Wilcoxia flavipennis Pollock & Reichert, 2019

Pollock, Darren A. & Reichert, Lisa A., 2019, Review of the Nearctic genus Wilcoxia James (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae) with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4695 (5), pp. 401-437 : 416-418

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4695.5.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A6844BF7-1B08-40D8-AB38-37F1E93B434C

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03CD87EE-081A-F05C-FF48-FAFFFE1A95D6

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Wilcoxia flavipennis Pollock & Reichert
status

sp. nov.

6. Wilcoxia flavipennis Pollock & Reichert , n. sp.

( Figs 11–12 View FIGURES 9–12 , 22 View FIGURES 17–25 , 32–33 View FIGURES 30–37 , 55 View FIGURES 47–58 , 64 View FIGURES 63–64 )

Holotype (here designated), male, labeled: “ARIZ. Organ Pipe Cac. N.M Hdqtrs. 2 mi. N. // E.M Fisher coll. XI.11.66 // [yellow label] PARATYPE Wilcoxia martinorum J. Wilcox // JOSEPH WILCOX COLLECTION—1981 Gift to California Academy of Sciences // [red label] HOLOTYPE ♂ Wilcoxia flavipennis Pollock & Reichert ”, in CAS . Allotype, female, labeled: “ARIZ. Organ Pipe Cac. N.M Hdqtrs. 2 mi. N. // R.J. Hamton Collr. XI.11.66 // [yellow label] PARATYPE Wilcoxia martinorum J. Wilcox // JOSEPH WILCOX COLLECTION—1981 Gift to California Academy of Sciences // [red label] ALLOTYPE ♀ Wilcoxia flavipennis Pollock & Reichert ”, in CAS .

Paratypes, from the following localities: MEXICO. Sonora. 13 mi. SW. Sonoyta [31.730423, -113.00623], 12.xi.1966, E.M. Fisher GoogleMaps , Paratype of Wilcoxia martinorum Wilcox , ( EMFC, 3♂, 2♀) . UNITED STATES OF AMER- ICA. Arizona. Maricopa Co. 21 mi. N. Ajo [32.675354, -112.861713], 11.xi.1966, R.J. Hampton GoogleMaps , Paratype of W. martinorum Wilcox , ( EMFC, 1♂). Pima Co. Organ Pipe Cactus Nat’l Mon., 2 mi N HQ [31.984149, -112.800852], 11.xi.1966 GoogleMaps , Paratype of W. martinorum Wilcox , ( CAS, 1♂, 2♀; EMFC, 5♂, 3♀; WBEM, 1♀; USNM, 1♀ [USN- MENT 01457178]); Organ Pipe Cac. N.M., 1.6 mi. E. Quitobaquito [31.944664, -113.020327], 28.x.1961, E.L. Sleeper GoogleMaps , Paratype of W. martinorum Wilcox , ( CAS, 1♀). Yuma Co. Brenda [33.679231, -113.943844], 28.x.1967, S.A. Gorodenski and M.A. Cazier GoogleMaps , Paratype of W. martinorum Wilcox , ( ASUC, 8♂, 12♀). California. Imperial Co. Algodones Dunes, Niland-Glamis Road, 7.4km nw. Glamis, 33°02.2’N 115°08’W GoogleMaps [33.036667, -115.133333] GoogleMaps , 22.ix-15.xi.2008, E. Dreyfus, malaise in dry wash, ( CSCA, 4♂, 3♀); Chocolate Mts. , 8 mi. E. Glamis [32.995315, -114.934035] GoogleMaps , 5.i.1986, D. Lightfoot, ( NMSU, 1♀). Inyo Co. Death Valley Nat’l. Monument, 1.5 mi SW. Wildrose Atation [sic] [36.265747, -117.188281], ca. 3100 feet GoogleMaps , 6.xi.1968, P.H. Arnaud, Jr., collected at flowers Chrysothamnus paniculatus (Gray) Hall , ( CAS, 1♂). Los Angeles Co. Encino [34.15917, -118.50028] GoogleMaps , 24.xi.1979, R. Eichinger, in flight, ( ASUC, 1♂). Riverside Co. JTNM [Joshua Tree National Park], Pl [ea]s[a]nt. V[a]ll[e]y, Fried Liver W [a]sh [33.924774, -115.843242] GoogleMaps , 22.x.1967, E.L. Sleeper, Paratype of W. martinorum Wilcox ( CAS, 3♂, 2♀); same locality GoogleMaps , 29.x.1965, E.L. Sleeper, blacklite, ( CAS, 2♀; EMFC, 1♂, 1♀); Irish Wash [33.636449, -115.388581] GoogleMaps , 25.x.1963, ( EMFC, 1♀). San Diego Co. nr. Borrego Springs , 33°15’18”N, 116°22’52”W GoogleMaps [33.255, -116.381111] GoogleMaps , 12.xii.2007, O. Lonsdale, Barcode of Life DNA voucher specimen, SmpleID CCDB-31122-C05, BOLD Proc. ID: ASIL0219-17, ( USNM, 1♀ [USNMENT 01443109]). Nevada. Nye Co. Rhyolite [36.892281, -116.829222] GoogleMaps , 2.x.1935, A.J. Basinger, Paratype of Wilcoxia martinorum Wilcox , ( CAS, 1♂) .

Derivation of specific epithet: The name “ flavipennis ” (“ flavus ”, yellow and “ penna ”, wing) is based on the slightly yellow cast to the wings of this species.

