Ceraturgus (Ceraturgus) nigripes Williston

Barnes, Jeffrey K., 2008, Review of the genus Ceraturgus Wiedemann (Diptera: Asilidae) in North America north of Mexico, Zootaxa 1766, pp. 1-45 : 31-34

Ceraturgus (Ceraturgus) nigripes Williston

( FIG. 9 )

Ceraturgus nigripes Williston, 1886: 287 .

Ceraturgus mabelae Brimley, 1924: 11 . NEW SYNONYMY.

Type material examined. C. nigripes holotype, male, UNITED STATES, “det. by S. W. Williston”, SEMC. C. mabelae holotype, female, UNITED STATES, “About 4000 ft., F. Sherman”, Linville Falls, NC, L May 1920 ”, “ Type No. 26832 U.S. N.M.” [red label], “ TYPE Ceraturgus mabelae Brimley ” [white label with double red outline], USNM.

Additional material examined. UNITED STATES. FLORIDA. County unknown: Ψ, USNM.

GEORGIA. Habersham County: Tray Mountain, 13 May 1953, Ψ, H. R. Dodge, WSU. Lumpkin County: Blood Mountain, 25 May 1940, Ψ, P. W. Fattig, UGCA; 20 June 1951, Ψ, P. W. Fattig. Rabun County: Rabun Bald, 13 June 1933, Ψ, O. L. Cartwright, CUAC; 6 June 1937, ɗ, P. W. Fattig, UGCA. Union County: Brasstown Bald, 5–8 June 1981, Ψ, R. L. Penrose, CSCA. White County: Unicoi Gap, 17 May 1951, ɗ, Ψ, P. W. Fattig, UGCA.

NORTH CAROLINA. County unknown: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Andrews Bald, 16 June 1946, Ψ, G. Steyskal, UMMZ; Great Smoky Mountians National Park, Forney Ridge, 6000 ft., 18 June 1940, ɗ, C. P. Alexander, UGCA. Buncombe County: Black Mountain, 26 May, Ψ, AMNH; 19 June, ɗ, AMNH; May 1910, 2 Ψ, F. Sherman, NCSU, CUAC; 2 May 1979, ɗ, L. L. Pechuman, CUIC; Mount Graybeard, 23 May, Ψ, ANSP; ɗ, FSCA; 2 ɗ, Ψ MCZ. Burke County: Linville Falls, about 4000 ft., May 1920, 3 ɗ, NCSU; ɗ, USNM; 3 Ψ, F. Sherman, NCSU; June 1920, Ψ, USNM; Pisgah National Forest, holltop of Table Rock, ca. 4000 ft., 35° 53.5'N 81° 53.0'W, 27 May 1999, 2 ɗ, J. E. O'Hara, CNC; Table Rock Mountain, 4000 ft., 27 May 1999, 2 ɗ, J. M. Cumming, CNC. Cherokee County: Andrews, May 1908, Ψ, F. Sherman, NCSU; ɗ, Ψ, F. Sherman, OSU. Haywood County: Cataloochee Divide, 5000 ft., 9–14 June 1940, Ψ, C. A. Frost, USNM; Nellie, June 1924, Ψ, NCSU; Sunburst, May, 3 ɗ, C. S. Brimley, NCSU; Sunburst, 1 May 1913, Ψ, NCSU. Jackson County: Balsam, 1 June 1956, ɗ, D. J. & J. N. Knull, FSCA; ɗ, 2 Ψ, D. J. & J. N. Knull, OSU. Macon County: May 1908, ɗ, F. Sherman, OSU; Ψ, F. Sherman, NCSU; between Highlands and Franklin, 2200–4000 ft., May 1908, Ψ, F. Sherman, NCSU; Highlands, 15 June 1936, ɗ, C. P. Alexander, USNM; Highlands, 15 June 1940, Ψ, C. P. Alexander, UGCA; Highlands, 3–5000 ft., May 1936, 9 ɗ, 5 Ψ, R. C. Shannon, USNM. Swain County: Andrews Bald, 24 July 1923, Ψ, NCSU; Bryson City, 2–5000 ft., May 1936, 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ, R. C. Shannon, USNM; Bryson City, 2–5000 ft. [pinned with cerambycid], May 1936, ɗ, R. C. Shannon, USNM; Bryson City, 3–5000 ft., May 1936, 2 Ψ, R. C. Shannon, USNM. Swain County: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Clingman's Dome, 5500 ft., ɗ, J. Bequaert, MCZ. Swain County: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee, Newfound Gap, 4200 ft., 4 June 1962, Ψ, J. R. Vockeroth, CNC. Wake County: Raleigh, 1 June 1956, Ψ, D. J. & J. N. Knull, CAS.

