Lasiopogon canningsi McKnight, 2020

Mcknight, Tristan A. & Cannings, Robert A., 2020, Molecular phylogeny of the genus Lasiopogon (Diptera: Asilidae) and a taxonomic revision of the bivittatus section, Zootaxa 4835 (1), pp. 1-115 : 49-51

Lasiopogon canningsi McKnight sp. nov.

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Diagnosis. ( Fig. 35 ) A medium-sized dark species from coastal dunes of extreme northern California; mystax black, thoracic tomentum grey with strong dorsocentral stripes, thoracic setae mostly black, postpronotal lobes with dark setae laterally; femur with thin grey tomentum and white setae except at joint; tergites with dark brown/black cuticle subshining basally, grey tomentum bands cover apical 20% and lateral margins narrowly, not extending dorsally in either sex; lateral macrosetae on tergite 1 mostly black (4–10). Epandrial halves polished dark brown/black, in dorsal view slightly swollen, coming to stubby apex, moderately concave medial margins, apex bent ventrally with semicircular emargination and a shallow ventral subapical tooth; Ovipositor black; acanthophorite spines black.

Description. Body length ♂ 9.5–11.3mm; ♀ 11.8–12.8mm. Head. HW ♂ 2.26–2.58mm; ♀ 2.50–2.67mm. FW ♂ 0.56–0.62mm; ♀ 0.61–0.67mm. VW ♂ 0.92–1.08mm; ♀ 0.97–1.09mm. VW/HW = ♂ 0.40–0.43; ♀ 0.38–0.44. FW/VW = ♂ 0.57–0.61; ♀ 0.56–0.68. VD/VW = ♂ 0.10–0.14; ♀ 0.11–0.12. GH/GL = ♂ 0.40–0.48; ♀ 0.41–0.52. Face with silver-grey tomentum, vertex sparse grey under setae patches, subshining otherwise. Beard and labial setae white, sometimes tinged yellowish; mystax and all other setae black. Occipital macrosetae relatively fine and long; those behind the dorsomedial angle of the eye the longest (to 0.9mm), moderately curved anterolaterally; lateral and ventral macrosetae shorter, straighter. Frontal setae fine, long, and erect, reach midpoint of postpedicel; orbital setae also fine and long, slanting over eye margin. Antennae. Black, slightly lighter at base of postpedicel. Setae black; 0–1 setae on postpedicel. Postpedicel long, roughly parallel, widest subapically. WPP/LPP = ♂ 0.23–0.24; ♀ 0.21–0.28. LAS/LPP ♂ 0.59–0.69; ♀ 0.58–0.80. Thorax. Prothorax grey, with white setae; postpronotal lobes grey, the lateral angle yellowish red, setae mostly dark, with a few whitish setae on inside corner in both sexes. Scutum tomentum grey/brown. Dorsocentral stripes distinct: dark brown edged in lighter brown; acrostichal stripes faint greyish brown. Notal and acrostichal setae black, widely spaced, long (up to 60% as long as dorsocentrals); dorsocentral macrosetae fine, black (to 1.1mm); anteriors 4–5, can be hard to distinguish from surrounding setae, 4–5 posteriors. Postalars 2–3, with about 4 long surrounding setae; supra-alars 2–3 with a few short setae; presuturals 3–4; posthumerals 1. Scutellar tomentum grey/greyish brown; rim inflated, leaving a semi-circular line impressed inside the dorsal edge; apical macrosetae black, abundant (10+ on each side) and mixed with many other long setae. Setae on uppermost edge of rim short (half the length of other macrosetae), point straight up. Pleural tomentum grey to yellowish grey. Katatergite macrosetae black, 8–9, with a few fine white setae about half as long; katepisternal setae fairly long, wavy, white; anepisternal setae 14+, mostly black (to 1.0mm) with a few white setae ventrally and a patch of short black setae along dorsal edge; anepimeron with 5 fine white setae. Legs. Base color dark brown/black, chestnut at femur-tibia joint and trochanters. Tomentum on coxae grey, sparse grey on femur, elsewhere shining black. No coxal peg. Coxae with long strawish-white setae. Main macrosetae of legs black; setae all white on femur and tibia, sometimes a few black on apex of femur; tarsal setae black, a few white on basitarsus. Setae erect on outside face of femur, reclinate on inside face. Ventral setae on femur longer than width of femur; dorsolateral macrosetae on femur are long, fine, and colored to match shorter setae; 10+ dorsolateral macrosetae on profemur but indistinguishable from surrounding setae, mesofemur with 3–8, metafemur 8–14. Protibia with longest macrosetae about 4 times longer than tibial width; golden patch of short dense macrosetae on inside of protibia. Claws chestnut over basal 60%, black apically. Wings. Veins dark brown; membrane hyaline, very pale brown when viewed obliquely. DCI = 0.50–0.65. Halter yellow/white; knob without dark spot. Abdomen. Male. Tergite cuticle dark brown/black; very thin brown tomentum on tergite bases, extensively lacking so the dark cuticle shines through, bands of grey tomentum cover apical 20% of each tergite (segment 1 half covered), extending ventrolaterally so that the tergite sides are between half and completely covered in grey, but straight across dorsum. About 4–10 black macrosetae and 2–3 white/yellow macrosetae on side of tergite 1, abundant long white setae. Lateral setae on tergites long, erect, white; on tergites 2–4 setae longer than F1, on tergites 5–7 as long as scape + pedicel. Dorsal setulae brown, fine. Sternite tomentum grey, setae white. Female. Grey tomentum bands on tergites somewhat wider than in male, covering apical 30%. Several (6–10) black macrosetae on side of tergite 1. Male genitalia. Epandrium and hypandrium/gonocoxite complex cuticle shining dark chestnut/black, entirely devoid of tomentum; with dark brown/black setae, setal brush black. Epandrium moderately elongate, in lateral view the width 50% the length, widest medially, dorsal margin mostly straight but slumping ventrally at apex; apex directed ventrally, with shallow semicircular emargination between dorsoapical corner and broadly rounded ventroapical tooth. In dorsal view, epandrial lobes relatively fat and moderately concave, with stubby apex, close set; basal sclerite prominent. Phallus paramere sheath dorsally 38% the length of phallus; paramere sheath with sharp ventral subapical tooth; dorsal carina a straight flat fin with shallow sharp point apically parallel to aedeagal tube, leaving a narrow gap between the apices. Ejaculatory apodeme in lateral view long, slender, straight to strongly bent in basal quarter, dorsal carina moderately broad. Subepandrial sclerite U-shaped, central unsclerotized area shaped like a tall bottle over basal 89%; spines parallel-sided, blunt, densely and evenly distributed, apical spines relatively recumbent.

