Hemipenthes albus Ávalos-Hernández, 2009

Ávalos-Hernández, Omar, 2009, A review of the North American species of Hemipenthes Loew, 1869 (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 2074, pp. 1-49 : 8-9

1. Hemipenthes albus Ávalos-Hernández , new species

(Figs. 1, 27–28)

Holotype in USNM.

Diagnosis: Face bluntly projecting; setulae on basicosta white and black; cells dm and a infuscated just at base; abdomen dorsum with scattered, yellow scales all along.

Description: Male. Body length: 8–9 mm; wing length: 9–10 mm. Head: Eyes separated by a little more than width of ocellar triangle. Front black pilose, yellowish tomentose. Face brown, bluntly projecting, with short black hairs and yellowish tomentum. Scape cinereous, swollen on inner apical margin, with black hairs, twice as long as pedicel; pedicel brown, twice as wide as long, with short black hairs in dorsal portion, bare in ventral portion; 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 brown with black hairs. Occiput with short white hairs and white scales.

Thorax: Mesonotum anterior margin pale yellow pilose; lateral margin entirely white pilose; tomentum on disc yellowish, long, hairlike, not dense, more abundant near scutellum; with black bristles. Mesopleuron white pilose on proepisternum, anepisternum and katatergite; tomentum on katepisternum pale yellow, black pilose. Proepimeron with black hairs in ventral portion and white hairs in dorsal portion. Mid coxa with broad black bristles, tomentum on all coxae hairlike, pale yellow. Legs brown, tibiae fulvous at base, femora black pilose, pale yellow scales present on all legs; fore tibia without bristles, fore claws smaller than mid and hind; mid and hind tibiae with black bristles. Halter steam pale yellow, knob fulvous. Scutellum brown, black pilose, and pale yellow tomentose; bristles black. Black and white setulae on basicosta. Cells c, sc, br, and bm entirely infuscated (Fig. 1); cell r1 with two basal thirds infuscated; cell cup with basal half infuscated; cell dm, r2+3 and r5 infuscated just at base; cell dm infuscated behind r-m crossvein; r-m crossvein behind middle of cell dm; no crossvein between R4 and R2+3; cell r5 slightly narrowed at wing margin; first section of vein CuA1 three times the long of r-m crossvein, second section twice and a half the long of r-m crossvein, third section twice the long of first two sections combined; cell a slightly wider than cell cup; alula poorly developed.

Abdomen: Abdominal dorsum whitish pile on tergites one and two, rest black pilose; pale yellow tomentum overall; sides of abdomen with first and basal half of second tergites with abundant white pile, rest black pilose. Venter white pilose, whitish tomentose. Genitalia brown with yellow 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 broad ( Fig. 27 ) slightly curved, capshaped, apex not swollen, rounded; without a ventral extension; epiphallus in ventral view broad ( Fig. 28 ), lateral margins straight, without spines; 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. Scales on front paler.

Distribution: Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas).

Type material: México. Chihuahua: 5 mi E Parral, 5-IX-1962, R. H. y E. M. Painter (HOLOTYPE 1 male; USNM); 24 mi SW Chihuahua, 6-IX-1962, R. H. and E. M. Painter; (PARATYPES 4 males, 1 female; USNM). Durango: 6 mi N Durango, 5-IX-1962, R. H. y E. M. Painter ( PARATYPE 1 female; USNM). Zacatecas: 25 mi NW Zacatecas, 3-IX-1962, R. H. and E. M. Painter (PARATYPES 9 males, 1 genitalia, 1 female; USNM).

Etymology: The species epithet, albus , is derived from the Latin meaning white and refers to the white setulae on basicosta.

Remarks: The genitalia of Hemipenthes albus are unlike any other found within the genus, different by a broad epiphallus in lateral view and the absence of a medial extension. The following characters places H. albus within the genus Hemipenthes : (1) flagellomere with base subconical, tapering to styliform apical twothirds; (2) proboscis short not projecting beyond oral margin; (3) wing pigmentation with basal third of the wing brown and; (4) contact between vein CuA1 and dm cell longer than crossvein dm. This species has been only collected by R.H. Painter and E.M. Painter in four localities in the northern Mexico, but these localities are separated from each other and it is possible that this species has a wider distribution in the arid regions of the northern Mexico, an area that is under-collected.

Figures

FIGURES 27 – 28. Hemipenthes albus male terminalia. 27, lateral view; 28, ventral view.