Cirrula hians (Say)

Mathis, Wayne N. & Marinoni, Luciane, 2016, Revision of Ephydrini Zetterstedt (Diptera: Ephydridae) from the Americas south of the United States, Zootaxa 4116 (1), pp. 1-110 : 80-83

25. Cirrula hians (Say)

Figs. 111–114 , Map 25

Ephydra hians Say 1830: 188 (1859: 371) .— Osten Sacken 1858: 54 [Nearctic catalog]; 1878: 203 [Nearctic catalog].— Aldrich 1905: 630 [Nearctic catalog]; 1912: 85 [photos of egg, larva, pupa and adult; biology].

Hydropyrus hians .— Cresson 1934: 216.— Wirth and Stone 1956: 171 [review].— Wirth 1965: 754 [Nearctic catalog].

Ephydra (Hydropyrus) hians .— Sturtevant and Wheeler 1954: 171 [review].— Wirth 1971: 374 [review, Figs. of male terminalia].— Simpson 1976: 268 [redescription and Figs. of larva and puparium].

Cirrula hians .— Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 237 [generic combination; world catalog].

Ephydra crassimana Loew 1866: 182 .— Osten Sacken 1878: 203 [Nearctic catalog].— Aldrich 1905: 629 [Nearctic catalog]; 1912: 85 [synonymy].

Ephydra californica Packard 1871: 103 [larva and pupa only].— Osten Sacken 1878: 203 [catalog, notes].— Aldrich 1905: 629 [Nearctic catalog]; 1912: 85 [synonymy].

Ephydra tarsata Williston 1893: 257 .— Aldrich 1905: 630 [Nearctic catalog]; 1912: 85 [synonymy].

Ephydra salina of authors, not Curran 1931: 7.— Sturtevant and Wheeler 1954: 171.— Wirth 1965: 754 [Nearctic catalog].

Diagnosis. Cirrula hians is distinguished from other congeners by the following characters: cruciate interfrontal setae 2 pairs; postocellar setae well developed, 2–3 pairs; lateroclinate, fronto-orbital setae 3–4 pairs; gena-to-eye large; dorsocentral setae 6 (2+4); prescutellar setae 1, well developed; forebasitarsus of male with ventral tuft of hairs near apex; and conformation of male terminalia distinctive. Moderately large to large shore flies, body length 4.50–6.70 mm; generally dull, microtomentose, mostly gray, with some subshiny to shiny areas dorsally and faint indication of vittae.

Head ( Figs. 111–112 ): Head ratio 0.68; frontal ratio 0.61; mesofrons with lateral margins slightly rounded, narrowed slightly toward anterior margin, shiny with metallic blackish to dark silvery blue luster; ocellar triangle and parafrons mostly concolorous, dull, roughly microtomentose, charcoal gray to brownish gray, gradually becoming darker anteriorly; ocelli in isosceles triangle with distance between posterior ocelli much less than either of latter and anterior ocellus; cruciate, interfrontal setae 2, occasionally 3 pairs, large, anterior pair larger, adjoining areas of mesofrons and parafrons with smaller incurved setae; ocellar setae well developed, proclinate, divergent, inserted midway between anterior ocellus and posterior ocelli; postocellar setae 2–3 pairs well developed, anterior pair inserted between posterior ocelli, with several smaller setae in addition; lateroclinate, fronto-orbital setae 3–4 pairs, very slightly divergent, a few smaller setae scattered in between; postocular setae well developed, especially those along posteroventral margin of eye, frequently with 1 larger dorsalmost pair of postocular setae. Scape and pedicel mostly unicolorous, concolorous with general coloration of face; basal flagellomere duller with some brownish color; arista about as long as combined length of 1st 3 antennal segments, thickened along basal 1/3, apex of thickened portion with a few branching rays about equal in length to thickness of arista at widest point, apical 2/ 3 style-like. Facial ratio 0.61; facial hump broad but distinct, dorsum only partially subshiny; antennal groove deeply impressed, less microtomentose than face, with greenish blue color; face microtomentose, more or less unicolorous, gray; marginal setae of face larger along margins, particularly along lateral margins of oral opening; face in lateral view decidedly projecting anteriorly. Eye ratio 1.21, oriented at slight oblique angle to epistoma; gena-to-eye ratio 0.60; gena high, bare anteriorly, concolorous with face, becoming setose and darker, more charcoal colored posteriorly.

