Efferia cubensis (Bromley)

Scarbrough, Aubrey G. & Perez-Gelabert, Daniel E., 2008, Review of the West Indian species of Efferia Coquillett (Diptera: Asilidae): Part 1. Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Jamaica, Insecta Mundi 2008 (49), pp. 1-29 : 16-18

Efferia cubensis (Bromley)

Fig. 1 , 4c, 21-23

Erax cubensis Bromley, 1929: 292 .

Nerax cubensis (Bromley) , Hull 1962: 478. Combination.

Efferia cubensis (Bromley) , Martin and Papavero, 1970: 64. Combination, catalogue.

Redescription. Male. Black, gray tomentose with black vestiture. Body 10.6-11.9 mm, wing 8.8-9.4 mm. Head: Mystax black, sparse white setae dorsally and along oral margin ventrally. Palpi entirely or mostly black setose, base ventrally sometimes whitish setose. Proboscis white setose. Antennae and frons mostly black setose, latter sometimes mostly white setose. Face at antennae 1/2 as wide as compound eye.

Ocellar setae longer than basal 3 antennal segments combined. Occiput gray tomentose, white setose, 4-5 thin, black, postocular bristles dorsally.

Thorax: Black, mostly black vestiture.

Pronotum mostly and scutum anteriorly yellowish or golden-yellow tomentose; pronotum pale whitish setose. Scutum yellowish-gray tomentose posteriorly; anterior scutal setae as long as pedicel and scape combined; bristles black, dorsocentrals posteriorly thinner and shorter than lateral bristles. Scutellum yellowish-gray tomentose, setae white, as long as pedicel and scape; 4 black marginal bristles. Pleura brownish tomentose anteriorly, more yellowish posteriorly; setae mostly black. Halter knob brownish, stalk pale yellow.

Wing: Hyaline, slightly yellowish; veins pale,

mostly yellowish-brown. Costal dilation absent. R 4 recurrent vein shorter than cell base. Base of cell r 4+5 just beyond cell d.

Legs: Coxae and trochanters black, vestiture

pale. Femora black, anterior bristles pale yellowish, ventral bristles mostly black; metathoracic femora with 3-5 posteroventral black bristles. Tibiae yellow or yellowish-brown, apex brown; bristles black, dense setae orangish-yellow. Tarsi Figure 21-23. Male terminalia of Efferia cubensis yellowish-brown, bristles and setae black dorsally; (Bromley), lateral views; 21. intact terminalia; 22. dense setae orangish-yellow ventrally. gonostylus; 23a-b. phallus with aedeagus, aedeagal

Abdomen: Black; wide sides of tergites 1-4, seg- tubes, and phallic flanges.

ments 5-7 entirely, white tomentose with white setae; long, erect setae on basal 3 segments; tergites 2-4 mostly blackish tomentose dorsally, black setose medially on tergite 2, mostly blackish setose on 3-4; segment 8 blackish, row of sparse blackish or whitish setae apically.

Terminalia (Fig. 21-23): Pale reddish, mostly black setose. Epandrium narrow basally, wider apically,

about 3 times as long as wide. Gonostylus spatulate, wide apically, dorsal margin oblique with apex anterior; surface with abundant stout setulae. Phallus erect and thick, without usual constriction before aedeagus and distinct aedeagal flanges; aedeagus in vertical position, not angled perpendicular to vertical axis. Gonocoxite short with apex at or just before middle of epandrium; abruptly narrowed just before apex, apex short and pointed; setae blackish, long and dense basally, becoming increasingly shorter and less abundant posteriorly; sparse whitish setae bordering black basally.

Female. Body 10.3-11.5 mm; wing 8.3-8.9 mm. Head: Frons black setose. Face with mostly black vestiture, white on ventral 1/4 medially. Palpi mostly black setose, basal 1/3-1/2 mixed or entirely white setose. Thorax: Scutellum with 3-5 stout black bristles, 2-3 additional weaker, usually pale, bristles laterally. Pleura sometimes mostly yellow setose. Legs: Metathoracic femora with 3-5 black anteroventral bristles. Tibiae and tarsomeres mostly yellow, apices narrowly brown or brownish-yellow. Abdomen: Wide lateral margins of tergites and sternites 1-7 entirely pale tomentose, with whitish setae; tergites brown tomentose dorsally; tergites 5-7 brown setose dorsally. Terminalia: Wide basally, gradually narrowed from base apex, 3.6-4.1 mm, as long as or subequal in length to tergites 4-7; at middle 1/8.5-1/10.8 as wide as long. Cercus 1/3 as long as tergite 9. Spermathecae elongate, oval, 1/3 longer than wide, base narrow, sides gradually widening apically with greatest diameter at apical 2/3 (Fig. 4c).

Types examined. CUBA: Soledad [Cienfuegos province] Cuba / 21.vi.1925 / J.C. Myers (holotype m, MCZC); Soledad Cuba / 6.iv.1926 / Dr. J. Bequaert (allotype f, MCZC) .

Others specimens examined. CUBA: 22.iv.1931 / Soledad / Cienfuegos [province] / d. Acuña ~ S.W.Bromley Collection (1 m, USNM); [no data, abdomen absent] S.W.Bromley Collection (1 f, USNM) ;

251 F ~ Loew Coll ~ S.W. Bromley Collection ~ Det. Erax cubensis Brom. (1 f, USNM); Cayamas [Cayería, Las Cayamas Keys; Havana province] / 2.3 Cuba ~ A.E. Schwarz Collection (1 f, USNM).

Distribution. Cuba, Cienfuegos and Havana provinces; April-June.

Remark. Efferia cubensis is distinguished from congeners by the small body (10-12 mm), the abundant black vestiture of the face, palpi, and bristles of the femora, the long anterior scutal setae, and the combined characters of the terminalia (Fig. 4c, 21-23). The male is further distinguished by the 3 entirely white tomentose abdominal segments, the undilated costal margin of the wing, and reddish terminalia. The female is distinguished by the entirely tomentose segment 7 and the elongated oval spermathecae.

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution of Efferia in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Jamaica.