Hemipenthes blanchardiana (Jaennicke)

Ávalos-Hernández, Omar, 2009, A review of the North American species of Hemipenthes Loew, 1869 (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 2074, pp. 1-49 : 11-12

3. Hemipenthes blanchardiana (Jaennicke)

(Figs. 3, 31–32)

Exoprosopa blanchardiana Jaennicke, 1867: 341 .

Isopenthes blanchardiana (Jaennicke) : Osten Sacken, 1886a: 96.

Villa blanchardiana (Jaennicke) : Painter & Painter, 1962: 4.

Villa (Hemipenthes) sinuosa blanchardiana (Jeannicke) : Painter & Painter, 1965: 436. Hemipenthes sinuosa blanchardiana (Jaennicke) : Hull, 1973: 386. Hemipenthes blanchardiana (Jaennicke) : Evenhuis & Greathead, 1999: 442.

Syntype (lost) in HLDH ( Evenhuis & Greathead, 1999: 442).

Diagnosis: Cell r1 entirely infuscated except for a subapical hyaline area; cell r2+3 with basal half infuscated and a color spot at tip; cell r5 infuscated beyond R4 vein with just a hyaline area near wing margin; presence of a crossvein between R4 and R2+3; abdomen with black tomentum overall with a few scattered scales.

Description: Male. Body length: 9–11 mm; wing length: 10–11 mm. Head: Eyes separated by one and a half width of ocellar triangle. Front black pilose, black tomentose, yellow scales near antenna. Face brown, rounded, with black hairs and yellowish tomentum. Scape fulvous, swollen on inner apical margin, with black hairs, twice as long as pedicel; pedicel fulvous, twice as wide as long, black hairs on the base; flagellomere brown, longer than scape and pedicel combined; base subconical, tapering to styliform apical two-thirds; stylus minute, terminal. Proboscis short, not projecting beyond oral margin. Palpi cinereous with black hairs. Occiput with short black and yellow hairs and yellowish scales.

Thorax: Mesonotum anterior margin pale yellow pilose; lateral margin black and yellowish pilose; tomentum on disc entirely yellowish, long, hairlike, not dense; bristles black. Mesopleuron black and yellow pilose; tomentum on katepisternum pale yellow. Proepimeron yellowish pilose, with black hairs present. Mid coxa with black hairs, tomentum on all coxae hairlike, pale yellow. Legs fulvous, tarsi darker, femora black pilose, some white hairs on mid femur, pale yellow tomentose, some black scales may be present; bristles black. Halter steam brownish, knob yellow to fulvous. Scutellum brown, black pilose, and yellow tomentose, a spot of black tomentum in middle at base; bristles black. Black setulae on basicosta. Cells c, sc, br, bm, r1, cup and a entirely infuscated (Fig. 3), cell r1 with a hyaline area just above R4-R2+3 crossvein; cell r2+3 infuscated from base to R4-R2+3 crossvein with a spot at tip; cells r5 and CuA1 entirely infuscated except tip; cell dm with two basal thirds infuscated; cell m2 with basal half infuscated; cell dm infuscated beyond r-m crossvein; r-m crossvein behind middle of cell dm; crossvein between R4 and R2+3 present; cell r5 slightly narrowed at wing margin; first section of vein CuA1 twice the long of r-m crossvein, second section twice the long of r-m crossvein, third section one and a half the long of first two sections combined; cell a as wide as cell cup; alula poorly developed.

Abdomen: Abdominal dorsum white pilose on first to fourth tergites, black hairs on fifth to seventh tergites; black tomentum overall, some pale yellow scales scattered; sides of abdomen with first and basal half of second tergites whitish pilose, abundant black with some yellow hairs on rest. Venter white pilose, whitish tomentose. Genitalia brown with black hairs. Epandrium in lateral view, rectangular, lower margin concave in middle, basal corner narrowed; gonocoxite narrow, basal half enlarged; gonostylus small, hooked apically; epiphallus in lateral view narrow ( Fig. 31 ) slightly curved, cap-shaped, apex swollen, rounded; with a ventral extension broad at base with apex acuminate, portion of the epiphallus behind ventral extension longer than aedeagus; epiphallus in ventral view broad ( Fig. 32 ), lateral margins narrowed at both sides at middle, with scattered spines all along; aedeagus broad at base narrowed at apex, not swollen dorsally; gonopore terminal.

Female. Nearly identical to male. Eyes separated by twice width of ocellar triangle.

Distribution: Mexico (Distrito Federal, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala), USA (Arizona, California, Texas).

Specimens examined: Mexico. Distrito Federal: Magdalena Contreras, Los Dinamos, 19-IV-2006, O. Ávalos-Hernández (1 male genitalia; MZFC); 9-VIII-1910 (1 male; USNM); Pedregal, 16-IX-1946, W.G. Downs (1 male; USNM). Guanajuato: Near Celaya, 3-XII-1932, Hobart Smith (1 male; USNM). USA: Arizona: Cav. Chiricahua Mts., 8-VIII-1932 (1 female; USNM).

Remarks: Hemipenthes blanchardiana is closely related to H. jaennickeana and H. sinuosa , but can be distinguished from the first by the pigmentation in cell r5, which is entirely infuscated except tip and from the second by the presence of a crossvein between R4 and R2+3. The South American species H. ditaenia (Wiedemann) also has a crossvein between R4 and R2+3 although the most common condition within the genus is not to have such crossvein. The great similarity between these three species may suggest that they are synonyms with intraspecific variation, but the genitalia of H. blanchardiana ( Figs. 31 & 32 ) are different from that of H. jaennickeana ( Figs. 55 & 56 ) although similar to that of H. sinuosa ( Figs. 71 & 72 ). I consider the genitalia characteristics and the presence of a crossvein between R4 and R2+3 are enough differences to separate H. blanchardiana from H. jaennickeana and H. sinuosa , respectively.

In difference with their relatives, which are widespread, the distribution of H. blanchardiana appears to be disjunct, having some populations in the center of Mexico and others in the South of USA, but none in the Northern Mexico. This may be because this species likes cold-humid weather, as that present in pine forests, which are not abundant in the northern-arid regions of Mexico.

Figures

FIGURES 31 – 32. Hemipenthes blanchardiana male terminalia. 31, lateral view; 32, ventral view.

FIGURES 55 – 56. Hemipenthes jaennickeana male terminalia. 55, lateral view; 56, ventral view.

FIGURES 71 – 72. Hemipenthes sinuosa male terminalia. 71, lateral view; 72, ventral view.