Ropalomera tibialis Walker 1852
Creators: name: Kirst, Frederico Dutra
name: Ale-Rocha, Rosaly
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Ropalomeridae
Ropalomera
Ropalomera tibialis

description: Ropalomera tibialis Walker, 1852
Ropalomera tibialis Walker, 1852: 375; 1857: 224; Prado, 1967: 72 (citation); Steyskal, 1967: 3 (catalogue); Prado & Papavero, 2002: 1 (catalogue); 2009: 4 (catalogue).
Rhopalomera tibialis; Williston, 1895a: 184 (key).
Rhopalomera walkeri Prado, 1966: 215, 243, 245 (key, description, figs. 91–97).
Holotype male. Body: 12.3 mm; wing: 12.6 mm.
Head: Frons yellow with thin yellowish pilosity; eye circumference with silver pollinosity. Ocellar tubercle dark brown, shiny and with pair of bristles. Postocellar bristles divergent. Postocular bristles present. Antenna with brown scape, very short; pedicel brown, twice the size of the scape, with one dorsal bristle; flagellomere orange posteriorly and brown anteriorly; arista plumose with long hairs, dark brown with basal third orange. Gena broad, yellow, covered with silver pollinosity and with slender bristles that are dorsally short and ventrally longer. Parafacialia dark brown with dark-brown pilosity and three distinct bristles. Face dark brown, matte, with globose facial tubercle. Clypeus with same color as face. Palpus brown with sparse dark setae, larger setae ventrally.
Thorax: Scutum brown with acrostichal and dorsocentral stripes of silver pollinosity. Scutellum trapezoid, directed slightly upward, dorsal surface concave, rounded posteriorly, bright and without pollinosity, side of basal half with silver pollinosity. Mesopleuron with stripe of silver pollinosity extending to posterior spiracle. Chaetotaxy: one postpronotal, two notopleural, one presutural supra-alar weakly developed, one postsutural supra-alar, one postalar, one intra-alar, one intra-postalar, one acrostichal; two short strong scutellar bristles, with one apical and one on the basal half laterally to scutellum. Mesopleuron with one strong bristle on anepisternum, one on katepisternum, and one distinct seta on posterior margin of posterior spiracle.
Legs: Coxae with silver pollinosity. Femora with short bristles. Mid and hind femora with light-brown basal half, and silver pollinosity on dorsal surface. Fore femur with silver pollinosity on posteroventral surface of apical half, and with three spine-like bristles between long slender bristles, proximal half of posteroventral surface bare. Mid femur with one preapical seta and two apical setae on dorsal surface, ventral surface with slender bristles, which are golden and long on proximal half; distal half with two series of 12 spine-like setae that decrease in size toward the apex, one anteroventral and one posteroventral. Hind femur thicker medially than other femora, with 22 spine-like bristles on anteroventral surface; dorsal surface of distal half with ten strong bristles, posteroventral surface of apical third with five spine-like bristles. Tibia dark brown; fore tibiae yellowish on dorsal surface, with strong preapical bristle, dense golden pilosity on anteroventral surface on apical third, and long slender brown bristles on distal 2/3. Mid tibia with long, slender bristles ventrally on apical third, and with one apical, spine-like bristle. Hind tibia with ridge and ten long bristles dorsally. Tarsi with silver pollinosity dorsally, fore and mid tarsi with first two tarsomeres yellowish; hind tarsus entirely dark brown.
Wing: Hyaline, infuscated around R1, R2+3, r-m and penultimate section of M (Fig. 64).
Abdomen: Pollinosity of tergites with bluish reflection. Sternite 5 rectangular with sides rounded, lateral bristles longer, and distomedial bristles short and strong (Fig. 50). Terminalia: epandrium wider than long, with numerous long bristles. Cerci fused on basal 4/5, with long apical and lateral bristles, and short bristles on the dorsal surface (Figs. 51, 52). Surstylus long, approximately the same size as cerci, distal half grooved in dorsal view, proximal half with bristles (Fig. 53). Parameres bilobed, with region between lobes grooved (Fig. 54). Aedeagus without preapical spine-like projection, ventromedial surface more sclerotized (Figs. 55, 56). Epiphallus with anchor-shaped apical region and very long branches (Figs. 55, 56).
Female: Differs from the male in the following: palpus broader; face with short pilosity, also on ventral surface of gena. Katepisternum with short golden pilosity on ventral surface; legs more slender than in male, and with short bristles; hind femur with only eight bristles on anteroventral surface; mid tibia without apical bristles on ventral surface. Terminalia telescoped, membranous laterally.
Type material. Holotype male (BMNH), labeled: Type (circular label, with green border)/ Brazil / Tibialis (handwritten label).
Condition of type: abdomen dissected and with epandrium and internal terminália glued on paper card, below the labels. Sclerites of abdomen lost.
