Hemipenthes martinorum (Painter)

Ávalos-Hernández, Omar, 2009, A review of the North American species of Hemipenthes Loew, 1869 (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 2074, pp. 1-49 : 30-31

14. Hemipenthes martinorum (Painter)

(Figs. 15, 59–60)

Villa (Hemipenthes) martinorum Painter in Painter and Painter, 1962 Hemipenthes martinorum (Painter) : Hull, 1973: 386.

Holotype in USNM.

Diagnosis: Mesonotum anterior margin, mesopleuron and sides of first abdominal tergite black pilose; fifth abdominal tergite with abundant white scales on the side or covering the whole tergite.

Description: Male. Body length: 8–10 mm; wing length: 9–11 mm. Head: Eyes separated by a little more than width of ocellar triangle. Front black pilose, black tomentose, white scales may be present in middle near antenna. Face black, rounded, with black hairs and whitish tomentum. Scape black, swollen on inner apical margin, with black hairs, twice as long as pedicel; pedicel black, twice as wide as long, with short black hairs in dorsal portion, bare in ventral portion; flagellomere black, longer than scape and pedicel combined; base subconical, tapering to styliform apical two-thirds; stylus minute, terminal. Proboscis short, not projecting beyond oral margin. Palpi black with black hairs. Postcranium with short white and black hairs and white scales.

Thorax: Mesonotum anterior and lateral margin black pilose; tomentum on disc entirely black; bristles black. Mesopleuron black pilose, katepisternum not tomentose, black pilose. Proepimeron with black hairs. Mid coxa with black hairs, coxae not tomentose. Legs black, femora without pile and black tomentose; bristles black. Halter steam brown, knob fulvous. Scutellum black, black pilose, and black tomentose; bristles black. Black setulae on basicosta. Cells c, sc, br and bm entirely infuscated (Fig. 15); cells a and cup entirely infuscated except tip; cells r1 with basal half infuscated; cells cua1 and dm with basal third infuscated; cell r2+3, infuscated just at base; cell dm infuscated behind r-m crossvein; r-m crossvein at or slightly behind middle of cell dm; no crossvein between R4 and R2+3; cell r5 not narrowed at wing margin; first section of vein CuA1 three times the long of r-m crossvein, second section two and a half the long of r-m crossvein, third section one an a half the long of first two sections combined; cell a twice wider than cell cup; alula well developed.

Abdomen: Abdominal dorsum black pilose; black tomentum on first to fourth tergites; sides of fifth to seventh tergites whitish tomentose, scales not reaching tergite center; sides of abdomen black pilose. Venter black pilose, black tomentose. Genitalia black with black hairs. Epandrium in lateral view, rectangular, lower apical margin prolonged posteriorly, lower margin concave in middle, basal corner broadly blunt; gonocoxite broad, basal half enlarged; gonostylus large, as long as half the width of the gonocoxite; epiphallus in lateral view narrow ( Fig. 59 ) slightly curved, not cap-shaped, apex not swollen, rounded; with a ventral extension broad at base with apex rounded, portion of the epiphallus behind ventral extension shorter than aedeagus; epiphallus in ventral view broad ( Fig. 60 ), lateral margins narrowed at both sides at middle, without spines; aedeagus broad at base narrowed at apex, swollen dorsally; gonopore terminal.

Female. Not revised.

Distribution: Mexico (Guerrero, Michoacán, Quintana Roo).

Specimens examined: Mexico. Michoacán: 2 mi SE Tzitzio, 29-VI-1962, N. Marston (1 male genitalia; USNM); 10 mi S Apatzingán, 2-IX-1960, Chas H. Martin (1 male PARATYPE; USNM).

Remarks: Externally Hemipenthes martinorum is similar to H. wilcoxi but can be distinguished by the white scales on the fifth and seventh abdominal tergites and the smooth color margin in wing. The smooth color margin and the identical shape of the genitalia relate H. martinorum with H. celeris , H. curta , and H. pleuralis . This species has an uncommon distribution, as in H. incisiva it can not be said if this disjunct distribution is real or an effect of the rarity or difficulty to collect this species. Only two specimens from Michoacán, Mexico were available in the revised collections.

Figures

FIGURES 59 – 60. Hemipenthes martinorum male terminalia. 59, lateral view; 60, ventral view.