Thorax ( Fig. 113 ): Generally dull, microtomentose, gray. Mesonotum darker, more charcoal colored than pleural areas; 1 anteromedial vitta, shiny, dark silvery blue; area laterad of vitta brownish gray; dorsum of scutellum subshiny to shiny, concolorous with mesonotal vitta; dorsocentral setae 6 pairs (2+4); prescutellar acrostichal setae 1 pair, large; presutural supra-alar setae 1 pair, smaller than presutural setae; pleural areas mostly unicolorous, gray to very pale greenish gray. Wing hyaline to palely infumate, pale grayish brown; costal vein ratio 0.24; M vein ratio 1.15; wing ratio 0.47. Legs mostly unicolorous, gray, gradually becoming darker apically, apical tarsomeres grayish black; forebasitarsus of male swollen, with a tuft of hairs on venter near apex.

Abdomen: Generally gray to brownish gray, each tergite slightly darker anteriorly; tergite 5 of male mostly brownish gray, apex slightly emarginate; structures of male terminalia as follows ( Fig. 114 ): epandrium parallel sided, anteroventral margin curved inward; surstyli simple, apical 1/3 narrowed in profile; gonite 4 times longer than wide, with short anterior process just apicad of midpoint, apex gently curved anteriorly; phallapodeme slender, sinuous, folded on itself at middle; aedeagus a simple tube, a membranous sack at apex; female ventral receptacle with large operculum, longer than high, more or less evenly rounded; extended process with slight extension on medial surface within operculum.

Type material. The primary types of Ephydra hians Say from Mexico were destroyed, and it is appropriate that we designate a neotype to promote accurate identification of this species and to stabilize the species’ nomenclature. The neotype is labeled “ CHAPINGO MEX. MEXICO. X-7-57 [7 Oct 1957; date handwritten]/En patio [handwritten]/Wm. W. Gibson Collector/ USNM ENT 0 0 118304 [plastic bar code label]/ NEOTYPE ♂ Ephydra hians Say , designated by Mathis & Marinoni USNM [red].” The neotype is pinned directly, is in very good condition, and is deposited in the USNM.

The holotype male of Ephydra crassimana Loew (HT ♂, MCZ) is from “ Mexico.”

The primary types, syntype larvae and puparia, of Ephydra californica Packard have probably been destroyed or of unknown depository.

The syntypes males of Ephydra tarsata Williston (ST ♂, KU (684)) are from the United States. California. Inyo: Owens Valley (39°48'N, 116°48'W).

Type locality. Mexico. México: Chapingo (19°29.3'N, 98°54'W).

Other specimens examined. MEXICO. Distrito Federal: I. Conradt (2♀; USNM); San Ángel (19°20.9'N, 99°11.6'W), Aug 1923, E. Smyth (1♀; USNM). Guanajuato: Guanajuato (21°01'N, 101°15'W), A. Dugés (1♂, 5♀; USNM). México: Chapingo (19°29.3'N, 98°54'W), 7 May 1957, W. W. Gibson (5♂, 2♀; USNM); Lago de Texcoco (19°30'N, 99°W), 13 Oct 1963, B. Krogstad (2♂; USNM).

Distribution (Map 25). Nearctic: Canada (British Columbia, Manitoba), United States (California, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming). Neotropical: Mexico (Distrito Federal, Guanajuato, México).

MAP 25. Distribution map for Cirrula hians (Say) .

Figures

FIGURE 114. Structures of male terminalia of Cirrula hians (Say). (114) ventral margin of epandrium and surstyli.

FIGURES 111 – 113. Cirrula hians (Say). (111) head, anterior view; (112) same, lateral view; (113) mesonotum, dorsal view; scale bar = 1.0 mm.