Phasia grandis ( Coquillett, 1897 )

Sun, Xuekui & Marshall, Stephen A., 2003, Systematics of Phasia Latreille (Diptera: Tachinidae), Zootaxa 276 (1), pp. 1-320 : 82-83

3.4.7 Phasia grandis ( Coquillett, 1897)

(Figures I­22, II­10.2)

Allophora grandis Coquillett, 1897: 45 .

Paraphorantha grandis: Brooks 1945: 659 (redescription) ­ Sabrosky and Arnaud 1965: 969 (catalog).

Phasia grandis: O’Hara and Wood 1998: 765 .

DESCRIPTION

Body length: 8­12 mm.

MALE: HEAD. Head spherical or nearly so. Eyes almost touching. Fronto­orbital plate black with grey pruinosity; more than 3­4 rows of hairs laterally. Frontal vitta brown. Frontal vitta at base of antennae 1.3­1.4 times as wide as fronto­orbital plate anteriorly. Ocellar setae present but fine; outer vertical setae absent; inner vertical setae absent. Face black with grey pruinosity. Parafacial brown, yellow pruinose, bare, 1.4­1.6 times as wide as first flagellomere. Lower margin of face perpendicular, slightly projecting, orange yellow, yellow pruinose. Vibrissa well differentiated; intervibrissal distance 0.9­1.0 times distance between vibrissa and eye on same side; facial ridge with bristles on lower 1/3. Gena brown, yellow pruinose; hairs white; height 0.15 times eye height. Lunule brown black and shining; sublunular bulla indistinct. Antenna black; first flagellomere 1.2­1.3 times as long as pedicel; arista thickened on basal 0.2­0.25. Length of oral opening 2.1­2.3 times its width. Occiput flattened; white pruinose; hairs white. Palpus yellow or brown.

THORAX. Mesoscutum thinly pruinose, without black longitudinal vitta, with fine black hairs. 0+1 acrostichal seta; 0+1 dorsocentral setae; 1­2 postpronotal setae; presutural supra­alar seta present, strong; 0­1 postsutural intra­alar seta; 2 notopleural setae; 1 supraalar seta; 2 postalar setae. Pleuron thinly grey pruinose; hairs black. Anepimeral setae hairlike, black; 2 katepisternal setae; 8­15 meral setae. Scutellum black with grey pruinosity, with two pairs of marginal setae; apical setae present and distinct; discal setae randomly arranged, not in rows. Subscutellum not very prominent. WING. Lower calypter white with light brown infuscation. Wing base without scale­like setae. Tegula black. Basicosta yellow. Wing pictured; petiole of apical cell 0.13­0.15 times as long as preceding section of R 4+5; M meeting R 4+5 at acute angle. Halter yellow or brown. LEGS. Fore femur black; hairs black. Fore tibia black, without bristles, apically with 1 d. Fore tarus black. Fore claws black; 1.1­1.2 times as long as fifth tarsomere. Pulvilli brown to black. Mid femur black; hairs black. Mid tibia black, with 1 ad and 1 v, apically with 1 ad, 1 av, 1 pv, 1 p, 1 v and 1 d. Hind femur black; hairs black; scale­like setae absent. Hind tibia black, with one row of ad and 3­4 pd.

ABDOMEN. Abdominal tergites black; thinly pruinose; longitudinal vitta absent. Relative length of abdominal tergites I+II:III:IV:V = 1.1:1:1:1.1; relative width I+II:III:IV:V = 0.5:1:1:0.7. Hair spots indistinct. TERMINALIA. Syncercus "H­like", with a wide and deep notch posteriorly. Surstylus slender, apex swollen, arched ventrally, longer than cercus. Ejaculatory apodeme small, knob­like. Hypandrium as long as phallapodeme. Epiphallus well developed. Postgonite pointed, much longer than pregonite. Pregonite short, sparse hairs dorsally. Phallus 1.2­1.3 times as long as hypandrium, without fine hair dorsally, but with a small thorn closed to distiphallus. Distiphallus bell­like.

FEMALE. Body size sometimes smaller than male. Wing hyaline. Eyes touching. Anterior spine­like setae of hind tibia well developed (3­4 rows). Sternite VII (sheath) long, 1.8­2.0 times longer than sternite VI, sharp apically, slightly bent; apex directed dorsally, smooth ventrally. Ovipositor bent upward.

TYPE MATERIAL

Alophora grandis Coquillett, 1897 . Holotype ♀, [ USA], Texas, Lufkin, 17.x.1894, Coquillett Collection (USNM, No. 3542, examined).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED

USA. Alabama: Montgomery, 15.xi.1946, H.R. Dodge (1♂, USNM). Arizona: Greelee Co., Hwy 78, 5km W. of N Mexico border, 14.viii.1983, J.E. O'Hara (1♂, CNCI). California: Apple Valley, 9.v. 1955, J.E.H. Martin, (1♀, CNCI). Georgia: Stone Mt., 17.xi.1929, P.W. Fattig, (1♂, USNM); Illinois: South Illinois, Robertson, (1♀, USNM). Iowa: Durant, 2.vi.1905, F.C. Bishopp (1♀, USNM). Mississippi: Lafayette Co., (Spring). vi.1943, F.M. Hull (2♀, CNCI); Agr. Col., 28.iii.1918, 24.iii.1922, 6.iv.1922, F.M. Hull, F.H. Jones (2♂ 3♀, USNM, CNCI, TAMU); A and M Col., 30.iii. 1925, H.W. Allen (1♀, USNM). North Carolina: Jackson Co., 2mi S of Cashiers Elev. 2,900ft, 18.iv.1964, H. V. Weems, Jr. (2♂ 1♀, CNCI); Raleigh, late March and late Oct., C.S. Brimley (2♂, USNM). Texas: Bexar Co., H.B. Parks (1♂, CNCI); College Station, 6.xi.1914, 23.x.1917, 19.x.1921, 20.x.1923, 2­3.xi.1930, 29.x.1933, 19.x.1935, 4.xi.1945 and 2.iv.1966, H.J. Reinhard and D.M. Wood (21♂ 13♀ USNM, CNCI, CNUC, TAMU); Huntsville, 21.x.1949, 27.vi.1950, F.A. Cowan (2♂ 1♀, TAMU); Lufkin, 17.x.1894, C.W. Johnson (1♂, USNM); Ottine, 20.x.1948 (1♂, TAMU); Willis, 03 (?) (2♂ 1♀, USNM, BMNH). Virginia: James City Co., Williamsburg, 6.x.1979, A. Freidberg (1♂, USNM).

HOST

Unknown.

NOTES

Collection records indicate that there are two generations a year. The first adults emerge from March to June and the second generation emerges from October to November. Phasia grandis is mainly distributed in the southern United States, with the northernmost collection localities in Illinois and Iowa.