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 Ƌ 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 Ƌ, 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 Ƌ, 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.