Rhaphium currani Parent 1939
Creators: name: Ya, Igor
name: Mostovski, Mike B.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Dolichopodidae
Rhaphium
Rhaphium currani

description: currani Parent, 1939: 282 (Xiphandrium)
Rhaphium triste Curran, 1926a: 32 (misidentification) (nec Loew, 1858)
Type material examined: 3HT: [Eastern Cape] Dohne [32º32'S: 27º27'E], 12.4.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: Dohne.
Remarks: Rhaphium triste Loew (sensu Curran) was renamed by Parent (1939) into Xiphandrium currani. In fact, Xiphandrium triste Loew, 1858, belongs to the genus Diaphorus Meigen (Grichanov 2006c). Xiphandrium Loew was synonymized with Rhaphium Meigen (Bigot 1890). The above-mentioned male from Dohne must be considered the holotype of Xiphandrium currani Parent, 1939.
Present position: Rhaphium currani (Parent) (Dyte & Smith 1980: 457).
discolor Curran, 1926a: 19 (Syntormoneura)
Sympycnus discolor (Curran) (nec Bigot, 1890) (Grichanov, 2008: 22).
Type material examined: ƤHT: Barberton, De Kaap [25º47'S: 31º02'E], B 30, 6.10.[19]19, H.K. Munro; 1ƤPT: [Eastern Cape] Dohne [32º32'S: 27º27'E], 12.5.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Remarks: Types examined correspond to diagnosis given by Grichanov (2008) for Sympycnus munroi Curran, 1925. Females of the species are easily distinguished by the bulging face and by a small dark spot at junction of wing veins m–cu and CuA1.
Present position: Synonym of Sympycnus munroi Curran, 1925 a (Grichanov 2008: 22).
ernestum Curran, 1924: 218 (Chrysosoma)
Amblypsilopus ernestus (Curran): Grichanov 1996a: 286.
Type material examined: ƤHT: Barberton [25º47'S: 31º02'E], 6.5.[19]13, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Additional material examined: 13, 3Ƥ, Umbilo [29º53'S: 30º59'E], Durban, Natal, 3.XII.1936, A.L. Bevis / Chrysosoma ernestum Curran, det. C.H. Curran (NMSA).
Remarks: The female holotype was examined and is hardly distinguished from females of other members of Amblypsilopus munroi species group. Nevertheless, a male labelled by Curran as C. ernestum is identical to the male holotype of C. munroi [NMSA] and corresponds to the diagnosis and figure given by Parent (1931) and Grichanov (1996a) for Amblypsilopus parilis (Parent), one more synonym to A. munroi.
Present position: Synonym of Amblypsilopus munroi (Curran, 1924) (Grichanov 1996a: 286).
fasciata Curran, 1924: 216 (Sciopolina)
Type material examined: 3LT: Pt. Shepstone [30º44'S: 30º27'E], 31.2.20, H.K. Munro / Type / Lectotype, det. Irwin (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal: Port Shepstone. Remarks: See Irwin (1974) for the redescription of the type. Present position: Amblypsilopus fasciatus (Curran) (Bickel 1994: 373).
funditor Curran, 1926a: 10 (Paraclius)
Type material examined: 3HT: Middelburg [25º47'S: 29º28'E], C.P., 13.2.25, H.K. Munro (NMSA). Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Middelburg.
Remarks: See diagnosis and figure given by Grichanov (2004) for the species. Present position: Pseudoparaclius funditor (Curran) (Grichanov 2006a: 29).
gracilis Curran, 1924: 222 (Pelastoneurus)
Type material examined: ƤHT: Barberton, De Kaap [25º47'S: 31º02'E], B 30, 5.10.[19]19, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Remarks: The species has been incorrectly included by Grichanov (2004) into his key to species of Paraclius (as Paracleius) Bigot, having gradually approaching R and M wing veins. The female holotype examined belongs to ambiguus group of Apelastoneurus Grichanov, 2006 a, of which two species have been described by males from South Africa. Apelastoneurus gracilis belongs probably to different species, having entirely yellow antenna.
