Wilcoxia cinerea James, 1941

Pollock, Darren A. & Reichert, Lisa A., 2019, Review of the Nearctic genus Wilcoxia James (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae) with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4695 (5), pp. 401-437 : 406-407

1. Wilcoxia cinerea James

( Figs 1–2 , 17 , 26 , 44 , 47 , 59 )

Wilcoxia cinerea James 1941: 39 . Type locality: “near Saguache, Colo.”; Wilcox 1972: 46 (in key); Hull 1962 b: 676 (Fig. of head, lateral view); Martin & Wilcox 1965: 385 (catalog of Nearctic Diptera ); Artigas & Papavero 1991 b: 76 (Figs of spermatheca); Poole & Gentili 1996: 64.

Types. Holotype, male ( WSU), labeled: “ Nr. Saguache, Colo 7-VIII-37 // R.H. Painter Collector // Elevation, 7000 ft. // [red label] Wilcoxia cinerea James ♂ HOLOTYPE ”. The female allotype ( WSU) and a male and female para- type ( KSUC) bear the same labels as the holotype.

Derivation of specific epithet. This was not mentioned specifically by James (1941); however, given that the adjective “cinereous” refers to something grey- or ash-colored, it seems likely that James’ choice of name was based on the general color of the type series of W. cinerea : a “densely cinereous-pollinose species” ( James 1941: 39).

Diagnosis. This species may be distinguished from other members of the cinerea group by the following features: posterior margin of scutellum bare, non-pollinose (e.g., Fig. 42 ); scutum without several pairs of small, semicircular non-pollinose areas; wings light brown to near hyaline.

Description. Male ( Fig. 1 ). TL 4.9–6.4 mm; wing 4.3–5.6 mm.

Head ( Fig. 17 ) black, covered in pale grey tomentum, with face (in profile) projecting slightly beyond eye; hairs and setae of head white; lower occipital hairs moderately long, sparse; ocellar tubercle with 4 setae (ca. length of scape + pedicel), white in color; mystax ( Fig. 17 ) relatively sparse, consisting of long setae (ca. length of postpedicel + style) and slightly shorter hairs, confined to lower half of face; setae and hairs white, bases perpendicular to plane of face; hairs above mystax short, inconspicuous (ca. length of pedicel), projecting downward, with bases ca. 45° or less from plane of face; palpi and proboscis black with white hairs; antennomeres brown, pollinose, scape bare, or very thinly pollinose; scape and pedicel with several relatively long ventral setae and several short hairs dorsally; ratio of antennomere lengths (scape: pedicel: postpedicel: style+spine) = 8: 9: 25: 9.

Thorax black, covered in pale grey tomentum; scutum with divided median stripe, darker grey to brown pollinose; long acrostichal setae absent; scutum surface uniform, without distinct non-pollinose or differently colored spots; scutum with sparse pile of short, white hairs (less than or equal to scape length), hairs somewhat longer postsuturally; 3–4 notopleural setae, 1–2 supraalar setae, 2–3 postalar setae; stoutest thoracic setae with amber cast; scutellum pale grey pollinose, margin (1/4 or less of scutellum length) shining, bare; 6 white marginal setae, longest of which are slightly longer than length of scutellum, in roughly same plane as scutellum, converging medially; marginal hairs absent; disc of scutellum with few short hairs; pleura pale grey pollinose; katatergite with about 12 long, fine yellowish setae, tips not “crinkly” ( Fig. 44 ); wings infuscated, brown; costa complete around entire wing margin; microtrichiae sparse, slightly conspicuous only past discal cell; halter with base brown and yellow, stem and knob yellow; legs ( Figs 1–2 ) dark brown to black, non-pollinose; mid and hind tibiae yellow for proximal 2/3, foretibia yellow for proximal 1/3; extreme distal end of femur yellow; leg hairs and setae white, stoutest setae with amber cast; femora dorsally with scattered, white appressed hairs (<femur width); ventrally with longer, suberect white hairs (longest> femur width); tibiae with sparse, short (<tibia width) appressed yellowish hairs, ventrally with a few longer, more erect hairs; mesotibial spine blackish-brown; protibiae without sigmoidal spine at apex.

