Laphria sericea Say

Dennis, D. Steve, Barnes, Jeffrey K. & Knutson, Lloyd, 2008, Pupal cases of Nearctic robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae), Zootaxa 1868 (1), pp. 1-98 : 29-30

Laphria sericea Say

( Fig. 15)

A female pupal case with pinned adult from the United States National Museum was the basis for the following description. It is labeled " Clinton Co., Rose Lake, Michigan; 11 May 1966; J.C. Arnsman; Norman Baker rearing code 66­16."

Description: Greatest length, including anterior antennal processes, 15.0 mm; greatest width of thorax 3.0 mm; greatest width of abdomen 3.0 mm, tapering to 1.0 mm at greatest width of abdominal segment 8. Integument subshining dark golden brown; posterior part of wing sheath and dorsum of thorax darker; spines and other processes glistening reddish brown, uniformly colored or darker on apical half; bristle­like spines uniformly reddish brown.

Head with pair of dorsally rounded to flattened, ventrally wedge­shaped, basally rugose, anterior antennal processes not joined at base and group of 4 basally fused, posterior antennal processes curving and becoming shorter posteriorly; first or inner posterior process longer than and separated from last or outer posterior processes by slightly swollen, rounded area; outer 2 posterior processes fused for greater distance and straighter than other processes. Facial area with pair of short, basally fused, median spines on each side of midline and single, longer spine posterolateral to outermost posterior antennal process. Labral, proboscial, and maxillary sheaths smooth and elongate. Posterior half of labral sheath with slight median furrow. Proboscial sheath with furrow on each side of median ridge diverging around inconspicuous median posterior swelling with slightly larger posterior swellings on each side. Maxillary sheath extending about two­thirds length of proboscial sheath, with tubercle­like swelling near longitudinally split anterior coxal sheath and overhanging anterior coxal sheath.

Anterior coxal sheath smooth, with anterior, median, longitudinal split. Prothoracic spiracle round, on slight callosity, situated midlaterally at anterior margin of thorax. Anterior mesothoracic spines on side of thorax above base of mid leg sheath consisting of anterior pair of straight, short, approximate spines and outer longer, wider, straight spine widely separated from anterior pair. Posterior mesothoracic callosity small, with short, broad, apically curved posterior mesothoracic spine at base of wing sheath. Wing sheath smooth, with slight, elongate grooves; lacking median or basal tubercles. Thoracic area above wing sheath smooth to irregularly rugose. Apex of hind leg sheath reaching to posterior margin of abdominal segment 3.

Abdominal spiracles round, reddish brown, on slight swelling, situated along midline laterally.

Abdominal segment 1 with dorsal transverse row of 29 short spines, some shorter than others, some bifurcate; median pair of spines situated slightly posterior to adjacent spines; 2 short dorsolateral bristle­like spines and 3 long bristle­like spines behind each spiracle; venter obscured by wing and leg sheaths.

Segments 2–7 with dorsal transverse rows of 26, 26, 22, 20, 13, and 13 spines, respectively; spines on each segment long and short, in no apparent pattern. Rows of spines on abdominal segment 2 and to lesser extent on 3–7 forming gently curved peak on each side of midline; segments 4–6 with long spines of peaks pointing anteriorly.

Segments 5–6 with short median spines; segment 6 with median spines pointing toward each other. Spines become longer on posterior segments; outermost spine on segment 7 very long, thick, bristle­like.

Segments 2–7 with 4–6 dorsolateral bristle­like spines and 3–5 (usually 3–4) lateral bristle­like spines behind each spiracle; lateral bristle­like spines toward venter larger than other bristle­like spines, especially on posterior segments.

Segment 2 with ventral transverse row of 7–8 bristle­like spines on each side of and extending under hind leg sheath; abdominal segment 3 with median row of 10–13 ventral bristle­like spines on each side of midline; segments 4–7 with 24, 26, 19, and 19 ventral bristle­like spines, respectively; spines of unequal length, generally becoming longer posteriorly.

Segments 8–9 curved downward. Segment 8 with 1 dorsal spine on each side of midline; small yellowishbrown spiracle at lateral midline; lacking dorsolateral, lateral, and ventral spines. Segment 9 with pair of short dorsomedian tubercles; pair of short, dorsal posterolateral processes curved toward midline; and pair of larger, rugose, dorsally curved ventral posterolateral processes.