Present position: Apelastoneurus gracilis (Curran) (Grichanov 2006a: 26).
griseatus Curran, 1926b: 403 (Aphrosylus)
Cymatopus griseatus (Curran) (Dyte & Smith 1980: 456).
Type material examined: 3HT, 5Ƥ PT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 17.2.[19]19 & 14.2.[19]19, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remarks: See redescription and figures given by Meuffels and Grootaert (1984) for the species.
Present position: Cemocarus griseatus (Curran) (Meuffels & Grootaert 1984: 153).
imitans Curran, 1926b: 391 (Condylostylus) [male nec female]
Type material examined: 3LT [Mozambique:] Inhambane, P.E. Afr., R.F. Lawrence (NMSA).
Remarks: Curran (1926b) described and figured males of a new species from Inhambane, Nyaka and Masiene (Mozambique) under the name C. imitans Curran, 1925 b (unnecessary replacement for imitator Curran). A male from Inhambane found under this name (NMSA) corresponds to diagnosis and figure given by Grichanov (1999a) for C. imitans Curran, 1926 b (male nec female). Because the last name was formally preoccupied by Curran (1925b), Grichanov (2003) proposed a new name for the species, C. erroneus. The above-mentioned male from Inhambane must be considered the lectotype of C. erroneus [here designated to fix the current taxonomic concept and ensure consistent future interpretation]. Six more paralectotypes are deposited in the South African Museum, Cape Town.
Present position: Condylostylus erroneus Grichanov, 2003: 340.
imitator Curran, 1924: 221 (Condylostylus)
Condylostylus imitans Curran, 1925b: 114 (unecessary replacement for imitator Curran) Type material examined: ƤHT: Kandahar Isl., 27.1.[19]18, Janse (NMSA). Type locality: Zimbabwe: Kandahar Island.
Remarks: Female type examined corresponds to the diagnosis given by Grichanov (1999a) for male C.
imitator Curran. Curran (1925b) gave an unnecessary new name for the species, C. imitans, and later Dyte and
Smith (1980) rehabilitated the name C. imitator, placing C. imitans in synonymy to C. imitator. Present position: Condylostylus imitator Curran, 1924.
imperator Curran, 1927: 181 (Tachytrechus)
Type material examined: 3HT: Barberton, Stentor [25º33'S: 31º24'E], 7.6.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA). Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Remarks: See diagnosis given by Grichanov (2004) for the species.
imperialis Curran, 1924: 228 (Nematoproctus)
Type material examined: 3HT: Barberton [25º47'S: 31º02'E], Aug. 1913, L.S.H., H.K. Munro (NMSA). Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Remarks: See diagnosis given by Grichanov (1997b) for the species. Present position: Thinophilus imperialis (Curran) (Curran 1926a).
indifferens Curran, 1924: 231 (Chrysotus)
Type material examined: ƤHT: Barberton [25º47'S: 31º02'E], 6.5.[19]13, H.K. Munro (NMSA). Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Remarks: The species is very close to Chrysotus inconspicuus Loew, 1858 (types in NHRS, examined), and both are described by females from South Africa. Males of the two species are identified in NMSA. C. indifferens males differ in having a slightly smaller size, hyaline (rather than dark in anterior half) wing, weaker developed ciliation on femora, tibiae and tarsi, and weakly developed pulvilli on fore tarsus (half as long, rather than as long as 5th segment).
inversus Curran, 1924: 474 (Diaphorus)
Type material examined: 3HT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 23.3.[19]24, H.K. Munro; 13PT, same label data except collection date 27.2.25 (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remarks: The Diaphorus inversus types examined (NMSA) are not different from the male holotype of D. dasycnemus Loew, 1858 (NHRS, examined). It is worth noting that only the female determined by Curran as D. dasycnemus is present in the NMSA collection. Curran apparently did not see the holotype of D. dasycnemus.
