Pseudopterogramma Papp, 2008

Kuwahara, Gregory K., Marshall, Stephen A. & Luk, Stephen P. L., 2025, A revision of Parapterogramma Papp and Pseudopterogramma Papp, with a review of the Parapterogramma genus group of the Pacific and Indomalayan regions (Diptera, Sphaeroceridae, Limosininae), European Journal of Taxonomy 998, pp. 1-124 : 71-73

Genus Pseudopterogramma Papp, 2008

Pseudopterogramma Papp, 2008: 99 (neuter). Type species: Pseudopterogramma siamense Papp, 2008 , by original designation.

Archipterogrammoides Papp, 2008: 84 . Type species Archipterogrammoides metatarsalis Papp, 2008: 87 . Syn. nov.

Undescribed genus for “Pacific Pterogramma ” corresponding to the conicum group of Smith and

Marshall – Roháček et al. 2001: 212 (world catalog). — Smith & Marshall 2004: 57 (notes). Pseudopterogramma – Papp 2008: 99 (description, key). — Marshall et al. 2011: 264 (world catalog). Archipterogrammoides – Marshall et al. 2011: 234 (world catalog).

Diagnosis

In addition to the synapomorphies that define the Parapterogramma genus group, Pseudopterogramma is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: head and thorax lacking microtomentose patterns; anterior pair of dorsocentral bristles just before suture; mid tibia with two dorsal bristles on the proximal half; R 2+3 straight to distinctly sinuate; R 4+5 relatively straight and meeting costa near wing tip; costa ending at apex of R 4+5; first section of R 4+5 usually longer than distance between crossveins; male S6 simple; surstylus divided into (usually) smaller anterior lobe and larger posterior lobe (sometimes roughly subequal); postgonite elongate and usually thin; and female S8 usually subtriangular, sometimes separated into a trapezoidal anterior half and a triangular posterior half.

Definition

Pseudopterogramma is defined by the following synapomorphies: anterior dorsocentral bristles that arise just before the suture, two dorsal bristles on the proximal half of the mid tibia, R 4+5 relatively straight and meeting the costa near the wing tip, and elongate postgonites.

Redescription

BODY. Colour brown. Length 1.0– 1.9 mm.

HEAD. Brown, lower portion of frons yellow to orange-brown. Frontal width 2.1–2.2 × frontal height. Interfrontal bristles in 3–4 fine pairs, middle pair(s) with tips almost touching; two strong lateroclinate orbital bristles, anterior orbital smaller (0.6–0.7×) than posterior; ocellar bristles large and diverging; inner and outer vertical bristles large; postvertical bristle large; postocellar bristles small. Vibrissa large, vibrissal angle usually with one subvibrissal seta; gena with a large, upcurved anteroventral seta and several smaller setae. Palpus moderate, clavate, with two subapical ventral setulae. Lunule prominent but not enlarged. Antennae divergent; scape with an enlarged anterior seta; pedicel with 6–8 apical setae and a preapical dorsal seta; postpedicel small (1.1–1.3 × pedicel), slightly pointed, gumdrop-shaped; arista long pubescent. Eye with slight notch at about level of anterior edge of frons, eye height 2.7–3.0× genal height, posteroventral corner concave from broadened gena.

THORAX. Brown with grey-brown microtomentum. Two pairs of large dorsocentral bristles, anterior pair just anterior to suture and large (0.7–0.8 × posterior pair), separated by 7–10 rows of acrostichal setulae. Two postpronotal bristles, outer bristle large and inner bristle smaller, often minute; two notopleural bristles, anterior notopleural slightly larger than posterior; two strong supra-alar bristles; postalar and intrapostalar bristles strong. Katepisternum with a very small anterior seta and a large posterior seta. Scutellum subtriangular microtomentose, 0.5–0.6× as long as broad with four large marginal bristles in the usual positions.

LEGS. Pale brown, femora darker, tarsomeres lighter. Fore femora with 4–5 large ventral setae, fore tibia without any enlarged setae. Dorsal surface of mid tibia with two (one anterodorsal, one posterodorsal) bristles in the proximal half and three (two anterodorsal, one posterodorsal) bristles in the distal half. Mid basitarsus with a slightly enlarged ventral setula.

WINGS. Lightly patterned. CS2 0.4–0.5× CS3. R 2+3 short, mostly straight with a slight sinuate bend at midlength; R 4+5 upcurved, ending well before wing tip; costa terminating at the end of R 4+5. M 1 extending to wing edge as a faint crease; M 4 extending slightly beyond dm-m. CuA+CuP almost reaching edge. Halter pale brown with white apex.

MALE ABDOMEN. Preabdomen brown, shiny. T2–5 and S2–4 slightly desclerotized around edges, posterolateral corners of T4–5 with enlarged setae. S5 broad, rectangular, simple, usually with short, sparse setae, often emarginate or desclerotized posteromedially. Synsternite 6+7 well-developed, S6 usually narrow and curved. Epandrium wedge-shaped (longer ventrally than dorsally), left side often more developed than right, uniformly long-setose; cercus well-developed, usually large and undifferentiated from epandrium; subepandrial sclerite broad but weakly-developed, usually only distinct medially as a dark vertical bar. Hypandrium well-developed and T-shaped, anteromedial apodeme curved or sinuate and strongly fused to lateral arms, lateral arms not fused to anteroventral corners of epandrium. Surstylus of various forms, usually bilobed and inverted-V-shaped, ventral margin usually with long setae. Postgonite of various forms, usually elongate and narrow, almost straight to strongly sinuate. Phallapodeme usually elongate and curved; basiphallus usually very tall (3–4 × as tall as long). Distiphallus large with elongate dorsal and ventral sclerites surrounding a large, “empty” center; membrane often with patches of papillae or microtomentum.

FEMALE ABDOMEN. Preabdomen brown, shiny. T2–5 and S2–5 slightly desclerotized around edges, posterolateral corners of T4–6 with enlarged setae. Abdomen slightly shorter than length of head + thorax. T6 rectangular with posterior row of setae; T7 rectangular, setae restricted to posterolateral corners; T8 split into two large, subtriangular lateral sclerites with a vertical medial desclerotized strip, posterodorsal margin with long setae, posteroventral margin with small setulae, ventrally with a thickened edge which is bent inwards to touch dorsolateral surface of S8. Epiproct various, always with dorsal pair of setae. Cercus stout, often with a slightly thickened apical seta and 2–3 long preapical setae. S6 rectangular, usually uniformly setose; S7 broad, rectangular with posterior row of setae; S8 usually subtriangular with large, sinuate anterolateral setae and posteromedial patch of four very fine setae, sometimes divided into anterior and posterior parts by a transverse desclerotized strip. Hypoproct usually broad, trough-shaped with pair of long setae and several small setae. Spermathecae (2+1) stout, spherical to cylindrical, sometimes with apical invagination; stem weakly sclerotized, stem connecting paired spermathecae very short.

Distribution

Pseudopterogramma is widespread in southeast Asia and Oceania, and is here recorded from several Pacific islands ( Fig. 69 ). Some species are known from a single country (often Australia or Papua New Guinea), while others are known from multiple islands separated by thousands of kilometers of ocean (for example, Hawaii to Samoa).

Species descriptions (in alphabetical order)

Figures

Fig. 69. Distribution map of Pseudopterogramma Papp, 2008.