Empis lucidilabris Bezzi, 1905

Rafael, J. A. & Câmara, J. T., 2012, Revision of Neotropical species of Empididae (Diptera) described by Mario Bezzi. XI. The species described in Empis Linnaeus, Zootaxa 3488, pp. 63-79 : 73-75

Empis lucidilabris Bezzi

( Figs. 50–59, 83)

Empis lucidilabris Bezzi, 1905: 440 ; 1909: 349; Melander, 1928: 161 (checklist); Collin, 1933: 231 (citation); Smith, 1967: 23 (catalogue); Yang et al., 2007: 136 (catalogue).

Diagnosis. Large, mostly black with proboscis and part of legs yellow; scape thin; acrostichal setae uniserial; all legs with subpeniform setae; fore tarsomere 1 swollen; wing with two dark bands at level of r–m and dm–cu crossveins, and conspicuous infuscation at apex; cercus long.

Re-description. Female (non-type specimen): body length 5.3 mm, wing length 5.9 mm. Dichoptic; frons ( Fig. 52) and face wider than ocellar tubercle, height twice the width, both with same height. Frons shiny, with medial grey pruinescent spot on ventral 0.75, with 3–4 pairs of small proclinate setae near antenna. Ocellar tubercle shiny, with divergent anterior setae, 3–4 shorter and aligned posterior setae. Face bare, grey pruinescent at dorsal third, shiny, protuberant ventrally. Postcranium ( Fig. 50) black, grey pruinescent; with complete row of uniserial postocular setae, vertical ones more robust; with complete row of uniserial posterior occipital setae slightly longer than postoculars. Gena and postgena with slender setae. Antenna with scape, pedicel and base of postpedicel yellow, remaining dark brown; scape elongate, slender; postpedicel as long as scape and pedicel combined, 1.5X longer than stylus, latter apparently bi-segmented. Proboscis yellow, shiny, nearly 2X longer than head height. Palpus hidden, base brown, apex yellow, with small black apical seta.

Thorax ( Fig. 53) black, except postpronotal lobe slightly yellow, entirely grey pruinescent more visible depending on angle of incidence light; in anterior view scutum with narrow matte-black stripe between acrostichal and dorsocentral rows extending beyond transverse suture, wider stripe between dorsocentral and supra-alar rows, extending from postpronotal lobe to transverse suture. Chaetotaxy: 7 distinct uniserial antepronotals; 10 distinct postpronotals, being one longer and more robust; 6–8 slender distinct proepimerals; 6 uniserial acrostichals, with row extending slightly beyond transverse suture; roughly 8 misaligned dorsocentrals, biserial to level of transverse suture, posterior ones longer; 2 presutural intra-alars, anterior seta more medial; 2–3 postsutural intra-alars, anterior two in same transverse line, medial shorter; 2 presutural supra-alars; 1 postsutural supra-alar; 4 robust posterior and 2 weak anterior notopleurals; 1 robust, 1 weak postalars; 2 scutellars, apical pair longer and crossed; roughly 20 long laterotergitals, largest approximately halter length.

Legs coxae dark brown; trochanters yellow, except hind brown; fore femur yellow, mid and hind femora brown with base and distal 0.25 yellow; tibiae yellow, except brown dorsally; tarsi yellow, brown at apices, except fore and hind tarsomere 1 mostly brown with base yellow. Legs setae distinct and numerous, with subpeniform setae intermixed with slender setae on all femora and tibiae and on fore and hind tarsomeres 1. Foreleg ( Fig. 54): femur with anterodorsal subpeniform setae medially; tibia slightly swollen with posterodorsal and posteroventral subpeniform setae throughout, posterior row of slender, long setae, and anterodorsal row of shorter setae; tarsomere 1 swollen, slightly wider than tibia apex, with dorsal and anteroventral subpeniform setae, 1 basal and distal rows of more robust setae anteriorly; remaining tarsomeres, except last, with more robust antero- and posteroventral setae. Midleg ( Fig. 55): femur with almost complete row of dorsal subpeniform setae, incomplete row of shorter posteroventral setae on distal half, anteroventral series of short, robust setae; tibia with dorsal subpeniform setae almost throughout with anterodorsal, posterodorsal and anteroventral rows of slender, robust setae; tarsomere 1 antero- and posteroventral rows of slender setae, in addition to 2 median and apical antero- and posterodorsals, 1 anterior and posterior at apex; remaining tarsomeres same as fore tarsomeres. Hindleg ( Fig. 56): femur and tibia with dorsal and posteroventral subpeniform setae almost throughout; distal fourth of femur with 2 slender dorsal setae slightly longer than remaining setae; tibia with antero- and antero- and posteroventral rows of slender, longer setae, ventral rows only on distal half; tarsomere 1 with dorsal row of subpeniform setae and complete row of slender, longer anteroventral setae, 1 posteroventral subbasally, 1 posterodorsal medially, 1 anterodorsal slightly weaker and distal row of more robust setae; remaining tarsomeres same as fore tarsomeres.

Wing ( Fig. 83) light brown with bands at level of r–m and dm–cu crossveins and at apex, pterostigma light brown; base of costal vein with robust seta (not represented in figure); dm cell rather elongate. Vein R 1 bare dorsally, slightly dilated towards apex. Halter dark brown with yellow base.

Abdomen black, subshiny, finely grey pruinescent visible at certain angles. Tergite 1 with longer setae on posterior margin; remaining tergites with short but distinct setae. Sternites same color as tergites.

Terminalia with sternite 8 wider and longer than tergite 8 ( Figs. 57, 59); tergite 10 with basal sinus ( Fig. 58); genital fork narrow ( Fig. 57) with short arms; cercus longer than sternite 10 ( Figs. 57, 58), with slender setae ( Fig. 58).

Male. Described originally by Bezzi (1905) from Callanga, Peru. Specimen destroyed.

Geographical distribution. Peru.

Material examined. ♀ non-type. PERU, [Junin], Chanchamayo , 11.i.1904 (1 ♀, SMT); 12.i.1904 (1 ♀, SMT) .

Remarks. The two examined specimens were identified as E. lucidilabris by Bezzi (1909) and match Bezzi’s original description.

Discussion. The female specimens of E. lucidilabris were identified as part of group II in Collin’s (1933) key through the same couplets of E. angustipennis as presented above. Further in the key it ends at couplet (15) of E. variabilis due to “thorax with four strongly contrasting dark stripes”. They are not conspecific because E. lucidilabris has an entirely black abdomen (yellow at apex in E. variabilis ) and wing distinctly infuscated with transverse bands at levels of r–m and dm–cu crossveins and at apex (almost hyaline in E. variabilis ).