Present position: Synonym of Diaphorus dasycnemus Loew, 1858, syn. nov.
lavinia Curran, 1926a: 33 (Diaphorus)
Type material examined: 3HT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 25.2.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remarks: The species is close to widely distributed Old World species Diaphorus nigricans Meigen, 1824, being remarkable in having only one claw on hind tarsus, while the latter has two claws. All femora have double row of ventral setae, half as long as diameter of femora; eyes contiguous.
longitarsis Curran, 1924: 227 (nec de Meijere, 1916) (Medetera)
Type material examined: 3HT: Barberton [25º47'S: 31º02'E], 15.5.[19]13, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Remarks: Because the name Medetera longitarsis was preoccupied by de Meijere 1916, Curran (1927: 15) replaced his name M. longitarsis with M. afra Curran, 1927. Direct comparison of the holotypes of M. longitarsis and M. simplicis Curran, 1924 has revealed only slight colour differences between the two specimens that were mentioned by Curran himself. So, we propose here a new synonymy for these three names.
Present position: Synonym of Medetera simplicis Curran, 1924, syn. nov.
munroi Curran, 1924: 218 (Chrysosoma)
Type material examined: 3HT, ƤPT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 4.12.[19]21, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London. Remarks: See remark under ernestum Curran (Chrysosoma). Present position: Amblypsilopus munroi (Curran) (Bickel 1994: 352).
munroi Curran, 1926c: 266 (Diaphorus (Lyroneurus ))
Type material examined: 3HT: Barberton [25º47'S: 31º02'E], 18.5.[19]13, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Remarks: The type examined is a typical representative of the genus Trigonocera Becker. Trigonocera africana Naglis, 1999 has been recently described from Namibia and Zambia, differing from T. munroi in mostly yellow legs. Lyroneurus Loew is an entirely Neotropical genus and is very close to Diaphorus, having long been considered a subgenus of Diaphorus, but being considered now a synonym of the genus Chrysotus Meigen (Yang et al. 2006, after Pollet et al. 2004).
Present position: Trigonocera munroi (Curran, 1926c), comb. nov.
munroi Curran, 1925a: 176 (Medetera)
Type material examined: ƤHT, 1ƤPT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], Aug. 1924, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remarks: Despite label and original description, the holotype is a female rather than male.
munroi Curran, 1925a: 177 (Sympycnus (Calyxochaetus ))
Type material examined: 3HT: Barberton, Stentor [25º33'S: 31º24'E], 23.8.[19]24, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Remarks: Curran (1925a) described the species in the subgenus Calyxochaetus Bigot of the Sympycnus. The American genus Calyxochaetus is now treated as different from cosmopolitan Sympycnus Loew (Yang et al. 2006).
Present position: Sympycnus munroi Curran: Curran 1926a: 36.
munroi Curran, 1926a: 20 (Thinophilus)
Type material examined: 3HT, 7Ƥ PT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 1.2.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remarks: See diagnosis given by Grichanov (1997b) for the species.
nectarophagus Curran, 1924: 470 (Hercostomus)
Type material examined: 3HT, 1ƤPT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 18.5.[19]24, honeydew, H.K. Munro (NMSA). 13PT: East London, 29-4-1924, H.K. Munro (RMCA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remarks: See description and figure given by Grichanov (1999c) for the species.
nectarophagus Curran, 1924: 472, fig. 1a (Sympycnus)
Type material examined: 3HT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 29.4.[19]24, H.K. Munro (NMSA). Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Present position: Chaetogonopteron nectarophagum (Curran) (Grichanov 2006b: 167).
niger Curran, 1926a: 38 (Sympycnus)
Type material examined: ƤHT, 2ƤPT (NMSA), 1ƤPT (RMCA): East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 21.2.[19]25 & 26.2.[19]25, H.K. Munro.
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remarks: Curran (1929) doubted the species assignment into Sympycnus. One more female topotype has been found in NMSA with collection date “ 16.5.25 ”. Although no males are present in the collection, it is worth noting that Curran (1926a, 1929) diagnosed in his keys males of this species as having black apical spine on mid coxa, large genital capsule and vein m–cu positioned beyond wing midlength. All these characters, as well as female habitus, are typical of the genus Peloropeodes Wheeler. Four Afrotropical species of the genus have been described by males from DR Congo, Madagascar and Comores (Grichanov 2000b). Males of two undescribed species are present in NMSA collection. Female niger belongs most probably to a different species.
