Pedicia (Pedicia) goldsworthyi Petersen

Petersen, Matthew J., 2006, A new species of crane fly, Pedicia (Pedicia) goldsworthyi (Diptera: Pediciidae), from eastern North America, Zootaxa 1220, pp. 55-61 : 57-60

Pedicia (Pedicia) goldsworthyi Petersen , new species

Diagnosis

Medium­large Pedicia (Pedicia) species. Wing veins CuA, Sc, and M, and distal chord of wing widely suffused with black. Vein CuA1 suffused with black until wing margin. Prescutum with 4 brown stripes, medial 2 narrowly divided. Ninth tergite with 2 medial rows and 2 anterior tufts of elongate golden setae. Gonocoxite short, with an elongate mesoventral lobe that exceeds length of gonocoxite. Mesoventral lobe with a mesodorsal enlargement equipped with numerous stout black setae.

Discription

Adult male ( Fig. 1 ). Measurements (n = 5): Body length: 19.1 mm (18.9–19.3), wing length: 22.5 mm (21.4–23.6), wing width: 5.0 mm (4.8–5.2). Head: Rostrum shorter than head; variable coloration, ranging from dark brown to black with silvery pruinosity; anterior vertex prominent. Antenna: 14 articles; scape twice length of pedicel; scape and pedicel light to dark brown in preserved specimens; flagellum with first 2 segments narrow basally, expanded distally; flagellomeres 3–8 with length of segment equal to width; flagellomeres 8–12 narrowed, length decreasing in terminal segments; flagellomeres 1 and 2 with 3–5 vertices on dorsal face, remaining segments with 2 vertices; vertices longer than corresponding segment; flagellomere coloration ranging from tan to brown. Maxillary palpi: Elongate, longer than antennae; palpomeres 2–3 with distal apex expanded; palpomere 4 greater in length than remaining palpomeres combined; uniformly black in color. Thorax: Base color tawny; prescutum with 4 brown stripes, middle 2 narrowly divided by base coloration; mediotergite brown, divided medially by thin tawny stripe; laterally with broad brown stripe extending from pronotum to anterior wing base, encompassing intermembranous region and dorsal sections of anepisternum and anepimeron; second brown cloud encompassing base of halter, katatergite, and anatergite. Halters: Ocherous, darkening slightly on knob; stem with 2 rows of golden setae along sides, setae becoming dark brown on knob. Legs: Femora brown, ringed with dark brown distally; tibiae and tarsi ringed with dark brown apically and distally, center region brown; tibial spurs 1­2­2. Tarsal claws simple, untoothed. Wing: Wing long and slender, attaining greatest width at intersection of A1 to wing margin, distal part of wing mildly falcate. Bases of cells br, bm, and cup black; coloration of br and bm continuing to midlength of M, cup ending 1/4 length of A2; costal field lighter in coloration than remainder, paling to subhyaline before dark cloud around h; cell r1 black, except for clear section located directly above cell dm; cells r2 and r3, and base of r4 black; veins of chord (r­m, M 1+2, m­cu) widely seamed with black; 1 specimen showing cloud of black around m­m; CuA1 seamed with black until wing margin; HT with A2 seamed with black on 1 wing, not observed in other specimens; remainder of wing clear. Wing venation: Sc long, attaining wing margin after split of Rs; Sc2 removed from Sc1, ending before origin of Rs. Basal section of Rs long, subequal to free branches of R; R2 present, positioned beyond split of M1 and M2; R1+2 2.5–3.0 x length of R2; 4 branches of R attaining wing margin (R1+2, R3, R4, and R5); cell r4 short petiolate, petiole 1/5 length of cell. Cell dm present. Three branches of M attaining wing margin (M1, M2, M3); cell m1 subequal to slightly longer than petiole. Crossvein m­cu intersecting at split of M. Two branches of CuA attaining wing margin (CuA1 and CuA2). Two branches of A attaining wing margin (A1, A2); veins divergent, A1 attaining wing margin close to CuA2. Abdomen: Base coloration of tergites and sternites tawny; pattern of tergites and sternites 1–7 with bases narrowly ringed with orange; large dark brown triangle with apex directed posteriorly, ending at posterior edge of each segment; edges dark brown, occasionally lined with orange. Eighth and ninth tergites and sternites and hypopygium dark brown; abdomen sparsely covered with golden setae. Hypopygium: 9th tergite and sternite fused; posterodorsal margin medially expanded into spatulate lobe, becoming bifid at its apex, its length subequal to slightly longer than width at base, bordered laterally with 2 subequal rounded lobes; 2 parallel rows of elongate golden setae running to posterior margin of tergite, each row bordered posterolaterally by a separate cluster of setae. Ninth sternite excavated medially with posterolateral edges enlarged, resulting in medial notch exposing aedeagus. Gonocoxite small; mesoventral lobe of gonocoxite nearly 2.0 x length of gonocoxite, with dorsal medial lobe bearing numerous strong black setae; interbase a recurved blade, serrated near pointed apex. Gonostylus without clear separation from gonocoxite; gonostylus an enlarged spatulate blade, posterior edge with 3 or 4 setae and basal enlargement with numerous stout setae. Aedeagus black, short upcurved blade; parameres pointed, directed anteriorly; ejaculatory apodeme simple, shorter than aedeagus.

