Hemipenthes webberi (Johnson)

Ávalos-Hernández, Omar, 2009, A review of the North American species of Hemipenthes Loew, 1869 (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 2074, pp. 1-49 : 42-43

22. Hemipenthes webberi (Johnson)

(Figs. 24, 73–74)

Villa webberi Johnson, 1919: 11 .

Hemipenthes webberi (Johnson) : Hull, 1973: 386

Holotype in the MCZ.

Diagnosis: Cell a hyaline or at most pigmented just at base; mesopleuron and sides of first abdominal tergite white or pale yellow pilose; first abdominal tergite with scattered, yellow scales, not forming a band.

Description: Male. Body length: 5–10 mm; wing length: 5–10 mm. Head: Eyes separated by a little more than width of ocellar triangle. Front black pilose, yellowish tomentose, black scales may be present in middle, tomentum not dense. Face brown, rounded, with black hairs and yellowish tomentum, a few black scales in middle and dorsal portion. 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, bare in ventral portion; flagellomere brown, 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 black with black hairs. Occiput with short white hairs and yellowish scales.

Thorax: Mesonotum anterior margin yellowish pilose; lateral margin yellow and black pilose; tomentum on disc entirely yellowish, long, hairlike, not dense; bristles black. Mesopleuron black pilose with yellowish hairs mixed in on proepisternum and anepisternum, katatergite with black and white hairs, katepisternum not tomentose, black pilose. Proepimeron with mixed black and pale yellow hairs. Mid coxa with mixed black and yellow hairs, tomentum on all coxae hairlike, pale yellow. Legs fulvous, femora black pilose and yellow tomentose; bristles black. Halter steam brownish, knob fulvous. Scutellum brown, black pilose and yellowish tomentose; bristles black. Black setulae on basicosta. Cells c, sc, br, and bm entirely infuscated (Fig. 24); cell r1 with two basal thirds infuscated; cell cup with basal half infuscated; cell dm with basal third infuscated; cells r2+3, r5 and cua1 infuscated just at base; cell dm infuscated behind r-m crossvein; r-m crossvein at or slightly beyond middle of cell dm; no crossvein between R4 and R2+3; cell r5 not narrowed at wing margin; first section of vein CuA1 as long as r-m crossvein, second section as long as r-m crossvein, third section twice the long of first two sections combined; cell a one and a half wider than cell cup; alula poorly developed.

Abdomen: Abdominal dorsum black and white pilose on tergites one to five, rest black pilose; black tomentum overall, a few yellow scales scattered; sides of abdomen with first, sixth, seventh, and basal half of second tergites whitish pilose, rest black pilose. Venter white pilose, whitish tomentose. Genitalia brown with black and yellow hairs. Epandrium in lateral view, rectangular, lower apical margin prolonged posteriorly, lower margin concave in middle, basal corner narrowed; gonocoxite narrow, basal half enlarged; gonostylus small, hooked apically; epiphallus in lateral view narrow ( Fig. 73 ) slightly curved, cap-shaped, apex swollen, rounded; with a ventral extension broad at base with apex acuminate, portion of the epiphallus behind ventral extension longer than aedeagus; epiphallus in ventral view broad ( Fig. 74 ), lateral margins narrowed before apex, with scattered spines at apex; aedeagus broad at base narrowed at apex, not swollen dorsally; gonopore terminal.

Female. Nearly identical to male. Eyes separated by twice width of ocellar triangle.

Distribution: Canada (Ontario, Quebec), USA (Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Wyoming).

Specimens examined: USA. Kansas: Manhattan, 23-IV-1934, R.H. Painter (1 male; USNM); Riley Co. Manhattan, 14-V-1960, J. Poorbaugh (1 male; USNM). Massachusetts: Blue Hills Res., 19-VI-1911 (1 male genitalia; USNM). Michigan: Cheboygen Co. Biology Station, 28-VII-1930 (1 male; USNM); Wright Park, 6-VI-1912 (1 male; USNM); Washtenaw Co. Ann Arbor, 27-VI-1927, N. K. Bigelow (1 female; USNM).

Remarks: Hemipenthes webberi is similar to H. castanipes but can be distinguished by having the cell a hyaline. The genitalia is also similar but with spines in epiphallus less dense in H. webberi than in H. castanipes . This species is distributed in the eastern USA.

Figures

FIGURES 73 – 74. Hemipenthes webberi male terminalia. 73, lateral view; 74, ventral view.