Review of the Nearctic genus Wilcoxia James (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae) with descriptions of three new species
Author
Pollock, Darren A.
Author
Reichert, Lisa A.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-11-12
4695
5
401
437
journal article
24897
10.11646/zootaxa.4695.5.1
34f39440-da4f-4f5e-b9bf-258a7445ce73
1175-5326
3542536
A6844BF7-1B08-40D8-AB38-37F1E93B434C
8.
Wilcoxia martinorum
Wilcox
(
Figs 15–16
,
25
,
36–37
,
57
,
66
)
Wilcoxia martinorum
Wilcox 1972: 43
.
Type
locality: “
California
, Riverside Co., White Water”;
Wood 1981: 560
,
Fig. 32
[anterior view of head];
Poole & Gentili 1996: 64
.
Types.
Holotype
, male (
CAS
), labeled: “White Water, Cal.
XI-25 1947
//
J. Wilcox Coll.
// [blue label]
HOLOTYPE
♂
Wilcoxia martinorum J. Wilcox
//
California
Academy of Sciences Type No. 11714 //
ALLOTYPE
IS STORED IN THE GENERAL COLLECTION”.
The
holotype
was not examined (images studied at: http://researcharchive. calacademy.org/research/entomology/typesDB/default.asp).
The
allotype
was examined.
Derivation of specific epithet
. Named after Charles and Dorothy Martin, who found individuals of this species “literally swarming on the hillside rocks near the entrance to White Water Canyon” (
Wilcox 1972: 44
).
Diagnosis
. This species may be separated from the other three members of the
martinorum
group by the following characters: outer lateral surface of all femora more or less uniformly pollinose; tergite 1 with bare patch wider anteriorly than posteriorly; tergite 2 with medial bare patch isolated from lateral bare areas; wings hyaline; halter knob yellow, not contrasting yellow stem.
Description
.
Male
(
Fig. 15
). TL
5.5–7.8 mm
; wing
4.8–6.5 mm
.
FIGURES 13–16. Figs 13–14.
Male (
13
) and female (
14
) paratypes of
W
.
forbesi
,
n. sp.
Both specimens from Doña Ana Co., NM.
Figs 15–16
. Male (
15
) and female (
16
) paratype of
W
.
martinorum
Wilcox. Both
specimens from Riverside Co., CA.
Head
(
Fig. 25
) black, covered in pale grey tomentum, usually tinted brown on ocellar tubercle and frons, face (in profile) barely projecting beyond eye; hairs and setae of head white, usually with a slight amber cast; lower occipital hairs long, dense, “wispy”;
ocellar tubercle
with about 8 long setae and several long hairs (> length of scape + pedicel), white to amber in color;
mystax
(
Fig. 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
dark brown to black with white hairs;
antennomeres
brown to black, pollinose, scape and pedicel with very thin pollinosity medially; scape and pedicel with several 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: 18: 11.
FIGURES 17–25.
Laterofrontal view of head of
Wilcoxia
spp.
17
.
W
.
cinerea
, male.
18
.
W
.
monae
, male.
19
.
W
.
painteri
, male.
20
.
W
.
pollinosa
, male.
21
.
W
.
apache
,
n. sp.
, male.
22
.
W
.
flavipennis
,
n. sp.
, male.
23
.
W
.
forbesi
,
n. sp.
, male.
24
.
W
.
forbesi
,
n. sp.
, female.
25
.
W
.
martinorum
, male.
Thorax
black, covered in pale grey tomentum;
scutum
with divided median stripe, light to dark brown pollinose; acrostichal setae present, 5–6 per row; scutum surface uniform, without distinct non-pollinose or differently colored spots; scutum with sparse pile of long white hairs (length of postpedicel), densest presuturally but longer postsuturally; most specimens with 2 notopleural setae, 1 supraalar seta and 1 postalar seta; stoutest thoracic setae with amber cast;
scutellum
uniformly pale grey pollinose; 5–6 white to pale yellow 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
);
wings
hyaline; costa complete around entire wing margin; microtrichiae very sparse, scattered, in distal 1/3 of wing;
halter
with base brown and yellow, stem and knob yellow;
legs
(
Figs 15–16
) uniformly brown to black, hair and setae white to slightly yellow; all femora pollinose, at least dorsally, front and middle femora with anteroproximal half non-pollinose; hind femur uniformly pollinose dorsally, but anteriorly confined to distal 1/3; 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 light brown; protibiae without sigmoidal spine.
