Choerades amurensis (Hermann)

Young, Charles L. & Hradský, Milan M., 2007, Robber flies of South Korea III. South Korean species of the Subfamily Laphriinae Macquart, 1838 (Diptera: Asilidae), Zootaxa 1388, pp. 1-23 : 4-7

Choerades amurensis (Hermann)

( Figs 1 , 7 , 13 , 24 , 33, 34 )

Laphria amurensis Hermann, 1914: 92 .

Medium sized gold/black flies, 13–16 mm. Male abdomen elongated and delicate. Wings tinged black. Long mats of bright gold hair on medial and lateral surfaces of tergites. Similar to C. caucasicus but much smaller, less setose flies. There exists a wide variation within the species in regards to chaetotaxy and shape of abdomen ( Lehr, 1992: 83). One South Korean female specimen shows tergites 2 & 3 narrowed apically; tergite 4 slightly widened apically; remaining tergites of equal width.

Redescription. Head: Face black with gold and black hair. Mystax long, black and gold. Long thick gold parafacial hair. Long black orbital hair. Proboscis dorsally and ventrally angulated; apex punctulate with short proclinate hair. Ocellar tubercle with 2 exceptionally long black slender dorsal hairs, and 2 shorter lateral hairs. Antenna black with black hair; relative lengths of segments: 3>1>2; postpedicel (segment 3) with a posterior apical pit. Thorax: Scutum black with abundant long gold acrostichal hair intermingled with sparse, erect, black hair. Postpronotal hair long, black. Chaetotaxy with 1 notopleural bristle and long hair; 4 supraalar; 3 postalar bristles, all black. Sparse, fine long black dorsocentral hair with curled apices. Discal scutellar hair long, gold. Scutellar margin widely lipped, with extremely long irregular black and yellow hair. Scutellar margin integument wrinkled. Lateral aspect of thorax black, white tomentose. Anepisternum with sparse long yellow and black hair, 2 strong black posterior bristles. Katatergal hair sparse, long, yellow and black. Anatergite bare black, white tomentose. Legs: Entirely black with long abundant yellow and black hair, black bristles. Wings: Tinged black except on base; marginal cell base conspicuously clear. Abdomen: Elongated, slender. Tergites dull brown/black covered with long abundant gold whorls of hair, thickest on median and marginal surfaces. Male genitalia: ( Figs 1 , 7 & 13 .). Female: With conspicuously sparser hair overall. Abdomen clavate, widest on segments 3 and 4.

Material examined. Chollanam­Do Province: 2ɗ: 1/V/2001 – 27/VII/2002, Chirisan N.P. Piagol Valley, Chiri Mt. 570 m., 35°16’39”N, 127°33’91”E.

Kang­won­Do Province: 1ɗ, 3Ψ: 24/VI/2006, Puk’an River Ch’unch’on­Shi, Namsan­Myon Kangch’on, 37°42’40”N, 127°35’26”E; 3ɗ: 7/VI/2003, Odaesan N. P. Chinbu­Myon 660– 900m., 37°44’57”N, 128°34’19”E.

Kyonggi­Do Province: 1Ψ: 12/VI/2004, Ch’unch’on­Shi, Hongchon River (west), 37°42’45”N / 127°35’60”E.

Kyongsangnam­Do Province: 3ɗ: 8/V/2003 – 30/VII/2004, Macheon, Chirisan Mt. 705m., 35°20’55”N, 127°38’21”E, Malaise trap.

Field notes. Choerades amurensis inhabits forested areas where it flies among piles of dead wood.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Choerades males — lateral views. 1. C. amurensis. 2. C. caucasicus. 3. C. caudatus. 4. C. japonicus. 5. C. komurai. 6. C. nigrovittatus.

FIGURES 7 – 12. Choerades males — ventral views. 7. C. amurensis. 8. C. caucasicus. 9. C. caudatus. 10. C. japonicus. 11. C. komurai. 12. C. nigrovittatus.

FIGURES 13 – 18. Choerades males — gonopods. 13. C. amurensis. 14. C. caucasicus. 15. C. caudatus. 16. C. japonicus. 17. C. komurai. 18. C. nigrovittatus.

FIGURES 24 – 28. Heads. 24. C. amurensis. 25. Orthogonis sp. 26. C. sp. 27. C. caudatus. 28. C. caucasicus.

FIGURES 33 – 38. 33. Choerades amurensis, ♂ dorsal. 34. Choerades amurensis, ♂ lateral. 35. Choerades asprospilos sp. n., Ψ dorsal. 36. Choerades asprospilos sp. n., Ψ lateral. 37. Choerades caucasicus, ♂ dorsal. 38. Choerades caucasicus, ♂ lateral.