Stipomorpha

Stipomorpha
Stipomorpha sp.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Syrphidae
Subfamily: Microdontinae
Genus: Stipomorpha
Hull, 1945
Type species
Microdon fraudator

Stipomorpha is a genus of hoverflies (Syrphidae). Restricted to the Neotropical region, with records ranging from Argentina to Costa Rica, the genus is one of several Microdontinae that mimic stingless bees, with a brush-like pilosity on the hind-tibia,[1] superficially resembling the corbicula of Meliponini. They are distinguished from other stingless bee mimic syrphids by having unusually wide membranous parts between sternites 2 and 3.[1]

Morphology

With a body length of 6-11 mm, the genus can be differentiated from other Microdontinae stingless bee mimics by the presence of an unusually wide membranous parts between sternites 2 and 3 (sometimes hard to see in dry specimens) and an unfurcate aedeagus.[1] Other diagnostic characteristics are the face, narrower than or as wide as one eye (apparently bare) in frontal view, except wider in S.wheeleri.[1] The head also present a dorsally wide occiput and ventrally narrow.[1] The scutellum is always semicircular, but never sulcate.[1] The wings present an appendix from vein R4+5 (often absent in one or both wings), and the subcostal vein joins the costal vein at the same level as or proximal to the radial-medial crossvein.[1] The abdomen, with an isosceles triangle format,[2] presents a fusion between tergites 3 and 4, and sternite 1 is bare.[1] The hypandrium is basally bulged in the genus.[1]

Mimicry and myrmecophily

Stipomorpha adults resemble Meliponini bees, such as Trigona and Tetragona species,[1] while larvae are myrmecophiles, living in ant nests of different species, probably predating on ant brood.[3] Only two associations of Stipomorpha species with a specific ant species are described, both with ants from the genus Crematogaster. The first one was made by Mann in 1928,[4] associating Stipomorpha wheeleri (Mann, 1928) with a Crematogaster torosa Mayr, 1870 nest, while the second one was only made in 2013[3] by Reemer, associating the same species with a Crematogaster crinosa Mayr, 1862 nest. Reemer also described the species Stipomorpha crematogastri Reemer, 2013, but the adult holotype collected by Owain W. Richards, in 1968, and the empty puparium associated with it were accompanied only by a label containing "bred nest / Crematogaster", not specifying the species S. crematogastri was associated with.[1]

Taxonomic history

Originally, the first described Stipomorpha species were grouped in the genus Microdon Meigen, 1803.[5] Only in 1945, Hull erected Stipomorpha as a subgenus of Microdon, based on the shape of the abdomen, especially for the first two segments being flared and wider than the thorax.[6] A few years later, the same author included Stipomorpha as a subgenus of Paramixogasteroides Shiraki, 1930 (a junior synonym of the genus Paramixogaster Brunetti, 1923), with no morphological support for the change. Other authors have regarded Stipomorpha as a synonym of Ubristes Walker, 1852, sometimes placing it as a subgenus of Microdon,[7] sometimes as its own genus.[8][9] In 2013, Reemer and Ståhls erected the genus (status novus) once again, placing 16 species together and designating Microdon fraudator (Stipomorpha fraudator) as its type species.[2] Months later, Reemer also described 9 new species, bringing the current total of 25 described species.[1]

Species

The following species are assigned to this genus:[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Reemer, Menno (2013-08-09). "Taxonomic exploration of Neotropical Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) mimicking stingless bees". Zootaxa. 3697 (1): 1–88. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3697.1.1. PMID 26079022.
  2. ^ a b Reemer, Menno; Ståhls, Gunilla (2013-04-12). "Generic revision and species classification of the Microdontinae (Diptera, Syrphidae)". ZooKeys (288): 1–213. Bibcode:2013ZooK..288....1R. doi:10.3897/zookeys.288.4095. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 3690914. PMID 23798897.
  3. ^ a b Reemer, Menno (2013). "Review and Phylogenetic Evaluation of Associations between Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) and Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 2013: 1–9. doi:10.1155/2013/538316.
  4. ^ Mann, William Montana (1928). "II. A New Microdon From Panama". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 35 (3): 168–170. doi:10.1155/1928/73806.
  5. ^ Curran, Charles Howard (1925). "XLIV.—New American Diptera.—II". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 16 (93): 338–354. doi:10.1080/00222932508633318.
  6. ^ Hull, Frank Montgomery (1945). "Some undescribed syrphid flies". Proceedings of the New England Zoological Club. 23: 71–78.
  7. ^ Shannon, Raymond Corbett (1927). "A review of the South American two-winged flies of the family Syrphidae". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 70 (2658): 1–33. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.70-2658.1. hdl:10088/15696.
  8. ^ Papavero, Nelson (1964-07-22). "Descrição de uma nova espécie de Ubristes Walker, 1852 (Diptera, Syrphidae, Microdontinae)". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (in Brazilian Portuguese). 16 (1–27): 21–25. doi:10.11606/0031-1049.1964.16p21-25. ISSN 1807-0205 – via Portal de Revistas da USP.
  9. ^ van Doesburg Sr., Pieter H (1966-01-01). "Syrphidae from Suriname". Studies on the Fauna of Suriname and Other Guyanas. 9 (1): 61–107. ISSN 0300-5488 – via Naturalis Biodiversity Center.
  10. ^ "Stipomorpha Hull, 1945". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 11 May 2026.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.