighter. Mesonotal praescutumand scutum almost uniformly
light cinnamonbrown, representing
the usual stripes,lateral endof suture with a conspicuous
black area, with a srnall darkened
spot lying more mesad at suture; posteriorscleritesof notunr
slightly more pruinose.Pleura grayish,with a dark brown dorsal
stripe, broadestanteriorly,narrowedand more or less interrupted
paler brown; dorsopleuralbehind,ventralsternopleurite
membraneyellow. Haltereswith stem brownishyellow, clearerbasally,knob
brown.Legs with coxaelight yellow,basesrestrictedlyinfuscated;trochantersyellow; femora and tibiae patternedgenerallyas incrrmilloris,tarsi medium brown, the whitened band very broad,includingsegmentstwo and three and end of basitarsus.Wings
yellowed, with a relatively restricted light brown pattern, thearea at origin of Rs interruptedin cell M; seamsat cord andover outer end of cell /s/ M2 relativelynarrow; no darkening
in costalcell; veins brown, slightly darker in the patternedareas.
Venation:Rr-,r-u subequalto r-m; m-cu closeto fork of M.
Abdominal tergites light brown, posterior borders broadly
blackened;sternitestllore
yellowed,lateral bordersconspicuously
uniformly yellowed,with a vague darkenedcentral stripe thatis interruptedat posterior ends of the segments;hypopygium
brownishyellow.Male hypopygium(Fig. l0) with outer dististyle,d, sinrple,apex ternrinatingin a singlespine,t)ute'rcrest relative'ly
short; inner style obtuseat apex, base not retrorselyproduced.
p, includingpaired slenderspinesthat lie generally
Phallosome,parallelto one another,nearbaseof eachwith a strongprojection;
central plate broader than long, the posterior border convexly
rounded.
Habitat: Ecuackrr.
Holotype, 6 , Zuntbi, Rio Zan'rcr4 altitude 700 rneters,Novenrber7, l94l (David Laddey). Allotopotype,g, November4,
1 9 4 1 .P a r a t o p o t y p ed,, O c t o b e r3 1 , l 9 4 l . P a r a t y p € S d, , Huagrayacu, Napo-Pastaza,altitudc 900 meters,April 5, l94l (W. C.
Macintyre); d , Rio Nanganitza,Mayaico,altitude 1000 meters,
N o v e m b e r1 4 , l 9 4 l ( D a v i d L a d d e y ) ; 9 , R i o S h i c a i - y a caul,t i t u d e
9 0 0 ' m e t e r sJ, u n e l 9 4 l ( M a c i n t y r e ) .
The most similar speciesis Lecteria (Lecterio) hit'ormlfa sp. n., which
likewise has the outer clististyleof the hypopygium terminating in a single
spine, differing evidently in other cletails of the hypopygium, including
the clististyles ancl phallosome. The virtually unpatterned mesonotal
praescutum and scutum provides a strong colrlrational character.

StucliaEnt., vol. 12, fasc. l-4, novembro1969

335

I

.

b\
\

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y'r-.','>.

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\ \ \
\

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75

14

F.ig. .l-'2.,Lecteria (Lecteria)
Fig. I t . Lecttria ( Lecteria) simplcx sp. n. ;_venation._ (Lecteria), retrorsa . sp.
1.3.
Lectaria_fig.
|uicitarsi.s si,. n.;' ntale hypopygi-unr.
sp. .n . ; m a l e - l V R o R y g i u m .
(
L
i
c
t
e
r
i
a
)
s
i
m
p
l
e
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i
|
.
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L
e
c
t
e
r
i
a
F
i
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g
.
t
r
y
p
i
p
o
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g
i
i
r
r
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.
h '.'; - i " i r i'teTititi
Fig. tS.
. ( L e c t i r t a ) u p s i l o n s p : n . ; n i a l e l i y p o p . y g i u m .: . . ( S y m b o l s : b ,D a s i s t y l;e d , c l i s i i s t y l e; s p , f h a t l o s o m ;e t , n i n t h t e r g i t e) '8. Lecteria (Lecteria) fuscitarsissp. n.
Mesonotal praescutum conspicuouslypatterneclwith brownish grayancl black; legs with tips of tibiae narrowly dark brown, tarsi uniformly
clarkened;wings obscureyellow with a heavy brown pattern, in the male
involving cell C,' abdominaltergites tricolored,yellowishbrown, variegatedwith black, the posterior borclers pale; male hyptlpygium with outerdististyleterminatingin a single spine; phallosomewith the long slendercentral rod exceeding the outer dististyle in length, apex more orless bifid.

