Neodiogmites melanogaster (Wiedemann, 1821)

(Figs. 2, 4a, 5, 8, 18–26)

Dasypogon melanogaster Wiedemann, 1821:215; 1828:368 (citation); Macquart, 1834:294 (redescription); 1838:35 (citation); Walker, 1849:366 (citation); 1854:430 (citation); Schiner, 1866:675 (citation); Williston, 1891:76 (catalog); Kertész, 1909:130 (catalog).

Diogmites melanogaster; Bromley, 1946:107 (catalog); Carrera, 1947d:267 (prey).

Neodiogmites melanogaster; Carrera, 1949:86, Figs. 22, 44, 84, 113, 144, 151 (redescription); Carrera & Papavero, 1962:46 (citation); Hull, 1962:235, Figs. 156B, 541, 1068, 1077 (citation); Martin & Papavero, 1970:28 (catalog); Artigas & Papavero, 1988:214 (key); Papavero, 2009:74 (catalog); Geller-Grimm et al., 2011 (catalog online).

Dasypogon grandis Macquart, 1846:63, pl. 6, Fig. 8; Walker, 1854:436 (citation); Williston, 1891:128 (catalog); Kertész, 1909:128 (catalog); Bromley, 1946:107 (catalog, Diogmites); Hull, 1962:228 (citation); Carrera, 1949:86 (sinonym); Papavero, 2009:74 (as Neodiogmites, catalog); Geller-Grimm et al., 2011 (as Neodiogmites, catalog online).

Dasypogon rapax Walker, 1851:88; 1854:430 (catalog); Williston, 1891:76 (catalog); Kertész, 1909:131 (catalog); Carrera, 1949:86 (synonym); Papavero, 2009:74 (as Neodiogmites, catalog); Geller-Grimm et al., 2011 (as Neodiogmites, catalog online).

Diagnosis. face yellowish with sparse white pruinescence; scape and pedicel with black setae, postpedicel black setose on basal dorsal half; pronotum brown yellow pruinose laterally, scutum brown, golden yellow pruinose laterally; wing shaded with yellow, apical third darker than remaining; coxae white pruinose and long white setae, femora and tibiae reddish, black pruinose; abdomen black, with thin white setae on posterior and lateral margins of tergites 1–4.

Redescription (based on specimens identified by Dr. Messias Carrera). Male. Measurements: body 37 mm; wing 28 mm. Head: (Fig. 8) face yellowish with sparse white pruinescence; mystacal setae white; frons yellow pruinose, a tuft of setae on each side; orbital setae black; ocellar tubercle black setose, yellow pruinose anteriorly and black posteriorly; postocular setae black; occiput yellow pruinose; upper occipital setae black and lower occipital setae yellow; palpus brown with yellow and black setae; proboscis black with yellow setae ventrally; antenna brown, scape and pedicel black setose, postpedicel with sparse yellow pruinescence and black setae on basal half of dorsum. Thorax: black; second cervical sclerite covered by short yellow setae; pronotum brown yellow pruinose laterally, antepronotum with thick and thin black setae laterally, postpronotum with thin black setae only laterally and thick black setae ventrally; proepisternum with white and black setae, postpronotal lobe black setose; four notopleural setae, three supra-alar setae and four postalar setae; scutum brown, golden yellow pruinose laterally and along medial stripe; medial and paramedial stripes black; dorsocentral setae beyond transverse suture; scutellum yellow pruinose, margin dark brown, and one pair of long black marginal setae; pleura mostly yellow pruinose, anepisternum bare; anepisternum and katepisternum thin black setose. Legs: coxae with white pruinescence and long white setae, more abundant on fore coxa, and also bearing thin black setae; femora and tibiae reddish, covered with black pruinescence, except ventrally on tibia and first tarsomere of hind leg; tibiae with thick, black, short and long setae; yellowish pulvillus, claws black. Wings: shaded yellow, apical third darker; alula hyaline; halter yellow. Abdomen: black; thin white setae on posterior and lateral margins of tergites 1–4, tergite 1 also black setae laterally, and medial portion of tergites black pruinose; sternites 1–4 with white, long and thin setae, remaining black pruinose. Terminalia: black, shiny, with black setae mixed with some yellow setae; cercus with small, lateral, kidney-shaped sclerotized sclerite near apex of epandrium (Fig. 21); epandrium widest medially (Fig. 21); hypandrium with small triangular indentation medially on anterior margin, posterior margin narrowed and elongated (Fig. 22), internal expansion of gonocoxite (internal view of gonocoxite) kidney-shaped (Fig. 24); dorsal expansion of gonocoxite with groove on ventral side (Fig. 22); gonostylus tubular, apex facing up and bearing small tooth near basal protuberance (Figs. 23, 24); phallus lateral ejaculatory process short than half of length of ejaculatory apodeme in dorsal view (Fig. 25), basal half of ejaculatory apodeme narrow (Fig. 25) and aedeagal sheath without medial area acute in dorsal view.

Female: similar to male, except fewer lateral setae on tergites 1–4. Terminalia. Reddish ventrally; acanthophorite spines black (Figs. 19, 20); sternite VIII with mediolateral and central membranous areas, mediolateral area wider than central, posterior margin with medial and mediolateral invaginations forming two valves with rounded apex (Fig. 18). Spermathecae as in figure 20.

Variations. Body length from 32 to 37 mm and wing from 22 to 28 mm; setae of lower margin of occiput yellow or white; first segment of palpus with only white setae; proboscis with white setae ventrally; lower occipital setae white; scutum black and without pruinescence laterally; notopleural setae 3–4; supra-alar setae 3–4; abdomen with lateral of tergites 6–8 brown or reddish.

Comments. Neodiogmites melanogaster is distinguished from congeners by the brown face with sparse white pruinescence, brown coloration of thorax and femora, and reddish tibiae. This redescription of N. melanogaster is based on specimens identified by Drs. Messias Carrera, Jorge Artigas and Nelson Papavero. The type was not available to us for study.

Geographic records. Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul (new record); Paraguay: Sapucay (new record); Argentina: Misiones.

Material examined. BRAZIL, [Rio de Janeiro]: Rio de Janeiro, xii.1927 (1♀ IOC); idem, Corcovado, xii.1958, Alvarenga & Seabra leg. (1♀ DZUP); idem, Floresta da Tijuca, Guanabara, ii.1961, C.A. Campos Seabra leg. (1♀ IOC); idem, Palmeiras, 7.i. [19]39, S. Lopes leg. (1♀ DZUP, 1♀ NMUS); [Paraná]: Porto Ubá, Rio Ivahy, i.[19]58 (1♀, DZUP); Paraná, Rolandia, Dirings leg. (1♂ MZUSP); Eldorado, i.1945, Hatschbach leg. (1♀ NMUS); [Santa Catarina]: Nova Teutonia, 6ii.1939, Fritz Plaumann leg. (1♀ NHM); idem, i.1937 (1♂ NHM), idem, 13.ii.1939 (1♀ NHM); idem, 26.ii.1937 (1♀ NHM); idem, 12.ii.1937 (1♀ NHM); idem, 19.ii.1937 (1♀ NHM); R [R io] G [Gr ande] do Sul: St. Augusto, ii–iii.[1]962, Roppa leg. (2♀ MNRJ). PARAGUAI, Sapucay, xii.1927 (1♂ NMUS), America [do] S[Sul], Brazil (1♀ NHM).