Abdomen ( Figs 1 , 26 ) brownish black; tergites non-pollinose, shining, with sparse, short white hairs; segments relatively wide, 2–5 at least as wide as long; tergite 1–6 laterally with band of gray pollinosity, slightly expanded posteriorly ( Fig. 1 ); sternites pale grey pollinose, with relatively sparse, short white hairs, not noticeably differing in length from anterior to posterior sternites.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 47 ). Apex of dorsal gonocoxite process very shallowly bifid, almost truncate; carina on outer lobe absent; dorsal and ventral processes subequal in length; medial gonocoxite processes moderately thin, slightly curved towards phallus; gonostylus relatively thin, arcuate, apex truncate; phallus without subapical denticle on lateral margins; lateral margins abruptly narrowed subapically, somewhat angulate.

Female ( Fig. 2 ). TL 6.2–7.0 mm; wing 5.1–6.0 mm; features similar to male, except for the following: pale grey tomentum of head and thorax with slight brown cast; wings hyaline, with very slight amber cast.

Natural history. Unknown. Collection dates range from 28.vii–7.viii.

Distribution ( Fig. 59 ). this species is known from the type locality, “near Saguache”, Colorado (Saguache Co.) (ca. 7,700 ft. elevation) and two localities in Garfield Co., Utah (7,910 and 7,380 ft.).

Non-type material examined. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Utah. Garfield Co. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Mud Springs Road , 10 mi NE of Henrieville, N 37.58777 W 111.83036 [37.58777, -111.83036], elev. 2417 m, 7.viii.2003, A.J. Nelson, J.E. Lee, S.M. Clark, D.J. Cavan, R. Mower, ( BYUC, 1♀) ; 4 mi N Boulder [37.961925, -111.431205], 28.vii.1982, Griswold / Parkers, ( USUC, 1♂) .

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Figs 1–2. Male (1) and female (2) paratypes of W. cinerea James, nr. Saguache, Saguache Co., CO. Figs 3–4. Male (3) and female (4) paratypes of W. monae Wilcox. Male from Douglas Co., NV; female from type locality, Mono Co., CA.

FIGURES 17–25. Laterofrontal view of head of Wilcoxia spp. 17. W. cinerea, male. 18. W. monae, male. 19. W. painteri, male. 20. W. pollinosa, male. 21. W. apache, n. sp., male. 22. W. flavipennis, n. sp., male. 23. W. forbesi, n. sp., male. 24. W. forbesi, n. sp., female. 25. W. martinorum, male.

FIGURES 26–29. Abdomens of Wilcoxia spp. (cinerea group), dorsal. 26. W. cinerea, male; 27. W. monae, male; 28. W. painteri, female; 29. W. pollinosa, male.

FIGURES 41–46. Figs 41–42. Detail of posterior scutum and scutellum. 41. W. apache, n. sp. showing uniformly pollinose scutellum and many marginal setae as well as the linear, non-pollinose patches on scutum. 42. W. monae, showing posteriorly non-pollinose scutellum and relatively few marginal setae. Figs 43–44. Katatergite setation. 43. W. apache, n. sp. male, with “crinkly” setae. 44. W. cinerea, female, with “non-crinkly” setae. Fig. 45–46. Apical tibial spurs. 45. W. painteri, female, sigmoidal apicoventral spur on front tibia. 46. W. apache, n. sp., male, stout spur at apex of middle tibia.

FIGURES 47–58. Male genitalia (47–57) and ovipositor (58) of Wilcoxia spp. 47. W. cinerea, ventral view (epandrium removed). 48. W. monae, ventral view (epandrium removed). 49–50. W. painteri, ventral and right lateral view. 51–52. W. pollinosa, ventral (epandrium removed) and slightly oblique view. 53–54. W. apache, n. sp., ventral and dorsal oblique view. 55. W. flavipennis, n. sp., ventral view. 56. W. forbesi, n. sp., dorsal view (epandrium removed). 57. W. martinorum, ventral view (epandrium removed). 58. W. apache, n. sp., terminal abdominal segments and ovipositor. dp = dorsal gonocoxite process; dpc = dorsal gonocoxite process carina; gc = gonocoxite; gs = gonostylus; lep = lateral ejaculatory process; mp = medial gonocoxite process; pd = phallus denticle; ph = phallus; vp = ventral gonocoxite process.

FIGURES 59–60. Known distributions of W. cinerea James (59) and W. monae Wilcox (60). Red dots = examined specimens; white dots = literature records (Wilcox 1972) (maps created at www.gpsvisualizer.com).