Hemipenthes inops (Coquillett)

Ávalos-Hernández, Omar, 2009, A review of the North American species of Hemipenthes Loew, 1869 (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 2074, pp. 1-49 : 25-26

11. Hemipenthes inops (Coquillett)

(Figs. 12, 53–54)

Anthrax inops Coquillett, 1887: 169 .

Villa (Hemipenthes) inops (Coquillett) : Painter & Painter, 1965: 436. Hemipenthes inops (Coquillett) : Hull, 1973: 385.

Holotype in USNM.

Diagnosis: Proepimeron pilosity black; coxae with black tomentum; hind femur and tibia with abundant black, broad, flattened scales; dm and a cells hyaline or infuscated just at base; r 1 cell hyaline; bm cell hyaline at center; CuA 1 vein with just two sections; postalar bristles black; first, second and fourth abdominal tergites with a band of white scales; third and fifth abdominal tergite with a band of fulvous scales.

Description: Male. Body length: 7–8 mm; wing length: 7 mm. Head: Eyes separated by a little more than width of ocellar triangle. Front black pilose, yellowish tomentose, tomentum not dense. Face brown, rounded, with black hairs and yellowish tomentum. Scape black, swollen on inner apical margin, with black hairs, twice as long as pedicel; pedicel black, twice as wide as long, with short black hairs; flagellomere black, longer than scape and pedicel combined; base subconical, tapering to styliform apical two-thirds; stylus minute, terminal. Proboscis short, not projecting beyond oral margin. Palpi black with black hairs. Occiput with short yellowish hairs and white scales.

Thorax: Mesonotum anterior margin yellowish pilose; lateral margin pale yellow or white pilose; tomentum on disc entirely yellowish, long, hairlike; bristles black. Mesopleuron pale yellow pilose on proepisternum, anepisternum, and katatergite, tomentum on katepisternum black-violet. Proepimeron with black hairs. Mid coxa with black hairs, tomentum on all coxae hairlike, black. Legs black, femora black pilose and tomentose, broad scales on hind femur and tibia; bristles black. Halter steam brownish to yellowish, knob yellow. Scutellum brown, black pilose and yellowish tomentose; bristles black. Black setulae on basicosta.

Wing mostly hyaline, faint pigment on cells c, sc, br; cell r 1 with basal half infuscated (Fig. 12); cells cua 1 and dm infuscated just at base; cell dm infuscated behind r-m crossvein; r-m crossvein at basal third of cell dm; no crossvein between R 4 and R 2 + 3; cell r 5 slightly narrowed at wing margin; vein CuA 1 just with two sections, contact of cell dm and cua 1 punctiform; cell a slightly wider than cell cup; alula well developed.

Abdomen: Abdominal dorsum with whitish pile on tergite one, rest black pilose; abdominal dorsum with a crossband of white tomentum on apical half of first tergite, tergites two and three with black tomentum on apical half and fulvous and white scales mixed in on basal half, broad crossband of white tomentum on fourth and seventh tergites, that on five and six fulvous; some black scales on sides of third to seventh tergites; sides of abdomen with first, second and basal half of third tergites whitish pilose, rest black pilose. Venter black pilose, black tomentose with white scales mixed in. Genitalia brown with black hairs. Epandrium in lateral view, rectangular, lower apical margin prolonged posteriorly, lower margin clearly concave in middle, basal corner narrowed; gonocoxite broad, basal half enlarged, apex swollen; gonostylus small, hooked apically; epiphallus in lateral view narrow ( Fig. 53 ) clearly curved, not cap-shaped, apex swollen, rounded; with a ventral extension broad at base with apex acuminate, portion of the epiphallus behind ventral extension as long as aedeagus; epiphallus in ventral view broad ( Fig. 54 ), lateral margins straight, with dense spines at apex; aedeagus broad at base narrowed at apex, not swollen dorsally; gonopore terminal.

Female. Nearly identical to male. Eyes separated by twice width of ocellar triangle.

Distribution: USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Washington).

Specimens examined: USA. California: Forest Home, 23 -VIII- 1944, A. L. Melander (2 males, 1 genitalia; USNM); Sacramento Co. (1 male; USNM); Calaveras Co. (1 male; USNM); Sonoma Co. (1 male; USNM); Berkeley, 11 -VI- 1933 (1 female; USNM); Arroyo Mocho 20 mi S Livermore, 5 -VII- 1958 (1 female; USNM).

Remarks: Hemipenthes inops may be one of the most distinct species within the genus. There are two external characteristics that are unique to this species: (1) the shape of the CuA 1 vein, only with two sections, not contact between vein CuA 1 and dm cell; and (2) the wing pigmentation faint, mostly hyaline, but present. In some specimens color in wing is darker, covering the wing base. The genitalia is also different to any other with in the genus, the epiphallus is short and broad in ventral view, but with a ventral extension. This species is maintained within the genus Hemipenthes because of the following characters: (1) face rounded; (2) flagellomere with base subconical, tapering to styliform apical two-thirds; (3) proboscis short, not projecting beyond oral margin. The broad black scales in the hind tibiae in H. inops and H. lepidota may be homologous structures. The distribution of this species is limited to the East of the USA.

Figures

FIGURES 53 – 54. Hemipenthes inops male terminalia. 53, lateral view; 54, ventral view.