336

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical Arnerican Lecteria

M a I e.
Length,aboutr4-14.smm.;wing, l2-12.snrnr.;
antenna,about 2 mnl.
F e m a I e.

L e n g t h ,a b o u t 1 5 n r m . ; w i n g , 1 2 . 5n l n l .
Rostrumbrownish graf, parpi dark brown. Antennaebrown,
scapepruinose,pediceland f irst f lagellarsegmentmore yellowecl;
flagellar segmentselongate, terminal segment about one-halflonger than the penultimate,dilated outwardly.Head dark gray,anterior vertex vaguely patternedwith brown.
Pronotutn obscure yellow. Mesonotal praescutunr alnrost
coveredby brownish gray stripes, humeral region slightly more
reddened,the restrictedground color blackened,most evidentas
a major area surroundingthe lateral stripe, including also thelateral end of suture; median ground stripe capillary,narrowed
behind,not reachingthe suture; posteriorscleritesof notum pale
brown, sidesof rnecliotergite
vaguelypatternedwith darker.pleuragray with a narrow dorsal brownish black stripe that ends atthe pleurotergite,
ventralsternopleurite
paler brown. Halteresdark
brown, base of stent narrowly yellowed.Legs with coxae obscureyellow,vaguelydarkt'rbasatly;trochanters
yellow; femorayellowed, the broad apex and a subequalband beyond midtengthdark
brown; tibia dark brown,with subbasaland subapicalwhite rings,
the actual tip dark brown; tarsi dark brown without whitenedareas.Wings with the ground obscureyellow, the brown pattern
extensive,incluclinga band at origin of Rs, the cord and confluent
stigmal area, and major darkeninss in the outer radial f ielcl;
outer end of costal cell in type infuscated,more extensivelyso
in paratype,not indicatedin the allotype.Venation: Rs in direct
longitudinalaligntnc'nt
rvith vein R1, ccil R,-rshort-petiolate.
entirelysessilein the holotype;m-cu at fork of M.
Abdonrinal tergites tricolored, the clisk yellowish brown,
posterior borders broadly whitish gray, lateral and subapicalareas heavily blackened;sternitesmore yellowecl,with a uugu.
narrow pale brown central line, posteriorborders narrowly indinconspicuouslypale; hypopygiurnredclishbrown. Male hypo_pygiurrr ( Fig. 12) with the outer clisti-style,d, ternrinatingil asingleslenderspine,the outer anglewith a roundedcrestprovided
with numerousdelicatesetae;inner style without a well-dlveloped
Qasallobe, apex truncate.Phallosonle,p, distinctive,the central
structurea snlall sclerotizedplate, its posteriormargin slallowly
emarginate,the long slender central rod more or less bificl
throughoutits length, longcr than either the aedeagusor outerdististyle.

338

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical AmericanLecteria

Abdominaltergitesvery palebrown,posteriorbordersbroadly
pale, lateral margins brownish black, sternitesand hypopygium
yellowed.Male hypopygiunr( Fig. 13) with the outer dististyle,d, terminatingin a slenderslightlydecurvedpoint, the outer end
with a long low crest; inner style with basal angle produced
basadinto a broad lobe that is larger than the free apex. Phallosonre,p, with the apophyses
united into an almostentire plate,
its posteriorborder with a linear notch to torm broad low lobes;
centralstructurelong and slender,pale, the outer third dividecl
into two narrow arms; aedeagusrelativelyshort.
Habitat: Colombia.
Holotype,d , SierraSrn Lorenzo(Ujhelyi).
The species is distinct from other species in the wing and leg
pattern ancl in the male hypopygium. The virtually darkened tarsi andthe extensivewing pattern that involves cell C is suggestiveof Letteriu(Lecteria) lu.scifar.si.s
sp. n., but the hypopygial structure, especially thestyli ancl phallosome,is distinctive.

