Geron rufipes Macquart

Hall, Jack C. & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2003, Review of the subgenus Geron (Geron) Meigen in the Nearctic Region (Diptera: Bombyliidae: Toxophorinae), Zootaxa 181, pp. 1-72 : 53-55

Geron rufipes Macquart

Geron rufipes Macquart, 1846: 247 (119). Osten Sacken 1858: 43. Osten Sacken 1878: 94. Osten Sacken 1887: 157. Coquillett 1894: 111. Williston 1901: 292. Aldrich 1905: 24. Kertész 1909: 99. Johnson 1919: 429. Hull 1973: 206. Painter, Painter & Hall 1978: 17. Evenhuis 1983: 487. Rodriguez 1989: 21. Evenhuis & Greathead 1999: 47.

Geron litoralis Painter, 1932: 145 , 146. Painter & Painter 1965: 423. Hull 1973: 206. Painter, Painter & Hall 1978:17. Evenhuis 1983: 478. Poole & Gentili 1996: 71. Evenhuis & Greathead 1999: 47.

Geron grandis Painter, 1932: 145 , 150. Byers et al. 1962: 143. Painter & Painter 1965: 423. Hull 1973:206. Evenhuis 1983: 474. Poole & Gentili 1996: 71. Evenhuis & Greathead 1999: 47.

Description. Male. Head. Front silvery tomentose, pile wanting; antenna black; scape with black hair at apex; pedicel with short black hair; first flagellomere evenly tapering from base to acuminate apex; antennal ratio: 17:6:34; face cinereous pollinose, white pilose, bare medially, silvery tomentum lateral to antennal base; oral margin white; proboscis projects two times head height beyond oral margin; gena and lower half of occiput black, white pilose, tomentum wanting; ocellar tubercle with white hair.

Thorax. Mesonotum velvety black, lateral and anterior margins narrowly cinereous pollinose; median longitudinal stripe vague, not reaching transverse suture; notum white pilose with short darker hair medially on posterior half, a few scattered, pale, hair­like scales above postalar callus; pleura white pilose and tomentose; coxae black; femora, tibiae and basitarsi fulvous (fore femur darker), with white hair and scales; halter with stem and knob pale yellowish; scutellum with white to pale yellow hair, tomentum wanting.

Wing ( Fig. 28 ). Hyaline; venation normal; crossvein r­m slightly beyond middle of cell dm; crossvein m­cu sinuate; basicosta with white to pale yellow hair.

Abdominal dorsum pale yellow pilose and tomentose, tomentum scattered, not dense; side and venter white pilose and tomentose; lateral margins of tergites and apical margins of sternites narrowly pale.

Genitalia ( Fig. 52 ) with gonocoxa in ventral view with two pits separated by a strong median ridge; gonocoxa in lateral view nearly quadrate, lower margin not strongly undulating, without projections; gonostylus about two times longer than broad, rounded apically, inner margin with a small median projection; lateral ramus narrow, slightly curved, coextensive with gonostylus; dorsolateral ramus short, broad.

Female. As in male except as follows: Head. Eyes at vertex separated by slightly more than twice width of ocellar tubercle; front cinereous pollinose, yellow pilose, golden yellow tomentum medially, white tomentum laterally next to eye margin; upper half of occiput with yellow hair; ocellar tubercle with dark yellow hair. Thorax. Mesonotum with median longitudinal stripe not evident; notum with yellow hair and dense golden yellow tomentum; fore tarsi with palynophilic setae. Genitalia with projection on tergite VIII fulvous; vaginal furca ( Fig. 21 ) with upper half V­shaped; lower half with strut curved outward, swollen apically, inner projection large, rounded.

Types. The type of G. rufipes has not been located and is presumed lost. It was described from Meridia, Yucatan, Mexico from the Pilate Collection and should be in MNVL. Holotype male and allotype of G. litoralis (Puerto Castilla, Honduras, 2.1926, R.H. Painter) in USNM. Holotype male and allotype of G. grandis (Brownwood, Texas, 14.1921, R.H. Painter) in USNM. Types of G. litoralis and G. grandis studied by senior author.

