Scatophila bolwigi, Zatwarnicki & Mathis USNM, 2024

Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz & Mathis, Wayne N., 2024, Revision of the Nearctic Species of the Shore-Fly Genus Scatophila Becker (Diptera: Ephydridae), Zootaxa 5487 (1), pp. 1-100 : 49-51

11. Scatophila bolwigi sp. nov.

Figs. 90 , 93–99 , 107 , 110

Diagnosis.—This species is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: Small shore flies, body length 1.55–1.70 mm.

Head ( Figs. 93–96 ): Mesofrons and fronto-orbits tan to brown. Face of ♂ brown, ventral portion protuberant with an elongate, medial depression bordered by dense curly setulae, especially laterally; face of ♀ with some subshiny luster. Gena moderately short, slightly more than half height of basal flagellomere; gena-to-eye ratio 0.25–0.27.

Thorax ( Figs.90 , 107 ): Mesonotum ( Fig.107 ) mostly brown with grayish stripes; scutum mostly microtomentose, dull to subshiny brown with pattern of linear gray stripes anterior, between acrostichal tracks and laterad of acrostichal tracks, fainter linear spots laterad of dorsocentral tracks; presutural dorsocentral setae lacking. Wing ( Fig. 90 ) generally faint with moderate pattern of white spots; veins R 2+3 and R 4+5 shallowly undulate near white spots; costal vein ratio 0.29–0.30; M 1 vein ratio 0.56–0.66. Legs dark; male midfemur lacking row of spine-like setulae along posteroventral margin Tarsi often yellowish to brownish red basally.

Abdomen ( Figs. 97–99 ): Mostly blackish brown to black, subshiny to shiny, with some blackish gray areas basally on tergites 2–4; subshiny, male tergite 5 truncate posteriorly. Male terminalia ( Figs. 97–99 ): Epandrium in posterior view ( Fig. 97 ) generally squatly oval except for broadly stepped emargination at ventral margin, width almost equal to height, lateral margins shallowly curved with short, papilla-like projection at ventrolateral corner; dorsal margin of epandrium in posterior view ( Fig. 97 ) evenly rounded; length of epandrial setulae variable, those along ventral margin shorter, sparse along lateral margins; cercal cavity nearly round, only slightly higher than wide; cerci in posterior view ( Fig. 97 ) hemispherical, medial margin nearly straight; aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 99 ) broadly rounded basally, irregularly rectangular, dorsal margin deeply excavated, excavation V-shaped, depth of cavity longer than width of opening, posterior margin broadly truncate, in ventral view ( Fig. 98 ) more or less pentagonal, widest sub-basally, posterior margin tapered toward apical margin, apical margin truncate, basal margin concave; ventral aedeagal process in lateral view ( Fig. 99 ) C-shaped; phallapodeme in lateral view ( Fig. 99 ) very elongate, narrow, curved, keel evident as a medial thumb-like protuberance, dorsal length about equal to ventral length, in ventral view ( Fig. 98 ) T-shaped, basal crossbar slightly less than half length of medial process, crossbar extensions slightly tapered, especially apically, curved posteriorly; postgonite in lateral view ( Fig. 99 ) irregularly and widely V-shaped, dorsal arm subrectangular, wider basally and anterior margin emarginate, ventral extension an elongate, rod-like, parallel-sided projection, posterior apex a tapered, thumb-like projection, narrow apex shallowly bifurcate, posterodorsal corner distinctly produced, apex shallowly and narrowly bifurcate, bearing setulae on dorsal surface, in ventral view ( Fig. 98 ) with posterior extensions oriented medially, narrow, thumb-like; neohypandrium in lateral view ( Fig. 99 ) narrow, parallel-sided, irregularly and deeply C-shaped.