10. Lecteria(Lecteria) simplex sp. n.
T a r s i e x t e n s i v e l yw h i t e n e r l ,i n c l u t l i n g o u t e r f i f t h o f b a s i t a r s i ; m a l ehypopygium with apex of outer clististyle bispinous, surface vaguely
rtlughened;phallrlstlmeunusually simple, aecleagusshort, apophysessmali,s u b e q u a li n l e n g t h t o t h e s p i n e s o f t h e p h a l l o s o m i cp l a t e .

Al a I c.
L e n g t h ,a b o u t 1 4 . 5 -l 5 n u n . ; w i n g , | | . s - 1 2 n l n r ;.
antenna,about 2-2.2 nlm. Rostrurnand palpi dark brown. Antennac
relativelyshort, ltrown, first flaeellar segnrentpaler on basal half.
Head dark brown.
Pronotunt light brown or salnron cttlorecl.Mcsonotal praescutum with stripes cinnatnon,clustedwith gray, central grouncl
interspacesobsolete behind, Iateral darkenings very extensive;
posterior scleritesof notum light brown, sides of nrecliotcrgite
c l a r k e n e dP
. l e u r a p a l e g r a y i s h w h i t e , s t r i p e d l o n g i t u d i n a l l yr v i t hbrown, the narrow dorsal stripe darker, ending at the pteropleurite, the lower darkening paler, restricted to thc ventral
sternopleuriteancl a spot above the nrid-coxa.Haltereswith stem
pale brown, knob dark brown. Legs with coxae whitened,trochantersobscureyellow; pattern of remainderof legs generally
as in armillaris,'whitenedarea on tarsusextensive,includingouter
fifth of basitarsus.Wings (Fig. l l) with the brown pattern pale,narrow and relatively inconspicuous;bancl at level of origin of
Rs broken in cell M to leave srnall spots at origirr of R.s ancl at

Studia Ent., vol. 12, fasc. l-4, novembro1969339

near midlengthof vein lst A; darkenedseamsat cord and outerend of cell I st M2 narrow.
Abdominaltergiteslight brown, with faintly indicateddarker
stripes, the lateral pair darker; posterior borders of the more
proxintalsegntentsconspicuously
whitened,sternitesmore yellowed. Male hypopyEium(Fig. l4) with outer dististyle,d, relatively
stout, especiallyon the vaguely roughenedouter half, apex bispinous;inner style relativelysnrall, outer margin near base or'heel'portiononly slightlyproduced,face of stylewith microscopic
tubercles.Phallosonle,p, unusuallysnlall and simple, including
two spineson the phallosomicplate and two snrall more obtuse
apophyses;aedeagussmall and slender,shorter than the outerdististyle.
Habitat:Ecuador,Peru.
Holotype,6 , Quincemil,Cuzco,Peru, Noventber10, 1962
( L. E. Pena).Allotype,g , Yurimaguas,
Loreto,Peru,April 22,
1920( H. S. Parish) . Paratypes,
6 6, Iquitos,Loreto,Peru,May
21, 1920 (H. S. Parish); 6, with the allotype,April 22, l92O;
Ecuador,900 meters,March 14,6, HuagraYacu,Napo-Pastaza,
1941(W. C. Macintyre); d , JatunYacu,Napo-Pastaza,Ecuador,
700 meters,March 16, 1937(W. C. Macintyre);6 9, Zumbi,Rio
go-Zan'rora,
Ecuador,700 meters,Novemberl-2,
Zamora,Santia
t94t ( David Laddey).
The most similar speciesis Lecteria (Lecteria) acanthostylasp. n.,
rvlrich while having the hypopygial structure generally the same differs
evitlentlyin the dististylesand in details of the phallosome.

