Nephrocerus daeckei Johnson

Skevington, Jeffrey H., 2005, Revision of Nearctic Nephrocerus Zetterstedt (Diptera: Pipunculidae), Zootaxa 977, pp. 1-36 : 23-26

Nephrocerus daeckei Johnson ( Figs 4 D, 9A–D, 10)

Nephrocerus daeckei Johnson, 1903: 107 .

Type Material Examined: Lectotype ♂: [ United States], [New York], Richmond Hill, L[ong] I[sland], 2.vii.1901, JSS#13609 [Top right corner of top label cut (‘ll’ in ‘Hill’ now mostly removed) to remove genitalia which were glued to the label. Specimen in good condition except head missing], Daecke Collection ( USNM); Paralectotype Ψ: Richmond Hill, L[ong] I[sland], 2.vii.1901, JSS#13448, C.W. Johnson, Cotype No. 7677 ( MCZ).

Other Material Examined: Canada: Ontario: Puslinch, [43°26' N, 80°05' W], Malaise trap, maple swamp, 30.vi.–2. vii.1984, 1 ♂, JSS#11434 [phallus missing, 3 legs removed for DNA extraction], Coote & Marshall ( DEBU); Lambton County, Pinery Provincial Park, [43°15' N, 81°51' W], Malaise trap, oak savanna, 6–11. vi.1992, 1 ♂, JSS#11408 [3 legs removed for DNA extraction], 18.vi.–2. vii.1992, 1 Ψ, JSS#11406 [3 legs removed for DNA extraction], J. Skevington ( DEBU); Lambton County, Pinery Provincial Park, Burley Campground, [43°14' N, 81°53' W], Malaise trap, wet meadow, 15– 19. vi.1995, 1 Ψ, JSS#11407 [badly damaged by dermestids – head, most of thorax and legs missing], J. Skevington ( DEBU); United States: Connecticut: [Tolland Co.], Storrs, TLS window, [41°48' N, 72°15' W], Malaise trap, 1. vii.1996, 1 ♂, JSS#13379 [3 legs removed for DNA extraction], J. O’Donnell ( UCMS); Illinois: Ogle Co., White Pines Forest State Park, 7 mi [les] W Oregon, [42º00' N, 89º28' W], 21–26. vii.1979, 1 ♂, JSS#19436, 1Ψ, JSS#19437, D.W. Webb ( INHS); Kentucky: Franklin Co., 1 mi NW Frankfurt, along Benson Creek, [38º12' N, 84º53' W], 26–28. vi.1985, 1 ♂, JSS#19435, E. A. Lisowski ( INHS); Maryland: Prince George's Co., 2.5 mi NE Accokeek, [38º40' N, 77º02' W], Malaise, 4. vi.1989, 2 ♂♂, JSS#19431­2, 2ΨΨ, JSS#19433­4, E. A. Lisowski ( INHS); Plummers Isl[and], [38°58' N, 77°11' W], Malaise trap, 8–20. vii.1968, 1 ♂, JSS#11456, P. Spangler ( USNM); Missouri: Boone Co., 5 mi [les] E Ashland, Ashland W[ildlife] A[rea], [38°45' N, 92°12' W], Malaise trap, forest, 20–28. v.1992, 1 ♂, JSS#13367 [3 legs removed for DNA extraction], 28.v.–4. vi.1992, 1 ♂, JSS#13373, R.S. Gagne ( UMRM); Pennsylvania: Berks Co., 5 km S Pine Grove, [40°33' N, 76°27' W], 375 m, 16. vi.1997, 1 ♂, JSS#11888 [3 legs removed for DNA extraction], D.M. Wood ( CNC); Virginia: [Loudoun Co.], Bluemont, [39°07' N, 77°50' W], Cornus , 20. vi.1912, 1 ♂, JSS#11455 [phallus broken in half, genitalia brittle], C.T. Greene ( USNM).

