Scatophila conifera Sturtevant and Wheeler

Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz & Mathis, Wayne N., 2024, Revision of the Nearctic Species of the Shore-Fly Genus Scatophila Becker (Diptera: Ephydridae), Zootaxa 5487 (1), pp. 1-100 : 74-76

19. Scatophila conifera Sturtevant and Wheeler

Figs. 30 , 157 , 168–174 , 176

Scatophila conifera Sturtevant and Wheeler 1954: 189 .— Wirth 1965: 758 [ Nearctic catalog].— Zatwarnicki 1987: 291 [checklist].— Zatwarnicki and Mathis 1994: 365 [phylogeny, quadriguttata group].— Mathis and Zatwarnicki 1995: 282 [world catalog].

Diagnosis.—This species is similar to congeners in the quadriguttata group but is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: Generally grayish; small shore flies, body length 1.50–1.90 mm.

Head ( Figs. 168–171 ): Mesofrons gray; distance between insertion of lateroclinate seta and medial vertical seta only slightly greater than distance between vertical setae. Face of ♂ convex, ventral portion projected, somewhat conical, setulae on either side somewhat clustered but not strongly expressed. Gena relatively high, gena-to-eye ratio 0.32–0.37.

Thorax ( Figs. 157 , 176 ): Mesonotum ( Fig. 176 ) generally gray with some irregular brownish pattern medially, variable; scutellum gray. Wing ( Fig. 157 ) generally pale colored, spots pale; costal vein ratio 0.21–0.25; M 1 vein ratio 0.60–0.68; knob of halter yellow. Legs generally dark colored; femora and tibiae dark with gray microtomentum; male midfemur lacking row of spine-like setulae along posteroventral margin; tarsi blackish.

Abdomen ( Figs. 172–174 ): Abdomen mostly black, subshiny to shiny, with small gray to whitish gray area laterally toward posterior margin on basal 1–3 tergites. Male terminalia ( Figs. 172–174 ): Epandrium in posterior view ( Fig. 172 ) generally irregularly and broadly rectangular to oval, width about 3/4 height, ventral margin somewhat truncate ( Fig. 172 ) with medial, shallowly rounded projection, ventral margin distinctly wider than width of cercal opening; dorsal margin of epandrium in posterior view ( Fig. 172 ) rounded, lateral margins widest at midheight, thereafter ventrally tapered to ventral margin, ventrolateral corners rounded; epandrial setulae about equal in length, sparser medially and laterally, those along ventral margin more abundant but shorter; height of cercal opening more than 1/3 epandrial height; cerci in posterior view ( Fig. 172 ) semihemispherical, slightly more narrowed dorsally; aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 174 ) obtusely pointed basally, forming irregular rectangle, ventral margin shallowly rounded, posterior margin broadly rounded, right angle at posterodorsal corner, dorsal margin deeply and widely excavated basally, cavity deeper than width of opening, in ventral view ( Fig. 173 ) ovately rectangular, lateral margins shallowly curved, wider basally, tapered gradually toward apex, apical margin truncated and with a long, acutely pointed, medial point; ventral aedeagal process shallowly C-shaped; phallapodeme in lateral view ( Fig. 174 ) L-shaped, elongate, narrow, parallel sided, dorsal half gently and shallowly curved, ventral extension nearly straight, elongate, narrow, tapered, in ventral view ( Fig. 173 ) T-shaped, width of basal crossbar shorter than length of medial process, crossbar nearly straight, nearly as thick as medial process, medial process with lateral margins shallowly sinuous; postgonite in lateral view ( Fig. 174 ) irregularly V-shaped, with dorsal arm irregularly rectangular, anterodorsal corner produced to narrow, digitiform extension, anterodorsal corner moderately produced with posterodorsal angle produced to short, pointed extension, ventral arm elongate, thin, parallel-sided, in ventral view ( Fig. 173 ) with base slopping laterally, nearly straight, not excavated, posterior, thumb-like extensions narrowly developed, apices produced laterally, bearing setulae along medial margin; neohypandrium in lateral view ( Fig. 174 ) narrow, elongate, distinctly C-shaped.

Type Material.—The holotype male of Scatophila conifera Sturtevant and Wheeler is labeled “Weott[,] Calif[ornia][,] 7-24-51 [24 Jul 1951][handwritten]/M. R. Wheeler/ HOLOTYPE Scatophila conifera Stvt & Whlr [pink]/6683 TYPE [dark pink; number handwritten].” The holotype is double mounted (glued to a paper point), is in good condition, and is deposited in the ANSP (6683).

Other Specimens Examined.— UNITED STATES. CALIFORNIA. Humboldt: Weott (40°19.3'N, 123°55.3'W), 24 Jul 1951 , M. R. Wheeler (5♂, 2♀; USNM) .

Type Locality.— United States. California. Humboldt: Weott (40°19.3'N, 123°55.3'W) .

Distribution ( Fig. 30 ).— Nearctic : United States (California).

Remarks.—This species is placed in the quadriguttata group and is known thus far only from the type series that was collected in Humboldt County, California.

Figures

FIGURE 30. Distribution map of Scatophila angusta sp. nov. (circles), S. conifera Sturtevant & Wheeler (triangle), and S. contaminata (Stenhammar) (squares) in Nearctic Region.

FIGURES 156–158. Head, thorax and wing of Scatophila. 156 Scatophila bipiliaris Sturtevant & Wheeler, head and thorax, dorsal view. 157–158. Wing, dorsal view. 157. S. conifera Sturtevant & Wheeler. 158. S. cribrata (Stenhammar). Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 168–171. Head of Scatophila conifera Sturtevant & Wheeler. 168. Male, latero-oblique view. 169. Male, lateral view. 170. Female, latero-oblique view. 171. Female, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 172–174. Male terminalia of Scatophila conifera Sturtevant & Wheeler. 172. Epandrium and cerci, posterior view. 173. Internal male terminalia (gonite, phallapodeme, aedeagus, neohypandrium), ventral view. 174. Same, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 175–179. Head and thorax of Scatophila. 175–177. Head and thorax, dorsal view. 175. Scatophila bisignata Cresson. 176. S. conifera Sturtevant & Wheeler. 177. S. cribrata (Stenhammar). 178–179. Head of Scatophila cribrata (Stenhammar). 178. Latero-oblique view. 179. Lateral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.