Rhamphomyia (Pararhamphomyia) hilariformis Frey
Creators: name: Sinclair, Bradley J.
name: Vajda, Élodie A.
name: Saigusa, Toyohei
name: Shamshev, Igor V.
name: Wheeler, Terry A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Chironomidae
Rhamphomyia
Rhamphomyia hilariformis

description: Rhamphomyia (Pararhamphomyia) hilariformis Frey
(Figs 30–32, 62D)
Rhamphomyia (Pararhamphomyia) hilariformis Frey, 1922: 35. Type-locality: Dudinka [69°24′N 86°11′E, Krasnoyarskiy Ter- ritory, Russia]. Other references: Frey, 1955a: 480 (revision); Chvála & Wagner, 1989: 300 (catalogue); Yang et al., 2007: 171 (catalogue); Shamshev, 2016: 64 (checklist).
Rhamphomyia hilariformis Frey: Melander, 1928: 194 (catalogue);
Notes on synonymy. Frey (1922) described this species in his keys to Rhamphomyia, based on an unknown number of male specimens. The lectotype male is recognized by fixation of Frey (1955b: 481) (mention of “ 1 ♂ -Ex. (der Typus)” in MZH is regarded as a lectotype fixation).
Type material examined. LECTOTYPE [http://id.luomus.fi/GV.5567] ♂ (Fig. 30A), labelled (Fig. 30B): “Dudinka”; “Wuorentaus”; “1233”; “Mus. Zool. H:fors/ Spec.Typ.No 4662/ Rhamph. hila-/ riformis Frey”; “HO- LOTYPUS/ Rhamphomyia./ hilariformis/ ♂ Frey/ rev. Barták, 85 [red label]”; “ Rhamphomyia / (Pararhampho- myia)/ hilariformis Frey / det. Barták, 1986” (MZH).
Additional material examined. CANADA. Northwest Territories: Cameron Bay, Great Bear Lake, 6.vii.1937, T. N. Freeman (1 ♂, 1 ♀, CNC); Yellowknife, 62.50714°, -113.39443°, 236 m, mesic, MT, Repl. 3, 15– 18.vi.2010, NBP field party (1 ♂, LEM). Nunavut: Bathurst Inlet, 19.vii.1951, C.B. Bird (6 ♂, CNC); Frobisher Bay, 15.viii.1959, W. R. Richards (1 ♂, 2 ♀, CNC); Iqaluit, 63.75117°, -68.45898°, MT, Repl.3, mesic, 17–21.vii.2010, NBP field party (1 ♂, 2 ♀, LEM); same data except, pan traps, CCDB-21421-D10 (1 ♀, barcode associated, LEM); Iqaluit, 63.75122°, -68.45927°, wet, mesic, MT, Repl.3, 21–25.vii.2010, NBP field party, CCBD-21421-A07 (1 ♂, barcoded, LEM); Kugluktuk, 67.78463°, -115.27979°, mesic, MT, Repl.1, 13–19.vi.2010, NBP field party (3 ♂, LEM); same data except, CCBD-21421-C06 (1 ♂, barcoded, LEM); same data except, CCDB-21421-E11 (1 ♀, bar- coded, LEM); same data except, 4–10.viii.2010 (1 ♂, LEM); same data except, 25–29.vi.2010 (1 ♂, LEM); Kugluk- tuk, 67.83538°, -115.20987°, mesic, MT, Repl.2, 3–7.vii.2010, NBP field party (1 ♂, LEM); Kugluktuk, 67.77436°, -115.30732°, mesic, MT, Repl.3, 7–12.vii.2010, NBP field party (1 ♂, LEM); Kugluktuk, 67.75117°, -115.45898°, mesic, pan traps, Repl.3, 17–21.vii.2010, NBP field party (1 ♂, LEM). Quebec: Fort Chimo, 2.vii.1954, J.F. McAlpine (3 ♂, 1 ♀, CNC; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, ZIN); same data, 10.vii.1948, H.N. Smith (1 ♂, CNC); same data, 23.viii.1948, H.H. McLeod (1 ♀, CNC); Indian House Lk., 7.vii.1954, W. R. Richards (1 ♂, CNC); same data, 8.vii.1954, R. Coyles (1 ♀, CNC); Payne Bay, 16–26.vii.1958, W. R. M. Mason (2 ♂, 9 ♀, CNC); same data, 21–27.vii., 4.viii.1958, E.E. MacDougall (4 ♂, 10 ♀, CNC). Yukon: British Mtns, 69°13′N 140°05′W, 18–25.vi. 1984, 320 m, G. & M. Wood & D. Lafontaine (1 ♂, 2 ♀, CNC), same data except, CNC163366, CNC163367, CNC163368, CNC163369, CNC163370 (3 ♂, 2 ♀, barcoded, CNC); Dempster Hwy, mi 87, 1–17.vii.1973, G. & D.M. Wood (4 ♂, 2 ♀, CNC); Dempster Hwy, km 140.5, 17–18.vii. 1981, 900 m, D. Lafontaine, G. & D.M. Wood (1 ♂, 2 ♀, CNC); Dempster Hwy, km 155, 29.vi.