Rhamphomyia laevigata Loew

Sinclair, Bradley J., Vajda, Élodie A., Saigusa, Toyohei, Shamshev, Igor V. & Wheeler, Terry A., 2019, Rhamphomyia Meigen of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Greenland and Iceland (Diptera: Empididae), Zootaxa 4670 (1), pp. 1-94 : 80-85

Rhamphomyia laevigata Loew

( Figs 55–58 )

Rhamphomyia laevigata Loew, 1861: 325 . Type-locality: Nebraska, USA.

Other references: Coquillett, 1895: 414 (key); Melander, 1928: 195 (catalogue); Melander, 1965: 464 (catalogue); Yang et al., 2007: 195 (catalogue).

Rhamphomyia (Pararhamphomyia) fridolini Frey, 1950: 102 . Type-locality: Russia, Tyumenskaya Province, Yamalo-Nenets, “Ural: Obdorsk [= Salekhard, 66°32′N 66°38′E]”. syn. nov.

Other references: Frey, 1955a: 479 (revision); Chvála & Wagner, 1989: 300 (catalogue); Yang et al., 2007: 170 (catalogue); Shamshev, 2016: 63 (checklist).

Type material examined. Rhamphomyia laevigata : NEOTYPE (here designated in order to fix identity of the species) ♂ ( Fig. 55B ), labelled ( Fig. 55A ): “Chicago, Ill./ May 30 ‘90”; “AL Melander/ Collection/ 1961”; “laevigata/

Lw/ Neotype ♂ [red pencil crayon]”; “ RHAMPHOMYIA / LAEVIGATA LOEW ”; “ NEOTYPE / Rhamphomyia / laevigata Loew / des/ Sinclair 2017” ( USNM).

Rhamphomyia fridolini : HOLOTYPE ♂ ( Fig. 55D ), labelled: “[printed in Cyrillic, Russian] bass. r. [= basin of river] Voykar [~ 65°39′14″N 64°36′00″E, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia]/. [= Bol’shoy] Ural, Obdorsk [now Salekhard]/ Fridolin 14 VIII.[19]25”; “Spec. typ. [square pink, printed]”; “ Rh. fridolini Frey Type [hand-written by Frey] Frey det. [printed]” ; “ Holotypus ♂ / Rhamphomyia fridolini / Frey, 1950 / det. Shamshev, 2017 [red] ( ZIN, INS _DIP_0000507) [holotype glued on a carton board; in good condition, but tarsomere 5 of right hind leg, left mid leg and tarsomeres 4–5 of left hind leg missing].

Additional material examined. CANADA. Labrador: Hebron, 19.vii., 3.viii.1954, J.F. McAlpine (2 ♂, 1 ♀, CNC); same locality, 10.vii.–9.viii.1954, E.E. Sterns (7 ♂, 8 ♀, CNC); Tessiujak Bay , Nagvak Fjord, 15.viii.1954, J.F. McAlpine (4 ♂, 9 ♀, CNC) . Northwest Territories: Granet Lake , 68°42′N, 125°37′W, 20.196 9, G.E. Shewell (1 ♂, CNC); - 21 mi E Tuktoyaktuk, 2–21.vii.1971, D.M. Wood (18 ♂, 5 ♀, CNC) . Nunavut: Baker Lake , 26.vii.–viii.1947, T. N. Freeman (2 ♂, 3 ♀, CNC); Bathurst Inlet, 17.vii.–2.viii.1951, W.I. Campbell (16 ♂, 17 ♀, CNC); Bathurst Inlet, 15–27.vii.1951, C.B. Bird (2 ♂, 5 ♀, CNC); Chesterfield, 30.vii.–18.viii.1950, J. R .

