Tephrochlamys tarsalis (Zetterstedt, 1847)

Rotheray, Graham E., 2012, Morphology of the puparium and breeding sites of eight species of Heleomyzidae (Diptera), Journal of Natural History 46 (33 - 34), pp. 2075-2102 : 2090

Tephrochlamys tarsalis

Puparium. Length 3–5 mm (n = 4), length of second abdominal segment 0.4 mm, red-brown in ground colour; dorsal transverse striae slight, more developed on posterior segments; locomotory spicules numerous and variable in size with middle rows consisting mostly of small spicules about the size of those in the extreme anterior and posterior rows, largest spicules confined to an interrupted band just in front of the extreme posterior rows ( Figure 7B ); anterior spiracles ( Figure 3E ) transverse rosette in shape with 10–12 respiratory bulbs (bulbs broken and missing in some specimens); projections bearing posterior spiracular plate about as tall as basally wide and plates separated by more than twice the width of a spiracular plate; spiracular plate ( Figure 4E ), with indented rim and a projection between spiracular slits 1 and 2 bearing a tuft of peristigmatical setae; posterior spiracular slits long, longer than diameter of the ecdysial scar; head skeleton ( Figure 10C,D ), length 0.9 mm; mandible with a pin-hole window; intermediate sclerite club-shaped with ventral bridge towards anterior end ( Figure 10D ); epipharyngeal plate lightly sclerotized.

Material examined. Berkshire, Temple, four puparia ex nest of rook, Corvus frugilegus , 16.7 m high in a Scots pine tree, Pinus sylvestris , consisting of sticks, dead leaves, bark, grass, vegetable mould and the remains of a rook, nest collected 30 January 1932, adults emerged 29 March to 10 April 1932, EB Basden.

Additional rearing records. Excluding material referred to above, Basden reared 117 specimens from six nests and burrows of five bird and mammal hosts: Buckinghamshire, Temple , one specimen ex nest of a field mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus , 38 cm along a tunnel excavated by a kingfisher, Alcedo atthis , nest collected 19 December 1931 , adult emerged 1 May 1932; same locality 96 specimens ex nest of a rook, Corvus frugilegus , 16.7 m high in a Scots pine tree, nest collected 30 January 1932 , adults emerged 29 March to 12 May 1932; same locality, three specimens ex nest of a grey squirrel 8.2 m high in a beech tree, nest collected 6 January 1934 , adults emerged 3–7 May 1934; Buckinghamshire, Penn , one specimen ex nest of a dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius , height of nest not recorded, nest collected 31 January 1932 , adult emerged 1 May 1932; Buckinghamshire, Seer Green nr Beaconsfield , 15 specimens ex nest of a grey squirrel 7.6 m high in an oak tree, Quercus sp. , nest collected 26 November 1932 , adults emerged 1–29 April 1933; Berkshire, Farnham Royal , one specimen ex nest of a blackbird 3.6 m high in an elm tree, Ulmus sp. , nest collected 28 October 1933 , adult emerged 21 May 1934.

Figures

Figure 3. Heleomyzidae, anterior spiracles, lateral view, scale bar 0.1 mm, fan shape: (A) Eccoptomera microps, (B) Scoliocentra brachypterna; transverse rosette shape: (C) Heleomyza borealis, (D) Tephrochlamys flavipes, (E) Tephrochlamys tarsalis, (F) Heteromyza rotundicornis; rosette shape: (G) Suillia variegata, (H) Suillia laevifrons, and (I) Suillia ustulata.

Figure 4. Heleomyzinae and Heteromyzinae, posterior spiracles, apical view, scale bar 0.1 mm, Heleomyzinae: (A) Eccoptomera microps, (B) Scoliocentra brachypterna, (C) Heleomyza borealis; Heteromyzinae: (D) Tephrochlamys flavipes, (E) Tephrochlamys tarsalis, (F) Heteromyza rotundicornis.

Figure 7. Heteromyzinae, locomotory spicules, across mid-ventral zone of the posterior margin of the second and the anterior half of the third abdominal segment, uppermost vertical line indicates the mid-ventral point, horizontal line indicates approximate segment boundary, (A) Tephrochlamys flavipes, (B) Tephrochlamys tarsalis, (C) Heteromyza rotundicornis.

Figure 10. Heteromyzinae, head skeletons, left hand figures, whole structure, lateral view, mandible to the right, right hand figures, dorsal view of intermediate sclerite and mandible in that order, scale bar 0.25 mm, (A, B) Tephrochlamys flavipes, (C, D) Tephrochlamys tarsalis, (E, F) Heteromyza rotundicornis.