–3.vii. 1980, 950 m, D.M. Wood & D. Lafontaine (2 ♀, CNC); Dempster Hwy, km 155, 13–15.vii.1981, 1520 m, D. Lafontaine, G. & D.M. Wood (1 ♀, CNC). USA. Alaska: Chitina, 16–21.vi.1953, W.C. F. (3 ♂, 3 ♀, CNC; 1 ♂, 2 ♀, USNM); George Parks Highway, mi 231, Denali Grizzly Bear Cabins & Cpgd, 3–4.vii.1996, flight trap, P.H. & M. Arnaud (2 ♂, USNM); McKinley Hotel, 16.vi.–2.vii.1954, W.C. F. (3 ♂, 4 ♀, CNC; 9 ♂, USNM); 5 mi NE Salmon Lk, Nome-Taylor Hwy, 20.vi.1994, T. Saigusa (3 ♂, KUMF); Nome Area, mi 17 Kougarok Rd, 65°42′22″N 165°17′50″W, 21–23.vi.2005, MT, J. & R. Skevington (6 ♂, 2 ♀, CNC); Nome Area, mi 55 Kougarok Rd, 65°05′23″N 165°40′20″W, 20–26.vi.2005, MT, J. & R. Skevington (2 ♂, CNC); Nome Area, mi 72 Kougarok Rd, 65°16′54″N 164°48′45″W, 23.vi.2005, J. & R. Skevington (1 ♂, 2 ♀, CNC); Richardson Hwy, mi 146, 18.vi.1985, D.M. Wood (1 ♂, CNC).
Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from other species of Pararhamphomyia by the orange-brown coloured legs with brown to black setae. The male foreleg tarsomere 1 is elongate and swollen, broader than width of fore tibia and subequal in length to remaining tarsomeres. The apical half of female wings are darker than base.
Redescription. Wing length 6.5–7.3 mm. Male. Head dark with grey pruinescence on face, frons, occiput and postgena. Holoptic, eye with ommatidia larger on upper half, smaller on lower half. Frons represented by very small triangular space below ocellar tubercle and larger subtriangular space above antennae, bare; face slightly divergent towards mouthparts; bare, with oral margin pale brown and pruinescent. Ocellar triangle lustrous or only lightly pruinose and brown, with 1 pair of fine, long, anterior setae; 1 pair of posterior setae fine, and 1/2 length of anterior ocellars, divergent, more widely separated than anterior ocellars; 1 pair of postocellar setae similar to posterior ocellars. Occiput bearing row of dark postocular setae, upper 3 setae longest; lower postocular setae subequal in length to occipital setae; setae on postgena pale, finer and longer than occipital setae. Antenna with postpedicel and stylus dark; scape and pedicel yellowish brown; scape slightly more than 2X longer than pedicel; pedicel bulbous; postpedicel about 6X longer than basal width; stylus slender, slightly shorter than postpedicel basal width. Palpus pale brown, with short, fine, dark setulae. Clypeus with grey pruinescence; labrum lustrous and dark reddish-brown with apex black, 1.5X height of eye; labellum pale brown, bearing fine, short, dark setulae.
Thorax dark in ground-colour, largely densely grey pruinescence. Scutum with pair of blackish vittae between acr and dc rows. Pleura with grey pruinescence, with orange shadows on sclerites, especially concentrated around katepisternum, anepimeron and anepimeron. Proepisternum with 2–3 short, fine, dark setae on lower part; upper proepisternum in front of spiracle bare; prosternum bare and pale orange in middle. Antepronotum with row of short, dark, stout setae. Postpronotum bearing 1 pprn and 3 short, dark setae. Scutum with biserial row of acr, shorter and finer than dc; dc uniserial, some 13 setae, anterior seta offset laterally; 1 presut spal (= posthumeral); 1–2 anterior npl and 3–4 stout posterior npl; 1 prealar, 1–2 psut spal; 1 pal and 1–2 short, dark seta; 2–3 pairs of sctl. Laterotergite with many pale and dark, fine setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles yellowish brown.