Female genitalia. Undissected: Setae white, abundant, erect. Tergite and sternite 8 black; lateral lobes chestnut, with long setae mixed brown and white; hypogynial valves long, with short fine setae medially, otherwise bare; cerci black with yellow setae; acanthophorite spines black.

TypeMaterial. HOLOTYPE ♂ labelled:“[rectangularwhitelabel] USA;CA;HumboldtCo./Eureka, S.JettyRoad / 40 41.9’N12416.5’W/ 10MAY1995 / R.A.Cannings & H.Nadel /RC95-13”;“Sand dunes withAbronia/ latifolia, Lathyrus littoralis ,/ Tanacetum sp./ 12:30 -13:45 PDT”. Our holotype label “ HOLOTYPE / Lasiopogon ♂ / canningsi McKnight/ des. T.A. McKnight 2017 [red, black-bordered label]” has been attached to this specimen. Deposited at USNM.

PARATYPES (80 specimens designated): U.S.A.: CALIFORNIA: Del Norte Co., [no loc], 29.vi.1910, Oldenberg (1♀ USNM, USNMENT1100224 ) ; Crescent City [41.747 -124.199], 13.vii.1937, E.C. Van Dyke (1♀ EMEC) ; Tolowa Dunes State Park N, 41.86972 -124.21222, 5–6.vi.2009, E.M. Fisher (4♂ 3♀ [2 EtOH] RBCM) ; Humboldt Co., [no loc], 1911, Oldenberg (1♂ USNM, USNMENT1100246 ) , 3.v.1953, W.D. Hawes (1♀ EMEC) , 4.v.1953, W.D. Hawes (1♀ EMEC) ; Arcata , 20 mi N [41.141 -124.145], 27.v.1964, J. Schuh (1♂ WSUC) ; Clam Beach County Park , 5 mi SE of Trinidad, 40.99350 -124.11619, 15.v.2012, T.A. McKnight (1♂ 1♀ RBCM, 1♂ 1♀ TAM, 1♂ UMMZ) ; Clam Beach County Park, N entrance 0.8 km S Hwy 101 exit, 41.00667 -124.11333, 10.v.1995, R.A. Cannings (1♂ 1♀ RBCM, RBCM ENT 010-002766 ) ; Crannell , 2 mi N [41.029 -124.111], 28.iv.1959, T.R. Haig (1♂ 2♀ FISH) ; Eureka, S Jetty Road , 40.7005 -124.2731, 10.v.1995, R.A. Cannings, H. Nadel (4♂ 11♀ RBCM, RBCM ENT 010-002765 , RBCM ENT 010-002767 – RBCM ENT 010-002768 ) ; Mad River Beach [40.929 -124.134], 26.vi.1969, W.G. Goodman (1♀ FISH) ; Samoa dunes [40.764 -124.226], 28.v.1969, C. Slobodchikoff (1♂ EMEC) , 25.vi.1969, D. Levin (1♀ LACM, LACM ENT 334080 ) ; Trinidad State Beach, 41.05807 -124.14933, 15.v.2012, T.A. McKnight (2♂ 1♀ [1 pr in cop] RBCM, 3♂ 2♀ [1 pr in cop] TAM, 8♂ 1♀ [8 EtOH] UMMZ) ; Mendocino Co., Inglenook Fen , 5 mi N Fort Bragg [39.513 -123.776], 6–7.v.1976, J. Powell (1♀ EMEC) ; MacKerricher Beach , 3 mi N Fort Bragg [39.490 -123.794], 7.v.1976, J.A. Powell (3♂ 1♀ EMEC) ; MacKerricher Beach , 5 mi N Fort Bragg [39.512 -123.781], 1–2.v.1977, J. Powell (11♂ 1♀ EMEC) ; MacKerricher State Park , 39.48737 -123.79421, 10.vi.2009, E.M. Fisher (1♂ [EtOH] RBCM) ; MacKerricher State Park beach [39.495 -123.794], 16–18.v.1984, L. Varela (1♂ BEZA) ; OREGON: Curry Co., Crissey Field State Park , beach dunes, 42.0022 -124.2133, 13.v.2015, T.A. McKnight (1♂ RBCM, 1♂ 1♀ [1 EtOH] UMMZ) .

