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| Habitus of live specimens of ant-like Tachydromia Meigen, 1803. Tachydromia cantabrica; T. ebejeri; T. nigrohirta; T. stenoptera; ... Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov. I–J. in Gonçalves, Grootaert, ... et Mengual, 2021. |
ABSTRACT
Phylogenetic inference, based on five molecular markers (COI, 28S, AATS, 12S, PGD), corroborates the synonymy of the flightless genera Pieltainia Arias, 1919 and Ariasella Gil, 1923 with Tachydromia Meigen, 1803. The secondary structure of the 28S rRNA gene is used for the first time in this family to align the multiple sequences. Molecular and morphological data are largely congruent for all known species of flightless Tachydromia. This paper treats ten western Mediterranean species (nine Iberian and one Italian) in detail, including the description of four new species: T. ebejeri Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov., T. stenoptera Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov., T. cantabrica Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov. and T. nigrohirta Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov. The male of Tachydromia pieltaini (Gil Collado, 1936) and the female of Tachydromia apterygon Plant & Deeming, 2006 are described for the first time, while a lectotype is assigned to Tachydromia pandellei (Séguy, 1941). A key to all non-macropterous Tachydromia is supplied. Knowledge on the geographic distribution of most species is considerably enhanced. The mating behaviour of Tachydromia semiaptera (Gil Collado, 1923) and Tachydromia iberica (Arias, 1919) is documented for the first time, and we propose a change in the definition of terms apterous and micropterous to properly accommodate the diversity of wing states in this cluster of species.
Keywords: Iberian Peninsula, Hybotidae, flightless, molecular phylogeny, synonym, new species
Phylum Arthropoda Latreille, 1829
Class Insecta Linnaeus, 1758
Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758
Infraorder Muscomorpha Sharp, 1894
Superfamily Empidoidea Latreille, 1804
Family Hybotidae Meigen, 1820
Subfamily Tachydromiinae Meigen, 1822
Genus Tachydromia Meigen, 1803
Tachydromia apterygon Plant & Deeming, 2006
Tachydromia iberica (Arias, 1919)
Tachydromia lusitanica (Grootaert, Shamshev & Andrade, 2009)
Tachydromia pandellei (Séguy, 1941)
Tachydromia pieltaini (Gil Collado, 1936)
Tachydromia semiaptera (Gil Collado, 1923)
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| Fig. 16. Habitus of live specimens of the Iberian ant-like Tachydromia Meigen, 1803 and the Italian flightless Tachydromia. Males are pictured in the left column, females in the right. A–B. T. iberica (Arias, 1919). C–D. T. semiaptera (Gil Collado, 1923). E–F. T. pieltaini (Gil Collado, 1936). G–H. T. pandellei (Séguy, 1941). I–J. T. apterygon Plant & Deeming, 2006 (Italy). |
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| Fig. 15. Habitus of live specimens of the Iberian ant-like Tachydromia Meigen, 1803. Males are pictured in the left column, females in the right. A–B. T. lusitanica (Grootaert, Shamshev & Andrade, 2009). C–D. T. nigrohirta Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov. E–F. T. ebejeri Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov. G–H. T. stenoptera Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov. I–J. T. cantabrica Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov. |
Tachydromia cantabrica Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Overall dark. Wing dimorphic: male stenopterous; wing with lobed distal apex, no veins distinguishable, dark brown for most part, with black and white lobe; female micropterous, wing bilobate, with 1 seta on each lobe. Palpi, proboscis and antennae black; postpedicel sub-conical, ca1.5 times as long as pedicel. Legs with a colour pattern of yellowish and dark brown to black; male fore tibia with ciliation of long hairlike setae. Abdomen black, tergites and sternites with evenly distributed setae, covered with grey microtrichia. It shares similarities with T. nigrohirta sp. nov. and T. stenoptera sp. nov., but can be distinguished from these species by the darker leg colouration, lobed distal apex of male wing without any trace of apical digitation, sub-conical postpedicel, and male terminalia.
Etymology: This species is named after the Spanish Cantabrian mountain range, where it was found.
Distribution: Spain. Currently only known from the Cantabrian Mountains.
Tachydromia ebejeri Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Overall dark. Micropterous, with minute squamiform wings in both sexes. Palpi, proboscis and antennae black; postpedicel lanceolate, ca1.5 times longer than pedicel. Legs with a colour pattern of yellowish and dark brown to black; fore tibia with ciliation of long hair-like setae. Abdomen black, covered with grey microtrichia and with distinct, strong, setae on posterior margin of first sternite. It shares general similarities with T. cantabrica sp. nov., T. stenoptera sp. nov. T. nigrohirta sp. nov. and T. lusitanica, from which it can be mainly distinguished by microptery in both sexes - while the males of the other species are stenopterous - and male terminalia.
Etymology: The species is named after the dipterologist Martin J. Ebejer for his contribution to the advancement of the knowledge on Portuguese Diptera.
Distribution: Portugal and Spain. Mostly distributed in the northwestern Iberia (North and Central Portugal and Galicia), with just one locality south of the Tagus river (Santa Maria de Marvão).
Tachydromia nigrohirta Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Overall very dark and hirsute. Wing dimorphic: male stenopterous; lobed distal apex, suboval, with minute digitation on apical margin. Stalk-like process dark brown on basal half, pale on distal half; distal ⅔ of lobe black, basal ⅓ and digitation translucid; female micropterous, wing bilobate. Palpi, proboscis and antennae black. Postpedicel lanceolate, 2 times as long as pedicel; stylus 1.5 times as long as scape, pedicel and postpedicel combined. Legs mostly black except for yellowish to pale brown trochanters, knees and tarsomeres 1 and 2. Abdomen black, tergites uniformly covered by grey microtrichia and long setae. It closely resembles T. lusitanica, from which it can mainly be distinguished by the noticeably darker leg colouration, male wing with only a minute digitation on apical margin, and male terminalia.
Etymology: Name composed of two Latin words: ‘niger’(nigro) meaning ‘black’ and ‘hīrtus’ (hirta) meaning ‘hairy’. The name combination indicates that this is a characteristically dark and hairy species.
Tachydromia stenoptera Gonçalves, Grootaert & Andrade sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Overall very dark. Wing dimorphic: male stenopterous; wing with slightly lobed distal apex, dark for most part and lobe black and white; female micropterous, wing bilobate. Palpi, proboscis and antennae black; postpedicel lanceolate, ca1.5 times as long as pedicel. Legs almost completely black. Abdomen black, tergites mostly glabrous and without grey microtrichia.
Etymology: The name of this species means ‘narrow wing’ and derives from the combination of two Greek words: the prefix steno- (stenos), meaning ‘narrow’, with the suffix -ptera (pterá), meaning ‘wing’. Hence, the name reflects the very narrow lobed distal apex of the male wing.
Ana Rita Gonçalves, Patrick Grootaert, Rui Andrade, Octávio S. Paulo and Ximo Mengual. 2021. Revision of the Morphology, Phylogenetic Relationships, Behaviour and Diversity of the Iberian and Italian Ant-like Tachydromia Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Hybotidae). European Journal of Taxonomy. 732(1), 1-56. DOI 10.5852/ejt.2021.732.1213