Legs mostly orange-brown, coxae paler. Fore femur with 1 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral row of fine setae, anteroventrals longer than posteroventrals. Mid femur with 1 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral row of multi-lengthened setae. Hind femur with pile beneath; anteroventral row with setae of differing lengths, longer than posteroventral row of setae (Fig. 19B). Fore tibia usually with fine setae. Mid and hind tibiae (Fig. 19B) with anteroventral and posteroventral setae dark, strong; mid tibia with widely spaced row of long, slender setae, length nearly twice width of tibia; hind tibia with long anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae, length of some twice width of tibia; 1 long seta in posteroapical comb of hind tibia. Fore tarsomere 1 elongated and swollen, broader than width of fore tibia, slightly shorter than remaining tarsomeres (Fig. 31A); ventral margin flattened with pile-like setae; dorsal margin slightly arched and tapered distally and basally. Mid and hind tarsomere 1 not swollen, with numerous ventral setae.
Wing slightly infuscate with brownish veins; without basal costal seta; all veins complete (except Sc), well sclerotized, with CuA+CuP reduced to pale trace to wing margin. Pterostigma present as darkened region. Anal lobe well-developed; axillary incision at right angle. Halter white.
Abdomen reddish brown, thinly pruinescent, paler than thoracic ground colour; posterior margin of abdominal segments pale. Sclerites clothed with long, fine, pale brown setae. Sternite 8 shorter than preceding sternites, posterior marginal setae shorter than length of sternite; ventral margin thinly sclerotized; tergite 8 2/3 as long as sternite 8 with many long, fine dark setae.
Terminalia (Figs 31 C-E) largely brown with apical half of epandrium yellow; epandrium base pubescent, bearing several long, dark setae; epandrium width decreasing till constricted in middle; epandrium tip lustrous and rectangular, bearing many dark, short, spine-like setae. Cercus swollen basally, pubescent, sharply tapered apically to slim dorsal finger-like projection; clothed in fine setae. Subepandrial lobe digitiform, bifurcate with outer branch about 2X longer than inner fork; clothed in fine setae (Fig. 31C). Hypandrium short, boot-shaped, triangular tip ending at base of basiphallus. Phallus lustrous, orange; basiphallus swollen, ridged and more rectangular than rounded; ventral surface of basiphallus with cluster of microtrichia; phallus filiform apically, without loops, extending almost farther than epandrium, and curving back in between cerci. Ejaculatory apodeme small, acutely fan-shaped, with lateral wings at ventral margin and shorter than vertical apodeme.
Female. Similar to male except apical half of female wing darker than base (Fig. 62D); hind femur yellowish brown; legs without pennate setae; abdominal setae dark and short.
Distribution. This transcontinental species inhabits the low arctic region of North America (Fig. 32) and is known from the Chukotka and north of Krasnoyarskiy Territory of Russia.
Remarks. Rhamphomyia hilariformis is assigned to the R. tipularia group (Saigusa (unpubl. data), which from North America includes R. lymaniana sp. nov. and two additional undescribed species. The R. tipularia group is defined here by pale halteres and slender and simple male legs. The male terminalia are characterized by a domelike cerci, often larger than the epandrium, usually heavily sclerotized and with slender and simple subepandrial lobes; the epandrium bears stiff, more or less spine-like apical setae; and the phallus is short and moderately thick with thickened base.
Frey (1955b, p. 481) reported a pair of specimens similar to R. hilariformis from Great Whale River (Canada, Quebec). The specimens were not examined to verify the identification, but the legs of the female specimens are stated to have pennate setae, which are absent in R. hilariformis.
description: Published as part of Sinclair, Bradley J., Vajda, Élodie A., Saigusa, Toyohei, Shamshev, Igor V. & Wheeler, Terry A., 2019, Rhamphomyia Meigen of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Greenland and Iceland (Diptera: Empididae), pp. 1-94 in Zootaxa 4670 (1) on pages 47-50, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4670.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3773507