Ceraturgus (Ceraturgopsis) cornutus (Wiedemann)

Barnes, Jeffrey K., 2008, Review of the genus Ceraturgus Wiedemann (Diptera: Asilidae) in North America north of Mexico, Zootaxa 1766, pp. 1-45 : 37-40

Ceraturgus (Ceraturgopsis) cornutus (Wiedemann)

( FIGS 10 B, 10C, 12)

Dasypogon cornutus Wiedemann, 1828: 382 . Ceraturgopsis cornutus Johnson : 1903: 111.

Ceraturgus cornutus: Martin 1965: 120 .

Type material examined. Lectotype, female: “North American?”, “ cornutus , = cruciatus, Alte Sammlung , Type, Wdm”, “ Type ” [red label], “ cornutus , det. Hermann”, “ Ceraturgus cornutus Wied. ” [gray label, handwritten], NMW.

Additional material examined. UNITED STATES. ALABAMA. Monroe County: 1 mi. SE of Franklin, 31°42’32”N 87°23’21”W, 27 May 1995, T. L. Schiefer, Ψ, MEM.

ARKANSAS. Benton County, 7 June 1933, Ψ, S. A. Summerland, UAAM. Washington County: 5 June 1960, 12 June 1939 and 17 June 1941, one with a second label, Oenothera , 3 Ψ, UAAM (examined by JW, now apparently lost).

FLORIDA. Liberty County: Torreya State Park, 14 May 1964, Ψ, R. E. White, FSCA; 5 April 1967, ɗ, H. V. Weems, Jr., FSCA; 9 May 1968, Ψ, H. V. Weems, Jr., FSCA; 9–17 May 1968, Malaise trap, Ψ, H. V. Weems, Jr.; 13 May 1968, 3 Ψ, H. V. Weems, Jr. and G. H. Heinrich; 14 May 1968, Ψ, H. V. Weems, Jr., FSCA; 6–7 May 1969, Ψ, H. V. Weems, FSCA; 16 May 1970, Ψ, H. V. Weems, Jr., FSCA; 1 May 1973, 2 ɗ, 2 Ψ, H. V. Weems, Jr., FSCA.

GEORGIA. Effingham County: New Ebenezer Center, 5 mi. NE of Rincon, 4 May 1997, C. R. Nelson, Ψ, BYU; 6 May 1997, C. R. Nelson, ɗ, BYU.

TENNESSEE. Marion County: Chattanooga, 23 June 1952, W.J. Hanson, Ψ, EMUS.

Female. Body length: 15.3–26.9 mm (mean ± S.D.: 19.0 ± 3.2, N = 14).

Head. Width 1.5 times eye height. Face golden tomentose. Frons, vertex except for ocellar tubercle, postcranium, and gena golden pollinose. Face with sparse mystax of golden setae confined to lower fifth; upper face with sparse, short golden setae reaching to antennal bases. Frons laterally with short golden setae. Ocellar triangle tuberculate, with 8–10 golden setae. Postocular setae golden, stout. Postgena and stipes with dense vestiture of long, slender, apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae. Proboscis brown, laterally compressed, about 4 times as long as deep. Palpal segments about equal in length, golden pollinose, both segments with long golden setae. Antenna 3.9–4.4 mm long; scape golden pollinose, with golden ventrolateral setae; pedicel and flagellomeres dark brown; antennomere:scape ratios 1.0:1.0:3.7:0.5:1.1.

Thorax. Cervical sclerites brown, sparsely golden pollinose, with dense vestiture of long, slender, apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae. Pronotum golden pollinose, with sparse pile of long, slender, golden setae covering antepronotum and posterolateral corners of postpronotum; postpronotal lobe with erect golden setae along anterior edge and short, reclinate, golden hair-like setae on disc. Propleuron with dense vestiture of long, declinate, golden hair-like setae on proepisternum and reclinate hair-like setae on anterior portion of proepimeron. Prosternum golden pollinose, lacking setae. Scutum reddish brown in ground color, golden pollinose except for central brown vitta extending from pronotum nearly to scutellum and pair of broad posterolateral patches, each divided by narrow line of golden pollen along transverse suture, reaching from behind postpronotal lobes almost to scutellum; with sparse, short, reclinate golden hair-like setae on golden pollinose areas and narrow mid-dorsal longitudinal line and with prescutellar patch of longer, reclinate, golden hair-like setae; non-pollinose areas mostly devoid of setae. Lateral margin of scutum with 3 strong, pale presutural setae and 6–8 strong, pale postsutural, supra-alar setae. Postalar callus with 3–4 stout golden setae and many short hair-like setae. Scutellum golden pollinose, with short golden hair-like setae on disc and 6–8 moderately strong, golden setae and several fine hair-like setae along margin; marginal scutellar setae shorter than or equal to length of scutellum. Mediotergite brown. Anatergite and katatergite golden pollinose; katatergite with a fan of long, slender, apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae. Mesopleural sclerites mostly golden pollinose, less so on lower katepisternum and meron. Posterior half of anepisternum covered with long, fine, golden, apically crinkled hair-like setae; dorsal setae declinate, ventral setae reclinate. Anterior basalare brown; posterior basalare light golden pollinose. Katepisternum with few fine, golden, hair-like setae centrally. Anepimeron, katepimeron, and meron lacking setae. Basal swelling of pleural wing process golden pollinose.

