New Mycetophilidae from North Carolina (Diptera)

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1940
Authors:Fisher, E.Gault
Journal:Entomological News
Volume:51
Issue:9
Pagination:243-247
Accession Number:VB
URL:http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/pdf3/004909800020181.pdf
Refereed Designation:Unknown
Full Text

 

The following text is generated from uncorrected OCR.

[Begin Page: Page 243]

li, '40] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 243

New Mycetophilidae from North Carolina (Diptera).

By ELIZABETH G. FISHER, Academy of Natural Sciences of

Philadelphia.

Dr. B. B. Fulton 1 of the North Carolina State College has

reared three new species of Mycetophilidae, the first from webspinning

larvae, the second from luminous larvae, the third

from pupae found in rotten wood. Since he hopes to publish

a detailed account of the life histories it seems well to publish

descriptions of the adults at this time.

I wish to thank Dr. O. A. Johannson for the loan of his

Pennsylvania "Ceroplatus bcllulus", Dr. F. W. Edwards for

information about Williston's type and Mr. B. B. Fulton for

the privilege of retaining the types of the new species.

Ceroplatus (Cerotelion) johannseni new species.

This species is conspecific with Johannsen's Pennsylvania

specimen of Ceroplatus bellulus 2 nee Williston 3 . Williston's

type from Mexico belongs to the subgenus Euccroplatus 4 .

These specimens belong to the subgenus Cerotelion; the tibial

setulae are irregularly arranged, the face is broad, the spurs

are black, the eyes are emarginate and the ocelli are removed

from the eye margins by about the width of an ocellus.

The specimens of this species are quite variable in color and

in size, as seems to be true of other species of this genus.

The North Carolina males are predominately brown and yellow,

the females black (Fulton reared them together). A Connecticut

male and female (in copula) are both predominately

brown and yellow. Another Connecticut male and an Iowa male

differ in having black abdomens approaching the North Carolina

females in color. Structually they are alike as far as I am able

to find. The male terminalia are all alike and resemble somewhat

Ceroplatus (Cerotelion) lineatus Fabricius. The wings

have no brown marks. The North Carolina females of this

a j. Elisha Mitchell Society 55 : 289-293, pi. 27. 1939.

2 Maine Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 172: 240. 1909.

3 Biol Centr. Amer. Dipt. 1 : 219. 1900. Maine Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull.

172: 239. 1909.

4 Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales 54 (3) : 174. 1929.

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244 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Nov., '40

species apparently resemble Cero plains (Ccroplatus) carbonarius

Bosc in coloration, but lack the prominent wing spots, lack the

white at the tips of the antennae, possess stripes on the mesonotal

disk, and R 4 ends in C not RI.

$ : Total length 7 mm. ; wing 4 mm. Head black above,

face and mouthparts yellow. Thorax yellow ; mesonotum with

a median triangular brown stripe which is divided by a

median yellow line anteriorly, the apex of the triangle is

directed posteriorly where it becomes obsolete before the scutellum.

Lateral mesonotal stripes darker, not reaching the anterior

margin and leaving the humeral angles yellow, widened posteriorly

above the wing bases so that a yellow V-shaped line is

left between the lateral and median stripes. Scutellum yellow.

Pleura yellow, pleurotergites, postnotum and hypopleurites

brownish. Halteres with the knob black and the stalk yellow.

Legs yellow, the bases of the middle and hind femora slightly

brownish. Abdomen brown with the bases of the segments

broadly yellow. Posterior portion of the pronotum and the

propleura with setae. Anterior spiracular membrane without

setae. Dorso-anterior angle of the anepisternite with fine setae.

Postnotum bare.

Wings hyaline. C extends one-third the distance between the

tips of Rs and M 1+L ; Sc ends in C at the level of the end of

the basal cell ; Sc^ absent ; R 4 ends in C ; R 4 short and only

slightly oblique; R 4 origin at the level of the tip of RI ; stalk

of M one and a half to twice as long as the coalesced portion

of M with Rs ; anal vein reaches the wing margin.