Present position: Peloropeodes niger (Curran, 1926a), comb. nov.
Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
Remarks: See diagnosis and figure given by Grichanov (1997a) for the species. In the original description, Curran mentioned one male and two females were examined. We have found two males and one female in the collection, all labelled as “ Type ”. Lectotype and paralectotypes are here designated to fix the current taxonomic concept and ensure consistent future interpretation.
penura Curran, 1926b: 401 (Medetera)
Type material examined: 3HT, 1ƤPT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 17.2.[19]24, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remarks: The species is very close to Medetera praedator Curran, 1926 b, differing from the latter in smaller size of the two anterior pairs of dorsocentral bristles and in the morphology of hypopygium.
perturbus Curran, 1924: 225 (Hercostomus)
Type material examined: 3HT: Pretoria, Foontanie [Fountains, 25º45'S: 28º10'E], 30.1.[19]21, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Gauteng: Pretoria.
Remarks: See description and figure given by Grichanov (1999c) for the species. This name was misspelled as “ peterbus ” in Dyte and Smith (1980).
placidus Curran, 1926a: 37 (Sympycnus)
Type material examined: 3HT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 22.2.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA). Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Present position: Synonym of Sympycnus simplicipes Becker, 1908 (Grichanov 2008: 22).
praedator Curran, 1926b: 401 (Medetera)
Type material examined: 3HT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 17.2.[19]24, H.K. Munro (NMSA); 23 & 2ƤPT [one labelled as allotype]: same label data except collection dates 19.2.24 and 21.2.24 (NMSA); 13 & 1ƤPT, same label data except 19.2.24 (IRSNB).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remarks: See diagnosis and figure given by Grichanov (1999b, 2000a) for the species.
prudens Curran, 1926a: 30 (Thinophilus)
Type material examined: 3HT, 2Ƥ PT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 1.2.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
Remark: The species is remarkable in having a very long cercus, about twice longer than surstylus. See diagnosis given by Grichanov (1997b) for the species.
rex Curran, 1926a: 23 (Thinophilus)
Type material examined: 3HT, 1ƤPT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 1.2.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
rita Curran, 1926c: 266 (Diaphorus)
Type material examined: 3HT: Barberton [25º47'S: 31º02'E], 6.5.[19]13, H.K. Munro (NMSA). Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Barberton.
simplicis Curran, 1924: 227 (Medetera)
Type material examined: 3HT: New Hanover [29º21'S: 30º31'E], Natal, XII.1927, G.B. Hardenberg (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal: New Hanover.
Remarks: See diagnosis and figure given by Grichanov (1997a) for the species.
trochanteralis Curran, 1924: 219 (Sciapus [as Sciopus])
Type material examined: 3HT: New Hanover [29º21'S: 30º31'E], Aug. 1914, CBH, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal: New Hanover.
Remarks: Type examined corresponds to diagnosis given by Grichanov (1996b) for Ethiosciapus (Bickeliolus) trochanteralis (Curran).
Present position: Bickeliolus trochanteralis (Curran) (Grichanov 1998a: 82).
virgatus Curran, 1926a: 34 (Asyndetus)
Type material examined: 3HT, 13PT: Middelburg [25º47'S: 29º28'E], 13.2.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA); 1ƤPT: East London, 9.3.25, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Mpumalanga: Middelburg.
Remarks: Both males have no abdomen; male holotype has its head and hind legs missing. Holotypes of two more Curran’s African Asyndetus species were deposited in the South African Museum, Cape Town.
virgatus Curran, 1926a: 22 (Thinophilus)
Type material examined: 3HT, 1ƤPT: East London [33º00'S: 27º53'E], 22.2.[19]25, H.K. Munro (NMSA).
Type locality: South Africa: Eastern Cape: East London.
description: Published as part of Ya, Igor & Mostovski, Mike B., 2009, Long-legged flies (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) in the collection of the Natal Museum: A review of C. H. Curran's types, new synonyms, and new combinations, pp. 37-53 in Zootaxa 2194 on pages 42-48, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.189449