Coniceps niger Loew

Wendt, Lisiane Dilli & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2012, Redescription of the genus Coniceps Loew, 1873 (Diptera, Richardiidae), Zootaxa 3238, pp. 49-56 : 52-55

Coniceps niger Loew

(Figs. 1–32)

Coniceps niger Loew, 1873a: 178 . Type locality: Texas, USA; Osten-Sacken, 1878: 187 ( catalogue ); Aldrich, 1905: 598 ( catalogue ); Hendel, 1911a: 184; 1911b: 6–8 (redescription); Curran 1934: 278 (wing, fig. 56); 1965: 278 (wing, fig. 56, reprint); Hennig, 1937: 22 (citation); Aczél, 1950: 7 ( catalogue ); Steyskal, 1958: 303 (note); 1968: 3 ( catalogue ); 1987: 835 (figs. 4–wing, 13–head); Arnett Jr., 2000: 894 (species list); Cooper & Cumming, 2000: 88 ( catalogue of types). Hanckok, 2010: 872 (figs. 5–6).

Redescription. Lectotype male: Measurements (in mm): body length 4.7; head 1.1; eye 0.5; frons projection (from the anterior margin of the eye to the anterior margin of the frons) 0.4; wing 2.9; abdomen 2.0. Head (Figs. 1–5): Dark brown. Scape, pedicel, first flagellomere and arista dark brown (Figs. 4, 5). First flagellomere 6.5 times longer than pedicel, covered with gray pruinosity (more or less visible depending on angle of illumination). Frons with sparse setulae. Ocellar and orbital setae of similar size. Medial vertical seta slightly larger than lateral vertical seta. Palpus and proboscis yellow. Thorax (Figs. 1–2): Dark brown, with grayish pruinosity, mainly on postpronotal lobe and notopleuron. Katepisternum with one posterodorsal seta. Two pairs of scapular setae present. Halter brown. Lower calypter pale brown with long setae on margin (Fig. 10). Legs: Slender and yellow, except hind tibia (Figs. 1, 11) and tarsomeres pale brown (Fig. 1). Pulvillus white. Hind femur with weak spine-like antero and posteroventral setae on apical third, and one preapical anterodorsal seta (Fig. 11). Wing: Slightly brownish with apical 3/4 of cell r1 brown (Fig. 6). Abdomen (Fig. 8): Dark brown covered with black setae. Syntergite 1+2 with one long seta at midlength on lateral margin (Fig. 8). Syntergite 1+2 and tergite 3 long and similar in size. Terminalia ( Figs. 12–23 ): Sternites 2–8 dark brown. Sternite 3 ( Fig. 13 ) and sternite 4 ( Fig. 14 ) rectangular and with apical fifth membranous. Sternite 5 subquadrangular, entirely sclerotized, with medial apical area of denser long strong setae ( Fig. 15 ). Sternite 6 with set of dense setae ( Fig. 16 ) Syntergosternite 7+8 covered with slender setae on superior portion ( Fig. 16 ). Epandrium with long setae ( Figs. 17, 18 ). Lateral surstylus elbow-shaped, base projecting laterally, with sparse and short setulae and slightly longer than the medial surstylus, as in figures 17–20. Proctiger with ventral and lateral sclerotized areas covered with setae on most of surface ( Figs. 17, 18 ). Female ( Figs. 24–26, 28–32 ): differs from male as follows: Sternites 5 ( Fig. 31 ) and 6 ( Fig. 32 ) without strong apical setae. Oviscape dark brown ( Fig. 24 ). Basal half of eversible membrane dark brown and apical half pale brown ( Fig. 25 ). Denticles in triangular pattern, of different sizes (detail shown in Figure 25 ). Aculeus brown ( Fig. 26 ), broad and short, with some small setae on tip and on middle (in Figure 26 , only the insertions of setae, represented by small white points, are visible). Two spermathecae dark brown, spherical and strongly sclerotized ( Fig. 28 ).

Type-material examined. Lectotype male (MCZ), by present designation, labeled: “Texas\?” “Loew\coll.” “ Type \4\13276”; a label with “ Lectotype \ Designated by\ Wendt & Ale-Rocha” was added. Remarks: Specimen in good condition. Paralectotypes: same locality data as lectotype (2 3, 2ƤƤ, MCZ; 13, CNC). All specimens are in good condition. The abdomen of one paralectotype male and female (MCZ) were dissected and placed in a micro-vial with glycerin, and pinned together with the specimen. There is one female in the type collection of the USNM that was probably received in an exchange from MCZ. The label data are the same as on the lectotype (A.L. Norrbom, personal communication). This specimen has not been examined.

Additional material. United States of America. Illinois, Champaign, 18.v.1955, J. Kingsolver col. (43, 1Ƥ, CNC); E. of Urbana, 4m, 12.vi.1957, J.K. Bouseman col. (33, 4 ƤƤ, CNC); Kansas, Kinsley, 4.vi.1959, Howden & Becker col. (1Ƥ, CNC); Texas, Waco, Belfrage col. [without date] (13, USNM); Dallas, 7.v.1908 [without collector] (1Ƥ, USNM).

Distribution. United States of America: Illinois (new record), Kansas, Texas.

Remarks. This species superficially resembles Ozaenina linearis Hennig, 1938 by the similar size, the entirely black body and the contrasting yellow legs. Nevertheless, C. niger is distinguished by the characters indicated in the genus diagnosis.

Coniceps niger is the only known species belonging to the genus, and it is restricted to the continental USA.

Figures

FIGURES 12 ‒ 23. Coniceps niger Loew, lectotype male. 12. Sternites 1 and 2. 13. Sternite 3. 14. Sternite 4. 15. Sternite 5. 16. Tergite 6 and syntergosternite 7 + 8, left lateral view. 17 ‒ 18. Epandrium, lateral and medial surstylus, and proctiger. 17. Lateral view. 18. Posterior view. 19 ‒ 20. Lateral and medial surstylus. 19. External, lateral view. 20. Internal, lateral view. 21. Hypandrium, phallopodeme and distiphallus, lateral view. 22. Ejaculatory apodeme 23. Apex of distiphallus. Scale 12 – 18: 0.2 mm; scale 19 – 23: 0.1 mm. Abbeviations: distph—distiphallus; epan—epandrium; hypd—hypandrium; l sur—lateral surstylus; m sur—medial surstylus; phapod—phallapodeme; prens—prensiseta; proct—proctiger; tg — tergite; syntgst — syntergosternite.

FIGURES 24 ‒ 32. Coniceps niger Loew, paralectotype female. 24. Abdomen: sternites 4 – 6 and oviscape ventral view. 25. Eversible membrane, sternite 8 and aculeus, ventral view (arrow indicates denticles in details). 26. Sternite 8 and aculeus (in detail). 27. Palpus. 28. Spermatecae. 29. Sternite 3. 30. Sternite 4. 31. Sternite 5. 32. Sternite 6. Abbreviations: acul—aculeus; ev memb—eversible membrane; ovscp—oviscape; st—sternites; tae—taenia.