Review of the Nearctic genus Wilcoxia James (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae) with descriptions of three new species Author Pollock, Darren A. Author Reichert, Lisa A. text Zootaxa 2019 2019-11-12 4695 5 401 437 journal article 24897 10.11646/zootaxa.4695.5.1 34f39440-da4f-4f5e-b9bf-258a7445ce73 1175-5326 3542536 A6844BF7-1B08-40D8-AB38-37F1E93B434C 7. Wilcoxia forbesi Pollock & Reichert , n. sp. ( Figs 13–14 , 23–24 , 34–35 , 38, 40 , 56 , 65 , 78–80 ) Holotype (here designated), male, labeled: “N. MEX . Dona Ana Co. 1miNW Tortugas Mt. 4100’ (E of Jct. , Univ. and Telshore ) G. Forbes 20 NOV 1983 // NMSU // [red label] HOLOTYPE Wilcoxia forbesi Pollock & Reichert ”, in CAS . Allotype , female, labeled: “N. MEX . Dona Ana Co. 1miNW Tortugas Mt. 4100’ (E of Jct. , Univ. and Telshore ) G. Forbes 20 NOV 1983 // 21119 // [green label] NMSU // [red label] ALLOTYPE Wilcoxia forbesi Pollock & Reichert ”, in CAS . Paratypes , from the following localities (all with light blue “ PARATYPE Wilcoxia forbesi , n. sp. Pollock & Reichert ” labels): UNITED STATES OF AMERICA . New Mexico . Doña Ana Co. Dunes 4400’ 1.3 mi NW jct C7/C8, NW of Corralitos [ 32.295362 , -107.038391 ], 4.xi.1984 , G. Forbes , gravel, ( NMSU , 4♂ , 6♀ ), ( CASC , 1♀ ) ; 1 mi NW Tortugas Mt. , 4100’ (E. of Jct. , Univ. and Telshore ) [ 32.302989 , -106.708571 ], 11.xi.1984 , G. Forbes , ( NMSU , 2♂ , 3♀ ) ; same locality, 20.xi.1983 , G.S. Forbes , ( CASC , 1 ♂ , 4♀ ; BYUC , 1♀ ) ; same locality, 15.xi.1983 , G. Forbes , ( NMSU , 1♀ , EMFC , 1♂ ) ; 3.2 mi E Tortugas Mt. [ 32.292071 , -106.640091 ], 4300’, 11.xi.1984 , G.S. Forbes , ( NMSU , 1♂ ) ; N. Base , Tortugas Mt. [ 32.297363 , -106.697996 ], 4200’, 1.xi.1984 , G.S. Forbes , ( NMSU , 7♂ , 2 ♀ ; BYUC , 1♂ ) ; 5.1 mi. E. Tortugas Mt. [est. at 32.291374 , -106.594039 ], 5000’, 13.xi.1982 , G.S. Forbes , ( EMEC , 2♀ [ EMEC 1135 625, 1135628]; NMSU , 1♂ ) ; same locality, 3.xi.1985 , G.S. Forbes , ( NMSU , 2♂ , 3♀ ) ; 4 mi E. Tortugas Mtn. [ 32.290898 , -106.627066 ], 4.i.1985 , D. Lightfoot & G.S. Forbes , ( NMSU , 1♂ , 1♀ ) ; 4 mi NE of Tortugas Mt. [ 32.332278 , -106.647555 ], 4800 ft. , 20.i.1985 , D. Lightfoot , ( NSMU , 1♀ ) ; Tortugas Mtn., nr. Las Cruces , 32.296075 , -106.706497 [ 32.296075 , -106.706497 ], 4245 ft. , 3.i.2017 , D. & G. Pollock , L. Reichert , collected on small to medium rocks on rocky/stony terrain, ( ENMU , 15♂ , 13♀ ) ; same locality and data, 4.i.2017 , ( ENMU , 5♂ , 10♀ ) ; Jornada LTER site, 1.0 mi SE College Rch [ 32.519662 , -106.791872 ], 4400’, 28.x.1984 , G.S. Forbes , ( NMSU , 2♂ ) ; Jornada LTER site, 1 mi SW College Rch [ 32.520249 , -106.816191 ], 4300’, 1.xii.1984 , G.S. Forbes , ( NMSU , 2♂ ) ; Jornada Range, 2 mi SW Coll Rch HQ [ 32.510074 , -106.828202 ], 4500’, 7.xi.1983 , D. Lightfoot , ( NSMU , 1♂ ) ; Doña Ana Mts. , 4700’, 6.6 mi N rt. 70/82, 2.4 mi W Jornada rd [ 32.475142 , -106.777375 ], 28.xi.1981 , G. Forbes , ( NMSU , 1♂ , 1♀ ) . Otero Co. 32°75260N, 105°92825W [ 32.75260 , -105.92825 ], 4187 ft. , xi.2010 , B. Barker , ( EMFC , 3♂ , 3♀ ) . Texas . Reeves Co. Rt. 290, 3.6 mi W. jct at Toyahvale [ 30.941876 , - 103.847704 ], 8.xii.1985 , G. Forbes , ( NMSU , 1♀ ) . Derivation of specific epithet : named in honor of Gregory S. Forbes, assiduous collector of robber flies in