Adult female. Unknown.

Pupa. Unknown.

Larva. Unknown.

Type material

Holotype [adult male, pointed]: UNITED STATES: Pennsylvania: Allegheny Co., Pittsburgh vicinity, 31 July 1982, C. Young [ CMNH]. Paratypes: UNITED STATES: Minnesota: Clearwater Co., SW end of Lake Itasca, 21 June 1970 [adult male, pointed] [ NHMK]; Michigan: Cheboygan Co., 23 July 1940 [adult male, pointed] [ NHMK]; New York: E. Aurora, 15 September 1912 [adult male, pointed] [ NHMK]; Maine: Liberty, 17 July 191(?) [adult male, pointed]; North Carolina: Avery Co., Rough Ridge, ca. 3.3 km NW of Gragg, elevation 1220 m, 20 June 2002 [adult male, pointed][ANS]; Pennsylvania: Green Co., 4 km NE Ruff Creek, “Moth Ridge”, 39­59­14N 80­08­57W, 390 m, 22 June 1997 [adult male, pointed], Allegheny Co., Gibsonia, 15 Aug 1995 [adult male, pointed] [ CMNH]; Virginia: Giles Co., #57 Doe Creek, 0.9 miles SW of Mt. Lake, 15 Aug 1967 [adult male, pointed] [ NHMK].

Other material examined

UNITED STATES: Pennsylvania: Potter Co., 4 km SSW Conrad, Sinnemahoning Creek, 19 Aug 1998, Acciavatti [adult male, pointed] [ CMNH]; Allegheny Co., Gibsonia, 25 May 1987, C. Young [adult male, pointed] [ CMNH]; Allegheny Co., Gibsonia, 15 Aug 1982, C. Young [ CMNH]; Sumerset Co., Addison, 26 May 1986, W. Zanol [adult male, pointed] [ CMNH]; Warren Co., 6.0 km E Cobhan, 565m, 41­43­22N 79­15­43W, 18 Oct 1995, J.A. Isaac [adult male, pointed] [ CMNH]; Warren Co., 6.0 km E Cobhan, 565m, 41­ 43­22N 79­15­43W, 18 June 1995, J.K. Deeds [adult male, pointed] [ CMNH]; McKean Co., 5.4 km ENE Donaldson, Tionesta Scenic Area, 41­40­04N 78­57­01W, 14 Oct 1994, W. Metheny [adult male, pointed] [ CMNH]; Allegheny Co., 2.1 km NNE Oakdale, Settlers Cabin Co. Park, 40­24­55N 80­10­32W, 340m, 24 June 1998, K. Megowen [adult male, pointed] [ CMNH]. CANADA: Manitoba, Aweme, E. Criddle, 30 July 1913 [adult male, pointed] [ANS].

Distribution

Pedicia (Pedicia) goldsworthyi has a wide eastern North American distribution extending from Liberty, Maine, south to North Carolina, and west to Lake Itasca, Minnesota, and Aweme, Manitoba. The prevalence of collection records from Pennsylvania may reflect the increased sampling that this area has received, rather than species abundance.

Remarks

Pedicia (Pedicia) goldsworthyi was well represented in museum collections, in all cases identified as P. a l b i v i t t a, based on the coloration of wing vein CuA1 to the wing margin. This confusion likely resulted from the use of an existing taxonomic key ( Alexander 1942) that was limited to wing coloration characters. Additional records and museum­held specimens of P. goldsworthyi are likely to exist in collections similarly misidentified as P. a l b i v i t t a. The five eastern North American species, while being very similar in morphology and coloration, may be separated by means of the included key.

Ecology

Collection dates show that adults of P. goldsworthyi are active between May and October, with most records in July and August. Increased examination of collected specimens of P. albivitta should yield additional new records and will help to refine the distribution of P. goldsworthyi . The larval stage of P. goldsworthyi is currently undescribed, though it is likely to be similar to that of P. albivitta , the larvae of which are predaceous and known from springs, seeps, and lake and stream margins, where they live in saturated soils ( Alexander 1920).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Light micrographs of Pedicia (Pedicia) goldsworthyi n. sp. 1. Male hypopygium, dorsal view. 2. Interio­lateral view of gonocoxite. 3. Lateral view of male hypopygium. 4. Wing with arrow indicating vein CuA 1. Scale bar = 1 mm. (abbreviations: 9 s: ninth abdominal segment, gxt: gonocoxite, mvl: mesoventral lobe of gonocoxite).