Vockeroth (24 ♂, 19 ♀, CNC); Coppermine, 20–24.vii.1951, S.D. Hicks (8 ♂, 10 ♀, CNC); Frobisher Bay, Baf- fin Is., 17.vii.1948, T.N. Freeman (1 ♂, 5 ♀, CNC); same locality, 15.viii.1959, W. R. Richards (5 ♂, 9 ♀, CNC); same locality, 10–11.viii.1959, W. R.M. Mason (2 ♂, 1 ♀, CNC); Kugluktuk, 67.78463°, -115.27979°, Repl.1, me- sic, MT, 4–10.viii.2010, NBP field party (6 ♂, LEM); Kugluktuk, 67.77436°, -115.30732°, Repl.3, mesic, MT, 26.vii.–2.viii.2010, NBP field party (1 ♂, barcoded, LEM); Lake Harbour, Baffin Is., 6–9.viii.1935, W.J. Brown (6 ♂, 12 ♀, CNC). Quebec: Fort Chimo, 19–29.vii., L.M. Turner (22 ♂, 41 ♀, USNM); Fort Chimo, 9.vii.1948, R.H. MacLeod (1 ♂, 1 ♀, CNC); Great Whale River, 3–6.vii.1949, J. R. Vockeroth (20 ♂, 20 ♀, CNC); Payne Bay, 11.vii.–6.viii.1954, R. McChondochie (23 ♂, 49 ♀, CNC); same locality, 14.vii.–19.viii.1958, E.E. MacDougall, W. R.M. Mason (95 ♂, 87 ♀, CNC); Port Harrison, 18–30.vii.1949, D.P. Whillans (4 ♂, CNC); Sugluk [Salluit], 22.vii.1954, H. Huckel (11 ♂, 15 ♀, CNC); Tasiujak, 17.viii.–27.ix.1996, B.J. Sinclair (14 ♂, 19 ♀, CNC). Yukon: British Mts., 69°27′N, 140°25′W, 2–4.1984, G. & M. Wood & D. Lafontaine (3 ♂, CNC); British Mts. Firth River, 24–25.vii.1956, R.E. Leech (7 ♂, 4 ♀, CNC); Dempster Hwy, km 155, 11–15.vii.1981, 950– 1520 m, D. Lafontaine, G. & D.M. Wood (3 ♂, CNC); Firth River, 6–7.viii.1956, E.F. Cashman (3 ♂, 1 ♀, CNC); same locality, 14.vii.– 6.viii.1956, R.E. Leech (3 ♀, CNC); Whitehorse, 8.vii.1949, L.C.C. (1 ♂, CNC). USA. Alaska: Umlat, 20.vii.1959, J.E.H. Martin (1 ♂, CNC).

Diagnosis. This dark-legged and dark setose species is distinguished from other species of Rhamphomyia by the characteristically shaped phallus with a single small, tight U-shaped loop, male hind tibia with row of stout anteroventral setae and posteroventral row of fine, erect setae, and female hind and midlegs bear pennate setae.

Redescription. Wing length 4.8–6.0 mm. Male. Head dark in ground-colour, with thin greyish pruinescence on face, frons, postgena, and occiput; with dark setation. Holoptic, eye with ommatidia of larger size on upper half, and smaller size on lower half. Frons represented by very small triangular space below ocellar tubercle and larger subtriangular space above antennae, bare; face parallel-sided towards mouthparts; bare with oral margin shiny. Ocellar triangle dark, subshiny; 1 pair of anterior setae about 2X length of ocellar triangle, 1 pair of posterior setae about 1/3 of length of anterior ocellar setae, with 2 pairs of posterior setulae about 1/2 length of anterior ocellar setae. Occiput bearing row of long postocular setae on upper half only; other occipital setae slightly shorter than postocular setae; postgena pruinose, with long, finer setae. Antenna dark brown and pruinose. Scape length about double length of pedicel. Pedicel bulbous; postpedicel less than 4X longer than basal width. Stylus no longer than length of scape and pedicel combined. Palpus dark brown, pruinose, with setulae dark. Clypeus mostly shiny; labrum glossy and dark reddish-brown, longer than head height; labellum with dark setae.

Thorax black in ground-colour, with grey pruinescence and dark setation. Scutum with indistinct pair of vittae in anterior view. Proepisternum with several fine, short, dark setae; upper proepisternum in front of spiracle bare; prosternum bare. Antepronotum dark, pruinose, bearing row of stout setae. Postpronotal lobe with 1–2 pprn, with several shorter setae. Scutum with biserial acr; uniserial or biserial dc slightly longer than acr; 1 presut spal (= posthumeral) and several shorter setae; 3 stout npl, with several thinner setae anteriorly; 2 prealar setae; 2 psut spal; 1 pal and 1 short setula; 2 pairs of sctl. Laterotergite with cluster of long dark setae. Posterior and anterior spiracles brown.

Legs entirely dark reddish-brown with dark setation; coxae pruinose and with numerous lateral and anterior setae of subequal lengths. Fore and mid femora with whitish ventral pile; fore femur with 1 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral row of setae at least as long as half femur width. Mid femur with row of stout anteroventral setae, shorter than ½ femur width; basal anteroventrals 2X length of remaining anteroventrals; row of long, stout posteroventral setae, subequal in length to femur width, with second row of shorter posteroventral setae on basal third. Hind femur ( Fig. 56B ) clothed with fine setae ventrally and posteriorly, shorter than femoral width, except several stouter and longer setae on proximal half. Fore tibia clothed with short, thin setae ventrally, anteriorly and posteriorly; numerous long posterodorsal setae, as long as tibial width. Mid tibia with row of spine-like anteroventral setae, anterior face with long, fine setulae; row of stout posteroventral setae, subequal to tibial width, ending in pair of spine-like preapical setae; 3 pairs of strong anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae. Hind tibia slender ( Fig. 56B ) with row of stout, spine-like anteroventral setae, shorter than half tibial width; row of erect, fine posteroventral setae, subequal to tibial width; row of 3–4 strong anterodorsal setae, longer the tibial width; several rows of fine posterodorsal setae, shorter than tibial width; with 1 long seta in posteroapical comb. Hind tarsomere 1 slightly swollen, not broader than apex of hind tibia ( Fig. 56B ); numerous strong setae dorsally of various lengths. Mid tarsomere 1 with spinelike rows of anteroventral and posteroventral setae. Fore tarsomere 1 slender, clothed with fine setulae ventrally.

