Bezzia (Bezzia) uncistyla Dow & Turner, 1976

Grogan, William L., 2020, A Revision of the Nearctic Predaceous Midges in the Bezzia (Bezzia) pulverea complex (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Zootaxa 4877 (3), pp. 429-467 : 444-447

Bezzia (Bezzia) uncistyla Dow & Turner

( Figs. 25–30 )

Bezzia pulverea (Coquillett) : Wirth 1952: 232 (male from Mariposa Co., California; in review of California Ceratopogonidae ; distribution).

Bezzia (Pseudobezzia) uncistyla Dow & Turner, 1976: 80 . New Mexico. (in revision of Nearctic Bezzia ; Florida, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Ontario).

Bezzia (Bezzia) uncistyla: Wilkening et al. 1985: 529 (in list of Florida Ceratopogonidae ); Borkent & Grogan 2009: 26 (in Nearctic catalog; distribution); Grogan et al. 2010: 50 (provisional records from Alachua and Indian River counties, Florida).

Diagnosis. The only Nearctic species of the B. pulverea complex with the following combination of characters. Males with same coloration and banding patterns as in B. laciniastyla ; but they differ from males of that species by their gonostyli which have a slender curved, sharply pointed outer prong (outer prong of gonostylus usually folded, flap-like in B. laciniastyla ) and a shorter rounded inner prong; and, they are usually larger (WL 1.76–2.56 mm) than males of B. laciniastyla (WL 1.43–2.02 mm). Females with the same coloration and leg banding patterns as in males, but they are usually larger (WL 1.97–2.86 mm) than females of B. laciniastyla (WL 1.57–2.33mm). In addition, the ranges of these two species are nearly exclusive as B. uncistyla ranges farther north in the USA in Alaska, and Canada in British Columbia to New Brunswick, however, both species are known from Maryland and Virginia.

Male. Head. Brown to reddish brown. Eyes separated by the width of 3–4 ommatidia. Antennal flagellum brown, bases of flagellomeres 5–10 light brown, 11–13 usually uniformly brown; flagellomere 1 elongate, 2–7 vasiform, 8–9 elongate vasiform, 10–13 greatly elongate, 10 usually longest; plume brown, dense, extending near mid length of flagellomere 11; AR 0.80-1.08 (0.92, n=22); flagellum length 1.21–1.58 (1.39, n=22). Palpus moderately long; segment 5 extending below apex of labellum; segment 3 with meso-central group of 2–5 long capitate sensillae; PR 3.00–4.44 (3.55, n=22). Mandible slender, most specimens with 2-5 slender medial teeth, some specimens with a few tiny widely spaced lateral teeth. Thorax. Reddish brown. Scutum with numerous short coarse setae and 7–11 very large stout pre-alar setae; scutellum dark brown with a row of 6–11 long stout setae. Fore, mid femora yellowish to light brown with broad brown basal band, fore femur with narrow brown subapical band, mid femur with broad brown subapical band; hind femur, tibia dark brown; fore tibia with broad mid, shorter apical brown bands; 2–5 fore, 0–2 mid, 0–3 hind ventral femoral spines; 2–3 fore, 3–5 mid, 3–4 large apical tibial spines; tibiae usually with 2 dorsal rows of spines, a few to no spines on fore leg, spines largest, most numerous on hind leg. Tarsomeres 1–3 yellowish, 4–5 brown; claws as in males of B. pulverea . Wing moderately narrow, membrane lightly infuscated, darkest in upper section of cell r 3; anterior veins brownish, posterior veins well developed, pale; WL 1.76–2.56 (2.20 mm, n=24), WW 0.49–0.70 (0.57 mm, n=24); CR 0.65–0.71 (0.67, n=24). Halter brown, distal ½ of knob dark brown. Abdomen. Tergites dark brown to reddish brown, sternites usually lighter brown, but are transparent in some specimens; tergites covered with dense moderately long stout setae, sternites with shorter, sparse thinner setae. Genitalia ( Figs. 25–26 ). Tergite 9 broad, moderately long; cerci elongate, extending to mid-length of gonocoxites with numerous long, stout subapical and apical setae. Sternite 9 longer than tergite 9, with deep apico-central excavation, inner margin with long dense fine setae; distolateral extensions extend nearly to apices of gonocoxites with heavily sclerotized inner tooth-like serrations. Gonocoxite short, stout; gonostylus moderately long, base broad, tapered and narrowed on mid-portion, apical section becoming increasingly broad distally; inner prong rounded, outer prong well developed, curved, tip pointed. Parameres fused; basal arms heavily sclerotized, divergent, apices broad, rounded; main body broad, moderately sclerotized; distal portion triangular, more lightly sclerotized, apex arrow-head shaped, lightly sclerotized with longitudinal wrinkles, tip narrowed, rounded. Aedeagus broad, triangular; basal arch moderately deep, extending 1/3 of total length; basal arms short, heavily sclerotized, apices recurved 90˚; main body more lightly sclerotized, moderately broad with short shoulder-like basolateral extensions; apical portion tapering abruptly distally, apex slender, tip pointed, enclosed in underlying narrow hyaline envelope.

