A world review of the bristle fly parasitoids of webspinners

Abstract

Background: Dipteran parasitoids of Embioptera (webspinners) are few and extremely rare but known from all biogeographical regions except Australasia/Oceania. All belong to the fly family Tachinidae, a hyperdiverse and widespread clade of parasitoids attacking a variety of arthropod orders.

Results: The webspinner-parasitizing Diptera are reviewed based mostly on records from the collecting and rearing by Edward S. Ross. A new genus is erected to accommodate a new Afrotropical species, Embiophoneus rossi gen. et sp. nov. The genus Perumyia Arnaud is reviewed and a new species, Perumyia arnaudi sp. nov., is described from Central America while P. embiaphaga Arnaud is redescribed and new host records are given. A new species of Phytomyptera Rondani, P. woodi sp. nov., is described from Myanmar, representing the first report of a member of this genus obtained from webspinners. The genus Rossimyiops Mesnil is reviewed, R. longicornis (Kugler) is redescribed and R. aeratus sp. nov., R. fuscus sp. nov. and R. rutilans sp. nov. are newly described from the Oriental Region, and an updated key to species is given.

Conclusions: Webspinners were probably colonized independently at least four times by tachinids shifting from other hosts, most likely Lepidoptera.

Keywords: Diptera; Embioptera; New species; Parasitoids; Polyneoptera; Tachinidae; Trophic shift.

Fig. 1

Embiophoneus rossi gen. et sp. nov., male holotype. a habitus in lateral view. b wing. c abdomen in dorsal view. Scale bar 1 mm

Fig. 2

Embiophoneus rossi gen. et sp. nov., male holotype. a head in lateral view at SEM. Scale bar 500 μm b scutellum in dorsal view at SEM. Scale bar 500 μm. c fore tarsus at SEM. Scale bar 500 μm. d–f Puparium at SEM: d posterior spiracles of puparium in dorsal view. Scale bar 500 μm. e posterior spiracles in posterior view. Scale bar 300 μm. f puparium surface and ornamentation. Scale bar 50 μm. g–h E. rossi sp. nov. male holotype, terminalia, g in lateral view, h in posterior view

Fig. 3

Perumyia embiaphaga Arnaud. a habitus in lateral view. b wing. c abdomen in dorsal view. Scale bar 1 mm

Fig. 4

Perumyia embiaphaga Arnaud. a head in lateral view at SEM. b detail of arista in lateral view at SEM. c scutellum with hair-like setae in dorsal view at SEM. d–e male terminalia, d in lateral view. e in posterior view. Scale bar 500 μm

Fig. 5

Perumyia arnaudi sp. nov., a male paratype, habitus in lateral view. b female paratype, habitus in lateral view. c male paratype, head in frontal view. d female paratype, head in frontal view. e male paratype wing. f female paratype wing. Scale bar 1 mm

Fig. 6

Perumyia arnaudi sp. nov., a male paratype, abdomen in dorsal view. Scale bar 1 mm. b female paratype, abdomen in dorsal view. Scale bar 1 mm. c scutellum in dorsal view at SEM. Scale bar 500 μm. d male paratype, head in lateral view at SEM. Scale bar 500 μm. e arista detail in lateral view at SEM. Scale bar 200 μm. f detail of wing costal spine at SEM. Scale bar 200 μm

Fig. 7

Phytomyptera woodi sp. nov., male holotype. a habitus in lateral view. b head in frontal view. c wing. d abdomen in dorsal view. Scale bar 1 mm

Fig. 8

Phytomyptera woodi sp. nov., male holotype. a head in lateral view at SEM. b wing apex at SEM. c–d male terminalia, c in lateral view, d in posterior view. Scale bar 500 μm

Fig. 9

Rossimyiops aeratus sp. nov., male holotype. a habitus in lateral view. b wing. c abdomen in dorsal view. Scale bar 1 mm

Fig. 10

Rossimyiops aeratus sp. nov., male holotype. a head detail in lateral view at SEM. b thorax in dorsal view at SEM. c scutellum in dorsal view at SEM. d–e male terminalia, d in lateral view, e in posterior view. Scale bar 500 μm

Fig. 11

Rossimyiops fuscus sp. nov., male holotype. a habitus in lateral view. b head in frontal view. c wing. d abdomen in dorsal view. e–f male terminalia, e in lateral view, f in posterior view. Scale bar 1 mm

Fig. 12

Rossimyiops rutilans sp. nov., a male paratype, habitus in lateral view. b female paratype, habitus in lateral view. c male paratype, head in frontal view. d female paratype, head in frontal view. e male paratype, wing. f female paratype, wing. Scale bar 1 mm

Fig. 13

Rossimyiops rutilans sp. nov., a male paratype, abdomen in dorsal view. b female paratype, abdomen in dorsal view. c male paratype, head in lateral view at SEM. d male paratype, thorax and posterior proepimeral seta at SEM. e thorax in dorsal view at SEM. f scutellum in dorsal view at SEM. g–h male terminalia, g in lateral view, h in posterior view. Scale bar 500 μm