Diagnosis. This species may be separated from the other three members of the martinorum group by the following characters: pollinosity of mid and hind femora confined to distal 1/4 or less; tergite 1 with bare patch wider posteriorly than anteriorly; tergite 2 with medial bare patch contiguous with lateral bare areas ( Figs 32–33 View FIGURES 30–37 ); wing with slightly amber cast; halter knob yellow, not contrasting yellow stem (knob in some specimens with very slight pink tinge).

Description. Male ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 9–12 ). TL 6.0– 8.5 mm; wing 5.1–6.9 mm.

Head ( Fig. 22 View FIGURES 17–25 ) black, covered in pale grey tomentum, with brown tint on frons and ocellar tubercle; face (in profile) projecting slightly beyond eye; hairs and setae of head white, typically with slight amber tint; lower occipital hairs relatively long, moderately dense; ocellar tubercle with about 8 setae and a few hairs (> length of scape + pedicel), white to light brown in color; mystax ( Fig. 22 View FIGURES 17–25 ) moderately dense, consisting of long setae (ca. length of antenna) and slightly shorter hairs, occupying almost entire face; setae and hairs white, bases perpendicular to plane of face; no distinct hairs on face separate from mystax; palpi and proboscis black with white hairs; antennomeres brown, pollinose, scape bare, or very thinly pollinose; scape and pedicel with several relatively long ventral setae (pedicel with one long, stout seta) and hairs, and several short hairs dorsally; ratio of antennomere lengths (scape: pedicel: postpedicel: style + spine) = 6: 6: 19: 9.

Thorax black, covered in pale grey tomentum, tinted brown on some specimens; scutum with divided median stripe, light to dark brown pollinose; acrostichal setae present, 6–7 per row; scutum surface uniform, without distinct non-pollinose or differently colored spots; scutum with moderately sparse pile of long, white hairs (length of postpedicel), densest presuturally but longer poststurally; 2 notopleural, 1 supraalar, and 1 postalar setae; stoutest thoracic setae with amber cast; scutellum uniformly pale grey pollinose; 6 amber marginal setae, longest setae greater in length than scutellum, perpendicular to plane of scutellum, subparallel to each other; very few short marginal hairs present; disc of scutellum with few shorter, partially appressed hairs; pleura pale grey pollinose; katatergite with about 20 long, fine white setae, tips “crinkly” (e.g., Fig. 43 View FIGURES 41–46 ); wings hyaline with slight yellow cast; costa complete, visible around wing margin to base; microtrichiae sparse, conspicuous only in distal 1/3 of wing; halter with base brown and yellow, stem and knob yellow, knob with slight pink tinge in some specimens; legs ( Figs 11–12 View FIGURES 9–12 ) uniformly black, except femur-tibia joint yellow; hairs and setae white to slightly yellowish; femora pollinose dorsally, decreasing in extent from anterior to posterior femur, hind femur pollinose at distal end only; femora dorsally with relatively dense, white appressed hairs (<femur width) and a few longer (about width of femur) erect white setae; ventrally with many longer, suberect white hairs (longest> femur width); tibiae with dense, short (<tibia width) appressed white hairs, ventrally with a few longer, more erect hairs, especially on front tibia; mesotibial spine yellow; protibiae without sigmoidal spine.

Abdomen ( Figs 11 View FIGURES 9–12 , 32 View FIGURES 30–37 ) black; tergites 2–7 with “checkerboard” pattern of pale grey pollinosity and bare patches; tergites 1–7 with median bare patches, on 2–6 extending anteriorly to, or beyond midlength, hairs white; tergite 1 with bare patch wider posteriorly, extending to anterior margin; tergites 2–6 with anterolateral bare patches; sternites pale grey pollinose with moderately long, fine, white hairs, slightly longer on anterior sternites.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 55 View FIGURES 47–58 ). Apex of dorsal gonocoxite process deeply bifid, both lobes subequal in length, with carina on outer lobe; dorsal process extending past apex of ventral gonocoxite process; medial gonocoxite processes thin, acute, distinctly curved towards phallus; gonostylus relatively wide, angulate, apex truncate; phallus with indistinct, subapical denticle on lateral margins; lateral margins evenly narrowed to apex.

Female ( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 9–12 ). TL 7.0– 9.1 mm; wing 5.6–8.9 mm; with characters similar to male except for the following: thoracic pollinosity with slight amber tint in some specimens; tergites 7–8 bare, non-pollinose; tergite 6 with very thin anterior band of tomentum ( Fig. 33 View FIGURES 30–37 ).

Notes. Most of the known specimens of W. flavipennis were originally paratypes of W. martinorum Wilcox. No mention was made by Wilcox (1972) of any variation within the type series of W. martinorum , i.e. some specimens whose wings had a slight yellow cast and slightly different patterns of pollinosity on abdominal tergites and legs.

Natural history. Nothing can be gleaned from specimen labels; however, given the fact that Wilcox (1972) had specimens of W. flavipennis , n. sp. mixed in with his very long paratype series of W. martinorum , and that W. martinorum were seen “swarming” over rocky substrate, we suspect that individuals of W. flavipennis will also be found on rocks/rocky substrate. This is a characteristic of all four species in the martinorum group.

Distribution ( Fig. 64 View FIGURES 63–64 ). The geographic range of this species is restricted to southern Nevada (one specimen only), southern California and southern Arizona. The only known Mexican specimens of Wilcoxia are several of W. flavipennis , from Sonora.

CAS

California Academy of Sciences

USNM

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

CSCA

California State Collection of Arthropods

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Asilidae

Genus

Wilcoxia

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