Additional material examined. BRASIL, Amazonas, Fonte Boa, Armadilha Alta, 21–24.ix.2005, J. A. Rafael, 4 Ƥ (INPA); Presidente Figueiredo, AM-240, Comunidade São Francisco de Assis, 02˚01’S/ 59˚49’W, 01– 11.ix.2002, Isca de banana fermentada, F. Xavier & U. Barbosa, Ƥ (INPA); Igarapé Santuário, 02˚03’38”S/ 59˚55’35”W, 19–30.ix.2003, F. F. Xavier & J. M. Vidal, 3 (INPA); Vila de Balbina, 05–09.x.2003, mata, vertente, McPhail, melado de cana 10% 1.5m, J. C. Almeida, 3 (INPA), same but, 09–16.x.2003, platô, Ƥ, 3; same but, 23.v–02.vi.2004, Ƥ (all INPA); Manaus, ZF 2, km 14, Torre, 16–30m, 02°35’21”S / 60°06’55”W, 18–21.v.2004, coletor anônimo, 3 (INPA); BR 174, Km 40, Estação Experimental de Fruticultura Tropical, Km 40, 13.ii.1997, McPhail, araçá, B. Ronchi-Teles, 3; 07.viii.1997, em sorva, Ƥ (all INPA); Reserva Adolpho Ducke, 16.vi.1969, A. Faustino, Ƥ (INPA); melado da cana 10%, McPhail, igarapé Tinga, 1.5m, mata, baixio, coletor anônimo, 13– 17.v.2004, Ƥ (INPA); igarapé Barro Branco, 30m, platô, 10–17.i.2005, 3; Tinga, 17–20.i.2005, 3 (all INPA); 29.v.2003, área aberta, platô, 15m, McPhail Modificada, A. P. Tregue-Costa, Ƥ (INPA); Sede, 25m, coletor anônimo, 29.vi.2003, Ƥ (INPA); Conjunto Hiléia, Manta, S.S.M, 03.v.2004, R. Ale-Rocha, Ƥ (INPA); São Paulo de Olivença, 03˚28’50”S/ 68°55’25”W, Campina, 11–14.ix.2005, J. A. Rafael & F. F. Xavier F˚, Ƥ, 3 (INPA); Beruri, Estacionamento do Instituto Nacioanal de Colonização e Reformas Agrárias, km 3, 03˚56’62”S/ 61˚21’02”W, 28.ix–09.x.2002, U. Barbosa & X. Filho, 3 Ƥ, 3 (INPA); Lábrea, BR-230, Km 12, Ramal Apaeral, Km 0 9, 07°19’10,5”/ 64°40’07”W, 13.vi–02.vii.2006, Arm. Arapuca, F. F. Xavier, 3 (INPA); Pará, Marajó–Breves, Rio Caruaca, 21.ii.1988, área 2, margem W, isca 1, coletor anônimo, 3 (MPEG); same but, 4.viii.1988, J. Dias, B.56, L.5, Ƥ (MPEG); 28.ii.1964, H. Schubart, Ƥ (MZUSP); Tucuruí, Vila Brava, 22.vi1980, Nunes de Melo eq., 5558, 3 3, Ƥ (INPA); Rio Tocantins, Chiqueirão, 06.iii.1984, M. F. Torres, Ƥ (MPEG); Benevides, I. S. Gorayeb, 17.iii.1974, Ƥ (MPEG); Belém, 4–7.x.1983, Arm. Suspensa, Ƥ (MPEG); Floresta APEG, 10–15.xii.1982, I. S. Gorayeb, Arm. Suspensa 15m, 3 (MPEG); same but, 6–10.i.1983, 3 (MPEG); Maranhão, Fortaleza dos Nogueiras, 1–4.xii.2010, Carneiro, E. & Mielke, O., 2 Ƥ, 3 (DZUP); Rondônia, Vilhena, 13.x.1986, C. Elias, Polonoroeste, 200406, 12 Ƥ 12 3; 200417; 200419; 04.xi.1986, 200414; 200412; 200408; 200403; 200423 – 200424; 13.ix.1986, 200413; 200497; 200441; 19.ix.1986, 200407; 22.ix.1986, 200404; 200409; 200410; 13.xi.1986, 200421; 200405; 4.xii.1986, 200402; 200426; 11.xii.1986, 200420; 12.xii.1986, 200425; 17.xii.1986, 200418; 200422 (all DZUP); Mato Grosso, Cáceres, 13–14.xi.1984, Buzzi, Mielke, Elias & Casagrande, Proj. Polonoroeste, 200395, 2 Ƥ; 27.iii.1985, 200394 (all DZUP); Poconé, RPPN, SESC, Pantanal, 16˚42’46,2”S/ 56˚02’81,0”W, 20.viii.2004, Arm. Van Someren-Rydan, mata, R. Alves, Ƥ (INPA); Chap. Guimarães, 02.xii.1983, Exc. Departamento Zoologia- UFPR, Polonoroeste, 200415, Ƥ (DZUP); BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz, 3.7 Km, SSE, Buena Vista, Ƥ (EMUS).
Geographical distribution. Brazil (Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Maranhão, Pará, Rondônia) and Bolivia (Santa Cruz).
Variations. The color of the face and/or parafacialia ranges from dark brown to yellowish. The base of the femora is brown, with the color sometimes restricted to the basal third. Abdomen with silver pollinosity that in some specimens produces a bluish-metallic iridescence.
Discussion. This species was recorded for the first time for Brazil in the states of Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Maranhão, and for Bolivia in the province of Santa Cruz. It resembles R. titillatrix, differing in the color of the head and thorax, and the structure of the male terminalia, particularly in the form and chaetotaxy of sternite 5, and the morphology of the parameres and surstylus.
description: Published as part of Kirst, Frederico Dutra & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the Amazonian species of Ropalomera Wiedemann, 1824 (Diptera: Ropalomeridae), pp. 1-27 in Zootaxa 3151 on pages 21-24, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.279555