Carinefferia costalis (Williston)

Lavigne, Robert J. & Dennis, Steve, 2019, Robber flies (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae) of Wyoming, USA with keys to genera and species, Zootaxa 4662 (1), pp. 1-126 : 36

Carinefferia costalis (Williston)

Erax costalis Williston, 1885: 64 .

Recognition characters: Gray species; length 14–16 mm; mystax with black bristles intermixed with white setae; thorax compressed laterally with prominent mane of black bristles on mid-dorsal line; postpronotal setae white as well as few scattered setae posteriorly on mesonotum, bristles black; merals mixed black and white in male, white in females; scutellar setae white, marginal bristles black; in wings of males costal vein thickened at 4/5 its length; abdominal segments 2 and 3 apically and 4–7 silvery white pollinose, long white setae on tergites 2–7 parted in the middle and directed outward; legs, femora black, tibiae brown. This species can be differentiated from subcuprea by the color of the setae on the epandrium of the males that are black on subcuprea and white on costalis .

Distribution: ALBANY: Pole Mt., 18 June 1964 ( RJL, FRH). FREMONT: 16 km S of Shoshoni, 22–29 June 1965 ( RJL), 1–2 June 1966 ( RJL), 23–24 June 1971 ( RJL), 16 June 1972 ( RJL, SD). PLATTE: Dwyer, 1 May–17 June 1960, 1 June 1961, 1 June 1962, 6 June 1963 ( RJL); Glendo ( FRH, RJL); Guernsey, 24 May 1962 ( RJL); Guernsey State Park, Guernsey, 14 June 1962, 19 May 1963 ( RJL). TETON: Grand Tetons, 24 June 1938 ( ECVD) (one female and one sex unidentified, specimens in CAS); Grand Teton National Park, 23 June 1938 ( ECVD) (two female specimens in CAS); Jenny Lake, Teton National Park, 20–30 June 1941 ( GEB). UINTA: Leroy (LeRoy), 25 June 1933 ( JR) (male specimen in CAS); Lyman, 25 June 1935 ( RHB, JR), 27 June 1935 ( RHB) (female specimen in CAS): YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK: 5 July 1952 ( JSF) (male specimen in CAS). Recorded from Wyoming by: Adisoemarto (1967) (as Nerax costalis ); Cole (1969) (as Efferia costalis ); Geller-Grimm (2018); Hine (1919) ( Erax costalis ); Lavigne et al. (1976) (as Efferia costalis ); Martin & Wilcox (1965) (as Efferia costalis ); Wilcox (1966b) (Grand Teton National Park, Lyman, Yellowstone National Park as Efferia costalis ).

Habitat: Douglas fir forest and pine-douglas fir forest (both in clearings within the forest where shrubs and grasses are dominant), sagebrush steppe shrub and grassland, and grama-needlegrass-wheatgrass grassland vegetation types. Wind-sheltered gullies in Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna.

Ethology: Rests on and forages from rocks in sun.

Prey: The following prey were collected 16 km S of Shoshoni: DIPTERA , Anthomyiidae : Hylemya neomexicana Malloch (two records), 23 June 1971; Asilidae : Heteropogon wilcoxi James , 24 June 1971; Cecidomyiidae : Neolasioptera sp., 16 June 1972.