Taxonomic Notes. Specimens from this new species have usually been identified as L. bivittatus , or sometimes misidentified as L. dimicki .

Etymology. Named for Dr. Robert A. Cannings, for his contributions toward revising Lasiopogon , and for generously sharing knowledge, notes, collections, and his encouragement for the first author.

Distribution ( Fig. 41 ) Nearctic; coastal dunes from the California / Oregon border south to Mendocino County. Type locality: U.S.A., California: Humboldt Co., Eureka, S. Jetty Road, N40°41.9’ W124°16.5’.

Phylogenetic Relationships. Member of the bivittatus group in the new bivittatus section (itself equivalent to the bivittatus group sensu Cannings 2002); sister to L. tumulicola sp. nov. The three members of this group ( L. bivittatus , L. canningsi , and L. tumulicola ) form a series of allopatrically distributed populations along the Pacific coastline. Though not dramatically distinct, we have chosen to split this complex because the specimens sort into three discrete groups based primarily on epandrium shape and mitochondrial genome, indicating that gene flow is no longer freely neutral within this group. COI sequences of L. canningsi are 3.7–4.3% divergent from L. tumulicola , and 6.0–7.4% divergent from L. bivittatus .

Natural History. Habitat: Coastal beaches and dunes. Perches on bare sand next to sparse vegetation, such as Abronia latifolia Eschsch. , Lathyrus littoralis (Nutt.) Endl. ex Walp., and Tanacetum L. sp. ( Fig. 9 ). Recorded flight dates: 10 May to 10 June.

Figures

FIGURE 35. Matrix key of Lasiopogon morphology for species revised in this publication, indicating details of tergite tomentum, major setation, and dissected male genitalia. Taxa are grouped on pages with closely related and visually similar species. (35) L. bitumineus sp. nov., L. bivittatus, L. canningsi sp. nov., L. littoris, L. tumulicola sp. nov.

FIGURES 41–42. Distribution maps of georeferenced records for Lasiopogon species revised in this publication, part 2 of 2. Each map corresponds to one page of the morphology tabular key.

FIGURES 6–13. Representative habitats of coastal sand-perching Lasiopogon species collected for this revision. (6) Oregon: Lincoln Co., Gleneden Beach, NW tip of Salishan Spit, 17.v.2012 (L. actius on foredune, L. tumulicola sp. nov. in backdunes). (7) Washington: Grays Harbor Co., Westhaven State Park, dunes 2 mi NW of Westport, 20.vi.2013 (L. actius). (8) Oregon: Lincoln Co., Newport, Agate Beach State Park dunes, 21.vi.2013 (L. dimicki). (9) California: Humboldt Co., Clam Beach County Park ~5 mi SE of Trinidad, 15.v.2012 (L. canningsi sp. nov.). (10) California: San Mateo Co., Half Moon Bay State Beach, 5.vi.2013 (L. arenicola). (11) California: Monterey Co., Pacific Grove golf course, dunes in SW corner, 11.v.2012 (L. asilomar sp. nov.). (12) California: Santa Barbara Co., Rancho Guadalupe Dunes 1 mi S of parking lot, 9.v.2012 (L. littoris). (13) California: San Luis Obispo Co., Montaña de Oro State Park, dunes @ Sand Spit trailhead, 12.iii.2014 (L. bitumineus sp. nov., L. littoris weeks later).