Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant and Wheeler

Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz & Mathis, Wayne N., 2024, Revision of the Nearctic Species of the Shore-Fly Genus Scatophila Becker (Diptera: Ephydridae), Zootaxa 5487 (1), pp. 1-100 : 52-54

12. Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant and Wheeler

Figs. 91 , 100–106 , 129

Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant and Wheeler 1954: 194 .— Wirth 1965: 758 [ Nearctic catalog].— Zatwarnicki 1987: 293 [checklist].— Zatwarnicki and Mathis 1994: 364 [phylogeny, noctula group].— Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 283 [world catalog].

Diagnosis.—This species is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: Small to moderately small shore flies, body length 1.40–2.10 mm.

Head ( Figs. 100–103 ): Mesofrons and fronto-orbital plate blackish brown; parafrons charcoal black; face of ♂ with a stout medial conical tubercle nearly as large as basal flagellomere, tubercle with a ventromedial papilla-like structure. Gena moderately short, subequal to half height of basal flagellomere. Gena short, gena-to-eye ratio 0.17–0.19.

Thorax ( Figs. 91 , 119 ): Mesonotum ( Fig. 119 ) tannish brown with grayish vertical stripes; scutum mostly brown with faint to evident pattern of linear gray areas anterior, laterad of acrostichal tracks; sometimes with a thin, medial, gray stripe; presutural dorsocentral setae lacking. Wing ( Fig. 91 ) variable, infuscate, pattern of white spots conspicuous; veins R 2+3 and R 4+5 sinuous; cell r 1 with a single, weak, basal white area, or wing very pale, not appearing spotted; costal vein ratio 0.24–0.27; M 1 vein ratio 0.59–0.62; knob of halter yellowish. Legs generally dark colored; femora and tibiae blackish brown with sparse microtomentum; tarsi black; male midfemur lacking row of spine-like setulae along posteroventral margin.

Abdomen ( Figs. 104–106 ): Generally black, subshiny to shiny, especially on apical tergites, basal tergites at most thinly microtomentose medially and lateroventrally. Male terminalia ( Figs. 104–106 ): Epandrium in posterior view ( Fig. 104 ) generally obovate except for broadly truncate ventral margin and shallowly and roundly angulate lateral margins, width at angulate midheight only slightly less than overall height, width of ventral margin slightly greater than height of cercal opening; dorsal margin of epandrium in posterior view ( Fig. 104 ) somewhat broadly rounded from very shallowly curved dorsomedial section above cercal opening; epandrial setae about equal in length, sparser medially and laterally, more abundant along ventral margin; height of cercal opening about 0.40 epandrial height; cerci in posterior view ( Fig. 104 ) semihemispherical; aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 106 ) generally appearing as 2 boxes attached at their corners, base truncate, thereafter dorsally and ventrally flat, dorsal flattened margin part of deep excavation with a wide opening, posterior rectangular box with anterodorsal angle greatly produced, this extension roundly tapered along dorsal margin to a point, ventral margin of extension with basal short lobe and wide notch before pointed apex, in ventral view ( Fig. 105 ) as a square basal position, thereafter narrowed, tapered to broadly rounded apex; ventral aedeagal process shallowly C-shaped; phallapodeme in lateral view ( Fig. 106 ) elongate, narrow, shallowly curved, widest at midlength with slightly elevated keel, in ventral view ( Fig. 105 ) T-shaped, basal crossbar about half length of medial process, crossbar shallowly sinuous along anterior margin; postgonite in lateral view ( Fig. 106 ) generally V-shaped, vertex pointed, posterior arm wider, with thumb-like extension, bearing setulae along posterodorsal margin, dorsal arm narrowly rectangular, ventral arm of V longer and thinner than dorsal arm; neohypandrium in lateral view ( Fig. 106 ) narrow, bowl shaped, narrow, strap-like.

Type Material.— The holotype male of Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant and Wheeler is labeled “ SteeseHya [the Steese Highway runs northeast from Fairbanks, Alaska] Alak MP 37 [Mile Post 37, “37” handwritten] IX-3-48 [3 Sep 1948] GJefferson/ Alaskans Project [Alaska Insect Project]/ HOLOTYPE Scatophila hirtirostris Stvt & Whlr [red].” The holotype is glued to a paper triangle, is in good condition [right hind leg missing, tarsomeres of left leg missing], and is deposited in the USNM.

Other Specimens Examined.— UNITED STATES. ALASKA. Fairbanks North Star: Chena Lake Recreation Area (64°47.6'N, 147°11.4'W), 10 Aug 2003 , D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂, 5♀; USNM); Steese Highway (mile post 37) (65°10.6'N, 147°16.1'W), 3 Sep 1948 , G. Jefferson (1♂; USNM). Juneau: Douglas Island, Fish Creek (58°19.8'N, 134°35.7'W), 20 Jul 2011 , D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM). Kenai Peninsula: Homer (59°38.8'N, 151°31.5'W), 2 Aug 2002 , D. and W. N. Mathis (2♂; USNM); Seward (20 km N; 60°16.5'N, 149°20.7'W; Grayling Lake ), 31 Jul 2002 , D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂, 1♀; USNM). Matanuska-Susitna: Matanuska (61°32.5'N, 149°13.8'W; rotary trap), 31 May–6 Jun 1944 , J. C. Chamberlin (1♂, 3♀; USNM); Willow Creek (61°46.1'N, 150°04.2'W; 50 m), 10 Jul 2006 , D. and W. N. Mathis (3♀; USNM). Valdez-Cordova (Census Area): Gulkana River (19.3 km N Glennallen; 62°16.1'N, 145°23.1'W), 9 Jul 2006 , D. and W. N. Mathis (1♀; USNM). Yukon-Koyukuk ( Census Area ): Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge (66°17.6'N, 152°54.5'W; sandy, rocky beach), 21 Jun 2003 , H. Williams (1♂; UAF) .

Type Locality.— United States. Alaska. Fairbanks North Star: Steese Highway (mile post 37) (65°10.6'N, 147°16.1'W) .

Distribution ( Fig. 129 ).— Nearctic : United States (Alaska).

Remarks.—This species is placed in the noctula group. Thus far, this species is known only from Alaska, but it would be expected in the far eastern regions of Russia or in the Yukon and/or Northwest Territories.

Figures

FIGURE 129. Distribution map of Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant & Wheeler (circles), and S. unicornis Czerny (squares) in Nearctic Region

FIGURES 89–91. Head, thorax and wing of Scatophila. 89. Scatophila viridella Sturtevant & Wheeler, head and thorax, dorsal view. 90–91. Wing, dorsal view. 90. S. bolwigi sp. nov. 91. S. hirtirostris Sturtevant & Wheeler. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 100–103. Head of Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant & Wheeler. 100. Male, latero–oblique view. 101. Male, lateral view. 102. Female, latero-oblique view. 103. Female, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 104–106. Male terminalia of Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant & Wheeler. 104. Epandrium and cerci, posterior view. 105. Internal male terminalia (gonite, phallapodeme, aedeagus, neohypandrium), ventral view. 106. Same, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 119–121. Head and thorax, dorsal view. 119. Scatophila hirtirostris Sturtevant & Wheeler. 120. S. tuberculosa Cresson. 121. S. unicornis Czerny. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.