Efferia suspiciosa, Scarbrough & Perez-Gelabert, 2009

Aubrey G. Scarbrough & Daniel E. Perez-Gelabert, 2009, Review of the West Indian species of Efferia Coquillett (Diptera: Asilidae) with 13 new species and checklist: Part II. Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Lesser Antilles including Tobago and Trinidad, Zootaxa 1994, pp. 1-66 : 40-42

Efferia suspiciosa sp. nov.

Figs. 76–81 , Table 1

Male. Measurements, body 12.5–15.3 mm; wing 11.3–12.5 mm. Head: Face yellowish tomentose ventrally, brownish-yellow dorsally, bristles and setae medially mostly or entirely black, oral margin white setae with thin bristles, sometimes mixed with thin black bristles; face at antennae 3/4–4/5 as wide as 1 eye. Palpi mostly black setose, narrow base yellow. Antennae, frons, and ocellar tubercle black setose. Frons brownish-yellow tomentose. Occiput yellowish-gray dorsally, mostly pale yellowish setae, sparse black setae mixed dorsally; 4–5 postocular bristles black, plus setae-like black bristles extending to near mid-lateral margin of eye.

Thorax: Pronotum brownish-yellow tomentose, pale yellow setae, and setae-like black bristles. Scutum with wide median stripe and 2 lateral spots, dark brown tomentum appearing black, median stripe divided by faint yellowish longitudinal stripe, tomentum elsewhere yellow or brownish-yellow; setae and bristles black, anterior scutal setae about as long as scape. Scutellum yellowish-gray tomentose, setae black, sparse yellow sometimes mixed, slightly longer than scape and pedicel combined, and nearly as long as marginal bristles; 8–10 long, thin, black marginal bristles. Pleura brownish-yellow, dark anteriorly, paler posteriorly, setae and thin bristles black dorsally, mostly white ventrally. Halter reddish-yellow or yellow.

Wing: Brown, costal cell darkest medially; costal margin slightly dilated. Crossvein at apical 1/3 of d cell. R4 recurrent vein about as long as basal width of cell r4.

Legs: Coxae yellowish-gray tomentose, setae mostly pale yellowish, numerous black setae mixed anteriorly or laterally. Femora mostly yellowish setose on basal 1/2, black apically and mostly ventrally; bristles black. Tibiae and tarsi black with black bristles and dense, short, reddish-yellow or coppery setae ventrally.

Abdomen: Tergites 2–5 dark brown, appearing black, tomentose with black setae, at least medially, wide sides and apical angles of tergites 2–3 white tomentose. Sternites 1–5 and segments 6–7 white tomentose, setae white, especially long on all sternites and lateral margins of basal 3 tergites laterally. Segment 8 black, setae black dorsally, pale along apical margin of sternite 8.

Terminalia ( Figs. 76–79 ): Black, black setose, yellowish on cercus and dorsal margin of epandrium. Epandrium 2.4–2.5 times as long as wide; shallow notch posterodorsally. Gonostylus spatulate apically, contrastingly narrow basally, prominent preapical notch along posterior margin. Aedeagus thick medially, tubes unusually long, flanges curved laterally. Gonocoxa with dense, long setae, basally, apex with minute notch anteriorly.

Female. Length: body 15.3 mm; wing 12.9 mm. Head: Face at antennae 2/3 as wide as 1 eye. Occiput with stout black postocular bristles dorsally, black setae-like bristles laterally. Thorax: Anterior scutal setae subequal or equal to scape. Scutellar setae as long or slightly longer than scape and pedicel combined. Wing: Brownish, costal cell darkest. Crossvein r-m long, before apical 1/3 of discal cell. R4 recurrent vein much longer than diameter of cell base, subequal to r-m length. Abdomen: Black, tergites 2–7 mostly dark brown, appearing black dorsally, setae mostly black on tergites 3–7, sparse medially on tergite 2; tergite 1 entirely and sides of 2–6 including wide apical corners of 2–5 white tomentose and mostly white setae, latter long on basal 3–4 tergites laterally; sternites 1–6 white tomentose with long, erect setae; segment 7 with sparse brownish tomentum, setae black dorsally, white ventrally. Terminalia ( Figs. 80–81 ): Length 5.6 mm, 11 times longer than diameter at middle. Cercus about 1/3 as long as tergite 9 dorsally. Spermathecae oval, as long as wide, broadly rounded apically.

Types. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Vega Prov., PN Armando / Bermúdez, km 1–3 along trail / W of La Ciénaga 900–1100 m / 19o01.753’N 70o54.654’W / 22.vi.2005 ~ S W Lingafelter, / Collector / UV light (holotype ♂, NMNH). Paratypes: La /Vega [Prov.,] / Cordillera Central / 4.1 km SW El Convento, / 18-50- 37N 70-42-48W [18o50.37’N 70o42.48’W] / 1730 m, 31.v.2003 ~ J. Rawlins, R. Davidson, / C. Young, C. Nuñez, P. / Acevedo, dense secondary / evergreen forest with / pine, hand collected, / sample 22242 ~ specimen number / CMNH 306,939 (1 ♂, CMNH); same labels except specimen number 254,304 (1 ♂, CMNH); RD-251 Los Tablones – La / Laguna, P N Armando Ber- / múdez, La Vega Prov., 1270 / - 1980 m, 30.vi.2004, D. / Perez (d) (1 ♂, MHND); Pr. [Prov.] La Vega, La Ciénaga / de Manabao, Park Hdqt. / 3–5.vii.1999, 3,000 ft. elev. / R.E. Woodruff, blacklight (1 ♂, FSCA).

Distribution. Dominican Republic: La Vega province. Active at 900 to1980 meters in elevation during May, June, and July.

Etymology. Latin suspiciosa refers to the similarity of this species to E. picea .

Remarks. Efferia suspiciosa is quite similar to E. picea in the color of the body, setation, and tomentum but is distinguished by the characters in the key, especially the slightly dilated wing in the male, long scutellar setae, 8 thin marginal bristles, and combined characters of the terminalia ( Figs. 76–81 ).

Figures

FIGURES 76–81. Efferia suspiciosa sp. nov. Male terminalia: 76. Lateral view, lateral view: 77. Gonostylus; 78. Phallus; and 79. Aedeagus with tubes and phallic flange. Female terminalia: 80. Ovipositor; 81. Lateral spermatheca.