Leptopa
Zetterstedt, 1838
Species Guides
1Leptopa is a of scathophagid flies (Diptera: Scathophagidae) established by Zetterstedt in 1838. The genus was recently resurrected as a senior synonym of Parallelomma (Ozerov & Krivosheina, 2023). It occurs primarily in the Palearctic region, with documented from Japan, Korea, and northern Europe including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. At least four species are recognized from Japan, including two recently described species: L. kanmiyai and L. yezonica. The genus belongs to the Delininae within the dung fly Scathophagidae.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Leptopa: /lɛpˈtoʊpə/
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Identification
Identification of Leptopa requires examination of genitalia and subtle morphological characters. A key to Japanese species was provided by Ozerov and Krivosheina (2023). The can be distinguished from related scathophagid genera by characters of the male terminalia and wing venation, though specific diagnostic features for the genus-level separation from Parallelomma require examination.
Images
Distribution
Japan (primary focus of recent taxonomic work), Republic of Korea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden. The has a Palearctic distribution with records from northern Europe and East Asia.
Host Associations
- Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum - larval plantLeptopa yezonica reared from leaves; described
Life Cycle
Larval development occurs in association with plant leaves. The of L. yezonica has been described from material reared from Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum in Hokkaido, Japan.
Similar Taxa
- ParallelommaFormerly treated as a separate , now synonymized under Leptopa as junior synonym (Ozerov & Krivosheina, 2023)
- Other Delininae generaRelated scathophagid within the same , distinguished by genital and wing characters
More Details
Taxonomic history
The Parallelomma was synonymized under Leptopa by Ozerov and Krivosheina in 2023, expanding the concept of Leptopa to include previously placed in Parallelomma. This taxonomic change was based on morphological evidence from Japanese material.
Research significance
Recent work on Leptopa from Japan has contributed significantly to understanding scathophagid diversity in East Asia, with two new described and plant associations documented for the first time.