Schildia jamaicensis Farr, 1962

Dikow, Torsten & Bayless, Keith M., 2009, Taxonomic revision of the genus Schildia Aldrich, 1923 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae) with the description of new extant and extinct species, Insect Systematics & Evolution 40, pp. 253-289 : 274-276

Schildia jamaicensis Farr, 1962 ( Figs 22–24 , 37 ) ( Farr, 1962: 191)

( Farr 1963: 19; Martin 1965: 114, 115; Martin 1968b: 5; Martin 1975: 190)

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the medially broad face, the two lateral longitudinal yellowish stripes on the scutum, the white or light yellow postpronotal lobes, the silver pruinose median dorso-ventral stripe on the occiput, and the entirely yellow T6.

Redescription. Head: Face silver pruinose, wide, wider than adjacent ommatidium; mystax light yellow, 2 setae; vertex wide, wider than face at clypeal–facial margin, silver pruinose; occipital triangle apruinose, distance between triangle and median eye margin more than adjacent ommatidium; occiput silver pruinose along eye margin and median dorso-ventral stripe, remaining parts grey pruinose; postocular setae light brown, long; proboscis brown; Antennae: scape and pedicel light yellow, light yellow to light brown setae dorsally and ventrally; postpedicel light yellow proximally, light brown distally, silver pruinose, about 1.5 times as long as combined length of scape and pedicel; stylus brown, 1/5 as long as postpedicel, composed of 1 element.

Th orax: Light brown and yellow, parts silver and brown pruinose; antepronotum, postpronotum, and median postpronotal lobes silver pruinose; lateral postpronotal lobes apruinose, light yellow; scutum predominantly brown, antero-laterally yellow forming 2 thin lateral yellow stripes not reaching posterior margin, apruinose except for silver pruinose lateral and posterior margins; presutural dc setae: 1 or 2 short, 1 intermediate, 1 long, postsutural dc setae: 2 very short anteriorly oriented setae, 3 short acr setae, 1 npl and 1 spa seta; anepisternum brown with yellow dorsal margins, few yellow anepisternal setae on anterior and dorsal margins, anteriorly and dorsally silver and remaining parts brown pruinose; anepimeron, proepimeron, katepisternum, katepimeron and meron+metanepisternum brown, proepimeron silver pruinose, katepisternum anteriorly and antero-dorsally silver pruinose, postero-dorsally brown pruinose, central area apruinose, meron+metanepisternum brown pruinose anteriorly, medially apruinose, posteriorly silver pruinose, metkatepisternum light brown, silver pruinose; scutellum brown, silver pruinose, few very short apical scutellar setae; Legs: light yellow to light brown; coxae and trochanters light yellow; pro and mes femora light yellow with 2 transverse light brown bands, met femur mostly light brown, clubbed in distal 1/3, club brown, yellow transverse band at proximal margin of club, scattered brown macrosetae on pro and mes femora, met femur with distinct rows of brown macrosetae; pro and mes tibiae light yellow with 2 light brown transverse bands, met tibia brown with median yellow transverse band, a little more than 2 times as long as width of tibia, all tibiae with yellow to light brown erect macrosetae in rows, pro and mes tibiae with 2 long apical macrosetae, met tibia with 2 apical macrosetae, 1 median sub-distal macroseta, 4 lateral macrosetae along tibia; tarsus light yellow to light brown, proximal tarsomere always longer than 2 following tarsomeres combined, short and long macrosetae on all tarsomeres; pro and mes empodia minute, met empodium 1/4 of median claw; median claw more than half as long as lateral claw; Wings: length = 3.2–4.6 mm; microtrichia scattered on wing, trichoid spicules short, symmetrical dorsally and ventrally, about 12–20 on M1 between r-m and diversion of M1 and M2; cell d small, terminating in M 2 and M 3, r-m situated proximal to separation of M 3 and CuA1; R1 reaching C well proximal to R5 and M1 joining C, R2+3 straight proximally and smoothly arching posteriad distally; halter light yellow, knob dark brown, length = 0.68–0.86 mm.

Abdomen: Light yellow and brown; T2 length = 2.2–2.8 mm, T2 with yellow transverse band medially and light band sub-distally, T3–5 with yellow anterior margins, T6 entirely yellow, T2 with erect, evenly spaced macrosetae, remaining T with irregularly spaced and longer macrosetae, T7–8 with lateral sensory areas; Male terminalia ( Figs 22–24 ): epandrial halves fused medially; epandrium and hypandrium fused proximally; gonocoxite and hypandrium fused to form a gonocoxite-hypandrial complex; Aedeagus: not protruding from hypopygium, very short, prong dorsoventrally flattened; Female genitalia: spermathecae occupying only segment 8, individual spermathecal ducts long and coiled; spermathecal reservoirs not sclerotized, as wide as individual ducts, forming a coil.

Type material. The ♂ holotype is labeled “ ♂ (handwritten) / blank paper label / HOLOTYPE Schildia jamaicensis T.H. Farr 1962 (handwritten, yellow label) / Jamaica W.I. St. Andrew Long Mountain 3 April 1960 T.H. Farr (date and collector handwritten)” ( USNM). The specimen is double mounted (attached to triangle of label paper) and is in very good condition. A ♀ paratype is labeled “ ALLOTYPE Schildia jamaicensis T.H. Farr 1962 (handwritten, blue label) / Jamaica W.I. St. Andrew Long Mountain 23 FEB. 1961 T.H. Farr (date and collector handwritten)” ( USNM). The specimen is double mounted (attached to triangular label paper) and is in very good condition. A further 12 paratypes have all the same locality label with different collecting dates and these are here provided: 2♀ 25.viii.1957 ( BMNH, USNM) ; 1♀ 29.ix.1957 ( BMNH) ; 1♂ 9.iii.1960 ( USNM) ; 1♂ 3.iv.1960 ( FSCA) ; 1♀ 16.iv.1960 ( FSCA) ; 1♂ 23.ii.1961 ( FSCA) ; 1♂ 26.iii.1961 ( BMNH) ; 1♂ 12.iii.1962 ( USNM) ; 1♂ 18.iii.1962 ( BMNH) ; 1♂ 30.iii.1962 ( BMNH) ; 1♀ 15.iv.1962 ( USNM) . All paratypes in the BMNH bear a circular label with yellow margin ‘Paratype’ and handwritten label ‘1963-118’ .

Material examined. Jamaica: 3♂ 1? Kingston , 18°00’N 076°47’W, 10.iv.1968, C. Martin ( FSCA), 6♀ 8♂ Long Mountain , 18°02’N 076°38’W, T. Farr (see type material above for dates of collection and depository) .

Distribution. Jamaica ( Fig. 37 ). Biodiversity hotspot/high-biodiversity wilderness area: Caribbean Islands/– ( Fig. 37 ).

Remarks. This species is consistently caught in association with spider webs.

Figures

Figs 13–24. Male terminalia of Schildia species with gonostyli (dark grey) and lateral processes of gonostyli (light grey) shaded in lateral views. (13–15) S. adina sp.n.: 13, lateral; 14, dorsal; 15, ventral. (16–18) S. gracillima: 16, lateral; 17, dorsal; 18, ventral. (19–21) S. guatemalae: 19, lateral; 20, dorsal; 21, ventral. (22–24) S. jamaicensis: 22, lateral; 23, dorsal; 24, ventral. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig. 37. Map of the Neotropical region with biodiversity hotspots and wilderness areas, shaded in grey, showing distribution of Schildia guatemalae (triangle), S. jamaicensis (square), †S. martini sp.n. (star) and S. microthorax (circle). Open symbols, type localities.