Hemipenthes lepidota (Osten Sacken)

Ávalos-Hernández, Omar, 2009, A review of the North American species of Hemipenthes Loew, 1869 (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 2074, pp. 1-49 : 28-29

13. Hemipenthes lepidota (Osten Sacken)

(Figs. 14, 57–58)

Anthrax lepidota Osten Sacken, 1886b: 115 (key); 1887: 130 (description). Villa (Hemipenthes) lepidota (Osten Sacken) : Painter & Painter, 1962: 113. Hemipenthes lepidota (Osten Sacken) : Hull, 1973: 386.

Type (lost) in BMNH ( Evenhuis & Greathead, 1999: 445).

Diagnosis: Proepimeron pilosity black; coxae with black tomentum; hind femur and tibia with abundant black, broad, flattened scales; dm and a cells hyaline or infuscated just at base; bm cell completely infuscated; postalar bristles black; first, and fourth abdominal tergites with a band of white scales; fifth abdominal tergite with a band of fulvous scales.

Description: Male. Body length: 7–10 mm; wing length: 8–11 mm. Head: Eyes separated by a little more than width of ocellar triangle. Front black pilose, whitish tomentose. Face black, rounded, with black hairs and white tomentum. Scape black, swollen on inner apical margin, with black hairs, twice as long as pedicel; pedicel black, twice as wide as long, with black hairs; flagellomere black, as long as scape and pedicel combined; base subconical, tapering to styliform apical two-thirds; stylus minute, terminal. Proboscis short, not projecting beyond oral margin. Palpi black with black hairs. Occiput with short white hairs and white scales.

Thorax: Mesonotum anterior margin yellowish pilose; lateral margin entirely white tomentose, without pile; tomentum on disc entirely white-violet, long, hairlike, denser near scutellum; bristles black. Mesopleuron black pilose, katatergite with white and black hairs mixed in, tomentum on katepisternum black. Proepimeron with black hairs. Mid coxa with black hairs, tomentum on all coxae black. Legs black, femora black pilose, with shinny black scales, hind femur and tibia with broad black scales; tibiae with black bristles. Halter steam brown, knob yellow. Scutellum brown, not pilose, and white-violet tomentose on posterior margin, black tomentum on basal half; bristles black. Black setulae on basicosta. Cells c, br, and bm entirely infuscated (Fig. 14); cell sc entirely infuscated except tip; cells r1 and cup with basal half infuscated; cells r2+3, r5 and dm infuscated just at base; cell dm infuscated behind r-m crossvein; r-m crossvein at basal third of cell dm; no crossvein between R4 and R2+3; cell r5 slightly narrowed at wing margin; first section of vein CuA1 two and a half the long of r-m crossvein, second section as long as r-m crossvein, third section two and a half the long of first two sections combined; cell a twice wider than cell cup; alula well developed.

Abdomen: Abdominal dorsum not pilose, just whitish pile on apical half of tergite one; black tomentum overall, except a broad crossband of white tomentum on fourth tergite, that on tergite five and most of six mixed black and fulvous scales scattered, a band of white and yellowish tomentum on apical half of first tergite, all seventh tergite covered with white scales; sides of third, fifth, and sixth tergites black tomentose, fourth and seventh tergites whitish tomentose, tomentum long, shaggy, hair-like; sides of abdomen with first and apical half of second tergite whitish pilose, black hairs on rest. Venter black pilose, black tomentose. Genitalia black 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. 57 ) clearly 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. 58 ), lateral margins narrowed at both sides at middle, with scattered spines all along; aedeagus slender not broad at base, not swollen dorsally; gonopore terminal.

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

Distribution: Canada (Alberta), Mexico (Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tamaulipas), USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming).

Specimens examined: Mexico. Chihuahua: 5 mi E Porral, 5-IX-1962, R. H and E. M. Painter (1 female; USNM). Morelos: Quilamula, 9-VIII-2003 (2 males; MZFC), 15-VI-2003 (2 males; MZFC), 7-XII-2003 (1 female; CNIN), 28-VI-2003 (1 female; MZFC), O. Ávalos and M. López. USA. Arizona: Tubac, 5-VIII-1932, R. H. Painter (1 male genitalia; USNM); 25 mi SE Sells, 1-VIII-1932, R. H. Painter (1 male; USNM); 10 mi NW Nogales, 27-IV-1961, R.H. and E. M. Painter (1 female; USNM). Nevada: Douglas Co., 15-VIII-1958, R. H. y E. M. Painter (1 female; USNM); Paradise Valley, 11-VIII-1958, R. H. and E. M. Painter (1 female; USNM); Lehman Creek, 21-VIII-1957, R. H. and E. M. Painter (1 female; USNM). Texas: Metz, 12-VIII- 1930, Winburn and R. H. Painter (1 female; USNM).

Remarks: Hemipenthes lepidota has similar wing pigmentation to that of H. albus , H. scylla , H. translucens , and H. webberi . The cell a is hyaline, the margin of color sinuous and the color limited to the base and anterior margin of the wing. H. lepidota is apparently related with H. inops . The broad black scales in the hind tibiae in H. inops and H. lepidota may be homologous structures. The genitalia of this species has a medial extension in the epiphallus longer and slender than those in other species, a unique characteristic of H. lepidota . H. lepidota has been reported to have territorial behavior ( Ávalos-Hernández, 2007). This species has a widespread distribution along all Mexico and the West half of the USA.

Figures

FIGURES 57 – 58. Hemipenthes lepidota male terminalia. 57, lateral view; 58, ventral view.