I I . Lecteria (Lecteria) upsilon sp. n.
generally as in armillaris,'antennaeuniformly clarkened;
Chetracters
ntesonotalpraescutumblack, striped with buffy yellow, the ground color
ntost conspicuouson sicles ancl at the suture, posterior sclerites palel'lrou'n;legs with the usual pattern,with the intermediatetarsal segments
whitenetl;wings with the clarkenecl
bands conspicuous;male hypopygium
terminating in a strong spine, the outer lobe rounded; phallosomeat
apex clivideclinto tu'o arms that terminatein subtriangularflaps, the two
together presentinga Y-shapedappearance.

M a le.
L e n u t h ,a b o u t 1 5 - 1 6m m . ; w i n g , l l - 1 2 . 5 m m . ;a n t e n n a a, b o u t 2 . 2 - 2 . 3n l n l .
F e m a I e.
L e n g t h , a b o u t 1 7 - 1 8 n l m . ; a n t e n n a ,a b o u t
I 1 . 5 -1 2 . 5m m .
Antcnnaeuniforrrrlydarkened.Mesonotalpraescutunrblack,with conspicuous
buffy yellow stripes,the black patternincluding
tt+

340

A I e x a n d e r, Tropical American Lecteria

a narrowentirecentralvitta and complexlateralareasappearing
as broad lateralbordersand sublateralstripes,anteriorlyconnected to appear bifid or trifid, behind virtually connectedwith aconspicuous
black spot at lateralend of suture;posteriorsclerites
of notum alnrostuniformly pale brown. Pleuralight gray,vaguely
patternedwith pale brown, dorsopleuralregion pale. Legs withthe usual contrastingpattern of the subgenus;tarsi with basitarsus and segmentsf our and f ive entirely brownish black, segments two and three whitened with narrowly darkenedtips, inwhitened.Wings with darkcases,the extremeapex of basitarsus
patternmediumbrown,broad,formingvirtuallycontinuousbands
at cord and at level of origin of Rs, and as conspicuousseants
to the veins beyond cord.
Abdonrinaltergiteslight brown, posteriorborders conspicuouslypale,on secondtergitenarrowlymoredarkenedintmediately
beforethe pale ntargin;sternitesbrownishyellow,in the allotype
with a vagueto scarcelyindicatedpale brown centralstripe./\lalehypopygiunr(Fig. t5) with basistyle,b, providedwith very longdark coloredsetae.Outer dististyle,d, relativelyslender,apex
unequally bilobed, outer lobe rouncled,its ntargin lvith rnicroscopicspicules,lower lobe a powerful spine;inner style darkened, very short and stout, apex brcadly truncate.Phallosonle,
p, elongate,the long centralstructuredividedat outerend,forming
forming a small plate,flaps; apophyses
divergentlong-triangular
the outer end shallowly emarginateto f orm two rounded lobes
spicules.
that are providedwith nticroscopic
Habitat: Ecuador,Pent.
Holotype, 6, Fundo Sinchono,CclrclilleraAzul, Huanucr.r,
Peru, 1500 nreters,August 14, lg47 (J. M. Schunke).Allotype,
I 100 meters,February72, 1949 (J. M. Schun9 , Chanchamayo,ke). Paratopotype,d , with type, I 500-1600 meters,August l7 ,
1947,1 g, two brokenspecintens,
on a singlepin, August23-25,
1947 (Schunke).Paratypes,| 6 , I 9 , Rio Nanganitza,Mayicu,
Ecuador,1000 meters,Novembcr1 4 , lg4l ( David Laddey).
Lecteria (Lecteria) upsilon is readily tolcl from all other species b-vthe hypopygial structure, especiallythe Y-shapeclphallosome.