Bezzia (Bezzia) spicata Dow & Turner, 1976

Grogan, William L., 2020, A Revision of the Nearctic Predaceous Midges in the Bezzia (Bezzia) pulverea complex (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Zootaxa 4877 (3), pp. 429-467 : 441-442

Bezzia (Bezzia) spicata Dow & Turner

( Figs. 20–24 )

Bezzia (Pseudobezzia) spicata Dow & Turner, 1976: 77 . Florida. (in revision of Nearctic Bezzia ).

Bezzia (Bezzia) spicata: Wilkening et al. 1985: 529 (Florida county records); Borkent & Grogan 2009: 26 (in Nearctic catalog; distribution); Grogan et al. 2010: 50 (records from Gilchrist-Suwannee, Highlands, Hillsborough and St. Lucie counties, Florida).

Diagnosis. The only Nearctic species of the B. pulverea complex with the following combination of characters. Males with a unique leg pattern, the mid femur is mostly yellow with basal, apical brown bands, the hind femur is mostly brown with a moderately wide subapical yellow band; mid tibia is yellow with dark brown dorsal stripes that extend 4/5 or more of their total lengths; sternite 9 elongate with narrow deep apico-central excavation that lacks a fringe of fine setae and thin apicolateral lobes that extend 2/3 length of gonocoxites; gonostylus short with very broad apex the outer prong is slender, curved, inner prong rounded or pointed; aedeagus broad proximally with a deep basal arch, apical section slender with broader rounded tip enclosed in a broad hyaline envelope. Females with the same femora, tibiae coloration and banding patterns as in males; sternite 9 with bifurcate apices, the anterior prong slender, longer than broader posterior prong; spermathecae large elongate ovoid, unequal-size with short narrow necks; and large antennal ratio (AR 1.32–1.47).

Male (allotype). Head. Brown. Eyes moderately separated by the diameter of 3 ommatidia. Antennal flagellum with flagellomeres 2–9 and proximal 2/3 of 10 golden brown, 11–13 dark brown except lighter brown on their extreme bases; flagellomeres 1–9 slightly vasiform, 10–13 elongate, narrower, 10 longest; plume moderately dense, brownish proximally, yellowish distally, extending slightly beyond apex of flagellomere 10; AR 0.91; flagellum length 1.37 mm. Palpus moderately long, segment 5 extends beyond apex of labellum; segment 3 moderately long with 2–3 long capitate sensillae; PR 4.11. Mandible slender with 2–3 long apical medial teeth. Thorax. Brown to reddish brown. Scutum with moderately dense coarse setae and 9–10 long stout pre-alar setae; scutellum with row of 8 long stout setae. Fore, mid femora brown with broad light brown sub-basal and narrower apical bands, hind femur with similar coloration except distal apical light brown band poorly developed; fore, mid tibiae similar to female ( Fig. 21 ) except with narrower brown dorsal stripe, hind tibia with broader light brown subapical band; 4 fore, 1 mid, 1–2 hind ventral femoral spines; tibiae with double row of large dorsal spines, longest and more numerous on hind leg; tibiae with 2–3 fore, 3 mid, hind large apical spines; tarsomeres 1–3 yellowish to light brown, 4–5 brown; claws moderately long, curved, apices bifid. Wing moderately narrow; membrane hyaline; anterior veins pale brown, posterior veins hyaline but well developed; WL 1.76 mm, WW 0.53 mm; CR 0.68. Halter brown, distal ½ of knob darker brown. Abdomen. Tergites, sternites brown; tergites with dense coarse setae, sternites with sparse shorter, thinner setae. Genitalia ( Fig. 20 ). Tergite 9 short, broad; cerci stout, moderately long with 5–7 large apical and subapical setae; sternite 9 longer with deep narrow apicocentral excavation, inner margin apparently without fringe of fine setae and apicolateral lobes that extend 2/3 length of gonocoxite. Gonocoxite moderately short, broad, apex extending just below apex of parameres; gonostylus very short; apical portion broad, outer prong slender, curved with pointed tip, inner prong region rounded. Parameres fused; basal arms straight, heavily sclerotized, greatly divergent, apices rounded; main body with moderately sclerotized proximal and distal halves lightly sclerotized, apical portion broad, somewhat arrow-head shaped, apex rounded. Aedeagus very broad; basal arch deep, extending ½ of total length; basal arms greatly divergent, moderately broad, heavily sclerotized, apices recurved 90˚; main body more lightly sclerotized with low rounded shoulder-like basolateral extensions; apical portion very slender with slightly broader tip, and enclosed in a broad hyaline envelope that extends beyond apex.

