Hemipenthes castanipes Bigot

Ávalos-Hernández, Omar, 2009, A review of the North American species of Hemipenthes Loew, 1869 (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 2074, pp. 1-49 : 13-14

4. Hemipenthes castanipes Bigot

(Figs. 4, 33–34)

Hemipenthes castanipes Bigot, 1892: 350 .

Anthrax castanipes (Bigot) : Kertész, 1909: 31.

Villa (Hemipenthes) castanipes (Bigot) : Painter & Painter, 1962: 87.

Lectotype male designated by Painter & Painter (1962: 87) in BMNH.

Diagnosis: Cell a with at least two basal thirds infuscated of hyaline just at tip; mesopleuron white or pale yellow pilose; sides of abdomen with first and basal half of second tergites whitish pilose, rest black pilose

Description: Male. Body length: 8 mm; wing length: 8 mm. Head: Eyes separated by a little more than width of ocellar triangle. Front black pilose, fulvous tomentose, tomentum not dense. Face brown, rounded, with black hairs and fulvous tomentum. Scape brown, swollen on inner apical margin, with black hairs, twice as long as pedicel; pedicel brown, twice as wide as long, with short black hairs; flagellomere brown on base, testaceous on apex, longer than two basal flagellomere combined; base subconical, tapering to styliform apical two-thirds; stylus minute, terminal. Proboscis short, not projecting beyond oral margin. Palpi black with black hairs. Occiput with short black hairs and yellowish scales.

Thorax: Mesonotum anterior and lateral margins yellowish pilose; tomentum on disc entirely yellowish, long, hairlike, not dense; bristles black. Mesopleuron black pilose with yellowish hairs mixed in on proepisternum and anepisternum, katatergite yellow pilose, some black hairs mixed in, katepisternum without tomentum. Proepimeron black pilose with some yellowish hairs mixed in. Mid coxa with black hairs, all coxae without tomentum. Legs fulvous, fore coxa brown, femora black and yellowish pilose, yellow tomentose, some black scales present; bristles black. Halter steam brownish, knob yellow to white. Scutellum brown, black pilose, without tomentum; bristles black. Short black setulae on basicosta. Cells c, sc, br and bm entirely infuscated (Fig. 4); cell r1, cup and a with at least two basal thirds infuscated of hyaline just at tip; cell dm with basal half infuscated; infuscated cells r2+3, r5, m2 and cua1 infuscated just at base; cell dm infuscated at r-m crossvein; r-m crossvein behind middle of cell dm; no crossvein between R4 and R2+3; cell r5 not narrowed at wing margin; first section of vein CuA1 twice the long of r-m crossvein, second section twice the long of rm crossvein, third section twice the long of first two sections combined; cell a as wide as cell cup; alula slightly developed.

Abdomen: Abdominal dorsum with whitish pile on apical half of first tergite, rest black pilose, pile not dense; black tomentum overall; fourth to seventh tergites with a few white scales scattered; sides of abdomen with first and basal half of second tergites whitish pilose, rest black pilose. Venter white pilose, whitish tomentose. Genitalia brown or black, with black hairs. Epandrium in lateral view, rectangular, lower margin concave in middle, basal corner narrowed; gonocoxite narrow, basal half enlarged; gonostylus small, hooked apically; epiphallus in lateral view narrow ( Fig. 33 ) slightly curved, cap-shaped, apex not swollen, rounded; with a ventral extension broad at base with apex acuminate, portion of the epiphallus behind ventral extension longer than aedeagus; epiphallus in ventral view broad ( Fig. 34 ), lateral margins narrowed at both sides at middle, with scattered spines in the middle and dense spines at apex; aedeagus broad at base narrowed at apex, not swollen dorsally; gonopore terminal.

Female. Not studied.

Distribution: USA (California).

Specimens examined: USA. California: Mt. Lowe, 3-VI-1917, J.M. Aldrich (3 males, 1 genitalia; USNM).

Remarks: Hemipenthes castanipes is similar to H. webberi but with cell a with at least two basal third infuscated. The genitalia are similar to that of H. webberi but the spines at the apex of the epiphallus are more dense in H. castanipes . There were only three examined specimens from California, the lectotype designated by Painter & Painter (1962) in the BMNH has for its locality ‘Amérique du Nord’. This species may be endemic to California.

Figures

FIGURES 33 – 34. Hemipenthes castanipes male terminalia. 33, lateral view; 34, ventral view.