A male specimen from Iowa differs in being smaller and

darker in color. Total length 5mm. Mesonotum brownish

yellow with black stripes. Pleura dark brown. Scutellum and

postnotum black; setae black. Stalk of halteres whitish, knob

black. Legs whitish yellow ; tips of the middle and hind coxae

blackish and the bases of the middle and hind femora blackish.

Abdomen black; setae black.

A Connecticut male also has a black abdomen, another has

the abdomen brown with the bases of the third, fourth and

fifth segments yellow.

9 : Total length 5.75 to 9 mm. Head black above, face and

palpi yellow. Antennae black, Thorax mainly black; mesonotum

yellow with lateral black stripes abbreviated anteriorly and

a median black triangle with its apex directed posteriorly but

not reaching the scutellum. Scutellum black. Pleura and

postnotum black. Abdomen black.

[Begin Page: Page 245]

li, '40] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 245

The Connecticut female differs in having a brown thorax

and abdomen.

Holotypc : $ ; Raleigh, Wake County, NORTH CAROLINA.

Reared from larva by B. B. Fulton; adult emerged April 25.

[Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. No. 6488J.

Allotypc : $ ; ten miles north of Southport, Brunswick

County, NORTH CAROLINA. Reared from larva by B. B.

Fulton ; adult emerged April 1 1 .

Paratypes: 1 $ ; ten miles north of Southport, Brunswick

County, NORTH CAROLINA; reared April 24 (B. B. Fulton).

29 ; Raleigh, Wake Co., North Carolina; reared April 25

(B. B. Fulton). 1 $ ; Black Mts., Buncombe and Yancy

Counties, North Carolina (W. G. Deitz). 1 $ ; Pottstown

Montgomery County, PENNSYLVANIA (C. W. Johnson)

[Johannsen Collection]. 2$ ; 1$ ; Redding, Fairfield County,

CONNECTICUT, June 10-26 (A. L. Melander). 1 $ ; Muscatine

County, IOWA, August 28, (B. Berger).

Platyura (Rutylapa) fultoni new species.

This species runs to Platyura gcnualis Joh. in Johannsen's

key" 1 but differs in terminalial structure. I place this species

in the subgenus Rutylapa, although it lacks the posterior

spiracular hairs, because it agrees in the other characters of the

subgenus.

$ : Total length 5 mm. Head brown, deep black about the

three ocelli, face yellow; palpi dark brown, the remainder of

the mouthparts yellow. Thorax light yellow; mesonotum

brownish yellow with two narrow stripes arising at the ends of

the rudimentary transverse suture, uniting behind and obsolete

before reaching the scutellum ; lateral stripes broad, obsolete

anteriorly leaving the humeral angles yellow. Mesonotum uniformly

setose. Scutellum with its margin broadly black. Pleura

with two prominant brown spots, one on the anepisternite, tinother

on the pleurotergite. Anepisternite with minute sei .itabove.

No spiracular setae. Postnotum yellow; its dorsal

surface brown and setose.

Wings with a central spot and the tips dusky. C extends

half way to M 1+2 , Sc ends in C over the origin of Rs, ba^- ot

Rs faint, RI arises under the tip of Rs, Rs and M fusnl f..r

approximately one-half the length of the stalk of M.

~~ F Maine Agr. Exp. Sta. Hull. 172: 250. 1909.

[Begin Page: Page 246]

246 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Nov., '40

Tibial spurs 1-2-2. Abdominal tergite one brown, second,

third, and fourth with the basal half to two-thirds yellow and

the distal portion brown, the remainder of the abdomen black.

The male terminalia with simple styles unevenly bifurcate at

their tips. Legs yellow ; trochanters with black spots below on

the meso- and metathoracic legs and brown on the prothoracic

legs. Meso- and metafemora dusky above.

$ : Differs from the male in having R 4 slightly shorter,

in having the central wing spot reaching into the fork of M.

Abdomen a dusky yellow with narrower greyish posterior

margins.