Subalar sclerite brown. Metepisternum and metepimeron golden pollinose; metepimeron with long, fine, apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae.

Legs. Uniformly brown. Coxae golden pollinose; prothoracic and mesothoracic coxae densely covered with long, slender, golden hair-like setae on anterior and lateral surfaces; metathoracic coxa with similar hairlike setae anteroventrally and posterolaterally. All trochanters, femora, tibiae, and tarsi shining golden brown; all claws black with brown base. All femora with circlets of several stout, golden setae near apex; prothoracic and mesothoracic femora with single golden seta anteriorly basad of middle; metathoracic femur with anterior row of 5–6 golden bristles. Prothoracic tibia with anterodorsal and posterodorsal row of short golden setae and anteroventral and posteroventral row of long golden setae; mesothoracic tibia with anterodorsal, anteroventral, and posteroventral rows of long golden setae, posterodorsal row with weaker setae; metathoracic tibia with dorsal, anterior, and anteroventral rows of long golden setae. First tarsomere subequal in length to second and third combined. All pulvilli pale yellow.

Wing ( FIG.10 C). 11.7–17.3 mm long (mean ± S.D.: 14.9 ± 1.8, N = 13). Almost uniformly medium brown, somewhat lighter posteriorly, with small dark area near anterior margin in vicinity of apex of vein Sc; small area of membrane at base of cell r1 and corresponding area across vein R 1 in cell sc hyaline; small area of membrane at base of cell d hyaline. Halter with stem golden brown, knob brown.

Abdomen. Tergites 1–5 with broad shining brown anterior margin and broad golden pollinose posterior marginal bands; bands not wider at lateral margins of tergites than at midline; tergites 2–5 with anterior longitudinal dark bands at midline, with pollinose bands broadest near middle; tergite 1 with long, slender, apically crinkled, golden, anterolateral hair-like setae and about 9–12 stout, posterolateral, golden setae; tergites 6–7 brown, shining. Sternites 2–4 golden pollinose; sternite 5 shining brown, golden pollinose posteriorly and laterally; sternites 1–3 with long, slender, apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae; sternites 4–5 with shorter hair-like setae than preceding sternites; sternites 6–7 shining brown.

Male. Similar to female except as follows:

Body length: 13.8–19.5 mm (mean ± S.D.: 15.7 ± 2.6, N = 4).

Head. Mystax dense, consisting of many long, apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae. Antenna 3.9 mm long; antennomere:scape ratios 1.0:1.0:3.8:0.3:1.0.

Thorax. Hair-like setae of postpronotal lobe and prescutellar area of scutum dense and long. Marginal scutellar setae as long as or longer than length of scutellum.

Legs. Prothoracic and mesothoracic coxae densely covered with long, apically crinkled golden hair-like setae. All femora reddish brown to dark brown, with many long, apically crinkled golden hair-like setae ventrally; prothoracic and metathoracic femora lacking setae anteriorly; metathoracic femur with anterior row of 3–4 golden setae. Prothoracic tibia with thick ventral brush of very long, apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae; mesothoracic tibia with sparse anterodorsal, anteroventral, and posteroventral rows of long golden hairlike setae. All pulvilli pale yellow.

Wing ( FIG. 10 B). 12.1–13.9 mm long (mean ± S.D.: 12.7 ± 0.8, N = 4). Similar to female wing.

Abdomen. Tergites 1–6 with broad shining brown anterior margin and broad white or pale golden pollinose posterior margin. Sternites 1–7 mostly pale golden pollinose.

Distribution ( FIG. 12 ). Southeastern; Georgia and Florida west to Arkansas.

Discussion. This species is similar to C. johnsoni . Martin (1965) found one female syntype in the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, which he designated as lectotype. Abdominal tergites 2–5 of the lectotype have broad, yellow pollinose bands posteriorly, and abdominal tergites 6–8 are polished. Sternites 1–4 are mostly yellow pollinose. The remaining sternites have been destroyed by museum pests. Female C. johnsoni have posterior pollinose bands on tergites 2–7.

Males of C. cornutus have the posterior margins of tergites 1–6 white or pale golden pollinose; sternites 1–7 are mostly pale golden pollinose. However, as in the females, the dark brown, non-pollinose areas of the scutum lack hair-like setae, except for a narrow median longitudinal line and a prescutellar patch of short, reclinate, golden hair-like setae. These bare areas are sufficient to separate C. cornutus from the smaller C. johnsoni , which has the scutum covered with short, reclinate, golden hair-like setae throughout.

Compared to females, the males have a denser mystax of longer, apically crinkled hair-like setae; a denser ventral brush of longer, apically crinkled hair-like setae on the anterior tibiae, and femora that are much darker than other leg segments.

Back (1909) illustrated the antenna and female dorsal aspect.

Most specimens have been collected in May.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Ceraturgus, right wing, dorsal view: A, C. oklahomensis, male; B, C, C. cornutus, male and female, respectively; D, E, C. johnsoni, male and female, respectively.

FIGURE 12. Distribution of Ceraturgus cornutus by county.