Female. Similar to male with the following notable sexual and other differences. Head ( Fig. 27 ). Eyes more narrowly separated in some specimens. Antennal flagellum with flagellomeres 2–8 vasiform with distal ½ brown, proximal ½ yellowish to light brown; 1–8 with central whorl of stout long setae; 10–13 elongate, 12 or 13 usually longest, brown to dark brown, bases yellowish to light brown, without whorl of central large setae, with numerous slender hyaline setae; AR 1.21–1.57 (1.36, n=23); flagellum relatively short, length 0.86–1.28 (1.12 mm, n=23). Palpus similar to male, but segment 3 usually more elongate; PR 3.20–4.44 (3.80, n=22). Mandible broad with 8–10 large distal, 3–5 smaller proximal medial teeth; 3–5 very small widely spaced lateral teeth. Thorax ( Fig. 28 ). Brown or reddish brown. Scutellum with 5–8 long stout setae. Femora, tibiae with similar banding patterns as males except some specimens with poorly developed basal and subapical brown fore femoral bands that are absent in a few specimens; 2–7 fore, 0–2 mid, hind femoral spines; 1–3 fore, 2–5 mid, 0–4 hind large apical tibial spines; tarsi, claws as in females of B. pulverea . Wing ( Fig. 29 ) similar to males but broader with longer costa, radial cell; WL 1.97–2.86 (2.36 mm, n=22), WW 0.69–1.01 (0.85 mm, n=22); CR 0.72–0.77 (0.75, n=22). Abdomen ( Fig. 30 ). Reddish brown or dark brown. Tergites with numerous short setae, sternites with shorter, less numerous setae. Internal tergal apodemes as in females of B. pulverea . Apices of sternite 9 halves ( Fig. 30 ) similar to those of B. laciniastyla . Spermathecae ( Fig. 30 ) unequal-size, moderately broad, elongate ovoid with short necks; larger 0.16–0.25 mm long, smaller 0.10–0.16 mm long. A female from Little Valley, Malheur County, Oregon has very slender spermathecae, the larger is 0.24 x 0.06 mm, smaller is 0.19 x 0.05 mm, but all other features are typical of this species. And a female from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada also has similar slender spermathecae, the larger is 0.22 x 0.06 mm, and smaller is 0.16 x 0.05 mm.

Distribution. This is the largest and most wide-ranging species in the B. pulverea complex and the only species that inhabits western North America in Alaska, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick, south in Oregon, California (see comments below about specimens from that state), Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Wisconsin, east in New York, Connecticut, south to Maryland and Virginia. It is the only species in the B. pulverea complex in Canada. I did not find any slide-mounted specimens in the USNM from Montana, and therefore, I suspect that Dow & Turner (1976) listed the two males below from Wyoming as being from Montana.

In his extensive review of the Ceratopogonidae of California, Wirth (1952) listed two records of B. pulverea from that state in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco (CASC) that he apparently examined: a male from Mariposa County, and, a female from Los Angeles County. I attempted to borrow both specimens from the CASC, but, was only able to obtain the female from Los Angeles County as the male from Mariposa County was not found by their curator. Regardless, the Mariposa County specimen was likely a male of B. uncistyla based on Wirth’s (1952: Fig. 27d ) illustration of the male genitalia that is similar to other males of this species. However, my examination of the Los Angeles County female revealed that it is actually a specimen of Bezzia (B.) punctipennis (Williston) , which is a primarily Neotropical species that also inhabits the southern United States in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Florida ( Borkent & Spinelli 2007; Borkent & Grogan 2009). I suspect that Wirth probably did not examine the wing of this California female, which has 3 dark black spots, on the r-m crossvein, the mid-portion of vein M 1 and in cell r 3, as well as more lightly pigmented larger spots in the distal sections of some or all of cells r 3, m 1, m 2, cua 1 and the anal cell. All of these spots are present on the wings of both sexes of B. punctipennis ( Wirth 1952: Fig. 28a ; Dow & Turner 1976: Fig. 29D ).

