Efferia haitensis (Macquart)

Aubrey G. Scarbrough & Daniel E. Perez-Gelabert, 2009, Review of the West Indian species of Efferia Coquillett (Diptera: Asilidae) with 13 new species and checklist: Part II. Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Lesser Antilles including Tobago and Trinidad, Zootaxa 1994, pp. 1-66 : 26-29

Efferia haitensis (Macquart)

Figs. 39–44 , 94 , Table 1

Erax haitensis Macquart, 1848: 28 ; Walker 1855: 623; Aldrich 1905: 276; Curran 1931: 9. Syn. nov.

Nerax stylatus, Hull 1962: 479 . Comb. nov.

Efferia haitensis, Martin & Papavero 1970: 68 . Catalogue; comb. nov.

Redescription, male. Measurements, body 10.5–13.5 mm, wing 8.8–10.7 mm. Head: Pale yellowish-gray or white tomentose. Face with numerous black bristles medially, abundant dorsally, whitish setae intermixed, setae long ventrally with sparse black bristles and setae along oral margin; face at antennae 2/3–3/4 as wide as 1 eye. Antennae, frons, and ocellar tubercle entirely, and palpi mostly black setose, base pale setose. Postocular bristles black, 5–6 dorsally stout, thinner black bristles sometimes extend to mid-lateral margin of head.

Thorax: Pronotum grayish tomentose, setae yellowish or white, bristles mixed black and white. Scutum mostly brownish-yellow or yellow tomentose, setae and bristles black; sparse pale setae narrowly along anterior and lateral margins; anterior scutal setae as long as scape and pedicel combined; 5 lateral and 4–5 dorsocentral bristles stout, several dorsocentral bristles much thinner posteriorly. Scutellum yellowish-gray tomentose, setae yellowish, as long or longer than scape and pedicel combined and as long as marginal bristles; 6–8 marginal bristles, most long and thin, usually black and yellowish mixed. Pleura brownishyellow or yellowish-gray tomentose, setae mostly pale, sparse black setae anteriorly. Halter yellow, knob often reddish.

Wing ( Fig. 94 ): Mostly brownish, costa slightly to moderately dilated; costal cell brown. Base of cell r4 beyond cell d, R4 recurrent vein short, about 1/4 as long as cell base. Crossvein r-m at or beyond apical 1/3 of cell d.

Leg: Femora black, bristles mostly black, setae yellowish or white except black apically. Metathoracic femora with stout black bristles ventrally, none of those basally as long as greatest diameter of segment in anterior view. Tibiae yellow, apices blackish or reddish-brown, bristles black, dense setae ventrally yellow. Metathoracic tibiae swollen apically, slightly angled forward. Tarsi black or slightly reddish, bristles black.

Abdomen: Brown or blackish, mostly white tomentose and white setose; tergites 2–4 and basal 2/3 of 5 brown tomentose, brown setae dorsally, sparse on tergites 2–3 medially, wide sides brownish-yellow or grayish tomentose with mostly pale setae; apical 1/3 of tergite 5 and tergites 6 and 7 entirely white tomentose; segment 8 with sparse tomentum, apical margin black setose dorsally, yellow ventrally.

Terminalia ( Figs. 39–42 ): Black, mostly black setose, cercus and epandrium whitish dorsally; apex and base about same width anteriorly. Epandrium 3 times as long as wide, large notch dorsally with narrow vertical and large rounded process dorsoposteriorly, latter longer vertically than wide. Gonocoxa angular on anterior surface apically, without teeth or concavity; setae black, not especially dense or long.

