Hemipenthes curta (Loew)

Ávalos-Hernández, Omar, 2009, A review of the North American species of Hemipenthes Loew, 1869 (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 2074, pp. 1-49 : 20-22

8. Hemipenthes curta (Loew)

(Figs. 9, 47–48)

Anthrax curta Loew, 1869: 22

Villa (Hemipenthes) curta (Loew) : Painter & Painter, 1965: 435. Hemipenthes curta (Loew) : Hull, 1973: 385.

Holotype male in MCZ.

Diagnosis: Cell a hyaline or infuscated just at base; mesopleuron with white, ferruginous and yellow hair; sides of first abdominal tergite white pilose; first abdominal tergite with a band of white scales; second to fourth abdominal tergites with black scales; fifth abdominal tergite with a band of fulvous scales.

Description: Male. Body length: 9–10 mm; wing length: 9–10 mm. Head: Eyes separated by a little more than width of ocellar triangle. Front black pilose, black tomentose. Face brown, rounded, with black hairs and white tomentum. Scape brown, 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; flagellomere black, 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 yellowish hairs. Occiput with short white hairs and white scales.

Thorax: Mesonotum anterior margin white or pale yellow pilose; lateral margin entirely white or goldenyellow; tomentum on disc entirely testaceous, yellow on posterior margin near scutellum, long, hairlike, not dense; bristles black. Proepisternum white pilose, black and ferruginous hairs mixed in on anepisternum, katatergite with yellow and white hairs, tomentum on katepisternum black and ferruginous mixed in. Proepimeron with white hairs. Mid coxa with ferruginous hairs, not tomentose. Legs brown, femora not pilose and black tomentose; bristles black. Halter steam yellow, knob pale yellow. Scutellum brown, not pilose, and white or yellowish tomentose along posterior margin, black tomentum in middle at base; bristles black. Black setulae on basicosta. Cells c, sc, br, and bm entirely infuscated (Fig. 9); cell cup entirely infuscated except tip; cell r1 with basal half infuscated; cells dm with basal third infuscated; cells r2+3, r5, and cua1 infuscated just at base; cell dm infuscated at r-m crossvein; r-m crossvein behind middle of cell dm; no crossvein between R4 and R2+3; cell r5 not narrowed at wing margin; first section of vein CuA1 twice the long of r-m crossvein, second section one and a half the long of r-m crossvein, third section twice the long of first two sections combined; cell a twice wider than cell cup; alula well developed.

Abdomen: Abdominal dorsum not pilose, some black hairs on tergites six and seven; black tomentum overall, a band of white scales in first tergite, a crossband of yellowish tomentum on fifth tergite, not reaching tergite center, that on tergites sixth and most of seventh mixed black and yellow; sides of fifth to seventh tergites whitish tomentose, tomentum broad, dense; sides of abdomen with first and basal half of second tergites whitish pilose, black hairs on third and fourth tergites, rest not pilose. Venter white pilose and whitish tomentose on two basal sternites, rest black pilose and ferruginous tomentose. Genitalia black with ferruginous hairs. Epandrium in lateral view, rectangular and narrow, lower margin straight, basal corner narrowed; gonocoxite narrow, basal half enlarged; gonostylus small, hooked apically; epiphallus in lateral view narrow ( Fig. 47 ) slightly curved, not cap-shaped, apex not swollen, rounded; with a ventral extension broad at base with apex rounded, portion of the epiphallus behind ventral extension shorter than aedeagus; epiphallus in ventral view broad ( Fig. 48 ), lateral margins straight, without spines; aedeagus broad at base narrowed at apex, swollen dorsally; gonopore terminal.

Female. Nearly identical to male. Eyes separated by twice width of ocellar triangle. Front black tomentose, some white scales near antenna. Scape with black hairs, white hairs on inner margin. Pile on mesonotum lateral margin darker than male. Anepisternum white pilose; tomentum on katepisternum white. Cell dm infuscated beyond r-m crossvein; cell a with basal half infuscated; cell m2 infuscated just at base.

Distribution: Mexico (Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Morelos, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Sinaloa, Veracruz, Yucatán), USA (Arizona, California, Florida, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas).

Specimens examined: USA. Arizona: Tubac, 5-VII-1932, R. H. Painter (2 females; USNM). New Mexico: Steins, 8-VIII-1932, R. H. Painter (1 female; USNM). Texas: Odessa, 15-VI-1958, R. H. and E. M. Painter (2 males, 1 genitalia 1 female; USNM); Jefferson Davis Co., 22-VII-1950, R. H. Painter (1 male; USNM).

Remarks: Hemipenthes curta is related to H. celeris , H. martinorum , and H. pleuralis , as all these species have the same genital structure and similar wing pigmentation, with a smooth color margin, not sinuous as in the other species in the genus. Hemipenthes curta is separated from these species by the lack of color in cell a. This species is distributed in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions, with its most northern limit in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Figures

FIGURES 47 – 48. Hemipenthes curta male terminalia. 47, lateral view; 48, ventral view.