Camposella insignata, Cole, 1919

Cole, F. R., 1919, A new genus in the dipterous family Cyrtidae from South America, Entomological news, and proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 30 (10), pp. 270-274 : 272-274

C. insignata n. sp.

♂. —Length 13 mm., length of antennae 5 mm. Head and eyes black with black pile. Eyes contiguous above and widely separated below the antennae. Antennae contiguous at base. first joint scarcely visible and yellow, second joint small, black and ring-like. The third antenna] joint has a founded. short basal portion which expands into a very large surface, flattened. very thin and rounded at the end. The third joint is about four times as long as the head and about 6- io as wide as long‘ it is velvety black and destitute of pile. Proboscis rudimentary, slender, cylindrical and pointed, covered with very short black pile. Face black. deeply excavated below the antennae (see Pl. XI, fig. 1b). Occiput slightly swollen, the cheeks shining black and pointed below the eyes. Ocellar tubercle rudimentary, black, with a central depression which is thinly black pilose; ocelli absent.

Thorax large and inflated. brownish black in color, the anterior half thickly golden pilose with a few black hairs along the median line. Posterior half of the dorsum (more or less abraded in this specimen) black pilose, as are the postalar callosities. Scutellum colored as the thorax, flattened. of nearly uniform width, with black pile except in the center. Upper pleura inflated, yellow pilose above, black below. Squamae smoky hyaline, the surface and border with short black pile. Coxae blackish brown, the front pair yellowish pilose, the others black pilose. Femora blackish brown with black pile, paler at base and tip. Tibiae blackish, yellowish at tip, which is enlarged and with a slender spur above. Tarsi yellow, the claws yellow at base. Tibiae and tarsi with very fine, short yellow pile. No cmpodía or pulvilli present.

Abdomen very broad and inflated, but the venter flat, the general shape being very near that of Lasia , in which the fifth segment is much smaller than the fourth. The first three abdominal segments and basal half of fourth with rather short black pile, posterior to this the pile is golden yellow. Ground color of abdomen brownish black, near a dark mahogany color. Venter clothed with reclinate golden yellow pile. Genitalia blackish marked with yellow, with yellowish pile.

Wings brownish hyaline, a little darker near the base. Veins blackish. Venatioii nearly identical with that of Lasia (see Pl. XI, fig. 2 ). As in some species of Lasia the upper branch of the third vein (R 4) ends in the first (Ri+2 +3) beyond its junction with the second. The lower branch of the fourth vein is missing.

This remarkable species would go in the subfamily Panopinae . Some of the genera in this group have a rudimentary proboscis, such as Ornaea and Asmmella. It has several characters in common with Lcsia, the general shape of the body being strikingly near that genus and the venation is almost identical. The Leptidae , Neniestrinidae and Cyrtidae are separmed from other families by having the einpodia developed pulvilliform and it is remarkable that this species should have no sign of piilvilli or empodia. The claws closc together along the inner edges as in some of the Asilidae , such as Lrfvlogasfrr, some species of which have not even the usual bristle-like eiiipodia. This would seem to be a very important and deep-seated character but on account of its close resemblance to the genus Lasla it would not seem advisable to erect a new subfamily to receive it. Owing to the

great variation in this group of insects, characters which might be considered generic in other families are of only specific value here. Ordinarily the absence of pulvilli and empodia would place it in a new family, but it is clearly a Cyrtid. and there are no corresponding changes elsewhere in the organism. Most species of Anthrax lack pulvilli, but some have them. so this is a variable character in the nearly related BOI 1ll)_\'lll(lílC. The antennae are very remarkable, but as we know only the male they may be a secondary sexual character. ln the genus Eıılnııflıııs the third anteiinal joint is greatly enlarged and in ()(`H 0 ('fl (in the subfamily Panopinae ) there are several species with a large third antenna] Joint. In Omara sclrzuarsi Cole from Cuba the third antennal jolflt ıs large and laterally compressed. In the Cvrtidae the two sexes are almost identical in appearance and if the remarkable antennae of Camposella are a male ornamental character it will be the first instance of this kind in the Cyrtidae . The unusual development of the antennae gives a ‘great sensitive surface and it may be that this is utilized by the male in locating the female. The overdevelopment of one organ may be at the expense of another. and in this case the ocellar tubercle is rudimentary and the ocelli absent, but this is another variable character in the Cyrtidae . In this species we have a connecting link between Lasia and Omaea. Parasitism has undoub‘edly modified other genera in the Cyrtidae and we see here a changing species. The ancestral type was near Lnsia and Enlonchiis. both with a long proboscis here the proboscis is aborted and the lower branch of the fourth vein has disappeared. It is undoubtedly a degenerate offshoot from the primitive type, the genus Panops in Australia being another such branch.

Figures

PLATE XI. Fig. 1. Camposella insignata n. gen. et sp. n. Last tarsal joint and claws, showing absence of pulvilli. b. Drawing showing excavated face and rudimentary proboscis. Most of the antennae are cut away in this view of the head. Fig. 2. Wing of Lasia sp., nomenclature according to the Comstock system.