Female. Measurements, body 11.8–14.4; wing 9.5–10.6 mm. Head: Yellow or brownish-yellow tomentose, mostly black vestiture; mystax black, mixed with pale setae, latter abundant ventrally, often mixed with thin black bristles or setae. Postocular bristles sometimes extend to near mid-lateral margin of eye. Thorax: Anterior scutal setae as long or slightly longer than scape and pedicel. Scutellar setae mixed black and yellow setose, or wholly yellowish, 3–4 stout marginal bristles. Wing: Slightly brownish, darkest bordering veins and in costal cell. R4 recurrent vein as long as or slightly longer than basal width of cell r4. Leg: Metathoracic tibiae normal, not club-shaped. Abdomen: Mostly grayish tomentose with mostly whitish setae, long on basal 4–5 sternites. Tergites 2–6 brown tomentose dorsally, sides gray tomentose, latter often extend partially or entirely along apical margin of tergite; setae short, mostly or entirely brown on 4–6, sparse medially on tergites 2–3. Tergite 7 brownish tomentose, setae brown; sternite 7 brownish-gray tomentose, setae white or mixed black and whitish. Terminalia ( Figs. 43–44 ): Length 4.5–5.4 mm, 9.5–10.6 times longer than diameter at middle. Cercus 1/3 as long as tergite 9 dorsally. Spermathecae mostly brown, ovate.

Specimens examined. HAITI: Syntypes (2 ♂, types Dip.322 1/6, 2/6, OUMNH); Acc: 3’88-28 / Petite Rivere [Petite Riviére de lʹ Artibonite, Ouest Dept.] Haiti / 22.vii.1928 ~ E. Ducasse / Collector ~ S.W. Bromley / Collection / 1955 (1 ♂, NMNH); Port au Prince / HAITI / 7–10.ix.1934 ~ Bois Caradeux / coll. E.M. Ducasse (1 ♀, NMNH). DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RD-156 La Furnia, Barreras, / Azua Prov., 18o19.289’N 70o / 54.755’W, 18.vii.2003, D. / Perez, R. Bastardo, B. Hierro (n) (1 ♂, NMNH); RD-056 Pueblo Nuevo, / Baní, Peravia Prov., / 18º17.672’N 70º19.922’W, / 16.xi.2002, D. Perez, R.Bas- / tardo, B. Hierro. (night) (1 ♂, NMNH); RD-176 Southern slopes of / Cerro Gordo, Baní [Peravia Prov.], on the way to / Salinas, 18o16.038’N 70o20. / 630’W, 23.xi.2003, D. Perez, / R. Bastardo, A. Francisco (d) (1 ♂, MHND).

Distribution. Dominican Republic: Azua and Peravia provinces; Haiti: Ouest department. Captured at low elevations during July, November, and December.

Remarks. Efferia haitensis is distinguished from congeners by the characters in the key, especially the combined characters of the terminalia ( Figs. 39–44 ). The female is distinguished by the mostly brown tomentose dorsum of tergite 7, brownish-gray laterally and all of sternite 7.

Curran (1931) first synonymized E. haitensis with E. stylata and was subsequently retained by Martin & Papavero (1970). Upon examining the syntypes of E. haitensis , we determined that the species is valid, quite different from E. stylata (see Figs.). The species is removed from synonymy.

Figures

FIGURES 39–44. Efferia haitensis (Macquart). Male terminalia, lateral view: 39. Intact, left side; 40. Gonostylus with thick sclerotization; 41. Phallus; and 42. Aedeagus with tubes and phallic flange. Female terminalia, lateral view: 43. Ovipositor; 44. Lateral spermathecae.

FIGURES 89–96. Wings of 8 species of Efferia Coquillett. 89. E. exacta sp. nov.; 90. E. forbesi (Curran); 91. E. fortis (Walker); 92. E. fulvibarbis (Macquart); 93. E. haitensis (Walker); 94. E. montensis sp. nov.; 95. E. nigrimystacea (Macquart); and 96. E. sinuosa sp. nov. Abbrevations: Costa = C; discal cell = dc; first medial cell =m 1; fourth radial vein = R 4; fifth radial vein = R 5; recurrent vein = rec; radial-medial crossvein = r-m.