SOUTH CAROLINA. Oconee County: CCC Camp F2, 6 May 1938, ɗ, Ψ, O. L. Cartwrigth, CUAC. Pickens County: Rocky Bottom, 15 May 1931, Ψ, O. L. Cartwright, CUAC; 22 May 1934, Ψ, O. L. Cartwright, CUAC.

TENNESSEE. Sevier County: Mount LeConte, 12 June 1937, 2 ɗ, O. L. Cartwright, USNM, CUAC.

Male. Body length: 9.6–14.0 mm (mean ± S.D.: 12.8 ± 1.2; N = 17).

Head. Width 1.6 times eye height. Face golden tomentose. Frons and vertex, including ocellar tubercle, shining black, except for narrow golden pollinose line along inner compound eye margins. Postcranium and gena silvery to pale golden pollinose. Face with mystax of long golden setae confined to lower third; upper face with shorter golden setae almost reaching to antennal bases. Frons laterally with short, black setae. Ocellar triangle tuberculate, with about 15 long black and golden setae. Postocular setae black, many with proclinate apices. Postgena and with dense vestiture of long, slender, apically crinkled, black hair-like setae. Stipes with dense vestiture of long, slender, apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae. Proboscis black, laterally compressed, about 4.6 times as long as deep, deepest near base in lateral view, tapered to rounded apex. Palpal segments about equal in length, black, both with long, dark hair-like setae. Antenna 3.8 mm long, black; scape shining black, with black lateral setae along entire length; pedicel dull black, with black dorsolateral and ventrolateral setae at apex; flagellomeres dull black; antennomere:scape ratios 1.0:0.8:2.3:0.5:2.6.

Thorax. Cervical sclerites black, sparsely golden pollinose, with dense vestiture of long, slender apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae. Pronotum sparsely light golden pollinose, with sparse pile of long, slender, golden setae covering antepronotum and posterolateral corners of postpronotum; postpronotal lobe thickly deep golden pollinose, covered with long, slender, erect golden hair-like setae. Propleuron with proepisternum pale golden pollinose and proepimeron deep golden pollinose, with dense vestiture of long, declinate, golden hair-like setae on proepisternum and reclinate hair-like setae on anterior portion of proepimeron. Prosternum pale golden pollinose, lacking setae. Scutum black or dark brown in ground color, golden pollinose, with bare central brown vitta extending from pronotum nearly to scutellum and pair of broad posterolateral bare patches, each divided by narrow line of pollen along transverse suture, reaching from behind postpronotal lobes almost to scutellum; lateral scutal pollen golden from postpronotal lobe to supra-alar area, otherwise pale golden or silvery; vestiture of short or long, erect or slightly reclinate setae mostly restricted to pollinose areas surrounding bare vittae; anterior marginal and posterior marginal (prescutellar) setae pale, others black; postsutural setae longer than presutural setae; lateral margin of scutum, in addition to several weaker black setae, with 2–3 strong, pale presutural setae and 3–6 strong, pale postsutural, supra-alar setae. Postalar callus with short, pale hair-like setae laterally and long, strong, pale reclinate setae posteriorly. Scutellum shining black and bare at center of disc, otherwise sparsely silvery pollinose, with about 12 moderately strong, long, erect pale marginal setae, about as long as, or longer than, scutellum, and several marginal hair-like setae. Mediotergite shining brown, anatergite golden pollinose, katatergite silvery pollinose with fan of long, slen- der, apically crinkled, golden hair-like setae. Most mesopleural sclerites at least partly golden pollinose, but pollen sparse or lacking on lower anepisternum, lower katepisternum, lower and posterior anepimeron, and meron, these areas appearing shining or dull black. 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 pale golden pollinose. Katepisternum with a few fine, golden hair-like setae posterodorsally. 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. All segments shining black or dark brown in ground color. Coxae pale golden pollinose on anterior and lateral surfaces, black on posterior surface. Prothoracic and mesothoracic coxae densely covered with long, slender, golden, apically crinkled hair-like setae on anterior and lateral surfaces. Metathoracic coxa with similar hair-like setae anteroventrally and posterolaterally. Femora covered with long, fine, golden hair-like setae, with circlet of stout setae near apex; mesothoracic and metathoracic femur with anterodorsal row of 3– 5 long, stout setae. Prothoracic tibia with anterodorsal and posterodorsal row of short golden setae and posteroventral row of long golden setae; mesothoracic tibia with anterodorsal, posterodorsal, anteroventral, and posteroventral rows of long golden setae; metathoracic tibia with dorsal, anterior and ventral rows of long golden setae. Tarsi shining black or dark brown; length of first tarsomere longer than or equal to length of second and third combined. All claws black with golden brown base. All pulvilli pale yellowish brown.