Holotypc : $ ; Glenville, Jackson County, NORTH CAROLINA;

June 10. (B. B. Fulton). [Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. No.

6489].

Allotype: 5 ; Glenville, Jackson County, NORTH CAROLINA;

June 13. (B. B. Fulton).

Paratypes : 6 $ ; Glenville, Jackson County, North Carolina;

June 10-14 (B. B. Fulton). 3$ ; same locality, June

16-19 (B. B. Fulton). 2$ ; Lewis Falls, Shenandoah National

Park, VIRGINIA, July 4 (A. L. Melander).

Phthinia Carolina new species.

This species is close to Phthinia catawbiensis Shaw and

Phthinia tanypus Loew. It differs in having vein C hardly

extended beyond the tip of Rs, in having the Cu fork almost

under the M fork.

S : Total length 7 mm. ; wing 4.5 mm. ; fore tibia 1.70 mm.,

fore basitarsus 3.80 mm. Head black; face and mouthparts

brown. Antennae deep brown except the scape and the base

of the flagellum which are yellow. Thorax brown ; mesonotum

with black vittae.

Wings hyaline, the apex with macrotrichia on the membrane.

C hardly extended beyond the tip of Rs ; Sc ends in C before

the level of the origin of Rs; Sc 2 just before the middle of

Sc ; stalk of M subequal to r-m ; Cu fork practically under the

M fork; Cuo sinuate. Halteres yellow, knob brownish black.

Legs yellow. Tibial spurs 1-2-2. Abdomen black, bases of

segments especially ventrally brown. Each style of male

terminalia with two unequal spines as in Phthinia catawbiensis

Shaw but with the mesally directed slightly sclerotized lobe

more compact, broader and almost triangular.

[Begin Page: Page 247]

li, '40] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 247

9 : Similar to the male. Fore tibia 1.80 mm., fore basitarsus

3.40 mm.

Holotype : $ ; Raleigh, Wake County, NORTH CAROLINA ;

April 4. (B. B. Fulton). [Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. No. 6490].

Allotype: $ ; Raleigh, Wake County, NORTH CAROLINA;

April 6. (B. B. Fulton).

Some Neotropical Syrphid Flies (Diptera).

By FRANK M. HULL, University of Mississippi.

This paper presents descriptions of some species of neotropical

Syrphids that have been received from several sources.

The author is indebted to Mr. J. Lane of Sao Paulo, Brazil,

for the privilege of studying many interesting South American

species, two of which are described here. Unless otherwise

stated, types are in the author's collection.

Microdon hondurania n. sp.

$. Length 5.5 mm.; antennae 1.5 mm. Head: eyes not

approximated above, without pile and the front barely narrower

than the parallel-sided face, both of which are broad. Front

and upper part of occiput, except the posterior margin along

the dorsum, shining dark brown. Face and cheeks pale shining

yellow and a pair of similarly colored rectangular spots placed

transversely across the middle of the front, barely separated

in the middle. Pile of the face and lower part of occiput and

the extreme posterior margin of the upper part of the occiput

pale yellow. Antennae black, the third joint a little more than

twice as long as the first joint.

Thorax : widely dark shining brown over the mesonotum,

except narrowly along the sides and for a short distance upon

the anterior margin inside of the humeri. The broad, dark

central area! with faint narrow violaceous vittae. Pleurae and

the lateral margin of the mesonotum, the humeri and the

scutellum light yellowish brown, the disc of the scutcllum

slightly darker, ' its extremely blunt, closely approximated

nodulate spines blackish.

Abdomen: short and broad, the whole of the first segment

and whole of the second, except for an obscure lateral brown

spot, light brownish yellow. The third segment extensively

dark brown, its posterior margin narrowly light yellow, c-xt ending

broadly forward in the middle but not bisecting the anterior

Taxonomy checked: 
Yes
TDWG distribution: 
Yes
Specimens imported: 
No
Thu, 2007-03-01 13:45 -- br
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