FIGURES 26–29.
Abdomens of
Wilcoxia
spp. (
cinerea
group), dorsal.
26
.
W
.
cinerea
, male;
27
.
W
.
monae
, male;
28
.
W
.
painteri
, female;
29
.
W
.
pollinosa
, male.
Abdomen
(
Figs 15
,
36
) black; tergites 2–7 with “checkerboard” pattern of pale grey pollinosity and bare patches; tergites 1–7 densely pale grey pollinose, hairs white; tergites 1–7 with dorsocentral bare patch, on 2–7 extending from posterior margin to about midlength; tergite 1 with bare patch widest anteriorly; tergites 2–6 with anterolateral bare patch;
sternites
pale grey pollinose, with sparse, long fine white hairs, longest on anterior sternites.
Male genitalia
(
Fig. 57
). 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. 16
). TL 6.0–10.0 mm; wing
5.2–8.8 mm
; with characters similar to male except for the following: frons and ocellar tubercle with brown tomentum; median stripe of scutum and much of dorsal pollinosity brown; tergites 7–8 thinly pollinose to bare (
Fig. 37
).
Natural history
. Specimens of
W
.
martinorum
were said by
Wilcox (1972: 44)
to be “literally swarming on the hillside rocks near the entrance to White Water Canyon”. This behavior is shared (though perhaps not “swarming”) with individuals of
W
.
apache
and
W
.
forbesi
, which we have collected also only on rocks or stony/rocky substrate. Four
paratypes
(CAS) of
W
.
martinorum
have associated prey items pointed on the same pins. Bulk index of the prey items ranged from 1.3–7.3; ratio of bulk index of predator:prey ranged from 2.6 (largest prey item) to 11.4 (smallest prey item) (average = 7.7). Prey items comprise
HYMENOPTERA
(
Encyrtidae
:
Bothriothorax
cf.
californicus
) and
DIPTERA
(2
Phoridae
(
Megaselia
sp.) and 1
Anthomyiidae
). The latter specimens were called “borborids” [=
Sphaeroceridae
] by
Wilcox (1972)
, but in fact they are
Phoridae
, genus
Megaselia
(Steve Gaimari and Brian Brown, pers. comms.).
Wilcox (1972)
mentioned a small winged termite (Isoptera) as a prey item also; this specimen was not seen. Specimens were collected from
10.x–2.ii.
FIGURES 30–37.
Abdomens of
Wilcoxia
spp. (
martinorum
group), dorsal.
30
.
W
.
apache
,
n. sp.
, male;
31
.
W
.
apache
,
n. sp.
, female;
32
.
W
.
flavipennis
n. sp.
, male;
33
.
W
.
flavipennis
,
n. sp.
, female.
34
.
W
.
forbesi
,
n. sp.
, male.
35
.
W
.
forbesi
,
n. sp.
, female.
36
.
W
.
martinorum
, male.
37
.
W
.
martinorum
, female.
FIGURES 38–40. Fig. 38
. Wing of male
W
.
forbesi
,
n. sp.
showing abbreviated costa (not present to wing base).
Fig. 39
. Apex of wing of male
W
.
pollinosa
, showing dense microtrichial field on wing membrane.
Fig. 40.
Detail of wing of male
W
.
forbesi
n. sp.
showing lack of conspicuous microtrichiae on wing membrane.
Non-primary type material examined
.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
.
Arizona
.
Yuma Co. Telegraph Pass
[
32.667783
,
-114.315430
],
Gila Mts
.,
6.i.1986
, D.