Wing. 8.5–10.7 mm long (mean ± S.D.: 9.6 ± 0.8; N = 17); lightly to moderately infuscated; most lightly infuscated in, and posterior to, cells br, d, and m2; more heavily infuscated apically and anteriorly; most heavily infuscated in apical portions of cells c and sc, at base of cells r1 and r2+3, and around crossvein r-m. Halter with stem and knob light brown or brownish yellow.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 shining black in ground color; with posterior pale silvery pollinose band, narrow at midline, reaching to anterior margin laterally, with many long pale hair-like setae anterolaterally, many long pale setae posterolaterally. Tergites 2–6 shining black in ground color, with broad posterior golden pollinose transverse band; bands not extending forward at lateral edge of tergites; each pollinose band usually anteriorly notched at midline; tergite 2 with many long, slender, golden hair-like setae laterally; tergites 3–6 with shorter golden hair-like setae. Tergite 7 black. Sternites 1–7 black, covered with sparse, pale pollen and many long slender, golden, hair-like setae; setae especially heavy and dense on sternites 5–7. Terminalia black, with many long golden hair-like setae.

Female. Similar to male.

Body length: 11.7–15.9 mm (mean ± S.D.: 13.3 ± 1.1; N = 15).

Head. Width 1.6 times eye height. Antenna 3.7 mm long; antennomere:scape ratios: 1.0:0.8:2.9:0.4:2.4.

Wing. 9.6–14.4 mm long (mean ± S.D.: 11.2 ± 1.1; N = 15); hyaline to lightly infuscated.

Legs. All pulvilli pale yellow.

Abdomen. Tergites 2–8 shining black in ground color. Tergites 2–6 with broad posterior golden pollinose transverse bands; bands often notched anteriorly at midline. Tergite 7 with narrow posterior golden pollinose transverse band. Tergite 8 black, lacking pollen. Sternites 2–6 black, covered with heavy, pale golden pollen and many long slender, golden hair-like setae; sternite 7 black; hair-like setae especially heavy and dense on sternites 6–7.

Distribution ( FIG. 9 ). North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Johnson (1913) and Bromley (1950a) reported that there was a specimen of this species from Florida in the USNM. I did not find one in that collection, and I consider this an erroneous record. Fattig (1945) recorded one specimen collected at Neel Gap, Georgia, in May.

Discussion. Some specimens, such as those from Highlands, North Carolina, have hyaline wings, while others, such as those from Linville Falls, Bryson City, and Cataloochee Divide, North Carolina, have distinctly smoky wings.

Willison (1886) described C. nigripes from a single male specimen collected in Georgia, but he did not refer to that specimen as the type or the holotype. Back (1909) stated that the type was at the University of Kansas, but it is not listed in the Diptera type catalog for that collection ( Byers et al. 1962). A single male specimen from the University of Kansas collection labeled simply “det. by S. W. Williston” is assumed to be the holotype and is now so labeled.

The holotype of C. mabelae appears to be merely a pale female specimen of C. nigripes . It is the only specimen ever to have been identified as C. mabelae , and it was collected at the same place and same time as many typical specimens of C. nigripes . As in typical specimens of C. nigripes , the femora and tibiae are uniformly dark. The antennomere:scape ratios are 1.0:0.8:2.7:0.5:2.4, similar to those reported here for C. nigripes , and the wings are hyaline.

One specimen that I examined is pinned with its presumed prey, a cerambycid beetle. Fattig (1945) reported Auplopus architectus (Say) (as Pseudagenia architecta (Say)) ( Hymenoptera : Pompilidae ) as prey of this species.

In most respects, C. nigripes appears to be nearly identical to C. similis , although it is easily distinguished from the latter by its completely black legs.

Most specimens have been collected from early May to late June.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Distribution of Ceraturgus nigripes by county.