Apachekolos tenuipes (Loew)

Dennis, D. Steve, Barnes, Jeffrey K. & Knutson, Lloyd, 2008, Pupal cases of Nearctic robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae), Zootaxa 1868 (1), pp. 1-98 : 18-19

Apachekolos tenuipes (Loew)

( Fig. 8)

This description is based on one pupal case associated with an adult female in alcohol, from the United States National Museum of Natural History. It is labeled “Tenn.: Anderson Co.; on rt. 116, 12– 24 mi. W. on rt. 25 (Lake City); Aug. 30–31, 1966; F. A. Coyle.”

Description: Greatest length, including anterior antennal processes, 11.5 mm; greatest width of thorax 2.5 mm; greatest width of abdomen 2.5 mm, tapering to 1.0 mm at greatest width of abdominal segment 8. Integument subshining golden brown, margins of wing and leg sheaths slightly darker; spines and other processes glistening reddish brown; hair­like processes uniformly reddish brown to lighter apically.

Head with pair of large, dorsoventrally flattened anterior antennal processes joined at base and small posterior antennal processes comprising median spine and 2 terminal, posteriorly pointed to rounded, widely separated tips; posterior antennal processes apparently separate from anterior antennal processes or slightly joined basally by rugulose ridge. Facial area smooth, with small pit centrally on each side of midline. Labral sheath smooth, with slight median ridge. Proboscial and maxillary sheaths smooth; maxillary sheath threefourths as long as proboscial sheath.

Anterior coxal sheath smooth, with anterior, median, longitudinal split. Prothoracic spiracle round, raised on small callosity or flush with surface, situated midlaterally at anterior margin of thorax. Anterior mesothoracic spines lacking. Indistinct posterior mesothoracic callosity present, with long, slender, hair­like process near anterior margin. Dorsal surface of thorax with long, slender, hair­like process on each side of midline. Wing sheath smooth, lacking grooves or tubercles. Thoracic area above wing sheath smooth. Apex of fore leg sheath projecting slightly beyond apex of wing sheath; apex of mid leg sheath reaching between anterior margin and middle of abdominal segment 3; apex of hind leg sheath reaching slightly beyond anterior margin of abdominal segment 4.

Abdominal spiracles small, C­shaped, reddish brown, flush with cuticle, situated along midline laterally on abdominal segments 1­8.

Abdominal segment 1 with dorsal transverse row of 18 long, slender, hair­like processes, longer than length of segment, alternating with 5 short, reclinate spines located slightly anterior to hair­like processes, the middle 4 hair­like processes slightly shorter than others; segment 1 with 6–7 lateral spurs on slight callosity behind spiracle; venter obscured by wing and leg sheaths.

Segments 2–7 similar to segment 1, with dorsal transverse row of 12–15 long, slender, hair­like processes of about equal length alternating with 5 short, reclinate spines about 2–3 times larger than spines on first segment; segments 2–4 also with 1 short spine on each side, lateral to larger spines; segments 2–6 with 4–6 (usually 5 or 6) long, lateral hair­like processes behind each spiracle; segment 7 with 3–4 long, lateral bristle­like spurs behind each spiracle. Segments 2–5 with 2 long, lateral hair­like processes; venter of segments 6–7 with 3 long, lateral hair­like processes.

Segment 8 with dorsal transverse row of 10 long hair­like processes and lateral row of 3 long hair­like processes on each side separated from dorsal spurs by spiracles; venter smooth, lacking hair­like processes.

Segment 9 with pair of short, dorsoventrally­flattened dorsomedian processes and pair of longer, coneshaped, ventral posterolateral processes separated from each other; all processes curved downward toward the venter.