Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Long considered a synonym of
Sciapus, revalidated by Bickel 1994
(1).
Numbers
Checklist
(2) lists 16 species north of Mexico. Bickel
(1) listed 17 species in the Nearctic region and defined four species groups in the entire New World. One (unnamed) group contains three species (one nearctic) with strong wing markings in both sexes. The
psittacinus group includes those species where the male has "distinct crocheted costal cilia" and sometimes more extreme modification; this group has 24 species. The
parrai group has six species. An unnamed group contains 26 more species.
Identification
While females and some males are identified by fine detail, male secondary sexual characters are sometimes not at all subtle and often allow easier identification. The wing deformation in this photo
is a MSSC of the type species.
Key including sp. of
Sciapus in Steyskal, 1966, Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 68:290-294
(3)
Modifications to Steyskal's 1966 key are in Steyskal 1973.
(4)
See modified key in BugGuide forum post here:
(5)Remarks
When Bickel redefined and restricted the meaning of other genera of Sciapodinae, many species that were placed in Sciapus by default were transferred here. The genus may be subdivided in the future. The type species was described from Florida and the genus name may remain valid for New World species.
Three of the species groups listed by Bickel (1994, 2009) are found north of Mexico: A. macula group has a large brown spot on the wing, A. psittacinus group has long cilia on the costa of the male, and an unnamed group has neither of these characters.
Species of Amblypsilopus north of Mexico:
A. costalis: Black antennae, yellow femora, male costa with prominent notch before tip of R2+3. Southeast.
A. dimidiatus: Only species north of Mexico with wing mostly dark. Southwest
A. dorsalis: Thorax yellow with dark metallic stripe.
A. infumatus: Base and tip of wing dark, except in some females. Arizona.
A. pollinosus: Black antennae, body dulled with grayish pruinosity. Southeast.
A. scintillans: Black antennae, body shining blue or green.
A. californicus: Yellow antennae. Only species known from California.
A. floridanus: Fore basitarus of male swollen, tibia bowed out. Base of abdomen with yellow markings.
A. fuscinervis, A. rotundiceps, A. unifasciatus, A. bicolor, A. variegatus: Antennae yellow, abdomen with some yellow. East.
A. psittacinus, A. unicoiensis, A. bradleii: Antennae yellow, wing of male modified at tip.