Wing infuscate with yellowish brown veins; all veins complete (except Sc), well sclerotized. Pterostigma faint; basal costal seta present. Anal lobe well-developed; axillary excision forming acute angle. Halter yellowish.

Abdomen dark reddish-brown, subshiny; posterior margins of segments pale, with long dark setae. Tergites and sternites unmodified; posterior margin of sternite 8 bearing many dark, stout setae, longer than length of sternite. Tergite 8 bearing shorter, fewer setae than marginal sternal setae.

Terminalia ( Figs 57 A–F) dark reddish-brown; middle of subrectangular epandrium lustrous; margins lightly pruinose and bearing many long setae, decreasing in length apically. Cercus subrectangular, apex tapered with rounded apex, about as long as epandrium, and about half as wide as epandrium width; cercus more densely pruinose than epandrial margins; dorsal margin of cercus lined with many fine, dark, erect, short setae. Hypandrium with slender sclerotized posterior margin, with broad anterior membranous portion. Base of phallus slightly swollen along hypandrium; yellow-orange and lustrous; phallus tapered apically, with small, U-shaped loop, sometimes hidden within epandrium; phallus extended to base of cercus with recurved tip. Ejaculatory apodeme broader than cercus; subrectangular, with lateral wings subequal to vertical wing.

Female. Similar to male, except face broad with lateral setulae; hind femur with row of posteroventral pennate setae as long as width of femur ( Fig. 56A ); hind tibia with row pennate setae both anterodorsally and anteroventrally. Mid femur with posteroventral and anterodorsal row of pennate setae; mid tibia with anterodorsal row of pennate setae.

Distribution. In the Palaearctic Region, this species (as R. fridolini ) is known only from the north part of Western Siberia ( Shamshev 2016). This species appears to be widespread in North America, but this requires careful comparison and further study (see below). In addition to the transcontinental low arctic distribution ( Fig. 58 ), this species appears also to occur in more southern regions of Canada (e.g., Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan) and across the USA (e.g., Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, New York, and Vermont). Based on material examined in this study, the species occurs in the low arctic region, extending into the boreal forest. Southern populations are found in a variety of habitats.

Remarks. The holotype of R. laevigata is not present in the MCZ Loew collection and is apparently lost. Melander presumably also considered the type lost and had selected and labelled a neotype specimen housed in the USNM. Melander had planned to revise the Nearctic Rhamphomyia following his 1902 revision of Nearctic Empididae , where is revised the genus Empis Linneaus , but it was never completed and consequently this neotype was never published. In the present study, this specimen from “Chicago” was selected as the neotype.

This is a widespread species distributed across the continent. The curvature of the phallus slightly changes among regions ( Figs 57 A–F) and there are differences in chaetotaxy intensity. The limits of this species will need to be more thoroughly analysed.

Rhamphomyia laevigata is assigned in a group of species that includes R. flexuosa Coquillett , R. herschelli and R. barypoda Coquillett. Rhamphomyia laevigata does not key to species group in Barták & Kubík (2009) due to the single S-shaped loop of the phallus and undivided cercus.

Figures

FIGURE 55. Rhamphomyia laevigata Loew. A. laevigata Loew type labels (photograph @ Smithsonian Institute); B. laevigata Loew neotype, lateral view (photograph @ Smithsonian Institute); C. fridolini Frey type labels; D. fridolini Frey lectotype, lateral view.

FIGURE 56. Rhamphomyia laevigata Loew. A. Female hindleg, posterior view; B. Male hindleg, anterior view.

FIGURE 57. Rhamphomyia laevigata Loew, male terminalia, lateral view. A. Tuktayktuk (NWT); B. Blairemore (Alberta); C. (Pt. Pelee, Ontario); D. (Ottawa, Ontario); E. (Old Chelsea, Quebec); F. Lac La Hache (British Columbia).

FIGURE 58. Known distribution of Rhamphomyia laevigata Loew in northern North America.