New Mexico , including most specimens of this new species. Diagnosis . This species may be separated from the other three members of the martinorum group (of which it is the most distinct) by the following characters: sexes dimorphic: abdomen of females with pattern of pollinose and non-pollinose areas, males with abdomen uniformly pollinose; costa incomplete, only traceable to near junction of CuA 2 and wing margin; halter knob pink, distinctly contrasting yellow stem; mystax of male very dense ( Figs 13 , 23 ); femora entirely bare, without pollinose patch(es). Description . Male ( Fig. 13 ). TL 4.4–7.1 mm ; wing 4.4–5.6 mm . Head ( Fig. 23 ) black, covered in pale grey tomentum; face (in profile) projecting slightly beyond eye; hairs and setae of head white; lower occipital hairs long, very dense, “wispy”; ocellar tubercle with many long, fine setae and some hairs (ca. length of postpedicel + style); mystax ( Fig. 23 ) very dense, consisting of very long hairs (> length of antenna), occupying almost entire face; hairs white, bases perpendicular to slightly less than 90° from plane of face; no distinct hairs on face separate from mystax; palpi and proboscis black with white hairs; antennomeres brown to black, pollinose, scape thinly pollinose; scape and pedicel with long ventral setae (pedicel with one longer hair/seta) and hairs, and several relatively short hairs dorsally; ratio of antennomere lengths (scape: pedicel: postpedicel: style + spine) = 6: 6: 14: 9. Thorax black, covered in pale grey tomentum; scutum with median stripe absent, marked in some individuals by linear areas of sparser tomentum; acrostichal setae present, though difficult to discern from long hairs, 5–6 per row; scutum surface uniform, without distinct non-pollinose or differently colored spots; scutum with moderately dense pile of long white hairs (> length of postpedicel), length and density subequal pre- and postsuturally; most specimens with 3 notopleural setae, 2 supraalar setae, and 1 postalar seta; stoutest thoracic setae with amber cast; scutellum uniformly pale grey pollinose; 6–8 white marginal setae, longest setae greater in length than scutellum, perpendicular to plane of scutellum; very few short marginal hairs present; disc of scutellum with few shorter, partially appressed hairs; pleura pale grey pollinose; katatergite with about 20 long fine white setae, tips “crinkly”; wings hyaline; costa incomplete, present to near apex of anal lobe only ( Fig. 38 ); microtrichiae sparse and incon- spicuous on entire wing ( Fig. 40 ); halter with base brown and yellow, stem yellow, knob pink to light purple; legs ( Figs 13–14 ) uniformly black, entirely bare, without pollinosity on femora; hairs and setae white; femora dorsally with moderately dense, white appressed hairs (<femur width) and a few longer, suberect setae (> femur width); ven- trally with longer, suberect white hairs (longest ca. femur width); tibiae with relatively dense, short (<tibia width) appressed white hairs, ventrally with a few longer (longest> tibia width), suberect hairs, slightly more abundant on front tibiae; mesotibial spine very light yellow; protibiae without sigmoidal spine. Abdomen ( Figs 13 , 34 ) black, tergites 2–7 densely pale grey pollinose, pollinosity slightly less dense anteriorly on