Type Material.— The holotype male of Scatophila bolwigi new species is labeled “ USA. A[LAS]K[A]. Gulkana River (19.3 km N Glenallen [should be Glennallen]; 62°16.1'N, 145°23.1'W)[,] 7 Aug 2011, D. & W. N. Mathis/ Sp. photographed T. Zatwarnicki, M. Cielniak, 2018/ USNM ENT 00250327 [plastic bar code label]/ HOLOTYPE ♂ Scatophila bolwigi Zatwarnicki & Mathis USNM [red].” The holotype is double mounted (minute nadel in block of plastic elastomere), is in excellent condition, and is deposited in the USNM. Four paratypes (3♂, 1♀) bear the same label data as the holotype and five other paratypes (5♂) bear the same locality label, but the date of collection is 9 Jul 2006 and 7 Aug 2012. Other paratypes are as follows: ALASKA. Bethel (Census Area): Bethel (60°47.5'N, 161°45.3'W), 25 Sep 1917, A. H. Twitchell (1♂ paratype of S. variofacialis ; USNM). Fairbanks North Star: Chena Lake Recreation Area (64°47.6'N, 147°11.4'W), 10 Aug 2003, D. and W. N. Mathis (4♂, 2♀; USNM) . Kenai Peninsula: Homer (59°38.8'N, 151°31.5'W), 2 Aug 2002, D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM) . Matanuska-Susitna: Eklutna (Knik Arm; 61°28.2'N, 149°21.4'W), 7 Aug 2002, D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM) ; Sheep Creek (61°58.3'N, 150°05'W; 55 m), 10 Aug 2011, D. and W. N. Mathis (1♀; USNM) ; Willow Creek (61°46.1'N, 150°04.2'W; 50 m), 26 Jul 2011, D. and W. N. Mathis (5♂, 4♀; USNM) . Nome (Census Area): Snake River (11 km NW Nome; 64°33.9'N, 165°30.6'W), 2 Aug 2012, D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM) .

Other Specimens Examined.— UNITED STATES. ALASKA. Fairbanks North Star: Fairbanks (64°50.3'N, 147°43'W), 29 Jun–4 Jul 1921 , J. M. Aldrich (2♀ paratypes of S. variofacialis ; USNM). Matanuska-Susitna: Matanuska (61°32.5'N, 149°13.8'W; rotary trap), 19 May–20 Jun 1944 , J. C. Chamberlin (3♂, 4♀ paratypes of S. variofacialis ; USNM) .

Type Locality.— United States. Alaska. Valdez-Cordova (Census Area): Gulkana River (19.3 km N Glennallen; 62°16.1'N, 145°23.1'W) .

Distribution ( Fig. 110 ).— Nearctic : United States (Alaska).

Etymology.—The species epithet, bolwigi , is genitive patronym to honor Dr. Niels Bolwig (26 Sep 1911 – 10 Sep 2004), who was a Danish zoologist, behavioral biologist, entomologist, lecturer, and professor Dr. N. Bolwig published three papers on the biology and natural history of Scatophila unicornis ( Bolwig 1940a, 1940b, 1941).

Remarks.— Sturtevant and Wheeler (1954: 200) noted that “the mesonotal glossiness is scarcely evident” in specimens from Alaska that they had identified as S. variofacialis , a new species they were then describing. We concur with their observation and have also discovered that structures of the male terminalia of the Alaskan populations are consistently quite different. These differences include much smaller ventrolateral projections of the epandrium ( Fig. 97 ), the pentagonal shape of the aedeagus in ventral view ( Fig. 98 ), the smaller keel of the phallapodeme in lateral view ( Fig. 99 ), and the shape and orientation of the paired postgonites in ventral and lateral views ( Figs. 98–99 ). Thus, we are recognizing the populations from Alaska as a separate and undescribed species.

Like S. variofacialis , this species is placed in the noctula group.

Figures

FIGURE 110. Distribution map of Scatophila bolwigi sp. nov. (squares), S. tuberculosa Cresson (triangles), and S. variofacialis Sturtevant & Wheeler (circles).

FIGURES 89–91. Head, thorax and wing of Scatophila. 89. Scatophila viridella Sturtevant & Wheeler, head and thorax, dorsal view. 90–91. Wing, dorsal view. 90. S. bolwigi sp. nov. 91. S. hirtirostris Sturtevant & Wheeler. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 93–96. Head of Scatophila bolwigi sp. nov. 93. Male, latero-oblique view. 94. Male, lateral view. 95. Female, laterooblique view. 96. Female, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 97–99. Male terminalia of Scatophila bolwigi sp. nov. 97. Epandrium and cerci, posterior view. 98. Internal male terminalia (gonite, phallapodeme, aedeagus, neohypandrium), ventral view. 99. Same, lateral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 107–109. Head, thorax and wing of Scatophila. 107. Scatophila bolwigi sp. nov., head and thorax, dorsal view. 108–109. Wing, dorsal view. 108. S. tuberculosa Cresson. 109. S. unicornis Czerny. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.