Scatophila unicornis Czerny

Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz & Mathis, Wayne N., 2024, Revision of the Nearctic Species of the Shore-Fly Genus Scatophila Becker (Diptera: Ephydridae), Zootaxa 5487 (1), pp. 1-100 : 59-61

14. Scatophila unicornis Czerny

Figs. 109 , 121 , 125–129

Scatophila unicornis Czerny 1900: 205 .— Becker 1905: 214 [Palearctic catalog]; 1926: 91 [review].— Bolwig 1940a: 97–102 [description of male and female genitalia]; 1940b: 129–137 [review]; 1941: 1–10 [description of head].— Sturtevant and Wheeler 1954: 199 [review].— Wirth 1965: 759 [ Nearctic catalog].— Canzoneri and Meneghini 1983: 82–83 [review; Italy; figure of heads and body].— Cogan 1984: 171 [Palearctic catalog].— Zatwarnicki 1987: 289–290, 295 [review; checklist].— Zatwarnicki and Mathis 1994: 364 [phylogeny, noctula group].— Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 286 [world catalog].

Scatophila kuntzei Kramer 1917: 343 .— Zatwarnicki 1987: 289 [synonymy].

Scatophila affinis Bolwig 1940b: 131 [unavailable name, proposed in synonymy].

Scatophila poeciloptera Papp 1975a: 216 ; 1975b: 125, 128 [ Hungary; figure of wing].— Zatwarnicki 1987: 289 [synonymy].

Diagnosis.—This species is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: Body mostly grayish brown to blackish brown with some grayish microtomentose areas; small shore flies, body length 1.30–1.60 mm.

Head ( Figs. 125–128 ): Lateroclinate fronto-orbital seta moderately forward, distance between lateroclinate fronto-orbital seta and medial vertical seta about twice that between medial and lateral vertical setae. Ventral margin of male face nearly flat except for ventral projection; face of ♂ with a ventral, stout, cylindrical, bristle-like projection; face of ♀ brownish gray, microtomentose, not subshiny or lustrous; face of male bearing 2 prominent, ventrally oriented setae on each side near ventral margin, other setae and setulae small, generally oriented ventrally. Gena very short, approximately half height of basal flagellomere; gena-to-eye ratio 0.14.

Thorax ( Figs. 109 , 121 ): Mesonotum ( Fig. 121 ) mottled, mixture of brown and gray, microtomentose, appearing dull, with considerable brown spots and grayish linear markings, especially medially; scutellar disc tannish gray. Acrostichal setae generally small but irregular in size, largest setulae near level of anterior dorsocentral setae, setulae arranged in 2 regular rows; dorsocentral setae 2, anterior seta sutural or just postsutural. Wing ( Fig. 109 ) with cell r 1 with 3 distinct white spots; wings not strongly yellowish at base, mostly dark with distinct pattern of white spots; costal vein ratio 0.32–0.34; M 1 vein ratio 0.67–0.71; knob of halter yellow. Midfemur of ♂ lacking row of spine-like setae; tarsi blackish reddish brown to black.

Abdomen ( Figs. 122–124 ): Abdomen mostly black, subshiny to shiny, with small gray to whitish gray area laterally toward posterior margin on basal 1–3 tergites. Male terminalia ( Figs. 122–124 ): Epandrium in posterior view ( Fig. 233 ) generally irregularly and broadly rectangular to oval, width about 3/4 height, ventral margin somewhat truncate ( Fig. 122 ) with medial, shallowly rounded projection, ventral margin distinctly wider than width of cercal opening; dorsal margin of epandrium in posterior view ( Fig. 122 ) rounded, lateral margins widest at midheight, thereafter ventrally tapered to ventral margin, ventrolateral corners rounded; epandrial setulae about equal in length, sparser medially and laterally, those along ventral margin more abundant but shorter; height of cercal opening more than 1/3 epandrial height; cerci in posterior view ( Fig. 122 ) semihemispherical, slightly more narrowed dorsally; aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 124 ) broadly truncate basally, forming irregular rectangle, ventral margin shallowly rounded, posterior margin broadly rounded, right angle at posterodorsal corner, dorsal margin deeply and widely excavated basally, cavity about as deep as width of opening, in ventral view ( Fig. 123 ) irregularly rectangular, lateral margins shallowly curved, apical margin broadly, shallowly, and evenly concave with short, medial projection, basal margin narrowly rounded; ventral aedeagal process shallowly C-shaped; phallapodeme in lateral view ( Fig. 124 ) elongate, narrow, dorsal half gently and shallowly curved, ventral extension nearly straight, elongate, narrow, tapered, in ventral view ( Fig. 123 ) T-shaped, width of basal crossbar shorter than length of medial process, crossbar curved posteriorly and each extension tapered; postgonite in lateral view ( Fig. 124 ) irregularly V-shaped, with dorsal arm irregularly rectangular, anterodorsal corner produced to narrow, digitiform extension, posterodorsal corner moderately produced with posterodorsal angle produced to short, pointed bifurcate extension, ventral arm elongate, thin, parallel-sided, in ventral view ( Fig. 123 ) with posterior, thumb-like extensions narrowly developed, apices slightly produced laterally, bearing setulae along medial margin; neohypandrium in lateral view ( Fig. 124 ) narrow, elongate, distinctly elbowed.