tergites; hairs white; tergite 1 bare dorsocentrally, bare patch widened anteriorly; tergite 2 bare anterior of punctillae and with bare narrow posterior margin; tergite 3 with bare narrow posterior margin; sternites pale grey pollinose, with moderately long, fine white hairs, slightly longer on anterior sternites. Male genitalia ( Fig. 56 ). Apex of dorsal gonocoxite process relatively shallowly bifid, inner lobe distinctly longer than outer, carina on outer lobe absent; dorsal process extending past apex of ventral gonocoxite process; medial gonocoxite processes moderately thin, moderately curved towards phallus; gonostylus relatively thin, arcuate, apex not truncate; phallus without distinct, subapical denticle on lateral margins; lateral margins evenly narrowed to apex. Female ( Fig. 14 ). TL 5.0– 7.2 mm ; wing 4.2–6.3 mm . Features similar to male, except for the following: pale grey pollinosity of head and thorax with very light to medium brown tint; mystax ( Fig. 24 ) much sparser than male, but most hairs still ca. length of antennae; abdomen ( Figs 14 , 35 ) dorsally largely bare, shiny black, pale grey pollinosity confined to lateral areas of tergite 1; tergite 2 with narrow band of pollinosity anterior of punctillae, lateral margins and posterolateral margins extending medially on posterior margin but not connecting, leaving center of posterior margin non-pollinose; tergites 2–5 with pollinosity in anterior band, and on lateral margins, expanded dorsomedially, leaving center of posterior margin non- or thinly pollinose; tergite 6 bare, in some specimens with some pollinosity, confined to extreme lateral margins; tergite 7 bare; sternites 2–5 pollinose, 6 lightly pollinose, confined to anterolateral margins; sternite 7 bare. Notes. Couplet 28 in Wood’s (1981) key that leads eventually to Wilcoxia mentions “C [costa] continuing around posterior wing margin to wing base”. Because the costa is abbreviated in individuals of W . forbesi , the second part of the above couplet is not completely accurate. The first part of the couplet leads to genus Itolia Wilcox , based on peculiarities of the wing venation and shiny areas on the scutum. Natural history . On 3–4 January 2017 , specimens of W . forbesi were collected on the rocky terrain at the base of Tortugas Mtn., near Las Cruces, Doña Ana Co., NM ( Figs 78–80 ). Flies were observed on small ( 6 inch maximum dimension) to medium-large rocks ( 1–2 foot maximum dimension, e.g. Fig. 80 ). Sweeping was done in this area also, but no flies were collected on vegetation. Among the 43 specimens ( 20 males , 23 females ) collected on these two days, 11 ( 3 males , 8 females ) were taken with associated prey. Ten of these were winged males of a species of scale insect [ HEMIPTERA (Sternorrhyncha) : Margarodidae : Margarodes sp.] and one was a small fly ( DIPTERA : Drosophilidae ). Bulk index of the prey items ranged from 0.4–1.4; ratio of bulk index of predator:prey ranged from 8.3–27.4 (average = 16.2). Specimens were collected from 28.x–20.i. Distribution ( Fig. 65 ). As mentioned above for W . apache , the distribution of W . forbesi is sympatric with the western “cluster” of W . apache . Almost all specimens of W . forbesi were collected in Doña Ana County, near Las Cruces. Elevations range from 3,490 to 5,382 feet .