The Males of Rhynchomicropteron ( Diptera : Phoridae ) by

The genus Rhynchomicropteron Annandal (1912) has distinctive, myrmecophilous, flightless females. The females of the 17 Oriental species are keyed by Disney & Kistner (1998), supplemented by Disney (1999, 2010). Until Brown (1992) reared R. nudiventer Papp in Thailand, the males had been assigned to the genus Gymnoselia Schmitz (1927). This ‘genus’ contained the type species, R. curvescens (Schmitz 1927) and R. nudicosta (Brues 1907). Neither of these have been linked to their females. Recently Lengyel (2011) has described both sexes of a species from Israel, and reported the presence of this genus in Africa and Australia. The males remain poorly known. The purpose of this paper is to provide a key to the known males, even though most remain unknown and some are given code numbers only until they can be linked to their females. An initial impediment has been the recognition of Schmitz’s species, R. curvescens. Subsequent to his initial description, Schmitz (1929) provided a more detailed description in which he included the statement that its palps are dark brown (‘dunkelbraun’). However, all the males I have examined, and R. nudicosta, have dusky yellow or yellow palps. In view of this I have borrowed its holotype of R. curvescens, kindly loaned by Dr Thomas Pape (Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen). I have remounted it on a slide. Its palps are clearly not dark brown, but are a slightly dusky yellow. The females of the R. nudiventer are largely recognised from negative characters. Furthermore it is the most widely distributed species and is somewhat variable. It may prove to be a sibling species complex. The procurement of mating pairs, reared series or molecular barcodes will eventually provide an answer. However, I have compared its holotype female with a female from Brown’s reared series (Disney 2010). Furthermore, Chris von Beeren recently sent me a reared series of R. nudiventer from Malaysia that has allowed a detailed scrutiny of the details of its male.

The Males of Rhynchomicropteron (Diptera: Phoridae) by R. H. L. Disney 1   The genus Rhynchomicropteron Annandal (1912) has distinctive, myrmecophilous, flightless females.The females of the 17 Oriental species are keyed by Disney & Kistner (1998), supplemented by Disney (1999Disney ( , 2010)).Until Brown (1992) reared R. nudiventer Papp in Thailand, the males had been assigned to the genus Gymnoselia Schmitz (1927).This 'genus' contained the type species, R. curvescens (Schmitz 1927) and R. nudicosta (Brues 1907).Neither of these have been linked to their females.Recently Lengyel (2011) has described both sexes of a species from Israel, and reported the presence of this genus in Africa and Australia.The males remain poorly known.The purpose of this paper is to provide a key to the known males, even though most remain unknown and some are given code numbers only until they can be linked to their females.
An initial impediment has been the recognition of Schmitz's species, R. curvescens.Subsequent to his initial description, Schmitz (1929) provided a more detailed description in which he included the statement that its palps are dark brown ('dunkelbraun').However, all the males I have examined, and R. nudicosta, have dusky yellow or yellow palps.In view of this I have borrowed its holotype of R. curvescens, kindly loaned by Dr Thomas Pape (Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen).I have remounted it on a slide.Its palps are clearly not dark brown, but are a slightly dusky yellow.
The females of the R. nudiventer are largely recognised from negative characters.Furthermore it is the most widely distributed species and is somewhat variable.It may prove to be a sibling species complex.The procurement of mating pairs, reared series or molecular barcodes will eventually provide an answer.However, I have compared its holotype female with a female from Brown's reared series (Disney 2010).Furthermore, Chris von Beeren recently sent me a reared series of R. nudiventer from Malaysia that has allowed a detailed scrutiny of the details of its male. 1 Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, U.K. Email: rhld2@hermes.cam.ac.uk

NOTES ON THE KNOWN MALES
Rhynchomicropteron curvescens (Schmitz) The holotype is from Java.Rhynchomicropteron nudicosta (Brues) The holotype from India has been lost, but the original description indicates that its legs are reddish brown rather than the yellow of all other known males.

Rhynchomicropteron kuslitzkyi Lengyel
The type series is from Israel.

Rhynchomicropteron nudiventer Papp
The holotype female was from N. E. India.The male was described by Brown (1992) from Thailand.Females attributed to this species are also known from Borneo and Malaysia.
Rhynchomicropteron Species 1 A male from Malaysia collected with females of R. nudiventer at a colony of Aenictus sp. was attributed to this species (Disney 1992), but it was later found to differ from Brown's (1992) description of the male of this species (Disney 2010).
Rhynchomicropteron Species 2 A male from Malaysia collected with females of R. necaphidiforme Disney and R. nudiventer at a colony of Leptogenys distinguenda (Emery) (Disney 1992) is probably R. necaphidiforme.
Rhynchomicropteron Species 3 A male from Malaysia was collected in a pitfall trap along with males of R. nudiventer and a female of R. beaveri (Disney).
Rhynchomicropteron Species 4 A male from a trap in Indonesia , Sulawesi.