Type Material.— The lectotype male of Scatophila unicornis Czerny , herein designated, is labeled “ Austria sup. Bad Hall Czerny [printed]/ Scatophila unicornis ♂ Czerny Type [handwritten]/ TYPE Scatophila unicornis Czerny [handwritten; red label]/ LECTOTYPE Scatophila unicornis Czerny by Zatwarnicki & Mathis NHMW [red].” The lectotype is directly pinned through the pleural area, is in good condition, and is deposited in NHMW. I n the original publication, Czerny (1900: 205) wrote that his new species was based on two specimens from the same locality. Both specimens are deposited in NHMW. As he did not designate a primary type, these two topotypical specimens are syntypes and comprise the type series. Our selection of the lectotype is the better preserved of these two syntypes. The second specimen, also a male and in fairly good condition, is herein designated as a paralectotype and it is also deposited in NHMW. Other specimens, such as those at SDEI that are labeled as types, cannot be from the type series for the reasons documented above.

The lectotype male of Scatophila kuntzei Kramer , herein designated, is labeled “ ♂ / Niederoderwitz [14°57'N, 14°44’E; village near Görlitz, Germany][,] 3. 11. 13[3 Nov 1913][,] H. Kramer c [“c” is probably an abbreviation for collector]/ LECTOTYPE Scatophila knutzei Kramer by Zatwarnicki & Mathis NHMW [red].” Paralectotypes, also designated herein, are as follows: A male and female paralectotype bear the same locality and collection date as the lectotype. An additional female paralectotype is labeled “ ♀ / Jägerwäldchen 23. 8. 13. [23 Aug 1913]/ex coll. Kramer. ” Jägerwäldchen b. Grossschönau is a guesthouse [50°53.8'N, 14°39.7’E], and Kramer wrote that he collected a male “am Fenster der Veranda ” (on porch window). Dates on all labels of the lectotype and paralectotypes are handwritten, the remaining information is printed. All specimens are double mounted (minuten in a paper rectangle) and are deposited in SMNG.

Holotype female of Scatophila poeciloptera Papp is labeled: “Gyón Kertesz/ 1904. VII. 17 [on the reverse side]/ Holotypus Scatophila poeciloptera ♀, L. Papp [with red margin]” and is preserved in HNHM.

Other Specimens Examined.— CANADA. ONTARIO. Toronto (43°42.1'N, 79°25'W), 8 May 1922 , R. V. Thomson (3♂; USNM) .

UNITED STATES. CALIFORNIA. Santa Barbara : Montecito (34°26.2'N, 119°37.9'W; green house), 28 Mar 1933 (1♂; USNM). San Mateo: South San Francisco (37°39'N, 122°27.9'W; Malaise trap), May 2007 , M. M. and P. H. Arnaud, Jr. (2♂; USNM) .

VIRGINIA. Fairfax: Turkey Run (mouth; 38°57.9'N, 77°09.4'W), 22 May 2007, D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM) .

WASHINGTON. Whitman: Pullman (46°43.9'N, 117°10.8'W), 26 May 1948, C. C. Shelton (6♂, 5♀; USNM) .

Type Locality.— Austria. Oberösterreich: Pfarrkirchen im Mühlkreis (48°30.2'N, 13°49.6’E) .

Distribution ( Fig. 129 ).— Nearctic : Canada (Ontario), United States (California, Virginia, Washington). Palearctic: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland.

Remarks.—This species is placed the noctula group.

Figures

FIGURE 129. Distribution map of Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant & Wheeler (circles), and S. unicornis Czerny (squares) in Nearctic Region

FIGURES 107–109. Head, thorax and wing of Scatophila. 107. Scatophila bolwigi sp. nov., head and thorax, dorsal view. 108–109. Wing, dorsal view. 108. S. tuberculosa Cresson. 109. S. unicornis Czerny. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 119–121. Head and thorax, dorsal view. 119. Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant & Wheeler. 120. S. tuberculosa Cresson. 121. S. unicornis Czerny. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 125–128. Head of Scatophila unicornis Czerny. 125. Male, latero-oblique view. 126. Male, lateral view. 127. Female, latero-oblique view. 128. Female, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 122–124. Male terminalia of Scatophila unicornis Czerny. 122. Epandrium and cerci, posterior view. 123. Internal male terminalia (gonite, phallapodeme, aedeagus, neohypandrium), ventral view. 124. Same, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 233–235. Male terminalia of Scatophila rubribrunnea Sturtevant & Wheeler. 233. Epandrium and cerci, posterior view. 234. Internal male terminalia (gonite, phallapodeme, aedeagus, neohypandrium), ventral view. 235. Same, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.