Description: Male: Body length 6.2–8.5 mm. Head: Holoptic, eyes joined for approximately three times the length of ocellar triangle, H:O 2.57–3.38:1. Arista black with yellow base. 1st flagellomere yellow. Pedicel yellow with 19–25 bristles along distal margin. Scape yellow with 8–10 dorsal bristles. Labellum and palps yellow. Occiput silver­pubescent with multiple rows of white hairs. Thorax: Proepisternum with a fan of 7–9 bristles. Postpronotal lobe yellow with 4–9 yellow hairs on posterior edge. Scutum brown to black dorsally, yellow laterally, with sharply boundaries between the colours (cf. Fig. 1 C); with dorsocentral and intra­alar rows of hairs, dorsocentrals longer and increasing in size posteriorly, terminating in 1–2 strong setae. Notopleuron with 2 setae and numerous smaller hairs. 1 posterior supra­alar seta. Postalar callus with 2 (rarely 3) setae and 6–7 other moderately strong bristles. Scutellum yellow; with 3 (rarely 2) pairs of strong posterior setae and numerous small black bristles over entire surface. Pleuron mostly yellow, brown to black on basal four fifths of katepisternum and meron, anterior anepisternum, small sclerite below wing base and subscutellum. Halter yellow. Legs: long and slender, entirely yellow; hairs and sockets on coxae brown to black ; hairs on trochanters and femora predominantly to entirely black , rarely yellow; tibiae and tarsi usually with black hairs with black sockets, rarely with brownish yellow hairs. Fore and mid­tibiae slender and slightly arched dorsoventrally; hind tibia narrow on basal third, broader towards tip, laterally arched in apical half (in dorsal view); apex with circlet of stiff yellow bristles all about the same length (cf. Fig. 2 C). Trochanters with 3–6 dorsomedial bristles and a row of shorter ventral bristles, most prominent on rear trochanter. Wings: Length: 6.0–7.8 mm; fourth costal section about 2–3 times as long as third, C4:C3 2.4–3.2:1; R­M situated between basal one­third to nearly middle of discal medial cell (dm), S3:S2 2.2–2.8:1. Cell r1 bare basally; Sc entirely bare to microtrichose in distal corner only; cell bm microtrichose along distal edge only. Tegula with 11–14 black bristles. Abdomen: Tergite 1 brown with a yellow anterolateral patch; with 7–14 large black bristles. Tergites 2–4 brown with yellow along posterior edge and laterally. Tergites 5–7 brown to black , usually with very narrow yellow posterior and lateral edges. Sternites 1–5 brown. Syntergosternite 8 brown dorsally, yellow ventrally. All hairs black . Genitalia: Epandrium and terminalia mostly light brown, yellowish along edges, phallus black . Epandrium about one and a third times as wide as long, WE:LE 1.3–1.4:1. Surstyli asymmetrical; with upper lobes short, about same length as lower lobes ( Fig. 9 A–D); no middle lobes on surstyli ( Fig. 9 A–D); lower lobe of right surstylus narrow, elongate ( Fig. 9 D). Distiphallus with numerous, robust spines starting before first loop ( Fig. 9 A, C). Female: As male except: Ovipositor short, upcurved, tip stubby, wide; 0.82–1.06 mm ( Fig. 4 D). OL:PL 1.24–1.39:1; BL:OL 6.74– 8.17:1; B:PL 0.33–0.43:1.

Distribution: Eastern Nearctic in distribution. Known from 19 specimens distributed from Connecticut west through southern Ontario to Illinois, south to Missouri and Kentucky ( Fig. 10 ).

Comments: Nephrocerus daeckei has been recorded from a maple swamp, a wet meadow and oak savanna. The flight period is from late May to late July, with most records in the northern part of the range in late June and early July.

Johnson based his description on two “male” specimens from Richmond Hill collected on 2 July 1901. Later Johnson (1915: 55) noted that one of the “male” specimens was in fact a female. The male (JSS#13609) is hereby designated as the lectotype to fix the name and ensure universal and consistent interpretation of the taxon. Within the daeckei group, females of N. atrapilus and N. daeckei are very similar and females of N. woodi are unknown. An example of the potential problem of using females as primary types is illustrated by the case of the allotype female of N. slossonae (JSS#13450). This specimen was incorrectly associated with the male and is actually N. acanthostylus .

Three female Nephrocerus daeckei group specimens from Mexico (JSS#11499– 11501) are undoubtedly an undescribed species (pleuron and abdomen entirely dark brown), but because of the difficulty associating sexes in this species group, they should not be described until a male is discovered.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Photographs of Nephrocerus species. Abbreviation: prepst = proepisternum. Scale bars = 1.0 mm. A. Nephrocerus acanthostylus, holotype, JSS # 15348, ♂, dorsal of head, thorax and base of abdomen. B. Nephrocerus slossonae, JSS # 11834, ♂, dorsal of head, thorax and base of abdomen. C. Nephrocerus acanthostylus, JSS # 13450, Ψ, left lateral. D. Nephrocerus slossonae, JSS # 11836, ♂, left lateral of head and thorax. E. ♂, Nephrocerus slossonae, JSS # 11490, left lateral of head and thorax.

FIGURE 2. Posterior view of distal region of right hind tibia, Nephrocerus species. Scale bars = 0.1 mm. A. Nephrocerus acanthostylus JSS # 13490. B. Nephrocerus corpulentus JSS # 11470. C. Nephrocerus slossonae JSS # 11827.

FIGURE 4. Left lateral of ovipositors of female Nephrocerus species. Abbreviations: B = length of ovipositor base; cerc = cercus; OL = ovipositor length; PL = piercer length; spt = spermatheca, S = sternite; T = tergite. Scale bars = 0.1 mm. A. Nephrocerus acanthostylus, JSS # 13477. B. Nephrocerus atrapilus, JSS # 13397. C. Nephrocerus corpulentus, JSS # 13365. D. Nephrocerus daeckei, JSS # 11407. E. Nephrocerus slossonae, JSS # 11795.

FIGURE 9. Male Nephrocerus daeckei terminalia, ejaculatory apodeme and sperm pump removed; all from JSS # 11408. Arrows indicate key features. Scale bars = 0.1 mm. A. left lateral. B. right lateral. C. dorsal. D. ventral, phallus removed.

FIGURE 10. Distributions of Nephrocerus daeckei and Nephrocerus woodi.