Material Examined. United States. Arizona. Cochise County: 3, 3 mi. E Portal, 18.viii.1965 (K.W. Brown) ( UCR); 1 5 mi. E Apache, 11.viii.1958 (W.R. Bowen) ( UCR); 10, 17 mi. W Douglas, 11.viii.1965, 19.viii.1967 (E.I. Schlinger, F.G. Andrews, J.W. Smith) ( UCR); 1, 10 mi. SW Stafford, 16.viii.1967 (E.I. Schlinger) ( UCR); 2, Cienega Lake, 23.viii.1967 (F.G. Andrews) ( UCR). Gila County: 1, 17 mi. N. Globe, 27.viii.1964 (E.I. Schlinger) ( UCR). Santa Cruz County: 6, Madera Canyon, 19.viii.1965, 21.vii.1947, 13.viii.1949 (L.M. Martin, K.W. Brown) ( UCR); 3, Nogales, 3.ix.1957 (T.R. Haig) ( UCR); 1 15 mi. N. Nogales, 8.ix.1957 (T.R. Haig) ( UCR). Maricopa county : 3, 18 mi. E. Gila Bend, 16.x.1979 (J.C. & E.M. Hall). California. Inyo County : 1, Deep Springs, 11.vii.1953 (H. Nakakihara) ( UCR). Riverside County: 2, Top of Berdoo Canyon, 14.vi.1968 (E.I. Schlinger) ( UCR); 1, Box Springs, 8.vi.1965 (M.E. Irwin) ( UCR). Mono County: 1, Coleville, 15.viii.1958 (R.H. Painter ( USNM). New Mexico. Hidalgo County: 1, 20 mi. S. Rodeo, 25.viii.1965 (E.I. Schlinger). Texas. Brown County: 1, Brownwood, 1.viii.1921 (R.H. Painter) ( USNM). Mexico. Sinaloa: 1, 11.6 mi. N. Los Mochis, 24.viii.1964 (E.I. Schlinger) ( UCR). Sonora: 1, 28 km N. Guayamas, 5.ix.1980 (E.M. Fisher) ( UCR). Nayarít: 1, 4 mi. E. San Blas, 5.ii.1964 (M.E. Irwin) ( UCR). Oaxaca: 1, 57 km N. Tamazulapan, 8.viii.1967 (M.E. Irwin, K.W. Brown). El Salvador. 1, San Salvador, 9.vi.1968 (L. Bottimer) ( USNM). Guatemala. 2, 250 km N. San Felipe, 19.vii.1970, J. & M. Sedlacek ( BPBM); 1, Lake Amatilla, 1000 m, 17.vii.1970, J. & M. Sedlacek ( BPBM).

Variation. In addition to the usual variations found in the color of the pile and tomentum, the characteristic fulvous color of the legs exhibits some variation. In a number of males and smaller females the legs are, at most, only vaguely fulvous. In some specimens, especially females, the tips of the first and second antennal segments show a fulvous coloring. This is one of the largest of the Nearctic species of Geron with the size ranging to 9 mm in length. The smaller specimens (3–4 mm in length) exhibit some variation in both the male and female genitalia. However, the overall general configurations fall well within the range of variation normally expected within species of this genus.

Discussion. Although the type of G. rufipes is apparently lost, the synonymy above is based primarily on Macquart’s remark, in the original description, that the legs are rufous. This species is one of very few species found in the Nearctic that has rufous legs. It has been found not only in Yucatán but also throughout Mexico as well as in the United States. Examination of the genitalia of both sexes of G. litoralis and G. grandis corroborates the synonymy given above.

Biology. Immature stages and adult flower preferences unknown.

Distribution: United States (Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas); Mexico (Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Morelos, Nayarít, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Veracruz, Yucatán); El Salvador; Guatemala.

Figures

FIGURES 27 – 28. Geron wings. 27, G. nigripes Painter. 28, G. rufipes Macquart.

FIGURES 50 – 53. Geron male genitalia. 50, G. peucon Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov.; a, lateral view; b, gonocoxa, ventral view. 51, G. prosopidis Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov.; a, lateral view; b, gonocoxa, ventral view. 52, G. rufipes Macquart; a, lateral view; b, tip of gonocoxa, dorsal view. 53, G. senilis (Fabricius); a, lateral view; b, gonocoxa, dorsal view, phallic complex removed.

FIGURES 19 – 24. Geron vaginal furcae. 19, G. peucon Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov. 20, G. prosopidis Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov. 21, G. rufipes Macquart. 22, G. senilis (Fabricius. 23, G. stenos Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov. 24, G. subauratus Loew.