Female. Similar to male with the following notable sexual and other differences. Head. Eyes more narrowly separated by the width of 1–2 ommatidia. Antennal flagellum with flagellomere 1 brown, 2–8 vasiform, proximal ½ white to yellowish, distal ½ brown; 9–13 elongate, 12 or 13 usually longest, brown except extreme bases light brown; 2–8 with central whorl of stout long setae, 9–13 with numerous thinner setae; AR 1.32–1.47 (1.43, n=7); flagellum length 1.01–1.35 (1.17 mm, n=7). Palpus similar to male but more elongate; PR 3.40–4.70 (4.09, n=8). Mandible broad with 8–9 large distal medial teeth and a few small proximal medial teeth; some specimens with a few tiny widely spaced lateral teeth. Thorax ( Fig. 21 ). Scutum usually with 7–8, but as many as 10 large pre-alar setae; scutellum with row of 6–7 long stout setae. Femora, tibiae with similar coloration and banding patterns as in male except fore, mid tibiae with broader brown dorsal stripes that in some specimens extend near or onto their ventral surfaces, and, the subapical yellowish hind tibial band is broader than in the allotype; 2–5 fore, 1–3 mid, hind femoral spines; 2–3 fore, mid and 1–3 hind large apical tibial spines ( Fig. 22 ); tarsi and claws as in females of B. pulverea . Wing similar to male but broader with longer costa, radial cell; WL 1.90–2.39 (2.11 mm, n=10), WW 0.68–0.87 (0.80 mm, n=9); CR 0.74–0.76 (0.75, n=10). Abdomen ( Figs. 23–24 ). Brown or reddish brown; with one pair of internal abdominal tergal apodemes as in females of B. pulverea . Tergites with moderately dense long stout setae, sternites with shorter setae; sternite 9 halves ( Fig. 23 ) with heavily sclerotized apices that are widely separated (see comments in Discussion section), anterior prong slender, longer than broader posterior prong. Spermathecae ( Fig. 23 ) elongate, ovoid, unequal-size with short narrow necks; larger 0.20–0.24 mm long, smaller 0.10–0.17 mm long.

Distribution. This apparently uncommon species is still known only from Florida.

Derivation of specific name. The species name is a reference to the slender spike-like outer prong of the male gonostylus.

Material examined. FLORIDA, Alachua Co., Gainesville, Chantilly Acres , V 1967, F. S. Blanton, 1 female (paratype); same data except West Gainesville , VI 1968, Blanton & Fletcher, light trap, 1 female . Gilchrist-Suwannee County line, Santa Fe River at SR-129, 1 VII 1981, Paul M. Choate, BLT, 2 females ( FSCA) . Hillsborough (sic as Hillsboro) Co. , Harris Swamp , 14 IV 1967, 1 female . Indian River Co., Vero Beach, Ent. Res. Cntr. , May 1961, LT, 1 female (paratype). ( St. Lucie Co. ), Ft. Pierce , Mar. 1956, light trap, 1 female . Wakulla Co., Ochlockonee Riv. St. Park , 29 IV 1970, W. W. Wirth, light trap, 1 male (allotype), 4 females (holotype, 3 paratypes) .

Discussion. Dow & Turner (1976) designated the female holotype, male allotype and 3 female paratypes from Wakulla Co., Florida, and listed other paratypes from Alachua and Indian River counties, Florida. Grogan et al. (2010) provided the first records of B. spicata from near the Santa Fe River on Florida state road 129 at the Gilchrist-Suwannee County line, and from Highlands, Hillsborough and St. Lucie counties. However, my re-examination of the female specimen they listed from Highlands Co. revealed that it is actually a specimen of B. laciniastyla . I also determined that the five males listed by Grogan et al. (2010) from Harris Swamp, Hillsborough Co. are not males of B. spicata . However, I did identify a female of B. spicata from that locality that is included above in the material examined section.

Dow & Turner (1976: 77) described the apices of sternite 9 of females as “Genital sclerotizations bilaterally mesally concave as illustrated.” and depicted the apices of sternite 9 in their Fig. 33B as being bifurcate. My examination of 10 females listed above revealed that only 1 paratype from the type locality (Wakulla Co., Florida) had sternite 9 apices that resembled Fig. 33B . In this female ( Fig. 24 ), the anterior prongs of the apices of sternite 9 are folded posteriorly, thereby giving the appearance that their apices are bifurcate. The nine other females I examined had non-deformed apices of sternite 9 halves as in Fig. 23 . It was unfortunate that Dow & Turner selected this female with folded apices of sternite 9 for their Fig. 33B .

Figures

FIGURES 20–24. Bezzia spicata. Male allotype, 20 Genitalia at focal level of parameres, gonocoxites and gonostyli. Female 21–24. 21 Thorax and legs. 22 Hind tibial spines. 23 Abdominal segments 7–10 and spermathecae. 24 Abdominal segments 8–10 with posteriorly folded anterior prongs of segment 9.

FIGURES 31–36. Bezzia amblystyla, n. sp. Male, 31–33, Female, 34–36. 31, 34 Thorax and legs. 32, 35 Wing. 33 Genitalia at focal level of sternite 9, parameres, aedeagus, gonocoxites and gonostyli. 36 Abdominal segments 7–10 and spermathecae.