Camptochaeta prolixa, Vilkamaa, Pekka, Hippa, Heikki & Taylor, Steven J., 2011

Vilkamaa, Pekka, Hippa, Heikki & Taylor, Steven J., 2011, The genus Camptochaeta in Nearctic caves, with the description of C. prolixa sp. n. (Diptera, Sciaridae), ZooKeys 135, pp. 69-75 : 69-72

Camptochaeta prolixa sp. n.

Type locality.

USA, Nevada, White Pine County, Root Cave [39°00'N, 114°13'W], hand collection, 25.v.2006, S.J. Taylor, J.K. Krejca, M.E. Slay, G.M. Baker & B. Roberts.

Type material.

Holotype male, dissected, and mounted on microscope slide in Euparal. Original label: USA, Nevada, White Pine County, Root Cave, hand collection, 25.v.2006, S.J. Taylor, J.K. Krejca, M.E. Slay, G.M. Baker & B. Roberts (in USNM). Paratypes, dissected and mounted as the holotype: 1 male, same data but dry calcite floor, G.M. Baker, S.J. Taylor & J.K. Krejca (in USNM); 1 male, Nevada, White Pine County, Lehman Cave, 25.vi.2006, G.M. Baker, M.A. Horner & B. O'Doan (in INHS); 1 male, same locality but dry calcite wall, hand collection, 26.v.2006, S.J. Taylor, J.K. Krejca, M.E. Slay & G.M. Baker (in MZH); 2 males, Lehman Cave Annex, under rocks, hand collection, 25.v.2006, S.J. Taylor, J.K. Krejca, M.E. Slay B. Roberts, & M. Horner (in MZH); 1 male, Nevada, White Pine County, Cave 24, hand collection, 17.vii.2007, G.M. Baker & S.J. Taylor (in MZH). Other material. 1 female, Nevada, White Pine County, Lehman Cave, under rocks, hand collection, 25.v.2006, S.J. Taylor, J.K. Krejca, M.E. Slay, B. Roberts, & M. Horner (in MZH).

Description.

Male. Head. Brown, maxillary palpus very pale brown, antenna concolorous with face at base but paler towards apex. Eye bridge 1-2 facets wide, medially lacking ommatidia, sometimes narrowed into stripe. Face with 5-8 scattered setae. Clypeus with 1 seta. Maxillary palpus with 3 palpomeres; palpomere 3 longer than palpomere 1, palpomere 2 shortest; palpomere 1 with one (rarely 2) long sharp seta, with a dorsal pit with long sensilla; palpomere 2 with 3 (rarely 4) long sharp setae, 7-9 shorter truncate setae, palpomere 3 with 8-12 short truncate setae. Antenna long, antennal flagellomere 4, Fig. 1A, 4.0-5.8x as long as wide, the neck shorter than the width of flagellomere, the longest setae longer than the width of flagellomere. Thorax. Concolorous brown, setae pale. Anterior pronotum with 3-6 setae. Episternum 1 with 5-8 setae. Wings. Length 2.4-2.8 mm. Width/length 0.35-0.40. R1/R 0.85-1.05. c/w 0.65-0.70. r-m with 2-5 setae, bM non-setose. Halter pale brown. Legs. Yellowish, long. Metatarsus long, probasitarsomere as long as profemur; the modified vestiture of protibia pale, in patch in shallow depression. Protibial spur slightly longer than tibial width. Abdomen. Pale brown. Setae pale and long. Hypopygium, Fig. 1 B–D. Brown, as abdomen. Gonocoxa slightly longer than gonostylus. The ventral setosity of gonocoxa sparse. Gonostylusnarrow, the mesial side impressed on apical third; the setosity sparse, apicomesially with a few elongated setae; with long apical tooth, with 2-3 megasetae in two groups, apically and subapically, megasetae straight, one of the subapical ones larger than others; mesially with 1-2 long flagellate setae. Tegmen simple, with indistinct subapical lateral shoulders, laterally slightly sclerotized. Aedeagal apodeme short, aedeagal teeth minute.

Female. Slightly larger than male, wing length 3.0 mm, without diagnostic characters.

Discussion.

Camptochaeta prolixa isvery similar to Camptochaeta subcamptochaeta found in central European caves, and the very similar Camptochaeta pentacantha found in the Altay, Russia. Camptochaeta prolixa differs from both by having a more slender gonostylus and by having the antennal flagellomeres longer, in most specimens more than five times as long as wide, with longer setosity; and by having a narrower eye bridge. Camptochaeta prolixa and resembles the European cave-dwelling Camptochaeta ofenkaulis by having long antenna and legs, but the gonostylus is remarkably different. Some specimens of C. prolixa show a tendency to a reduced eye bridge, which in addition to the long legs and antenna may be an accommodation to the subterranean mode of life.

Ten of the 11 specimens of Camptochaeta prolixa were collected in the dark zones of caves, and one in the twilight zone. Based on microhabitat-specific data for ten specimens: air temperature ranged from 6.6 to 13.0 C, average 10.9 C; relative humidity ranged from 82.6 to 92.4 %, average 87.7 %; light ranged from 0 to <1 lux, average 0.0 lux; and elevation ranged from 2089 to 2013 m, average 2228 m. All Camptochaeta prolixa specimens were collected in May (9 specimens) and July (2 specimens), even though sampling was carried out monthly in Lehman Caves. Most specimens were associated with bedrock or calcite walls or ceilings.

Etymology.

The name is Latin (adjective), prolixa, streched out, referring to the very long extremities of the fly.

Records of Camptochaeta species in caves

Camptochaeta mutua (Johannsen, 1912)

9 males, USA, Arkansas, Stone County, Blanchard Springs Caverns, 27.iv.2002, M. Slay, G. Graening & K. Tinkle (in MZH).

Camptochaeta mutua was described from Ithaca, New York ( Johannsen 1912) and is recorded from eastern USA and Canada (Newfoundland, Ontario, Quebec and also from Yukon ( Hippa and Vilkamaa 1994).

Camptochaeta pellax Hippa & Vilkamaa, 1994

1 male, Nevada, White Pine County, Lehman Cave Annex, dry ceiling, hand collection, 25.v.2006, S.J. Taylor, J.K. Krejca, M.E. Slay B. Roberts, & M. Horner (in MZH); 1 male, White Pine County, Root Cave, calcite wall, hand collection, 25.v.2006, S.J. Taylor, G.M. Baker & B. Roberts (in INHS).

Two specimens of Camptochaeta pellax were collected from the dark zone of caves, with the following microhabitat-specific data: air temperature ranged from 10.9 to 13.0 C, average 11.95 C; relative humidity ranged from 84.4 to 88.6 %, average 86.5 %; light 0 lux; elevation ranged from 2089 to 2235 m, average 2162 m. Camptochaeta pellax is earlier known only from the type material from Colorado ( Hippa and Vilkamaa 1994).

Camptochaeta spicigera Hippa & Vilkamaa, 1994

1 male, Nevada, White Pine County, Lincoln Mine, hand collection, 15.vii.2007, S.J. Taylor, J.K. Krejca, M.E. Slay, C.M. Slay (in MZH).

The Nevada specimen of Camptochaeta spicigera was collected in the entrance zone of a mine on wet rocks above water on the mine floor, with the following microhabitat-specific data: air temperature 9.7 C; relative humidity 52.5%; light 1755 lux; elevation 2621 m. Camptochaeta spicigera is earlier known only from the type material from Colorado ( Hippa and Vilkamaa 1994).