Phrosinella (Euhilarella) aurifacies Downes, 1985

Verves, Yury & Khrokalo, Liudmyla, 2017, A review of subtribe Phrosinellina Verves, 1989, with description of Phrosinella (Asiometopia) kocaki sp. nov. from the Middle East (Diptera: Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae: Metopiaini), Turkish Journal of Zoology 41 (1), pp. 43-59 : 51-52

Phrosinella (Euhilarella) aurifacies Downes, 1985

Phrosinella aurifacies Downes, 1985: 269 [♂ ♀].

Phrosinella aurifacies : Spofford and Kurczewski, 1985: 273 [habits]; Hager and Kurczewski, 1986: 453 [habits]; Kurczewski and Spofford, 1986: 13 [habits]; Spofford et al., 1986: 350 [habits]; Kurczewski, 1989: 397 [habits]; Spofford et al., 1989: 256 [hosts]; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1990: 731 [habits]; Kurczewski, 1991: 300 [habits]; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992: 995 [hosts]; Pape, 1996: 123 [catalogue]; O’Hara et al., 2000: 172 [faunistic].

Holotype (male): USA, Michigan, Shiawassee Co., Rose Lake Conservation Area. Deposited in USNM.

Phrosinella fulvicornis [misidentification: not Gymnoprosopa fulvicornis Coquillett, 1895 ]: Brown, 1934: 249 [faunistic]; Cole and Lovett, 1921: 303 [faunistic]; Cole, 1923: 205 [faunistic]; Criddle, 1928: 92 [faunistic]; Knowton, 1936: 237 [faunistic]; Ristich, 1956: 271 [habits]; Evans and Lin, 1959: 115 [habits]; Krombein and Kurczewski, 1963: 139 [faunistic, habits]; Evans, 1966b: 35 [habits]; 1970: 451 [habits]; 1973: 888 [habits]; 1975: 888 [habits]; Peckham, 1977: 823 [habits]; Evans et al., 1980: 865; O’Hara et al., 2000 [faunistic, habits], Pickering, 2011: 1627, 1631.

Distribution: Nearctic: Canada (Alberta, Labrador, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Yukon Territory), USA (Colorado, Connecticut, Florida 7, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming 8).

Habits: This species is one of the most common sarcophagids in sandy xerophytic places in North America, and it is a “hole searcher”; therefore, the larviposition response could be initiated in situations other than a wasp bringing in its prey ( Downes, 1985). Both sexes feed on honeydew of aphid colonies in psammophilic xerophilous vegetation. Courtship and compound mating behavior are highly specific for this species ( Spofford and Kurczewski, 1985). Gravid ♀♀ zigzag several millimeters above the surface of sand and sometimes land to investigate temporarily closed entrances into wasps’ ground nests. Then ♀♀ larviposit one or several maggots on the depression over the closed entrance, and larvae wriggle quickly through the entrance stopper into the burrow ( Spofford et al., 1986). In another way, gravid flies pursue wasps lugging prey and enter into open burrows immediately after hosts ( Kurczewski and Spofford, 1986; Kurczewski, 1989, 1991). Sometimes flies larviposit into the burrow before the beginning of wasp foraging ( Peckham, 1977). Larvae develop in ground nests in sandy areas of different sphecid and occasionally pompiloid wasps, where they feed at host prey (paralyzed or freshly killed insects or spiders), viz:

Pompilidae . Episyron quinquenotatus at paralyzed orb weaver spiders, Araneidae ( Spofford et al., 1989; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992).

Sphecidae . 1. At paralyzed adult beetles ( Buprestidae ): Cerceris fumipennis ( Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992) .

2. At paralyzed caterpillars ( Geometridae , Gelechiidae , Noctuidae , Pyralidae ): Ammophila harti ( Hager and Kurczewski, 1986) .

3. At freshly killed adult flies: Crabro argusinus ( Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992) , C. monticola ( Evans et al., 1980; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992), C. virgatus ( Evans et al., 1980) , Lindenius armaticeps ( Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992) ; L. columbianus ( Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992; Lucas, 1997); Oxybelus bipunctatus ( Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992) , O. emarginatus ( Krombein and Kurczewski, 1963; Peckham, 1977), O. subulatus (mainly Therevidae : Peckham, 1977; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992); O. uniglumis (mainly Muscidae : Evans, 1970; Lucas, 1997).

4. At freshly killed solitary and honey bees: Phylanthus crabroniformis ( Evans, 1970) ; P. gibbosus ( Evans, 1970; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992; Lucas, 1997); P. lepidus ( Evans, 1970; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992); P. politus ( Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992) ; P. solivagus ( Ristich, 1956; Spofford et al., 1989; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992); P. zebratus ( Evans, 1970) .

5. At paralyzed nymphs and adult Orthoptera : Tachysphex acutus ( Melanoplus spp. : Kurczewski, 1964, 1989, 1991); T. antennatus (Acridoidea: Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992); T. intermedius (Acridoidea: Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992); T. similis (Acridoidea: Kurczewski, 1964), T. tarsatus (Acridoidea: Kurczewski, 1964; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992), T. terminatus (Acridoidea: Krombein and Kurczewski, 1963; Kurczewski, 1964; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992), Tachytes mergus ( Tridactylus spp. : Krombein and Kurczewski, 1963), T. parvus ( Tetrix ornata : Kurczewski and Spofford, 1986; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992).

6. At paralyzed or freshly killed adult Homoptera: Clitemnestra bipunctata (Cicadoidea, Psiloidea: Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992; Evans and O’Neill, 2007); Gorytes canaliculatus ( Cicadellidae : Evans, 1970; Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992); Sphecius speciosus (great-sized Cicadidae species from genera Diceroprocta , Magicicada , Neocicada , Quesada , and Tibicen : Kurczewski and Spofford, 1987).

7. At paralyzed Hemiptera : Plenoculus davisi (tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris : Spofford and Kurczewski, 1992).