Lightfoot
, (
NMSU
,
1♂
)
.
California
.
Riverside Co. White Water
[
33.926128
,
-116.635048
]
,
23.xii.1947
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
44♂
,
24♀
;
CNC
,
2♂
,
1♀
;
NMSU
,
1♀
;
BME
,
1♀
[UC
BME
P 0003966
]); same locality
,
25.xi.1947
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
20♂
,
23♀
;
NMSU
,
1♂
;
CNC
,
1♂
); same locality
,
28.xi.1947
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
6♂
,
4♀
;
CNC
,
1♀
); same locality
,
3.xii.1947
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
3♂
,
3♀
)
;
same locality
,
10.xii.1962
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
1♂
)
;
same locality
,
27.xii.1947
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
2♂
,
2♀
)
;
same locality
,
16.xii.1964
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
1♂
,
1♀
)
;
same locality
,
6.i.1948
, A.F.
Howland
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
1♀
)
;
same locality
,
13.xi.1966
, E.
Fisher
,
Paratype
, (
EMFC
,
8♂
,
5♀
;
USNM
[
USNMENT 01457176
],
1♂
); same locality
,
16.xii.1962
, E.
Fisher
,
Paratype
, (
EMFC
,
4♀
;
WBEM
,
1♂
;
USNM
[
USNMENT 01457177
],
1♀
); same locality,
1500 ft.
,
29.xi.1978
, E.M.
Fisher
, (
EMFC
,
8♂
,
5♀
)
;
3 mi.
N. Whitewater [
33.969801
,
-116.634963
],
1600 ft.
,
13.xi.1979
, E.M.
Fisher
, (
EMFC
,
1♂
,
1♀
)
; Palm Springs [
33.831958
,
-116.546514
], P.H. Arnaud,
Paratype
,
7.i.54
, (
CAS
,
10♂
,
10♀
)
;
same locality and collector,
Paratypes
,
8.i.1954
, (
CAS
,
4♂
,
3♀
)
;
2.i.1954
, (
CAS
,
7♂
,
7♀
)
;
3.i.1954
, (
CAS
,
14♂
,
10♀
)
;
1.i.1954
, (
CAS
,
2♂
,
2♀
)
;
5.i.1954
, (
CAS
,
1♀
)
,
6.i.1954
, (
CAS
,
3♂
,
1♀
)
,
10.i.1954
, (
CAS
,
1♀
)
,
11.i.1954
, (
CAS
,
1♂
)
,
21.i.1953
, (
CAS
,
2♂
,
1♀
)
,
29.xii.1953
, (
CAS
,
11♂
,
8♀
;
EMFC
,
2♂
,
1♀
)
,
30.xii.1953
, (
CAS
,
8♂
,
10♀
;
EMFC
,
1♀
)
,
31.xii.1953
, (
CAS
,
4♂
,
3♀
)
;
same locality
,
21.i.1953
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
5♂
)
; Palm Springs, Chino Canyon [
33.863946
,
-116.571141
], P.H. Arnaud, coll. on rock,
Paratype
,
22.xii.1950
, (
CAS
,
6♂
,
3♀
)
,
24.xii.1950
, (
CAS
,
1♀
)
,
25.xii.1950
, (
CAS
,
2♂
,
4♀
)
,
26.xii.1950
, (
CAS
,
1♂
,
2♀
)
,
27.xii.1950
, (
CAS
,
2♀
)
;
same locality
,
23.xii.1950
,
P.H. Arnaud
, coll. nr. rock wall, (
CAS
,
2♂
,
4♀
)
;
1 mi.
W. Palm Springs [
33.828159
,
-116.563264
],
12.i.1977
, E.M.
Fisher
, (
EMFC
,
3♂
)
; Palm Desert,
10.x.1964
, E.
Fisher
, (
EMFC
,
2♂
)
; P.L. Boyd Des. Res. Center
3.5 mi.