Derivation of specific name. The specific name is Latin in reference to the sharp, hook-like outer prong of the male gonostylus.

Material examined. UNITED STATES: ALASKA, (North Starr Borough), Fairbanks , 23–27 VI 1967, KM Sommerman, jeep trap, 3 females . CONNECTICUT, (New London Co.), Norwich , 9 June 1959, A. Hubert, light trap, 1 male . MARYLAND, Prince Georges Co., Patuxent Wildlife Refuge Res. Ctr. , July 1976, Wm. L. Grogan, Jr., Malaise trap, 1 male ; same data except 29 VI 1978, W. W. Wirth, malaise trap, 1 male . Wicomico Co., Hebron, margin of Quantico Creek , NW Quantico Creek Rd. , 4–11 VI 2007, Malaise trap, Wm. L. Grogan, Jr., 1 male . NEBRASKA, Otoe Co., Dunbar , 4 July 1972, W. W. Wirth, light trap, 1 female . NEW MEXICO, (Taos Co.), Taos , 27 VI 1969, W. W. Wirth, light trap, 6 males, 4 females (female allotype, male & female paratypes) . NEW YORK, Monroe Co., Braddock Bay , 12 June 1963, W. W. Wirth, near marsh, 9 males, 1 female . OREGON, Malheur Co., Little Valley, sw (of) Vale , 19 June 1963, K. Goeden, light trap, 1 female . UTAH, Cache Co., Hyrum , 20–27 June 1974, Wm. L. Grogan, Jr., (sweep net), 5 males, 1 female . VIRGINIA, (Fairfax Co.), Holmes Run , 24 June 1960, W. W. Wirth, light trap, 1 male . WISCONSIN, Washburn Co., 4 VIII 1951, R. H. Jones, 1 female . WYOMING, (Goshen Co.), Lingle , June 1969, Mike Butler, 2 males. ( USNM) CANADA: (all from CNCI). B. C. (BRITISH COLUMBIA), nr. Osoyos , 4500´, 1 VI 1976, J. A. Downes, 1 male . MANITOBA, Churchhill , 22 June 1951, J. A. Downes, 1 male , same data except 27 VII 1953, 2 males, 1 female . N. B. (NEW BRUNSWICK), Kouchibouguac Nat. Pk., VI–VII 1977, J. R. Vockeroth, 4 males, 3 females ; same data except VII 1977, D. Oliver & M. Dillon, 1 male, 1 female ; same data except 10 VII 1978, J. A. Downes, 1 female . ONTARIO, Algonquin Park , 8 June 1960, W. W. Wirth, 1 male ; Black Lake , N. Burges Twp, 3 VII 1967, J. A. Downes, 1 male, 1 female ; Bell’s Cor. ( Corner ), 21 V 1951, J. F. McAlpine, 1 male ; Constance Bay , Aug. 1961, J. A. Downes, reared, 1 male, 1 female ; Ottawa , 20 VI 1960, J. A. Downes, 1 female , same data except 25 VI 1960, 1 male .

Discussion. Dow & Turner (1976) apparently described this species based on the the type series from Taos, Taos Co., New Mexico. However, in their distribution section, they also listed Florida, Montana, Nebraska, New York and Ontario, but did not provide specific locality data for these specimens or designate any as paratypes. In their review of the distribution of species of Ceratopogonidae in Florida, Wilkening et al. (1985) noted for B. uncistyla that “Records not available for this species.” Grogan et al. (2010) noted the first provisional Florida records of this species from Alachua and Indian River counties. However, I now doubt that B. uncistyla inhabits Florida, and therefore, I have included some of these earlier tentative Florida records in the account of B. laciniastyla .

Dow & Turner (1976) noted for females “Scutellum dark brown with 9 large setae.” My examination of 11 females confirmed that their scutella are usually dark brown, but, I recorded a range of 5–8 long setae for them. Dow & Turner also noted for males “Scutellar setae longer, stouter than female, 9-12.” My examination of 25 males did not confirm that males had longer, stouter scutellar setae than females, but, I recorded a range of 6–11 large setae for males. As I noted above for males and females of B. laciniastyla , the number of large scutellar setae in both sexes of B. uncistyla is also highly variable.

Figures

FIGURES 25–30. Bezzia uncistyla. Male, 25–26, Female, 27–30 (from type locality, Taos, New Mexico). 25 Genitalia at focal level of sternite 9, parameres, and gonostyli (from New York); 26 Genitalia at focal level of sternite 9, aedeagus and gonostyli (from Utah). 27 Head. 28 Thorax and legs. 29 Wing. 30 Abdominal segments 7–9 and spermathecae.