Genus Agapophytus Guérin, 1831

Museums

Regional Maps

• Agapophytus Guérin, F.E. 1831. Insectes. Plate 20, 21 in Duperrey, L.I. (ed.). Voyage autour du monde, exécuté par ordre du Roi, sur la corvette de sa Majest., La Coquille, pendant les années 1822, 1823, 1824 et 1825 sous le ministère de S.E.M. Le Marquis de Clermont-Tonnerre, et publié sous les auspices de son Excellence M. Le Cte De Chabrol, Ministre de la Marine et des Colonies. Histoire naturelle, zoologie. Paris : A. Bertrand. [Date published 1830-1832] [plate 20, fig. 11A-G] (An important issue overlooked by previous workers is the reference to the incorrect date and citation of the original description. Guérin-Méneville, in Duperrey (1838), described the insects collected during the round-the-world voyage of the corvette Coquille, including descriptions of A. australasiae. The first reference to 1838 as the publication date of the original description of Agapophytus was by Kröber (1912b, 1913). Mann (1928) subsequently referred to the publication date of the description of Agapophytus as 1830, but later referred to 1838 as the original publication date for A. australasiae (Mann 1929). Lastly, Irwin and Lyneborg (1989) refer to 1838 as the publication date for both the genus and species descriptions. Although the genus and species descriptions of A. australasiae were dated 1830 and ultimately issued in 1838, a plate containing six figures under the name A. australasiae was published by Guérin in July 1831, and is referenced by Guérin-Méneville (1838: 271). The specific name published in association with the illustration satisfies Article 12.2.7 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999), in validating the name nomenclaturally (by indication) as from the date of publication of the plate. Thus the figures of A. australasiae published in 1931 represent the first valid description of the genus and species by Guérin, as Felix Edouard Guérin changed his name to Felix Edouard Guérin-Méneville in 1836 (Evenhuis 1997) (Winterton & Irwin, 2001)).

  Type species:

   Agapophytus australasiae Guérin, 1831 by monotypy.

Introduction

There are three main clades within the genus Agapophytus. The A. dioctriaeformis clade contains slender, elongate species characterised by a short scape and spermathecal sac without outer reticulated lobes. The A. queenslandi clade contains more robust species characterised by antenna positioned on the middle of the frons, concave occiput and lacking outer reticulated lobes on the spermathecal sac. The remainder of the described species form the A. australasiae clade with the antenna positioned on the upper frons, convex occiput, and outer reticulated lobes on the spermathecal sac (Winterton & Irwin 2001).

Males of some species of Agapophytus form leks on the trunks of large, smooth-barked trees. This type of lek behaviour has been observed in A. australasiae, A. pallidicornis, and is inferred from label information for A. annamariae, A. quatiens and A. queenslandi. At various sites in south-eastern Queensland, males of A. australasiae were observed forming small leks of up to eight individuals on ‘scribbly-gum’ (Eucalyptus signata F. Muell.) tree trunks. Each oval-shaped lek was formed on the shaded side of the tree approximately 1–2 metres above the ground. Periodically, or when disturbed, most members of the lek take-off and fly in a tight loop perpendicular to the trunk and land again in approximately the same position within the lek (Winterton & Irwin 2001).

Most species of Agapophytus are known from the eastern states of Australia (Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria), although there are distinctly western species such as A. notozophos, A. yeatesi, and A. caliginosus. Distinctly northern Australian species include A. cerrusus, A. discolor and A. borealis. Agapophytus quatiens is restricted to Tasmania. Agapophytus antheliogynaion has a rather large, disjunct distribution between Papua New Guinea and south-eastern Australia. Relatively few species have widespread distributions. Agapophytus labifenestellus is known from south-western Western Australia, the Northern Territory and south-eastern Queensland, while A. albopunctatus is known from two sites: eastern New South Wales and far south-western Western Australia. The temporal phenology of Agapophytus in Australia is highly distinctive. Very few species have been collected in autumn and winter, with the majority of collection records between November and February. Only distinctly northern Australian species such as A. borealis, A. cerrusus and A. discolor, appear to be active during the winter months (Winterton & Irwin 2001).

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Vic, WA: Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ) ; ACT, NSW, Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW North Coast (NNC) ; ACT, NSW, Qld, SA, Vic: NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), South Eastern Highlands (SEH) ; ACT, NSW, Qld, SA, Vic, WA: Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Nandewar (NAN), Sydney Basin (SB) ; NSW, NT, Qld, SA, WA: Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC) ; NSW, NT, Qld, WA: Cape York Peninsula (CYP) ; NSW, NT, SA, WA: Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Pilbara (PIL), Stony Plains (STP), Victoria Bonaparte (VB) ; NSW, Qld: Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Mulga Lands (ML) ; NSW, Qld, SA, WA: Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Wet Tropics (WT) ; NSW, WA: Warren (WAR) ; NT, Qld, SA, WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW) ; NT, Qld, WA: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Burt Plain (BRT), Coolgardie (COO), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Dampierland (DL), Gulf Fall and Uplands (GFU), Gulf Plains (GUP), Mallee (MAL), Northern Kimberley (NK), Pine Creek (PCK), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD) ; NT, WA: Daly Basin (DAB), Esperance Plains (ESP), Murchison (MUR) ; SA, WA: Eyre Yorke Block (EYB) ; Tas: Flinders (FLI), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian South East (TSE) ; WA: Carnarvon (CAR)

Diagnosis

Antenna position variable, usually close to ocellar tubercle; scape and flagellum greatly elongate, narrow, antenna covered along most of length with short setae, sometimes admixed with longer setae; male with either a single row or multiple, poorly defined rows of postocular setae, sometimes with very short setae along anterior edge; palp spatulate, narrow basally; labellum spatulate; fore tibia and basitarsus often inflated and brightly coloured; wing cell m3 closed; abdominal tergite 2 pruinescent dorso-medially, without setae; epandrium narrowed posteriorly; cerci short; gonocoxites usually quadrangular in profile; medial atrium absent; outer gonocoxal process less than 1/2 length of inner gonocoxal process; inner gonocoxal process narrow basally; ventral lobe reduced; velutum patch usually globose; hypandrium present, triangular, fused to gonocoxites laterally; tergite 8 greatly emarginate medially; distiphallus narrow, usually straight; dorsal apodeme of parameral sheath often well sclerotised, T-shaped; ventral apodeme much shorter than ejaculatory apodeme; lateral ejaculatory apodeme narrow, band-like, usually with thin anterior flange; female tergite 8 with narrow, anterior process, tergite 8 sometimes very short; spermathecal sac simple, complex outer reticulated lobes usually present; spermathecal ducts often very long.

Diagnosis References

Winterton, S.L. & Irwin, M.E. 2001. Phylogenetic revision of Agapophytus Guérin (Diptera: Therevidae: Agapophytinae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 15: 467-526

General References

Winterton, S.L. & Irwin, M.E. 2001. Phylogenetic revision of Agapophytus Guérin (Diptera: Therevidae: Agapophytinae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 15: 467-526

History of changes