S. Palm Desert, marker #57, Mal- aise trap,
18-22.xi.1969
, S.
Frommer
& R.
Worley
, (
UCRC
,
1♀
[
UCRC
ENT 21094];
3.5 mi.
S.
Palm Desert
(P.L.
Boyd Des. Res. Center
) [
33.633179
,
-116.399856
],
Malaise trap
,
25-27.x.1978
, (
UCRC
,
1♂
[
UCRC
ENT 152970
])
,
8-12.i.1979
, (
UCRC
,
1♂
[
UCRC
ENT 76690]);
Deep Cyn. Des. Res. Center
Sec. 17, R6E, T6S,
116°22’36”W
,
33°38’19”N
[
33.638911
,
-116.376667
], 10
year Malaise trap
study,
J.D. Pinto
&
S.I. Frommer
,
21-24.xi.1979
, (
UCRC
,
1♂
[
UCRC
ENT 153339
])
,
24-26.xi.1979
, (
UCRC
,
1♂
[
UCRC
ENT 153399
])
,
26-28.xi.1979
, (
UCRC
,
1♂
[
UCRC
ENT 153530
])
,
28-31.xii.1979
, (
UCRC
,
1♂
[
UCRC
ENT 153569
],
1♀
[
UCRC
ENT 153571
])
,
1-4.ii.1980
, (
UCRC
,
1♂
[
UCRC
ENT 153328
]);
8 mi.
N. Jct. Horsethief Cr.
&
Deep Cr.
,
Sec.
6; T7S, R6E [
33.590700
,
- 116.401865
], elev.
2960 ft.
,
27.x-3.xi.1973
, A.B.
Tabet
,
Malaise
, (
UCRC
,
1♂
[
UCRC
ENT 152594
]);
Palm Desert
,
Philip
L.
Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research
Center,
33°38’52.3N
,
116°22’36.0W
[
33.647861
,
-116.376667
],
940 ft.
,
27.i-2.ii.2007
, P.H. & M.M.
Arnaud
,
malaise trap
, (
USNM
,
6♂
[USNMENT 01457183, 01457184, 01457185, 01457187, 01457188, 01457189],
1♀
[
USNM 01457186
]);
Palm Desert
,
Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research
Cen- ter,
33°38’53.2”N
,
116°22’38.5”W
[
33.648111
,
-116.377361
], ca
250m
,
20-26.ii.2006
,
P.H. & M.M. Arnaud
,
malaise trap
, (
USNM
,
2♂
[USNMENT 01457190, 01457191]);
Palm Desert
,
Philip
L.
Boyd Deep Canyon Research Center
[
33.647927
,
-116.376534
]
,
15.ii.1995
, P.H. & M.M.
Arnaud
, (
USNM
,
1♂
[USNMENT 01457182]); Mag- nesia
Falls Cyn.
[
33.719804
,
-116.420504
, est.]
,
15.xi.1978
, E.M.
Fisher
, (
EMFC
,
2♀
)
. San Bernardino Co. Vidal [
34.118958
,
-114.510178
],
12.x.1987
, (
UCRC
,
1♀
[
UCRC
ENT 80350]).
San Diego Co.
5 mi.
S.
Oasis
[
33.395074
,
-116.098033
]
,
13.xi.1947
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
1♂
,
1♀
)
;
same locality,
Paratype
,
17.xi.1947
, (
CAS
,
5♂
,
7♀
)
;
10 mi.
S. Oasis [
33.315356
,
-116.095741
],
10.xii.1962
, J.
Wilcox
,
Paratype
, (
CAS
,
3♀
)
.
Distribution
(
Fig. 66
). When the
paratypes
of
W
.
martinorum
that now are designated as
W
.
flavipennis
,
n. sp.
were removed from the original type series, the distribution of
W
.
martinorum
became much narrower than when described by
Wilcox (1972)
. Most specimens of
W
.
martinorum
form a fairly tight cluster in several southern
California
counties (esp. Riverside). Elevations of collecting localities range from
433 to 3772 feet
.